Episode 11: Labyrinth (2)
Minutes before the Nightmare Mode commotion.
《You have entered the Berserker’s Labyrinth (Rare).》
《Summon your summons to proceed in the dungeon.》
《Use escape warps placed throughout the Labyrinth to exit.》
《Fatigue management is crucial in the Labyrinth. Low fatigue negatively affects your summons.》
The Labyrinth has a unique resource called Fatigue.
Every action consumes Fatigue, applying debuffs as it depletes.
It’s one reason newbies avoid this place.
The rewards aren’t spectacular, and it’s a pain to navigate.
That’s why finding the optimal route is key—reaching the boss room with minimal Fatigue loss is the top priority.
‘Alright, let’s see…’
I scanned my surroundings and the entrance.
‘Got the layout.’
Muscle memory, I guess.
Just a glance, and childhood memories flood back.
Like visiting my old neighborhood after a decade, the map draws itself in my head.
With the route set, I summoned Hertia and Caligo.
“You called, Master?”
“Oh, Sage! Where are we now? The stench of beastly blood! Smells just like my lab! Haha!”
“Maybe your nose finally gave out, Caligo?”
“This gorilla woman can be sent back anytime, you know!”
The two started bickering the moment they appeared.
My head’s already hurting.
“This is a battlefield. If you’re not taking it seriously, I’ll send you both back.”
“…My apologies.”
“I was shortsighted, Sage.”
Phew. Nipping it in the bud keeps them from openly fighting.
I’ve grown, haven’t I?
Even this cringey speech is starting to feel natural.
“This place… it’s a labyrinth. The foul stench of madness-driven beasts reeks.”
“You’ve figured it out. Correct. This is the domain ruled by the Berserker Ogre.”
The Berserker’s Labyrinth.
A dungeon with an ogre as its boss, notorious for being one of the toughest.
‘Ogres rely on high health and defense, overpowering foes with raw physicality.’
They’re massive, insanely strong, and more numerous than in other dungeons.
The rewards are great, but the difficulty is brutal.
Still, it’s not like there’s no way to handle it.
“I’ll take the lead.”
“What? Protect yourself, Master! I’ll handle the danger!”
“No. This is a labyrinth, isn’t it? It’ll be faster if I lead.”
“…”
“Pfft.”
Caligo, listening quietly, snickered.
I know that laugh.
Hertia’s not-so-secret weakness is…
‘She’s hopelessly directionally challenged.’
Not that Caligo’s any better at navigation—they’re about the same.
“Caligo.”
“Eek, sorry!”
I gave him a light warning.
He covered his mouth with both hands.
Hertia smirked at the sight.
Both are too busy watching my reactions to keep fighting.
Sighing inwardly, I started walking.
As I stepped out of the safe zone into the Labyrinth—
“Hm?”
The atmosphere shifted eerily.
Then, a system alert sounded.
《Nightmare Mode has been activated.》
《The Labyrinth’s difficulty has increased.》
《In Nightmare Mode, the maze changes in real-time.》
《Nightmare Mode Labyrinth cannot be abandoned mid-run.》
‘Damn it, what the hell is this?’
Nightmare Mode.
Separate from the six difficulty tiers, it adds restrictions to spike the challenge.
And not just a slight increase—it’s on another level.
Stronger enemies and a maze that restructures in real-time.
Even veteran players I knew in the game dreaded this mode.
Plus, Nightmare Mode never appeared in Rare-rank Labyrinths.
This is something you’d face at adventurer level 60 or higher…
‘Nightmare Mode in a Rare-rank dungeon? Seriously?’
Sure, post-Cataclysm, the game’s system has seen changes, so maybe I just got unlucky.
But…
‘This might not be bad.’
《Clearing a Nightmare Mode Labyrinth grants special rewards based on clear rank.》
I’m here for gear, right?
Nightmare Mode significantly boosts gear drop rates.
With luck, I might even snag an ‘artifact exclusive to Nightmare Mode.’
‘If it drops, hitting Nightmare Mode in a Rare-rank dungeon might be a stroke of luck.’
They say a crisis is an opportunity—for those prepared to seize it.
And me?
No one in the Legend Seven world is more prepared than I am.
Change the map in real-time all you want.
As the unofficial #1 ranker, you think I can’t find the boss room?
The only concern is the Fatigue system…
【Fatigue】
Description: As Fatigue decreases, summons receive a Powerlessness debuff, reducing stats.
Fatigue 70: Summon stats -10%
Fatigue 50: Summon stats -20%
Fatigue 30: Summon stats -40%
Fatigue 20: Summon stats -60%
Fatigue 10: Summon stats -80%
Fatigue 0: Summon and summoner die.
My original plan was to reach the boss room with at least 50 Fatigue.
Even with a 10% stat debuff, I calculated I could handle the ogre.
But the conditions have changed.
‘With my current lineup, fighting a Rare-rank Nightmare Mode boss…’
I’d need at least 70 Fatigue—no debuffs allowed.
‘Even without debuffs, it’s a 50-50 shot.’
I need to adjust the plan.
I erased the shortest route from my mind and started plotting the longest path to the boss room.
Why take the risk of heavy debuffs or even death?
Because…
“…Why are you looking at me like that, Sage?”
With Caligo’s ability, Law of Exchange, I can turn this crisis into an opportunity.
‘Hoo…’
Time to calculate.
The Labyrinth doesn’t count time unless you move from the starting point.
So, I’ll sit here at the entrance and map out the ‘longest route.’
A few things to consider: the route must avoid traps and obstacles.
Tripping over them causes unnecessary losses, lowering the raid’s success rate.
The good news? I don’t need to worry about monster spawns.
Thanks to Hertia, I can avoid combat.
Shift! Shift! Shift!
The Labyrinth began reshaping in real-time.
At that moment, the maps stored in my head unfolded.
***
Hertia and Caligo watched Oh Hyun-woo—Lucifer—sitting at the Labyrinth’s entrance, deep in thought for over ten minutes.
They couldn’t speak first.
Disturbing his focus might earn them a scolding.
‘What’s he pondering so deeply? He’s usually so decisive.’
Lucifer’s battles were bold and relentless.
His strategies showed it—deploying low-health, low-defense rogue-class summons in the front line or forming parties solely with archers.
He used risky tactics others wouldn’t dare.
So why was he hesitating?
Only one reason: he was strategizing for a ‘perfect victory.’
‘Right. Lucifer always cared for us, especially the Pandemonium summons.’
Pandemonium.
The residence of Lucifer’s chosen summons, the grandest and most dangerous palace in the world.
A chaotic battleground where the Seven Sins and other powerhouses clashed or cooperated to grow stronger.
‘He always aimed for perfection when handling us.’
Why did the Seven Sins and other era-defining powerhouses follow Lucifer?
His overwhelming strategy and perfection.
If he ever showed weakness, their loyalty could’ve wavered.
But Lucifer never faltered.
His flawless victories left no room for complaints.
Over time, Pandemonium’s summons developed an absolute belief:
‘Lucifer does not lose.’
Even a defeat was just a calculated step toward a greater victory.
“Caligo.”
Hertia called out to Caligo, who was staring at Lucifer’s back with sparkling eyes.
Caligo shot her a sharp glance.
“Master is deep in thought. You know why, don’t you?”
Caligo smirked, nodding, and gestured to himself and Hertia.
He understood Lucifer was planning a perfect strategy.
“Not going to speak?”
Caligo gestured wildly, signaling that witnessing a miracle required silence.
“Whether you speak or not, Master will perform the miracle you’re waiting for.”
“Right?!”
The moment Caligo spoke, Lucifer rose from his seat.
Caligo quickly clamped his mouth shut in fear.
As Lucifer turned, Caligo frantically rubbed his palms together, vowing silence.
But Oh Hyun-woo didn’t seem to care.
“Get ready. Ten seconds from now, we run straight.”
“Huh?”
“Anyone who lags behind gets unsummoned and kicked from the raid team.”
Lucifer’s declaration was followed by ten seconds of tense silence.
Then—
“Now!”
Plotting the longest route in Nightmare Mode wasn’t as hard as expected.
It just required accounting for dozens of patterns and hundreds of variables.
However, the longest route demanded extra attention.
‘Maintain single-digit Fatigue. Higher, and the clear rate drops; at 0, we die due to the gimmick.’
So, it’s not just about the longest route—I also need to balance Fatigue.
That’s why it took time to factor in all variables.
While the Nightmare Mode Labyrinth reshapes in real-time, it follows rules.
It exists to be cleared by adventurers, so an impossible map structure is unlikely.
For example:
- Monster encounters and traps don’t spawn consecutively.
Thus, areas around monsters or traps are either empty passages or contain item chests.
This is something you pick up naturally after playing the game long enough.
For veterans, one glance at the scenery reveals the Labyrinth’s type and how the maze will shift.
‘Three passages at the first room. Left is empty, front has monsters, right has a chest. Pattern C group, C-3 since the left passage is blocked.’
Following the real-time-updated mental map, I charge forward!
《Distance to boss room: 300m》
《Distance to boss room: 200m》
…
《Distance to boss room: 100m》
Checking my Fatigue alongside:
【Current Fatigue: 62】
This is a branching point.
100m to the boss room.
If I go straight, I’ll face the boss around 50 Fatigue.
But that’s not what I want.
“Stop!”
“Yes!”
“Yes, Sage!”
The plain stone floor ahead hides tiny monsters—Fatigue Mold.
Their ‘Overwork’ debuff doesn’t deal direct damage but drastically cuts summon Fatigue.
Worse, one bursting triggers a chain reaction, potentially dropping Fatigue to 0 instantly.
Countless adventurers must’ve died to these.
But this time, I have to take the risk.
It’s the only route to hit single-digit Fatigue at the boss room.
‘The challenge is triggering just the right amount of Fatigue loss…’
The mold’s debuff only activates under specific conditions.
【Less Sensitive Mushroom Cap】
Description: This mycelium is quite dull for a mushroom! It sprays Overwork spores only when its health drops below 50% or specific pressure is applied.
What a ridiculous trait.
Spores trigger only if health drops below 50% or enough pressure is applied.
I need to check their density before moving.
If the mold is sparse, I can step on them one by one to control the drop.
If dense, I’d need to sprint through without stopping.
I crouched to inspect the mold on the floor.
These 1cm critters are barely visible—my eyes are straining.
As I stared, Caligo joined me, examining the ground.
“Oh-ho, Fatigue Mold! Been a while.”
“Look closely. You’ll be breathing them in soon.”
From what I see, walking normally should bring Fatigue to around 20.
The distribution across four floor tiles gives me the answer.
How lucky I was such a nerd back then, memorizing every detail like a formula.
“Let’s go. I’ll lead, so keep pace.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll savor the Overwork spores slowly!”
Stepping on the first tile, I hear a sound like a deflating soccer ball.
Pssshhh.
The mold’s spores are rising.
A few steps later:
《Exposed to Fatigue Mold’s Overwork spores. Fatigue decreases.》
《Fatigue decreases by 3.》
《Fatigue decreases by 7.》
…
《Fatigue decreases by 4.》
Fatigue is dropping smoothly.
But if luck’s against me, a variable could appear—a low-chance trap I’d rather avoid.
I hope it’s a smooth run…
Click!
‘Of course my luck wouldn’t let me off easy.’
But I factored this in.
“Duck! Roll right once, jump forward, then charge straight!”
Whoosh!
Swish!
Swoosh!
Three arrows fly through the spores.
But following my orders, our party takes no damage.
“Haha, it’s been a while! Sage’s emergency commands!”
“Master is versed in the world’s truths. Mere arrows can’t faze him.”
“Exactly!”
I respond to Hertia and Caligo with a blank face.
Truth is, I was terrified I’d mess up, but I can’t let that show.
After that crisis, my Fatigue hit the target.
【Current Fatigue: 17】
‘Perfect, as calculated.’
Now, straight to the boss room.
After passing the mold zone:
【Current Fatigue: 8】
We reached the boss room’s gate, adorned with the face of a large, black-skinned ogre with red eyes.
Caligo’s eyes blazed with determination.
“Hertia, I’ll handle this fight.”
“You? Can you even manage?”
“Of course! My poison is lethal. I could make even the World Tree scream in agony.”
“That’s… music to my ears. If another World Tree grows, I’ll hold you to that scream.”
They’re actually syncing up for once.
“Do it, Caligo.”
“Yes, Sage! I’ll show you my growth!”
《Entering the boss room.》
《Defeat the Bloodthirsty Berserker Ogre.》
thanks for the chapter!
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