Chapter 135 – 135. A Forest Infested With Stragglers

After completely conquering Labyrinth 2, I came up to see the group starting their day.

“Are you out?”

“Huh. The strategy ends here.”

“What? Really?”

Ayun, who was polishing an ax, looked at me in surprise.

“It was up to the 5th floor. “I also caught the boss monster.”

“Wow.. Oppa, you really left everything out?”

Hehe. It’s awesome, right?”

“It’s not a person..”

“Hey! Is that a compliment!!”

“Kyaahhhhh! It hurts~!”

As I was pulling the cheek of Ah-yoon, who had been playing around since the morning, she handed Sae-yeon some water, saying that she had worked hard. Heuksa looked calm, as if he was still asleep.

“You worked hard.”

“No. Hehe.”

“Inho oppa..”

As I was drinking water from Saeyeon, Hyuna, who seemed half-asleep, came into my arms, rubbing her eyes. Everyone welcomes me so much today.

‘Oh, maybe it’s because my hair grew.’

Yes, everyone has become more active, perhaps because their hair has grown. After all, it’s better to be bald than to be bald.

It’s sad, but this is reality.

“What about Sae-ah?”

“I just went out with my dad to go jogging.”

“Aha. Then what about Yeongsik?”

“Ah, that Yeongsik…”

“I guess she’s in Seonhwa’s room?”

“Ahh..”

The atmosphere was good, and it seems that the relationship developed into a romantic relationship.

Yeongsik, this guy.. Was a man.

Well, in a situation like this, if a man and a woman without a lover hang out together often, she deserves to be caught in the eye. Above all, perhaps because they were both in charge of the vanguard, they especially showed a sense of camaraderie.

Anyway, I don’t think I can give you any information about the labyrinth right now. It seems like Yeong-sik and Seon-hwa slept together last night, but I can’t get in between those two people and explain about the labyrinth without them noticing.

“Then first, I’ll look for a small labyrinth and come back.”

“Neng~”

“Oh, now that I think about it, there were no heretics in Labyrinth 2.”

“Then..”

“It’s probably somewhere else, so be careful just in case.”

“Huh. “My brother too.”

“See you later, Inho oppa.”

“Yes.”

I hugged the three of them tightly. Hugging someone you love becomes the driving force that gets you through each day. It is also an act that awakens the will to survive and to return alive.

“There! Have a nice day to Jiyeon, Seunghee, and Heejeong!”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

“Please come back~”

“Fighting.”

After saying hello to the three people who were eating a quick snack in one corner, I went out of the labyrinth.

Starting today, I decided to go through a labyrinth strategy routine of going around the simple labyrinth during the day and the base labyrinth at night.

This is because I want to quickly achieve the challenge of clearing 10 simple labyrinths that I got after drinking a random drink last time.

If you achieve that challenge, the rewards are great.

[Challenge: ‘Labyrinth Strategy Expert!’]

[Achievement conditions: Complete 10 or more simple labyrinths (3/10)]

[Achievement reward: Survival rating increased by 3, can enter the weapon shop once, 5 old gold coins, fixed labyrinth ‘Devil Farm’ opened]

Increased survival rating, 10 gold coins, and one visit to the weapon shop. In addition, you can enter the devil’s cage, which is sure to contain pagan symbols.

It could even be achieved by conquering 7 more simple labyrinths.

“Did you come out?”

“Good morning, father.”

“I see. Write it..”

When we got out of the labyrinth, adults were gathered together and smoking cigarettes.

This is a group of men who always go outside to smoke because smoking inside the labyrinth makes the air stale.

“What about Mom?”

“I’m with Seongho.”

“Aha.”

Song Jang and his mother were always next to Seongho, who was in a zombie state. Since Seongho has no survival level, he cannot enter the labyrinth, so his mother and father always sleep outside.

“Whoa…Let’s go quickly.”

“Yes.”

The guys slowly put out their cigarettes and got into the car.

Dohyeong decided to drive me to where the gate was, and my father and Junho decided to guard the gate entrance while I was in the simple labyrinth.

I plan to go into the simple labyrinth alone because it would be a hassle if I took my companions with me.

-Woong…

As I went toward Yangsan, the gate-specific noise became louder.

“Hey, it’s in the park.”

“Oh.”

We got out of the car and approached the left side of the apartment complex. A few zombies crawled out, but we caught them without difficulty.

Fortunately, there were no ghouls in sight.

“It’s blue.”

“Was the blue one a labyrinth?”

“That’s right.”

The color of the gate was blue.

It is an ordinary simple labyrinth. I approached the gate and stretched out my hand. Immediately, the information about the labyrinth came to mind.

[Labyrinth Type: Simple Labyrinth]

[Difficulty: Superlative]

[Labyrinth name: Forest infested with stragglers]

[Entry conditions: Survival level 1 or higher]

[Imposed goal: Find the shrine in the center of the forest and escape within 5 days]

[Caution: Only 150 people can escape]

[Goal achievement reward: Green reward box (10), Blue reward box (5), Yellow reward box (3), 100 old gold coins, 1-time jeweler entrance ticket, Survivor armor set (1), Fixed Labyrinth – Forest of the Lost Open, resurrection stone fragment (1), fragment of the Tower of Babel (1)]

[Capacity: 1323/1500]

[Number of people accompanying: 0/10]

[Current number of escapees: 0/150]

“What the hell is this..”

The information in the simple labyrinth that I read without much thought was truly shocking.

It is a top-class simple labyrinth that can accommodate as many as 1,500 people.

It was a structure in which only 150 of those who went in could come out alive.

It even showed how many people had escaped so far… But there were still 0 people.

‘Seeing as they were told to escape within 5 days in the first place… ‘

The interior seems incredibly spacious. If you get lost, it’s the end. Moreover, it is impossible to know where the center of the forest is.

However, the reason why 1,323 people entered the dungeon is probably…

‘Resurrection stone fragment.’

Maybe it’s because of this.

There is a resurrection stone that can revive the dead as a reward. Additionally, the other rewards are quite unconventional.

‘Seeing as there is also a fixed labyrinth as a reward… ‘

This was a kind of testing ground.

A test to select 150 people who can enter the Forest of the Missing and survive.

For that purpose, 1,350 people will be replaced.

‘That’s what Asmorphia said… It uses the dramatic emotions, aspirations, and will to survive that humans emit as power… ‘

The despair that comes from dying and even the soul after death.

Therefore, the reward for conquering the simple labyrinth could be seen as a reward created by grinding 1,350 people.

In short, their intention is to provide solid support to the 150 survivors and then prepare a foothold for entering the fixed labyrinth.

It means sacrificing 1,350 people for the greater good.

Is this Asmorphia’s idea? Or is it another manager’s act?

I don’t know. First, you have to go in here. I was confident that I would be in the top 150 out of 1,500.

“This…”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Inho.. It’s better to give up on this..”

My father and uncles stopped me.

But I already decided to go in.

“I’ll go in and come out. It will be out soon..”

“B-But.. Inho-kun..”

“You can survive. And if you can find a door with a key, you can use a portable warehouse, so as long as you can get out within 5 days, it’s okay.”

I expressed my opinion to the guys. Then my father got angry.

“Hey you crazy guy. You have your eyes set on the reward now. “Did you really plan on going after me?”

“Father.”

“Your younger brother is enough. “If you die too, how can I live?”

I couldn’t say anything and just looked at my father.

What your father said is correct. If you go in, you might just die.

“But if you come out alive, you will benefit greatly. We have to save Seongho, father. You can’t keep them in a zombie state forever. And… I’m getting more and more bored these days. “If the bugs boil soon, we won’t be able to revive it.”

“That’s…”

“So you have to go in.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“No. My father is too weak now to do it. It’s useless.”

“W-what? What…?”

My father was speechless when he hit me with the pectro.

No, it’s true that it’s weak. My father’s strong personality and his ability to fight are two completely different stories.

‘But still, I’m going in alone…’

Originally, I was planning to go in alone.

However, looking at the information on the labyrinth, up to 10 people could enter together. Seeing that companion entry is possible, it seems like we start at the same place…

‘It’s not good to bring too many people in.’

Just like my father, if you bring in weak people, you will end up stuck. So, I want to bring only the necessary people with me and get more rewards..

‘If two people enter, the reward is double..’

The reward is double. This is crazy.

“Mister.”

“Huh?”

“Go to the base now…”

I asked Ayun, Hyuna, Sae-ah, and Saeyeon to come with me.

Aside from me, Ayun is currently the strongest in our base, and Hyuna and Sae-ah are also much stronger than most survivors.

Probably no worse than those who entered now. It’s helpful. It can be said to be the most important force.

‘I can take care of Saeyeon.. Above all, it’s time for her to get used to the labyrinth.’

You can’t just keep infinite inventory stuck in the base. Above all, if it is a labyrinth made of forests, there will be a lot of things you can gain.

Of course, it is true that it is dangerous, but in that sense, the infinite labyrinth is also dangerous.

“I understand.”

“Please do me a favor.”

Soon, Mr. Dohyeong drove away.

My father looked at me and said to me as if he was dumbfounded.

“Hey you crazy guy. Are you taking everyone in because you don’t want to make them widows?”

“No! Father!!! “What kind of crazy talk is that!!”

Hehe.”

What on earth is this crazy joke? I made a joke about him being weak, and he responded with a widow’s joke. The brain structure is a bit different from that of ordinary people.

Anyway, after waiting for about 20 minutes, arguing with my father, the van carrying the group came back.

I told my girls who got out of the car the plan. Then Ah Yunyi was very happy and pulled out her axe.

“I said I was asking for all your help for some reason. “The difficulty of the labyrinth is no joke.”

“Hey, Inho oppa.. How much are you planning on killing me..”

“Okay.. Inho. They say only 150 people can survive here…”

Unlike Ayun, who looks excited, Hyuna and Saeyeon immediately show concern. It looks like Ah Yoon is the only one excited about this.

“No, the compensation here is even crazier than that.”

“Yeah, right? That’s why I tried to go in with you…”

“Oh. “I agree.”

Fortunately, Sae-ah also seemed to respond well. This is quite a challenging response from Ayun and Sae-ah, who are good at fighting.

“If you don’t want to go in, you don’t have to go in.”

“No. That’s not it… Phew. Can do. “We can do it.. Let’s do it!”

When I heard that Ayun and Sae-ah were going in, Hyuna and Sae-yeon reluctantly decided to go in together.

To be honest, I was planning on just sending it back if I said no, but I’m glad I did.

“Then. I’ll be back. Even if the gate remains open, don’t just enter. Because it would be dangerous.”

I told my father, Do-hyeong, and Jun-ho that I would ask them to follow me, and then ran into the gate.

I wasn’t particularly scared of the people I would encounter. However, my biggest fear was that I would not be able to find the center of the forest.

******

[Capacity: 1490/1500]

[Timeout.]

[Confirmed lack of personnel.]

[Additional personnel will be brought in.]

[The door to the labyrinth closes.]