All of them were dead. The Ghost continued to grumble.
[How have they survived until now when they look like they can't even catch a single Big Rat?]
"Unlike me, their Labyrinth is easy."
[An easy Labyrinth? What's that?]
Taesan explained.
They were given the choices of Easy Mode, Normal Mode, Hard Mode, and Alone Mode. They chose one of them and entered the Labyrinth. After a moment of silence, the Ghost spoke.
[There are several kinds of Labyrinths?]
"Yes."
[…What are you talking about?]
Its voice was filled with utter confusion.
[There is only one Labyrinth. Divided into modes? That can't be right.]
"But it's true."
Easy, Normal, Hard, Alone. Each mode had different monsters and Bosses on each floor. The only things they had in common were the layout of the floors and the fact that there were 100 of them.
After pondering for a long time, the Ghost finally managed to organize its thoughts.
[At least, as far as I remember, the Labyrinth wasn't divided. There were rare occasions when Dimensions were split by the Gods, but it was extremely uncommon, and most of them returned to their original state.]
Taesan looked up at the sky. Monsters were pouring out of the gaping hole.
[Are you saying someone created it artificially?]
The Easy, Normal, and Hard Modes were created by someone other than the Mage. In other words, the only real mode was Alone Mode. It was a truth he hadn't known, but he wasn't surprised.
It was something he had already guessed. Since NPCs, Named Monsters, and Gods existed only in Alone Mode, he had predicted from the start that they were different.
"Is that possible?"
The Great Mage and Transcendents had been involved in the design of the Labyrinth. The Ghost spoke nonchalantly.
[The Labyrinth was difficult to design because of its density. Each and every floor is like a dungeon in itself. If you were to crudely copy and paste it, it wouldn't be impossible. Though it would still require a lot of power.]
At least a Transcendent. Perhaps something even greater.
[But it is strange. Even if you remove the essence, it would require a lot of power given its size… And to make three of them? What's the purpose?]
The Ghost, who had spoken softly, suddenly contorted its voice.
[By the way, can't we just run straight to the destination? I don't want to see these things.]
"No." Taesan cut it off leisurely.
"There's nothing to do even if we go."
A new Quest would not begin until the majority of people arrived at the City Hall. There was no reason to hurry.
[Sigh.]
The Ghost let out a deep sigh. After that, not much changed. The Ghost remained silent as if it disapproved, and Jung-geun fought off the monsters.
In the case of multiple monsters appearing from time to time, Taesan sent them flying with pebbles. As this repeated, people began to realize something was strange.
"Don't the monsters all disappear in a weird way?"
When Jung-geun was dealing with one, and another was about to attack them, the attacking monster would suddenly vanish. It was clearly a strange occurrence. However, their Stats were not high enough to see Taesan's movements, and the pebbles weren't even a target for Airak Martial Arts, so there was no damage judgment.
Thus, they couldn't find the answer.
"Can't multiple monsters move together?"
With no information, they could only speculate in that manner. As they proceeded tediously, the Ghost spoke.
[Why are you helping in such a strange way? You could just take them all and run to the destination. You like helping people, don't you?]
"I don't particularly like it."
[Huh.]
The Ghost asked as if it didn't understand.
[You were helping other guys so eagerly.]
"Not just anyone. I only help those with potential."
[Then can't you just let all these guys die?]
"I can't do that."
He was the type of person who did various things for those he had grown fond of. Jung-geun was one of them. He didn't care if they died, but if they did, Jung-geun's spirit would break.
Since he had plenty of time, it was a good way to pass it. It was mealtime. Everyone began to eat with weary faces.
"Ugh… this tastes awful."
"Can't we get something from a convenience store?"
"What if we run into a monster on the way?"
For safety, everyone chewed on the monster meat they had brought from the Labyrinth. Taesan took out some spam. He had packed a fair amount from the convenience store.
When the golden can appeared, Ahn Jung-hee let out a gasp.
"Spam! Where did you get that?"
"Before I joined up."
"Wow…"
She stared with envious eyes, but she didn't ask for any. She was weak, but still a Player who had survived in the Labyrinth. She was well aware that there were no exchanges without a price.
Cases like Jung-geun were very unusual.
"Ugh. I want to trade, but I have nothing to trade with."
Not only her, but the others also just looked on with envy, not saying a word. Anyone who would was likely very shameless.
"Hey. Hand it over."
A muscular man approached Taesan. He held out his hand confidently, as if it were his. The rose tattoo on his forearm was impressive.
Taesan stared blankly and put another piece in his mouth. The man's face contorted.
"Is this guy crazy?"
"Who are you?"
"I, I…"
Ahn Jung-hee fidgeted, her face pale. The man puffed out his chest.
"I am Lee Chang-seok, an executive of the strongest guild in Normal Mode. The Athena Guild!"
"So?"
Taesan asked indifferently. Lee Chang-seok let out a hollow laugh.
"Hey. Do you want to die when we get back? A punk like you thinks you can stand up to the Athena Guild?"
"I wonder."
Taesan muttered.
"If you can even make it back."
"What?"
The Athena Guild. They existed in the previous world too. They were said to be the biggest guild in Normal Mode.
He had heard they were the type to try and control the Labyrinth by throwing their weight around.
‘Didn't they all die during the Second Return?’
That was what Taesan remembered of the Athena Guild. When Taesan didn't react, Lee Chang-seok's face turned red.
"This bastard. You really want to die."
Just as Lee Chang-seok raised his hand.
"That's enough."
"Ah."
Ahn Jung-hee's face, which had been turning pale, brightened.
"Mr. Jung-geun…"
Jung-geun approached with a blank expression. Lee Chang-seok flinched for a moment but soon puffed out his chest confidently.
"What?"
"Stop it."
A low voice echoed. His cold face turned towards Lee Chang-seok. Lee Chang-seok sneered.
"Who do you think you are?"
"You think you're something special just because you're leading us? Why should I listen to you?"
Lee Chang-seok was confident. And he had made a calculation of sorts.
‘This guy's a pushover.’
He was guiding them without asking for anything in return. He risked his life for them and always smiled affably. Lee Chang-seok believed that those with power had a right to it.
But to give so freely without anything in return? He couldn't understand it, nor did he want to. The man named Geum Jung-geun was a good person.
Even if he acted tough, he couldn't do anything. He had seen people like him occasionally in his previous world, and Lee Chang-seok had made a living by preying on them. People called them good, but to him, they were nothing more than suckers.
"This is between us. You stay out of it."
"Haa."
Jung-geun sighed.
His eyes held a hint of annoyance. He reached out and grabbed Lee Chang-seok's head.
"Hey, hey! You! Let go!"
Lee Chang-seok struggled with a stiff face, but the hand didn't budge. Jung-geun raised his arm, lifting Lee Chang-seok off the ground. The muscular man was lifted with surprising ease.
"Y-you! You!"
"I know what you're thinking by doing this."
Taesan watched blankly. If Lee Chang-seok had miscalculated one thing. It was that Jung-geun was not the pushover he thought he was.
"You're free to think whatever you want, but if you cross the line because of it…"
Jung-geun punched Lee Chang-seok in the chest. Lee Chang-seok collapsed, writhing on the ground.
"I can abandon someone like you at any time."
"Gak, keok."
Since it was a punch, it didn't inflict damage, but the impact was fully felt. Jung-geun looked down coldly at Lee Chang-seok, who couldn't even scream from the pain, and then lifted his head. The people flinched and turned their heads away.
Jung-geun gave a bitter smile at them, who couldn't meet his gaze.
Crackle. Crackle.
The bonfire burned. The City Hall was a distance that could be reached within a few hours at most, but with so many people, they couldn't make it by nightfall. Taesan approached Jung-geun, who was sitting in front of the bonfire.
"Are you on watch?"
"Everyone must be tired."
"You're the one who should be tired."
Jung-geun had fought more than five times on the way here. The others had only watched or run away in fear. Jung-geun didn't answer, just gave a bitter smile.
Taesan sat down opposite him.
"People seem to be afraid of you."
After Jung-geun attacked Lee Chang-seok, people behaved very cautiously. It wasn't just about avoiding monsters; their movements showed they were wary of Jung-geun. They had only seen Jung-geun's gentle face, so his current state was very unfamiliar and frightening.
They had all, somewhere in their hearts, believed that Jung-geun would definitely protect them, so his act of breaking that belief had scared them.
"It couldn't be helped. It was something that had to be done at least once."
He poked the bonfire with a stiff expression.
"There are too many people. We were almost in danger several times."
If it weren't for Taesan, over twenty would have actually died.
"I had to establish control once to make them follow my words as much as possible. Thank you. Thanks to you, a good opportunity came up."
Jung-geun was suspicious of Taesan. For a Normal Mode Player, his attitude was too calm, his face unwavering. Even when monsters appeared, he showed no sign of disturbance.
For an ordinary person, his demeanor was excessively stable. He even suspected if he was a monster in disguise. But he couldn't find anything more suspicious than that.
When Taesan threw the pebbles, Jung-geun was fighting fiercely, so he couldn't have seen it. Even if he had the leisure, the difference in their Stats was so great that he wouldn't have noticed.
‘A useless thought.’
Jung-geun chuckled.
Taesan was an ordinary person. There was no way a monster in disguise could exist. Just as he was dismissing his suspicions.
"Is there a need for that?"
"Pardon?"
Taesan said indifferently.
"You could reach the City Hall without any problem."
"…Are you telling me to abandon all of them?"
Over a hundred people. At the suggestion of leaving them to die, Jung-geun asked with a trembling voice. Taesan looked at Jung-geun with sunken eyes.
"If you're a man of Hard Mode, you should know. Those who live, live. Those who die, die."
Jung-geun bit his lip. Hard Mode was a mode with a 1% survival rate. Surviving there for even three months would naturally make one understand.
Those who live, live, and those who die, die. That standard doesn't change even if someone helps. It might extend their life for a moment, but in the end, they die before long.
"You can just go alone, can't you?"
In fact, on their way to the City Hall, they had met a few Players. Confident in their own strength, they looked at Jung-geun and his group, shook their heads, and left without looking back. Some even openly called him crazy.
"Why do you cling to lives that are destined to die anyway?"
"You…"
At the emotionless voice, Jung-geun looked at Taesan.
Shiver.
Jung-geun felt a chill run down his spine. He could somewhat grasp a person's character by looking into their eyes. It was an ability he had acquired as he grew up, but Jung-geun had always dismissed it as a superstition like physiognomy.
The eyes of Taesan he saw were endlessly sunken. A man who had witnessed so many deaths that he could no longer give them emotion. A man who had faced the end and let go of everything.
He was not a Normal Mode human. Jung-geun gripped his sword.
"Who are you?"
Wary eyes.
The eyes of someone looking at a stranger. The Jung-geun who had welcomed him with a silly smile was gone.
‘This is a first.’
"I wonder."
Taesan stood up. Jung-geun was flustered as he turned his back.
"We're going to the City Hall anyway, right? I'll tell you then."
Jung-geun slowly lowered his sword. The day broke. They began to move again—their expressions bright, as they only had about an hour left to travel.
But there was one fact they did not know. The monsters had been ordered to attack the humans heading to the City Hall. This meant that once they reached the City Hall, the monsters would not attack.
Those who moved alone had either already arrived or were dead. Naturally, the monsters began to gather. Leveling up through battle