Chapter 1: Reckoning
Rumble—
The ancient stone chamber door creaked open with a harsh noise, sending a cloud of dust cascading down.
Dalen waved the dust away with his hand as he stepped inside.
The dimly lit chamber, devoid of even a single torch, was the lair of a demon—a place where it hoarded its treasures.
“…Tsk.”
Dalen clicked his tongue in disappointment as he surveyed the vast chamber.
It was emptier than empty.
This place should have been brimming with gleaming armor and weapons, chests overflowing with gold coins, and prisoners selected by the demon for sacrifice.
The usual procedure was to rescue the living captives, hold funerals for the deceased, and then distribute the treasures among the hunting party based on their contributions.
But what lay before him was neither grand treasures nor unconscious prisoners.
‘In all my time playing this game, I’ve never seen a demon this poor.’
Most of the space was filled with nothing but dust accumulated over the years.
The only things present were a pile of corpses in one corner and a heap of mana stones beside them.
Even the few weapons and pieces of armor next to the mana stones didn’t seem particularly valuable.
They were all items stripped from the bodies of adventurers, and most of the adventurers who came to slay the demon at this point were nothing but riffraff.
‘A few years from now, this place would have been a treasure trove of gold, top-grade mana stones, and high-quality armor and weapons.’
A faint sense of disappointment crept in.
But Dalen shook his head.
The fact that a demon had amassed such wealth meant that many adventurers had lost their lives to it.
Unlike ordinary people, Dalen had to look to the distant future to prevent the end of the world.
Preventing the loss of adventurers who might one day become humanity’s strength was more profitable than gaining a handful of gold coins.
Dalen pushed aside his slight regret and approached the pile of corpses.
“Ugh…”
A faint groan emerged from the heap of bodies.
There were survivors.
“P-please… kill… me…”
One of the survivors pleaded in a broken voice. His brain was visible through a cracked skull.
The survivors weren’t in any condition to be called alive.
They were barely clinging to life, kept alive by the demon’s magic despite their fatal injuries.
‘It’s like a dead body with its soul crudely stitched back in.’
The adventurers, with limbs torn and innards mangled, had been left to languish for days or even weeks.
The demon desired fresh souls that had met their end after enduring excruciating pain.
Naturally, their chances of survival were virtually zero.
Even if they were given a healing potion right now, it wouldn’t be enough to save them.
The only kindness Dalen could offer, as a fellow human, was to end their prolonged suffering.
Srrng—
Dalen drew his sword.
Several pairs of lifeless eyes blinked, showing a glimmer of relief as they saw Dalen with his sword drawn.
Feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, Dalen swung his sword down.
Crunch!
The pile of bodies was cleaved apart in an instant. The crushing sword of Lapantella could shatter rocks of the same size.
Confirming that no one was left alive, Dalen walked into the collapsed heap of bodies.
Amidst the shredded flesh and entrails, two ashen corpses lay exposed.
[You have discovered the preserved body of a demon’s mage.]
[You have discovered the preserved body of a demon’s assassin.]
“…Damn it.”
Preserved bodies? What a twisted sense of humor.
Dalen grumbled as he reached out to the corpses. The ashen bodies dissolved into light and seeped into his hand, granting him strength.
[You have absorbed the preserved body of a demon’s mage. Inheriting abilities.]
[Inheritance reward: Magic +1, Hegaleus’s Flame Rain (D)]
[You have absorbed the preserved body of a demon’s assassin. Inheriting abilities.]
[Inheritance reward: Strength +1, Stamina +2]
A familiar sense of exhilaration washed over him. It had been a while since his strength had increased.
Fortunately, there was no muscle-twisting sensation like before.
It was just a peculiar feeling, as if some energy was seeping into the fibers of his muscles.
‘Is it because my stamina stat has reached a certain level? Or because I’ve formed a domain?’
It was something he couldn’t determine right now.
Dalen opened his status window. His level was now 12.
No matter how lowly, a demon was still a demon.
His level had only increased by one after dealing with a band of labyrinth thieves, a tribe of frogmen, and a giant corpse, but it had risen by another just from defeating a single demon.
After investing the additional stat points into stamina, his stamina stat reached 25.
At this level, his body could withstand being hit by a speeding truck or having a viper’s venom injected into his veins without taking damage.
“I’m practically a monster, not a human.”
As he stretched his shoulders and returned to the cavern, Lucia was tending to a small mound.
She had set up a broken stone slab as a gravestone and inscribed the name of Paladin Barrett on it.
Inside lay his wounded armor, buried in place of his body, which had turned to ash.
“People will remember Barrett Streeman,” Lucia said in front of the grave.
“His fall from grace will be buried here with his armor, and people will remember him as a paladin who fought valiantly against the demon.”
Please keep his final moments a secret. At Lucia’s request, Dalen nodded silently.
It was the least he could do, considering he was being paid for this job.
Lucia spent another thirty minutes at the grave.
During that time, Dalen searched the mangled bodies for the demon’s essence and wrapped the holy sword and Halman’s chain in thick cloth.
It didn’t take long.
A short while later, the two of them set off again.
In the center of the first floor of the labyrinth stood a massive monolith.
Once a day, a teleportation spell activated, transporting them to the labyrinth city of Falcion.
Commonly referred to as the Return Stone, this monolith also served as the only safe zone within the labyrinth.
A protective barrier spread wide around the monolith, thoroughly blocking the approach of monsters.
Dalen and Lucia arrived at the safe zone on the tenth day since they had set out from the demon’s lair.
After spending a day in the safe zone, they returned to Falcion the next day at noon via the teleportation spell.
Wooong—
Unlike the sensation of falling when descending, the teleportation spell that brought them back to the barrier tower felt like gravity had momentarily reversed.
“Ugh…”
Lucia grimaced with nausea but quickly shook it off and followed Dalen outside.
“Shall we head straight to the Paladin Order’s branch?” Lucia asked as they reached the central plaza. Dalen shook his head.
“You go on ahead. I’ll stop by tomorrow or the day after.”
Having been on edge for over two weeks, he needed a day to rest.
Although his increased stamina stat had mitigated much of the fatigue, the aftermath of using his domain and regenerating his body with dragon blood still lingered.
Lucia nodded and said, “Then I’ll take the holy sword and Halman’s chain to the branch and report. I’ll also recommend that you receive more than the promised reward for your efforts in this mission.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Dalen grinned. The original mission was just to retrieve the holy sword. Slaying the demon wasn’t a mandatory objective.
But Dalen had accomplished both, and even recovered a relic the order had lost long ago.
He deserved to have his reward doubled from what was originally promised.
“Speaking of which, is there anything specific you’d like as a reward?” Lucia asked.
“Can you inscribe a holy tattoo?” Dalen replied without hesitation.
The holy tattoos of the Paladin Order.
He had chosen the order’s mission with the intention of receiving one as a reward from the start.
‘In the game, one of the main functions of holy tattoos is to boost various stats.’
Leveling up wasn’t the only way to increase stats.
It was entirely possible to artificially raise stats through various elixirs, spells, and rituals.
However, like the herbs he had harvested in the labyrinth, most methods came with severe side effects or other drawbacks.
The holy tattoos of the Paladin Order were among the few that were clean and free of side effects.
‘Though the conditions for receiving one are quite strict.’
Holy tattoos were originally exclusive to the Paladin Order and not given to outsiders.
The essence of the tattoos was to enhance the efficiency of divine power bestowed by the god of war.
However, there were rare cases where outsiders received holy tattoos.
High-ranking nobles or equivalent figures would visit the Paladin Order, make substantial donations, and politely request a holy tattoo.
After a moment of contemplation, Lucia replied, “It should be possible. However, whether you can use the tattoo’s power is…”
“That doesn’t matter,” Dalen interrupted.
Her concern was valid.
While some nobles received holy tattoos, they couldn’t actually use their power.
Without the divine power bestowed by the god of war, a holy tattoo was little more than a decorative mark.
Even the nobles who paid large sums for the tattoos regarded them as little more than lucky charms.
“Items associated with the God of War are often seen as talismans that can save lives on the battlefield.”
Of course, Dalen had a different perspective.
He couldn’t justify spending his hard-earned bounty from slaying demons on something as trivial as a lucky charm.
If divine power was needed to use the sacred tattoos, he would find a way to obtain it.
And Dalen knew exactly where to get that divine power.
“Deep within the rift leading to the labyrinth, guarded by the Holy Knights, lies a valley.”
The corpse resting there would be brimming with the divine power he sought.
“You’ll need to visit the main temple to receive the sacred tattoos. Only the Grand Knight and the Deputy Grand Knight have the authority to bestow them.”
“I’ll make a trip there eventually.”
There was no rush.
Unlike before entering the labyrinth, Dalen’s stamina had significantly improved, almost catching up with his strength.
He no longer had to worry about collapsing for days after using his domain.
With his abilities finally balanced, it was time to focus on other matters.
“First, I need some rest.”
Constantly pushing forward without pause would only lead to exhaustion.
For someone planning years ahead, proper rest wasn’t just an option—it was essential.
After promising to visit the Holy Knights’ branch within two days, Dalen headed to the Elgaia Tower in the Silver District, where he had taken up residence.
”…What’s that on your back?”
“Just came back from a job. Mind if I crash here for a bit?”
“Hold on a moment. If you just drop that in your room, the floor might give way.”
Seeing Dalen lugging a safe almost the size of a person, Felber Valentino shook his head and had to reinforce the floor of Dalen’s room with magic.
The next day, Dalen visited the central plaza again.
On the north side, in a rare ten-story building in the Silver District, hung a sign that read “Labyrinth Administration Bureau.”
The bureau handled nearly all administrative tasks related to the labyrinth.
Dalen’s visit was to officially report the demon he had vanquished.
“Explorers who slay demons in the labyrinth receive substantial rewards from the Golden Palace.”
Dalen had extracted the essence from the demon’s corpse to claim this reward.
Since the reward came directly from the Golden Palace, the city’s governing body, it was substantial.
At the very least, it was worth a hundred gold coins, with the potential for several chests of gold depending on the demon’s strength.
Moreover, since Lucia insisted she hadn’t lifted a finger against the demon, the entire reward was his.
“Welcome to the Labyrinth Administration Bureau. How can I assist you?”
“I’ve brought the essence of a demon.”
The receptionist was startled and quickly escorted him to a higher-ranking official.
After being passed from one superior to another, Dalen finally found himself waiting in an opulent reception room.
“Seeing it in person, this place is even more extravagant than it looked in the game,” Dalen mused, sipping his coffee.
Every piece of furniture was gilded, and the teacups and saucers were adorned with small jewels.
The chandelier scattered sunlight throughout the room, making the bronze district branch of the Mage Tower look like a shantytown by comparison.
As he savored the coffee, reminiscent of the finest beans from Earth, a young man entered the room.
With sharp features, flawless white skin, and neatly styled hair, he exuded an air of nobility.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Evan from the Labyrinth Administration Bureau.”
The man offered a handshake with a polished smile.
Despite his unremarkable presence in a district filled with extraordinary individuals, Dalen knew better.
This man, who seemed like an ordinary noble, was actually one of the transcendent beings residing in the deepest, most secretive parts of the Golden Palace.
“When he appeared as an old man, I didn’t recognize him from the game, but now that he’s following the script, it’s clear.”
In the game, when players first reported a demon’s defeat to the bureau, they encountered a transcendent being.
And that being was the man before him.
Disguised as a high-ranking official, he was one of the twenty-six transcendent beings of the Golden Palace, known as Everon Lactal, “The Face of Many Changes.”
“Defeating a demon on your first labyrinth venture—truly, the gods must favor you.”
With a playful smile, the man tested him.
“Just lucky, I suppose. And it seems that luck is still with me.”
Dalen returned the smile, responding in kind.
“Who would have thought I’d encounter one of the twenty-six transcendent beings of the Golden Palace twice in the Silver District?”