Chapter 152: The Winding Maze (1)

Chapter 152: The Winding Maze (1) Inside the airplane headed for Japan, I was lost in thought with a serious expression on my face. "Now I finally understand." As I pondered over Hemitt's words about Master being a fake identity of the Unknown, I nodded my head. "If Master and Unknown are the same person, it would make sense that the More One Guild was completely wiped out at the Dragon's Shelter." Would it make sense for the strongest superhuman, even as the guild leader, to be sneak attacked by someone of single-number caliber? It would be a helpless situation. "There's nothing as terrifying as an internal enemy." Now that I know that the fake identity known as Master is actually Unknown, everything that I found strange so far is being solved. "The reason Unknown's activities were so rare in the original is because he was active as Master." In the original, Unknown rarely made an appearance until right before the national terrorist attack. Even if Maestro had called him the boss, it was an understatement to say that he was quiet. "He assimilated into society as a fake identity called Master and acquired important information that villains could not obtain." Over a span of twenty years. "And now he has judged that there is no longer a need to act as Master." That's why he killed. With the symbol of Master, he completely annihilated the guild known as "The More One." "A terrifying guy." I was in awe of Unknown's cunningness. For acting as the greatest superhuman, Master, for twenty years. For eliminating the guild he had fostered for twenty years without hesitation. To take advantage of the societal unrest caused by the destruction of the greatest superhumans and the greatest guild, even that made my hair stand on end. "The problem is why Unknown included me in the attack on the Dragon's Shelter." Frankly, I thought it was strange. Even if my abilities are a countermeasure to the Dragon's Shelter, I am still just a normal officer. Why would they decide to include me in such an important dungeon attack? And in less than a day? It doesn't make sense logically. "Could it be that they realized I am the mastermind behind the Vega Bond incident?" If that's the case, it makes sense. To include me in the attack on the Dragon's Shelter and to try to kill me along with the More One Guild. "No, there's no way my information was leaked to Unknown." If my information had spread among the truth's saviors, Hemitt would have caught on. There isn't enough evidence to think of me as the mastermind, no matter how you look at it. "No. It's not about the material evidence." Even if there is no evidence, there are plenty of suspicious circumstances. "Yuhwa, Jia, and Maiden, who have been connected to the two of them recently. I am in the intersection of those three." Considering my recent rapid rise, it's not strange to be suspicious. "Perhaps their goal is to stomp me out in advance." Perhaps as a cover. To eliminate the suspicious person and also stomp out any potential threats in the future. "Whatever the reason, it is certain that I have become Unknown's target." I chewed my fingernails. What should I do? Should I change my words and refuse to participate in the attack on the Dragon's Shelter? "No contracts have been signed yet. I can provide information and then leave, rearranging the contract..." No. Regardless of the situation, it doesn't change the fact that I have been noticed by Unknown. "I'm not sure how fast or slow, but Unknown has definitely been taking action to target me." Before the national terrorist attack, they would want to eliminate as many variables as possible. And if I don't participate in the attack on the Dragon's Shelter, the More One Guild will ultimately be wiped out. "I can't let that happen." I can't afford to lose top-tier superhumans like the More One Guild so easily. They need to survive and contribute more to the world. "For the sake of my survival." I chewed on my lip, continuing to wrack my brain. Recalling the information I had and my objectives, I searched for a solution. "Ultimately, I have no choice but to participate in the attack on the Dragon's Shelter." There is no other way. Joker cards, which can change this situation, exist only within myself. "And..." They say a crisis is also an opportunity. This is the perfect opportunity. "This situation is a golden opportunity for me as well." To be able to pursue Unknown alone inside the Dragon's Shelter as a Master. "If it's within the Dragon's Shelter, there is no possibility of support from other executives." The isolated dungeon chosen by Unknown for complete crime isolates Unknown himself as well. And if I can create the right circumstances, I can also recruit other members of the More One Guild, excluding Unknown, as allies. "If I can time it right when Unknown reveals his fangs..." Of course, it won't be easy. Unknown's strength goes beyond imagination. His reputation as the number one in Part One is not an exaggeration. Even with the help of the Single Number Three, the chances of victory are not high. "To make up for that disadvantage, I have no choice but to become stronger." Before the attack on the Dragon's Shelter, I must gather as many relics as possible, acquire abilities, and obtain enough strength to compete against S-rank superhumans without using ancient relics. "I should collect at least ten ancient relics for use in battle." That is the minimum requirement for victory. "...And for that, I must safely clear this winding maze." The special dungeon that changes its appearance according to the adventurer, Winding Maze. Here, I must obtain the Hidden Piece without fail. --- After a short flight, we arrived at the airport in Japan. Passing through the bustling crowd, I made my way towards the gate indicated on the invitation. It seems to be this way. As I stepped outside the gate, I saw a luxurious limousine waiting. In front of it stood four men and women dressed in elegant suits. They all nodded respectfully at me. It was a very polite greeting. "Are you the ones from the Oni Guild?" "Yes, I am Nakamura Shigeo, assigned as your guide. Nice to meet you." "Ah, yes. I'm Kang Seo-yul." The Oni Guild is a massive guild that holds the ownership of the Winding Maze, a dungeon that is within the top five in Japan. "First, could you show us the invitation?" "Here you go." I handed over the invitation that I had placed in my pocket. Nakamura took out a device that looked somewhat unique and scanned the barcode-like marks on the invitation, then smiled. "Thank you for verification." I'm not sure how that verified it, but in any case, the verification seemed to be complete. "Then this way. Let me guide you to the accommodation." The woman who was standing behind Nakamura opened the door to the limousine. "I will take care of your luggage." At the same time, another woman placed my luggage in the trunk. It was done quickly and accurately. They must have a lot of experience with this kind of hospitality. It's a bit overwhelming to be treated so lavishly, but it's nice to receive such treatment. As I boarded the limousine, the driver got on after me, and Nakamura took a seat in the passenger seat. And the woman who had opened the door for me sat beside me. "We will depart now." "Yes." With a comfortable feeling that made it seem like I hadn't even gotten in a car, I traveled through the roads of Japan. The scenery was quite different from the original Japan. "Is this your first time in Japan?" "Yes." Compared to the original Japan, it had a slightly rougher feeling. Probably because it is a country that has water roots. "Then until you enter at 4 p.m. tomorrow, would you like to do some sightseeing?" "Well... even if I wanted to, my face has become quite well-known these days, so it's a bit difficult to go out." There were quite a few people who recognized me at the airport earlier. And their Korean flowed so well, as if they were native speakers. It surprised me. "Ah, you're a superstar." "I'm not sure about being a superstar..." "Then I'll use the term 'celebrity' instead." By the way, Nakamura and this woman, they both speak Korean so well. "Well, I don't really have any plans to go out." Right now, my head is quite filled with thoughts, so I'll probably be absorbed in them while holed up in the hotel. I don't even think about seduction with all the temptations I've seen from the top beauties in the world. There's no room for such thoughts. "Is that so? Then how about having a drink with me tonight?" "Hmm. I'm not really interested." I politely declined. Honestly, I've looked at the most beautiful women in the world so often that I don't even have any thoughts when faced with temptations. I don't have the luxury for that, either. "Instead, could you explain about the Winding Maze?" What's important now is the Winding Maze. Who cares about temptations? "..." The woman looked at me with a somewhat disappointed expression. --- The next morning. Guided by Nakamura, I headed towards the entrance of the Winding Maze in the Oni Guild Central Facility. Should I call it the main source of income for the Oni Guild? The security was extraordinary. Can't even Hemitt get through here? ...Or maybe not? Can he get through? "Welcome." After walking for a while and making our way to the central facility, a woman dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, a miko's attire, greeted me. "We will need to go through a simple confirmation." I followed the woman's instructions and went through various verifications, including presenting the invitation. After about three minutes, all the verifications were completed. "Verification is complete. I will now give a basic explanation of the Winding Maze." Now that the brief explanation by the miko was over, we could enter the dungeon immediately. Hm, I'm nervous. "The Winding Maze is an infinite regenerating dungeon that changes its appearance according to the challenger." I know that. That's why I'm so tense. "It is also called the 'Gate of Trials' and has a statistical clearing rate of 0.63%." 0.63%. Crazy pass rate, huh? "The strategy period is exactly two weeks. If more time passes, the dungeon will disappear, and the challenger will be expelled. Please take note." With the dungeon difficulty and a time limit, there's no way the pass rate could be high. "Upon clearing, a specially designed reward will be given exclusively to the challenger." That's why the Winding Maze became famous. A superb reward equivalent to the difficulty of the dungeon. It was only natural for the eyes of the superhumans to roll. "...For now, I have to find a way to clear it and acquire the Hidden Piece." I was worried. Though I didn't think I would clear it without using ancient relics, not being able to obtain the Hidden Piece made me feel uneasy. "Any explanation has now been completed. I will now proceed to open the entrance of the Winding Maze." As the miko stepped back a few steps, the entire building began to creak. Then the machines moved like scars and twisted and turned. Kaaah-! From within all that, a small cave entrance appeared. So this is where the entrance to the dungeon was. It was hidden like this. They put incredible effort into security. "You." I took a deep breath and stepped into the entrance after making sure my surroundings were safe. The sound of my footsteps echoed throughout the cave. Around five minutes had passed like that. Just when I thought the Winding Maze was taking an unusually long time to change its appearance. "...?" I realized that something was wrong. Why isn't it changing? Should I walk a little more? But even after 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes had passed, the Winding Maze showed no signs of changing its appearance. "...Is this for real?" I realized that something was clearly going wrong. Could I not enter the dungeon? Or would I wander aimlessly around the entrance forever? Is that what's happening here? "...This is really Evan." If that was the case, I would be in trouble in many ways. The plan I had created was based on the assumption that I would obtain the 'Hidden Piece' in the Winding Maze. Without obtaining the Hidden Piece, the plan had no meaning. After walking for about 10 more minutes despite feeling helpless, the Winding Maze still showed no signs of changing. "...Damn it." Both panicked and perplexed, I grasped my head. If I couldn't get the Hidden Piece, it would become difficult in many ways. The assumption for my straegy required obtaining the Hidden Piece, the 'core' of the Winding Maze. If I couldn't get that... "...Could it be?" Suddenly, everything clicked into place in my mind. I remembered the conversation I had overheard during my infiltration into the Oni Guild. "That's right, what about not being able to enter the dungeon..." Not being able to enter the dungeon or endlessly wandering around the entrance. Is that what's happening here? "...This is really Evan." If that were the case, it would be troublesome. The plan I had created was based on the assumption that I would obtain the 'Hidden Piece' in the Winding Maze. Without obtaining the Hidden Piece, the plan had no meaning. I continued to walk for another about 10 minutes. The Winding Maze still showed no signs of changing its appearance. "...Wow. This is driving me crazy." In the worst-case scenario, I would have to abandon the mission and return empty-handed. No, not empty-handed, but I would emerge without the most important thing. "...I refuse to accept that." Even if there are no other options, I cannot accept this. I cannot go back without obtaining the 'Hidden Piece'. I can't! I mustn't! "Is this really the end?" I shouted that out in frustration. But even then, I stepped forward once more. "Ugh... I don't know how long it will take, but I will keep moving forward." Though I wasn't hopeful, even if the Winding Maze was a dead end. I would not stop. I would keep moving forward. --- Finally, I've come this far. Using Ancient Artifacts, I was able to escape the clutches of unknown forces and successfully enter the Winding Maze alone. Everything went according to plan. Now I just need to find the 'Hidden Piece,' the nucleus of the Winding Maze, and escape safely. Thoughts swirled in my head as I fought off waves of anxiety and tension. But I cannot falter. I must press forward, no matter what obstacles lie ahead. The journey through the Winding Maze has only just begun.