Manuke FPS

On the deepest level of the Wolf Fang Labyrinth, the Werewolf Labyrinth Master was slain. All that remained was to extract the huge magic stone that was the Labyrinth’s core. If I did, the labyrinth would begin to die. However, once I calmed myself down, I realized there were a few things to consider. As the boss’s body began to sink into the slow, wrapped in a shadowy mist, the jeans that covered its lower body caught my attention.

I’ve never seen those type of jeans before in this world. Of course, that included the beastmen. So, why did I care about it? Because I had a suspicion that the werewolf had originally been an other-worlder like me. 

The werewolf finally disappeared into the floor completely, leaving a large magical stone behind. I pocketed it. The fact that it had a magic stone meant it wasn’t human, but that it was born in the labyrinth. I thought this as I went past the throne and headed to the black door behind it. 

I couldn’t find any keyhole, however, the door simply gave in once I pushed on it. Did this mean that it was possible to ignore the werewolf and just head straight in? Beyond the door was another tunnel that led into a room similar to the previous one. The only difference being that there were more floating fireballs that served as the room’s lighting.  

According to the map displayed on my goggles, there were two more rooms to the left and right of the passage and a room at the end. The backroom should be where the core was. Then, what about the extra ones? While walking, I noticed that there weren’t any doors leading to the other rooms. Was there some sort of hidden switch? I gave a few bricks by nudging them and I found nothing. 

“Maybe I should… Force my way in?”

I went into my inventory and pulled out several C4 charges. Once they appeared in the supply box, I took them out, pasted them to the wall on the right where the doorways should have been, and then backtracked a little ways back. 

Four explosions rang out as a cloud of dust filled the passage. I heard the rattling of falling stones. I guess that did the job. 

I peeked into the rooms one by one and found that they were living quarters. Of the four rooms, one was a dining room, a bathroom with a toilet, a living room, and a bedroom – all of which were in a rough way. The dining room held furniture such as a refrigerator and necessities, though they were severely damaged. In the bathroom, the bathtub was destroyed and the full length mirror had been shattered. 

The living room was the same… If I were to guess how they got that way, it would be only… Despair.

What was the exact purpose of a Labyrinth master? Here, it showed it was like being a prisoner. Not to mention that it seemed unnecessary for the labyrinth, as the green demon labyrinth had no master but it still operated. So, why create one, and also be confined to living in the deepest bowls of it? 

No matter how hard I thought about it, there was no answer. For the time being, let’s head to the innermost room to extract the magic stone. 

The room was small, no bigger than the living quarters with a single object inside. The core was inside tree-like roots, probably black tentacles, that extended from the floor to the ceiling. It floated in the air as it emitted a bright light. Were the tentacles that developed it eating the light? On a closer look, the tip of each tentacle seemed to be a dark vortex that continuously drained the light. It was a bit creepy so I tried not to touch them as I grabbed the rugby ball-sized Marquis Cut magic stone. 

The moment I touched it, the light grew brighter, triggering the goggles’ shade function. The brilliance quickly subsided – reverting back to the previous brightness. I slowly pulled the stone away from its place. I could feel the tentacles pulling at the light as I did, and once it cleared, the labyrinth quaked as a roar came out of thin air. When the roar subsided, which sounded both far and near, I felt the labyrinth change slightly. The dark vortexes at the tips of the tentacles disappeared, leaving them look like horrid black roots. 

Which means the labyrinth’s death had begun. 

Victory.

The moment I tried to leave the core room, I felt my entire body go numb as an electrical shock run from the tip of my tips to the tip of my hair. A ‘mail received’ icon appeared in the corner of my UI. I activated the TSS and opened the mailbox with a trembling finger. 

Unreadable characters… It was what was shown on the display of the unread mail. I looked at the subject, which was written in hieroglyphic-like characters. The auto translation function kicked in immediately, fortunately. 

[Subject: Strange Sender: Error ]

I then tapped on the mail. 

___________________________

The lost child from a different world, my name is 《ERROR》

This Me now speaks to you, who has lived in this world the way you wanted. 

This Me is but an overseer. However, is this really how you wish to deal with the labyrinth?

Do you wish to release the negativity trapped within the labyrinth?

In that case, This Me shall lend you a hand.

The lost child from a different world with no magic, this Me hereby grants you this.

_______________________________

The translation function deciphered the unknown text… But this, what in the world is this? The mysterious sender seems to be watching me. After the subjugation of the Emerald Demon Labyrinth, this mysterious figure also sent me a similar message, telling me to live the way I wanted to in this world.

That’s why I had set the Labyrinth subjugation as one of my goals while living in this world. I wanted to rebel against those who’d sent me here… But the negativity within the labyrinth? Release it? No – – it isn’t even hidden; the person was referring to the labyrinth master. I’m not sure about the connection to the labyrinth, but the master — seems like the higher ups want them to be mercy-killed. 

“Can’t you save them instead? Can you not save these Labyrinth Masters instead!” 

I shouted at the empty room. Are you not watching me? Are you not listening to me? However, there was no new mail… Was there really no way to save them instead?

I’m not an ally of justice, nor am I a hero. I’m just a mere explorer. However, when I go diving again, if it is still in my capability… Lets try to liberate the labyrinth master.

A gift box was attached to the mail. Apparently, it was the gift mentioned in the mail. After I received it, I summoned it. The box appeared before me as the gathering light particles looked more guard than usual. It was actually wrapped in pink paper wrap… 

I pressed on the [ Open / Close ] button on the box’s lid and it opened automatically. What was inside was an item the system identified as a [Magic Identification Tag]. I took it out and looked at it. The so-called Magic Identification Tag was two pieces of oval plates connected to a silver chain. This… Looked like a military ID tag from my previous world. It was also called a dog tag and it was one of the avatar accessories available in VMB.  

The plate was engraved with my first and last name, Schwartz Powder, and a string of numbers. This was my VMB nickname and affiliated group as I belonged to a FPS Team called P0wder, and the numbers were probably my account number in VMB. But why did that person even bother to send me this? Activating the TSS, I looked for the magic dog tag in the avatar menu. Opening the accessory list, I scrolled through the items, and —

[Magic Identification Tag ]

Even those without magic power will be able to register their biometric information that is required to use the transfer circle if they’re wearing this. However, this effect will only work when the tag is equipped. 

“Wha…”

I was lost for words. The inability to use transfer circles had been a great disadvantage to me. However, this item would fix that and allow me to quickly leave and enter. The transfer circle, and all the copies brought out from a dead labyrinth, were usually one way due to the lack of magic. But if it’s used outside or inside the labyrinth, where it’s teeming with magic, even the copies could be used as 2-way circles.  

Selecting the tag, I placed it in my necklace slot via the avatar customization. The dog tag in my hand turned into particles before reforming around my neck… I sent the sender my thanks in my heart as I headed back to the upper floor – the 25th floor to be exact since that was where the circle was.