harleyscars Page 119
Page 119
Mayumi Haga briefly explained the current situation to Yuri Takajo and Akari Arisu, and earnestly instructed them to stay close behind her.
"Besides me, don't trust any sounds in the labyrinth," Mayumi Haga said.
The labyrinth is haunted by the vengeful spirits of adventurers and natives. These spirits are often cunning and elusive, and they can possess the bodies of the living.
"Don't touch anything. I have food and water here. Ask me if you're thirsty or hungry."
The maze contains many deceptive plants and animals, seemingly immobile armor that may actually conceal a hidden sword, and treasure chests that are opened casually that may swallow you whole. There are also countless traps.
Taking any wrong step could lead to a death sentence.
Mayumi Haga was indifferent, not indifferent to human life. Even if she found Arisu Akari unlikable, and even if she was cold and didn't like getting close to people, she wouldn't let these two children who knew nothing die.
Therefore, she will take good care of the two of them.
"Where's 3904?" Arisu Akari asked, remembering that she hadn't seen 3904 in a long time. "Isn't she with us?"
She was still worried about whether 3904 could leave with her.
Moreover, she is now a little worried that Mayumi Haga may have secretly killed 3904.
Yuga Mayumi glanced over casually and said, "3904, go ahead and wait at the maze entrance."
The Adventurer's Hall at the entrance to the maze is practically a 100% safe place, but it has fallen into disrepair over the years, and many of its functions are unusable.
Yuga Mayumi and 3904 had previously inspected the Adventurers' Hall and identified areas that needed repair, which they then entrusted to 3904, who was surprisingly skilled in this area.
Basically, it involves moving the stones blocking the hall, clearing the path, and finally repairing the minecarts needed to enter the maze.
This amount of work is nothing for 3904, a half-human who has just recovered his body by eating a few monsters.
Having received a reply from Mayumi Haga, Akari Arisu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, on the other side, 3904, which was diligently repairing the mine car, couldn't find the last part no matter what it did.
She scratched her head, wondering what to do, when suddenly a transparent hand appeared in front of her.
The hand was so dry that it was just skin and bones, and the nails had become very long due to the shrinkage of the flesh; it was definitely the hand of a mummified corpse.
However, it indicates the location of the last part for 3904.
3904 almost instinctively sprang up to be on alert, but the hand had already disappeared at some point.
Main Text: Chapter 187 The Guardian [Floating Clouds] (4K)
The souls of the dead wander in the labyrinth.
This point had been explained to Mayumi Haga in detail before 3904 entered the labyrinth.
The deceased often appear to be dressed in tattered clothes, resembling mummies, and do not speak. The surrounding temperature drops sharply whenever a deceased person is present; with sufficient vigilance, it is easy to detect their approach.
Moreover, generally speaking, there are no undead in the Adventurer's Hall.
Because this is the level closest to the ground, the dead fear sunlight and will not appear rashly. Moreover, the levels of the maze are independent of each other, and the dead generally only wander on the level where they were in life, and will not appear on other levels.
So why...
What 3904 didn't realize was that, compared to the always sunny world outside, after she arrived here, there were only cloudy days.
Of course, it's normal that she, being from another world, can't perceive the difference between the real and the real world, since she hasn't really lived properly in the children's world and spends most of her time unconscious in the clinic.
Because the underworld is overcast, the sunlight is blocked, and the range of activity for the undead naturally increases. Moreover, the Adventurer's Hall has lost its former liveliness and become as dilapidated as the other floors, naturally becoming a dwelling place for the undead.
However, due to the confinement of the labyrinth, these undead were still unable to leave.
3904 forced herself to calm down, cautiously surveying her surroundings. Only after confirming that the last part the spirit had pointed out to her was correct did she carefully install it.
With a "click," the light that indicated it was working properly turned on green.
3904 exhaled and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
All that's left is to wait for Mayumi Haga and the others to arrive.
3904 took off the work gloves that Mayumi Haga had given her and sat on the ground.
Although she has no memory of her time as a human, she is quite capable with her hands and can quickly get the hang of repairing this old minecart that has been used for who knows how long.
Rather, the structure of this minecart is very simple. Once you understand that the power source of the minecart cannot be analyzed by science, you only need to repair the switch part, and it becomes as simple as breathing and drinking water.
3904 closed his eyes, curled up in the corner, and waited for Mayumi Haga to come over.
She began trying to adjust her physical condition while she was fully conscious.
After arriving in this world, she was attacked by monsters, but her wolf personality emerged in time, killing and devouring the monsters surrounding her.
A large amount of cold, dark magic surged into her body. Although it was not very comfortable, it did become nourishment for her body, allowing her to recover quickly.
But 3904 wasn't always so lucky, encountering monsters that she could easily kill.
Just as she was about to be seduced by those mermaid-like monsters, Mayumi Haga appeared and saved her.
After discussing it, the two began exploring the hollow in the city center together.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that what lay beneath was a vast underground labyrinth.
Mayumi Haga demonstrated her familiarity with the area and quickly devised a battle plan, instructing her to repair the entrance while she returned to find the others who had also been drawn into the inner world.
3904 has a question: "How can you be sure that you can go back after clearing this place?"
“This labyrinth… is the tower for communicating with the gods. In my original world, the gods did not live in the heavens, but deep within the earth,” Mayumi Haga said.
Due to the difference in faith, while people in other worlds helped build towering towers to the heavens, the wizards of the Alamo sought their faith in the underground.
Therefore, this labyrinth was built by wizards to communicate with the gods, known as the "Tower of Babylon." The closer one got to the bottom of the labyrinth, the more likely one was to come into contact with the gods.
This labyrinth possesses the magical attributes of [communication] and [connection]. Its overall shape resembles a nail, piercing through the inner and outer worlds and nailing them together.
If there needs to be an entrance connecting the two worlds, then this is the only place that comes to mind.
The world is distorted here, and at the bottom of the labyrinth, the surface world intersects with it.
Therefore, to leave this place, you need to reach the bottom of the maze.
3904 understood and said he would do his best to help.
She originally thought it wouldn't be bad for her to die here.
However, the magical girl who had saved her once also fell into this world. She was still grateful and wanted to repay the kindness by sending the magical girl back before making any further plans.
Mayumi Haga declined to comment on 3904's intentions.
Whatever this guy is thinking, at least for now, she's useful and doesn't mean any harm, and that's enough.
In short, the first phase of the task is complete. Let's take a break...
Thinking this, 3904 drifted off to sleep. Despite being resting, her inherent vigilance still made her immediately get up when she sensed someone approaching.
During such a short rest, the body gradually adapts to the magic it ingests, and the Kaba organs within the body convert it into energy to heal the body's depletion, with any excess being stored.
Suddenly, 3904 felt a strong gaze fall on his face.
Not only that, the other party was surrounded by a strong chill, and 3904 could not hear the other party breathing.
This is undoubtedly a ghost!
3904 was shocked, but with Mayumi Haga not coming, she didn't know what to do.
Although she is capable of tearing apart monsters and Kaba with her bare hands and possesses the passive ability to break magic, she has absolutely no experience in dealing with this type of supernatural enemy, and therefore has no clue what to do.
The fear of the unknown and the dead made her feel terrified, and her heart inevitably began to waver.
This...this is a spirit, right? Someone who's already dead...
3904 had to desperately control his body in order to avoid giving away his waking state by breathing erratically or his hair standing on end.
However, the spirit did not seem to have any ill intentions.
A dusty, tattered cloak was draped over her, almost making 3904, with her keen sense of smell, cough.
Almost the instant she opened her eyes, she wanted to run outside, but strangely, the undead in front of her did not intend to attack her.
The deceased should appear to be female, with sunken eyes, skin and bones, and in some places even decayed and exposed bones.
But her outfit looked familiar to 3904.
Although there are many differences in the details and the body shapes are completely different, the design of the hood, cape, and light armor, as well as the pattern design, looks strangely familiar...
Isn't this the Guardian Set from Mayumi Haga?
Of course, they are not the same set, but the basic design and the Guardian pattern are exactly the same. The differences are mainly in the number of belts, the shape of the collar, and the style of the armor.
But no matter how you look at it, you can tell at a glance that she has a relationship with Mayumi Haga.
The guess of 3904 was correct.
The spirit before me is none other than the guardian who entered the labyrinth with Mayumi Haga back then, but failed to leave.
The black-haired woman named "Floating Cloud" is the guardian who bestowed the blessing "An eye for an eye" upon Mayumi Haga.
Of course, at this moment, the floating clouds are merely the dead lingering here, unable to leave, and unable to communicate with the living. But fortunately, she herself was once a guardian, and her soul was nourished by the river of life, enabling her to withstand the faint light from the ground.
It would be difficult for other undead to reach the hall.
Perhaps knowing that his current appearance was a bit frightening, the Undead Cloud didn't talk much with 3904. He just pointed to the cloak he had thrown to 3904, indicating that the other party should cover his stomach and go to sleep.
The ancient country she came from had a unique obsession with covering one's stomach with a blanket while sleeping.
Seeing that the other party didn't seem to intend to attack him, 3904 hesitated before covering himself with the cloak the other party had given him. He only saw the undead nod in satisfaction before disappearing into the wall in front of him.
At the very moment the other party completely disappeared, 3904 heard approaching footsteps.
It was Mayumi Haga and her two companions who arrived.
The entrance to the maze was actually quite narrow, just a long, narrow staircase leading downwards. Footsteps echoed in the staircase, and then Mayumi Haga, Yuri Takajo, and Akari Arisu arrived.
3904 looked at Yuga Mayumi with her full head of black hair and even her face looking much younger, and wondered, "Is she getting younger?"
"This is what I originally looked like." Yuga Mayumi didn't explain much. She casually took the Night-Shining Grass out of her backpack and stuck it into a crack in the wall, then patted the small fruit it had grown.
The fruit emitted a soft yet intense light when struck.
The Adventurers' Hall was instantly brightly lit, like daytime.
All the lights here were broken, but 3904's night vision was quite good; it could see clearly even in complete darkness, which was why Mayumi Haga allowed her to stay.
Yuga Mayumi looked around. 3904 was indeed ready and could be entered soon... wait.
Her gaze was fixed on the cloak covering 3904.
That cloak...
She looks familiar.
Mayumi Haga once explored this labyrinth as an adventurer, and at that time she often acted with her teammate, Fukumo, who was also a guardian.
The other person likes to wrap themselves up completely in a large cloak.
Yes, 3904 was covered by that cloak.
Although the hem was tattered like a rag, covered in dust and congealed blood, Mayumi Haga could recognize at a glance the cloak that Fukumo often wore.
Because the cloak was embroidered with cloud patterns, which could be seen if you looked closely.
Fuyun loved embroidery and other small handicrafts, and she would also design and modify her own clothes. These small designs helped Yuga Mayumi find her among the piles of people that had turned into mincemeat.
But Fuyun's body is definitely not on this floor, so how did this garment come about...?
Mayumi Haga realized something. She looked around but didn't see any undead.
She took a handful of milk candies from her backpack and gently placed them on the ground.
Before the others could ask questions, she unusually took the initiative to explain, "This is a gift to greet the residents of the maze, to tell them—"
"—I've arrived." She raised her voice, as if announcing her presence to the spirits of the dead in this place.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment: Is that so?
This seems to be a rather mysterious ritual to appease the spirits of the dead, but the process is really rudimentary, and... is it really okay to use candy?
However, judging from Mayumi Haga's serious demeanor, it's probably not a lie.
Mayumi Haga rarely lies, and there's no need for her to spout nonsense now.
After placing the candy for the dead at the entrance, Mayumi Haga gave the other three people lighting equipment and self-defense gear, instructing them to stay close behind her, before entering the maze.
The four figures disappeared at the entrance to the first level of the maze, and their conversation gradually faded away.
At this moment, the spirit of the dead, tinged with a faint blue hue, reappeared within the wall.