Moon's Labyrinths

Sungyoon was taken aback . He had barely felt himself cutting the Mad Dog . The sensation was like cutting soft tofu with a sharp knife . However, he didn’t let the surprise move him into inactivity .

“Oohk!”

He quickly dodged out of range . When the Mad Dog had jumped towards him, he had made a clean cut from top to bottom . But the corpse was still flying toward him . He was in danger of being covered in blood, innards, and flesh .

Chwahhhhhhhk!

The corpse hit the ground as blood splattered all over .

“Hoo-ooh!”

Sungyoon took a deep breath . And raising his halberd, he looked at the corpse .

‘As expected, it is good . ’

Even though he had used it before, he once again appreciated how good the weapon was . Compared to this halberd, the mace and the spear he used before felt like weapons from the stone age .

He picked up the moonstone and immediately activated his storage Gem . The moonstone disappeared from his hand as if it were magic .

‘This is so convenient . I like it . ’

When he first hunted as a Connector, he used to put the moonstones in his pockets . When the moonstones increased in number, he started carrying around a big bag . Since his strength and stamina had increased as a Connector, the weight of the moonstones didn’t matter much . However, moving around the labyrinth while carrying a bag was very annoying . The storage Gem solved this annoying problem in an instant .

He had equipped the Gem on the vambrace type Device . He tried shaking it a couple of times before walking again .

After covering a short distance, he encountered a Slash Cat . When the monster saw Sungyoon, it extended its claws and ran toward him .

‘Let’s try this one . ’

Sungyoon activated the magic Gem that enhanced his visual acuity .

In a flash, he felt as if time had slowed down . However, the time hadn’t actually slowed down . It was just that his dynamic visual acuity had increased by a lot .

He could see the red-eyed Slash Cat charge toward him . His eyes could see each of its movements .

“Hoohp!”

This time he focused on the spear blade of the halberd, using the long reach of the weapon to his advantage . The spear blade flew towards the Slash Cat . The monster desperately tried to dodge, but the halberd’s spear blade was too fast .

-Kang!

The spear blade embedded itself in its shoulder . However, Sungyoon wasn’t done . A stupid amount of strength empowered his attack, so the spear blade kept moving deeper into the Slash Cat’s body . Soon, the ax-blade started cutting the monster open .

Too-hwahhhhhhk!

The Slash Cat’s side was split wide open, and blood and internal organs fell out . It was obviously a critical wound . The monster died before it could even swing its sharp claws .

‘The spear blade is great too . ’

Owing to his experience, he was able to use the spear blade of the halberd with a practiced hand . However, the blunt Indigo spear couldn’t be compared to the halberd .

‘Moreover, the support magic is quite useful . ’

Due to the increase in his visual acuity, he almost felt as if time had slowed . So, he thought it would be great to use this Gem when assessing a battlefield in danger . It would be very useful when he was trying to make an opportunity for himself .

‘Moreover, I can use it quite a lot of times . ’

Even if it was an Orange rank Gem, it could strengthen his visual acuity 12 consecutive times . Moreover, the cooldown was only six hours . It was really short . However, the short duration might be a special characteristic of all support magic Gems .

Sungyoon put away the moonstone and started moving through the labyrinth once again .

This time he found a Fang Boar .

‘Should I test out different battle tactics?’

He licked his lips . As expected, the Fang Boar charged straight towards Sungyoon as soon as it discovered him . Its sharp tusks headed towards him .

Ssssk!

He changed his weapon . The halberd disappeared . In its place, he now held a large shield and a battle-ax .

-Gweeeeeek!

The Fang Boar let out a cry, and its tusks shone . One could not mistake its dangerous and indomitable appearance . However, Sungyoon had no fear as he put his shield forward .

Tuhng!

The sound of a large collision rang out . As expected of a high-rank shield, the monster couldn’t even leave a scratch on it . Sungyoon was able to deflect the treacherous tusks .

-Gwehhhhk!

The boar became unsteady on its feet as it screamed . In a flash, Sungyoon unsummoned his ax and shield, and the halberd reappeared . He immediately placed the halberd between the monster’s front legs . He used the hook on the other side of the ax blade and hooked the Fang Boar’s leg .

Hweek!

Next, he pulled his halberd and lifted it .

Hwee-chung!

One of its legs rose into the air, and the monster’s enormous body swayed . Shock appeared in its red eyes .

When it started to lose its balance, Sungyoon immediately stabbed it with his spear .

Poo-oohk!

The spear blade penetrated the monster’s underbelly . Instead of putting more strength behind the halberd in order to push the spear blade deeper, Sungyoon unsummoned it and moved closer to the Fang Boar .

Sssssk!

The battle-ax once again appeared in his hands . He didn’t even think and brought down the ax toward the Fang Boar .

Kwah-jee-jeek!

-Ggwee-eeeeek!

The large ax blade struck the Fang Boar’s back and side . It cut through the monster’s tough hide, muscles, and even the spine . The cut was so deep that one of the ax blades disappeared into the monster’s body .

Choo-oohk!

The Fang Boar slumped . It had instantly died . However, the ax was still deeply embedded in its body, which couldn’t fall on the floor because it was being propped up .

‘Mmm . Did that go well?’

He put his foot on the Fang Boar and extracted the ax .

The halberd, the ax, and the shield were equipment similar in quality . He wondered if he could use a combination of the three by taking advantage of his ability to quickly activate the Gems . Sungyoon tilted his head in thought after the experiment had come to an end .

‘I thought it worked out pretty well...’

However, he had faced just a Fang Boar . That monster wasn’t a good barometer as to whether this was a useful strategy or not . He’d have to go deeper and test it out against the stronger monsters .

‘Still, they are all good weapons . ’

He had zero complaints about his equipment . With the weapons he possessed, he’d be able to kill any monster that he had encountered in the Beginner’s Labyrinth .

‘Shall I use these on the next one?’

Sungyoon touched the Gems equipped on his Device, and his hand went toward the attack magic Gems .

‘Gravity and Earth . ’

He had experienced the gravity magic before . It had increased his weight, and his movements had slowed down . It had been a really annoying magic spell . Of course, the only reason why it was just an annoyance to Sungyoon was the fact that his strength-enhancement Gems had been active . A normal human wouldn’t be able to move . The massive increase in gravity might also cause damage to the body .

However, he would be the one using this Gem now . This thought deeply moved him .

As for the Earth magic Gem, he had never seen or experienced one before .

Sungyoon wandered around the labyrinth in order to find a new sacrifice . It didn’t take him too long . A Big Rat was roaming on the floor .

He extended his hand .

‘Activate!’

Hoo-oong!

As he had that thought, the Gravity magic Gem let out a light .

-Geeeeeeek!

The Big Rat had been about to turn its head towards Sungyoon, but it crashed to the ground . A mournful cry escaped its mouth . It struggled on the ground, but its weight had increased eightfold, and it could only move a little bit .

Sungyoon walked toward the monster in a leisurely manner . He stabbed it with his halberd .

Poo-ook!

The spear left a deep wound, and whatever small movements were happening ceased to exist .

‘This is pretty good . ’

The spell was well suited to seal the movements of his enemy, and it would work better if the monster had more mass . It was a great way to attack a monster . He could use the spell six times, and the cooldown was 13 hours . Sungyoon was very satisfied and started to move again . This time he would test out the Earth magic .

He once again found a Fang Boar .

It acted exactly like a boar that could only charge forward . And when the monster’s charge begun, Sungyoon activated the Earth magic . A light flashed from his Gem .

Puh-uhk!

A sharp earthen spike appeared right below the Fang Boar . It looked like a spear blade roughly carved from the earth . The stalagmite rose to a height of about 3m . Moreover, it wasn’t just one or two spikes .

Puh-uhk! Puh-uhk!

The sharp stalagmites covered everything in a 10-meter radius . The Fang Boar was within that sphere of influence . It didn’t even have the chance to scream before its body was ruthlessly stabbed by multiple stalagmites . The monster was hung in the air, and red blood flowed down the stalagmites .

‘... amazing . ’

This was his first time seeing a magic spell with a massive area of effect . He barely stopped his mouth from falling open . The only two magic he had seen were gravity magic and flame magic . If he considered the electric outcome of this spell, the other two spells looked like a child’s play that was only slightly dangerous .

‘I guess the magic spells rise to this level when the Gems become Orange rank . ’

He could use this spell six times, and the cooldown was 17 hours . He couldn’t be reckless in its use . But from what he had seen just now, it would be a strong addition to his arsenal .

Sungyoon lightly tapped at his Device .

‘I’ve used all the Gems I’ve acquired for the most part . ’

He just needed experience so that these Gems would truly become his .

Sungyoon headed deeper into the labyrinth .

* * *

Before the promised time to meet Tim, Sungyoon diligently went around the labyrinth . His efforts paid off . He successfully mapped the entire 2nd floor of the labyrinth .

‘It wasn’t that hard . ’

There was no way this could be called a map . The paper was filled with crooked lines . He looked a bit embarrassed about his work as he reflected back on his experience in clearing the 2nd floor .

The monsters here on the 2nd floor were the monsters from the 3rd to 7th floor in the Beginner’s Labyrinth . However, they couldn’t contend with Sungyoon, who was armed with high-rank Gems . He was an irresistible force as he swept through the second floor . Finally, he was able to mark all the forks in the tunnels to point towards the exit . He was able to discern the entire layout of the 2nd floor .

Sungyoon weighed the dates .

‘It’ll be fine if I leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow . ’

The meeting with Tim wasn’t too far away . Since he had to think about the time needed to travel from his labyrinth to Armstrong, he should start thinking about leaving for Armstrong .

However, he wasn’t in a hurry . He didn’t need to immediately leave .

‘Should I check it out once before I leave?’

He had located the tunnel to the 3rd floor early on and cleared it of all monsters . He came to a decision and then headed down the tunnel . Even though he had gone down a floor, his surrounding looked the same . It continued to look like a labyrinth .

In this familiar surrounding, he immediately faced off against a monster .

As soon as he arrived on the 3rd floor, he saw a pair of red eyes . He became tense once again .

‘Blue Mane Lion . ’

It was a monster with a majestic blue mane . It was commonly referred to as one of the end bosses of the Beginner’s Labyrinth . It glared at Sungyoon .

The man took out his halberd and firmly rooted himself to the floor . The tension he felt right now couldn’t be compared to before .

He had killed many Blue Mane Lions before, and one of them even when he had joined a temporary party .

However, this was the first time he was hunting this monster by himself . It was the strongest monster within the Beginner’s Labyrinth, and due to this truth, he kept his guard up .