Old People Don’t Hold Hands - Chapter 171



Only Krnovel

Episode 171, Flame Labyrinth (5)

After grabbing the sword, I ran straight to the Archmage of Calamity.

The guy also reflexively reached out his hand as soon as he saw me.

In an instant, a huge fire pit erupted from the bastard’s outstretched hand.

I also stretched out my hand as if I didn’t want to give in to the bastard’s flames.

Hwaaaa …

I blocked the bastard’s fire pit with the fire that stretched out fiercely over my shoulder.

Kwaaaaang!

My fire and his fire collided, causing a powerful explosion.

To this extent, it was unmovable.

As I closed the distance and blocked the bastard’s flames, both Nowen and Inogen, who were nearby, joined in.

While I, Nowen, and Inogen were trying to keep the guy’s attention.

The battle continued with Diana and Biella assisting, with attacks being delivered with precision.

… … , … … , … … !

As our attacks continued, the bastard stood still for a moment.

But again he let out an unintelligible roar.

I wasn’t afraid anymore.

The guy who lost his cool again was no different from the boss of EndWorld that I knew.

After repeatedly attacking the bastard for a while, I was able to reduce his health to some extent.

Now, not only his clothes but even his own skin was in tatters.

I crouched down for a moment.

As he was replenishing his strength, a bright red light appeared in his eyes.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The floor of the boss room where the guy and I were standing together before long.

Among them, at the place where the magic circle was engraved, several small magic circles appeared and began to explode.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Avoid the smaller explosions that follow us, making strangely loud noises.

We moved in a clockwise direction, keeping our distance, and guided everyone to avoid the explosion.

… … , … … , … … , … … !

Perhaps it was more angered by our skillful movements, but it fired its fireballs at us more frequently.

“Let it out!”

This is also my emission.

Or it could be blocked sufficiently with goods.

Even if the fire pit is shot at a distance that I cannot block in the first place.

I was able to easily block it by switching positions with Diana, who was running while deliberately leaving some distance between herself and me.

As the pattern of the magic circle on the floor exploding ended, the bastard raised both arms high as if he couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Inogen!”

“Okay, human!”

Inogen quickly ran to the guy at my call.

Thump, thump, thump.

After transforming both arms into the shape of a dragon.

I deliberately put more force into my arms and made them bigger.

With hands so large and swollen that scales protruded here and there.

“Got it!”

I tied his two arms with all my might.

He’s good at handling magic, but he’s only bigger in weight.

The Great Wizard of Calamity had no special powers related to strength.

Inogen had no choice but to capture him, as he had unleashed the power of the Demon Dragon even more than usual.

“Human woman! Come up here quickly!”

“……all right!”

Inogen gave the signal while holding the bastard’s arm.

Diana immediately placed her sword on the shoulder of the Archmage of Calamity, whose arm she had been holding.

I used the recoil to jump up onto the bastard’s shoulder.

After that.

“conversion!”

He switched seats with me.

That was the first time I saw the bastard’s face properly again.

therefore.

The bastard’s pitch-black face was hidden deep within his robe, which was in a torn state.

The bastard had a face that was black and rotten, as if he had been buried alive.

Even though it was damaged here and there, I could still notice this.

That before it became corrupted, it must have been a perfectly normal human being.

… … And perhaps, when he was fine, he would have looked like what I saw just now.

I wrapped my sword around the hilt that extended from one shoulder with all my might.

When I was about to swing my sword and cut off the guy’s head.

… … , … … , … … !

The bastard still has both arms held.

He could only let out an incomprehensible roar as he felt his own death.

But now that I’m close enough to him to look at his face and get eye level with him.

I couldn’t understand what he was saying though.

At least that’s what he was trying to say.

No, I could read the shape of his mouth, as if he was trying to say something.

Even in an emergency situation where one cannot help but anticipate one’s own death.

The bastard was looking straight at me, trying to kill me.

I said this.

‘Where, do, I, find, ah, la…?’

… … , … … , … … !

After that, the guy kept looking straight at me and licking his lips.

By the sword swung before he could even hear the bastard’s words.

The neck of the man who was trying to say something was cut off without warning.

And until his throat was cut off.

The guy opened and closed his mouth as wide as he could, as if he was trying to say something to me.

What that guy was trying to say until the end was…

‘Find the ■■ memory.’

… … This was it.

At first, I didn’t know because I couldn’t read the shape of the lips properly.

Even though I can’t tell exactly what he’s trying to say.

I could tell only one thing what he wanted.

… … So, you’re telling me to find my memories.

I couldn’t tell if that memory was mine or someone else’s.

There was only one thing I could be sure of.

Whoever that memory is, it’s probably a huge presence that I have.

As far as memories of ‘roots’ go.

After I cut off his neck, Inogen, who was stuck near his neck, grabbed me.

It just went away from the bastard’s neck.

In the distance, the flames pierced through the neck of the guy.

Boom, bang, quaaaaang, quaaaaang!

Fierce explosions occurred.

The one who couldn’t survive several explosions and injuries fell down.

I never got up again.

“… … died.”

As soon as the bastard fell, Nowen approached him to check and announced that the bastard’s death was a success.

As if acknowledging this, a black portal slowly began to emerge from the fallen man’s body.

… … The portal leading to the 5th floor.

I approached the bastard, holding his arm, which was throbbing from the recoil of the goods.

What was he trying to say until the end? The dead guy’s body was left with its mouth open, along with a portal.

A red branch was floating.

This is the branch you can obtain by clearing the 4th floor flame labyrinth.

As soon as I got my hands on the red branch, I put it in my mouth.

“D, Dicleen, how did you get that thing… …!”

Nowen seemed momentarily taken aback by my sudden action.

Inozen, who had come to us without us noticing, patted Nowen’s shoulder with an indifferent expression.

All he said was this.

“Huh, humans are truly ignorant. They don’t even know such basic common sense.”

“W-What do you mean basic common sense? Are you talking about eating that… …?”

“Don’t you also use the fragments you get from the labyrinth? The eggplant is a higher level essence than the fragments. If you eat it, you can naturally become stronger.”

“So the eggplant had this effect, so you guys… … .”

“These are the things we consumed before coming to the labyrinth.”

Well, Nowen is the successor of Zenrir, who fights on his own and gains stats.

Since he is already a level 5 adventurer, he has overspecs compared to us, so I didn’t necessarily recommend him.

It would have been a surprising sight if you had seen it for the first time.

Nowen looked at me eating the eggplant, resting his chin on his hand, and silently nodded his head.

“… … So this is how you became strong. I always wondered how you, who don’t even have a god, became strong.”

“I guess your curiosity has been satisfied now.”

“… … That’s right.”

The ‘strength’ that Nowen speaks of is fundamentally a measure of strength that is distinguished in EndWorld.

So, I guess it meant stats.

Successors who do not know how to consume eggplants had no choice but to grow by receiving stats in the form of inheritance from the gods.

Since I only knew how to raise my stats by receiving the means from God, I became even more attached to God.

If you don’t receive an inheritance from God, you can’t become stronger.

So, Nowen must have been curious when he found out we were manifesters.

No matter how mysterious the ability you gain, physical ability.

So, it is clear that the stats themselves have been strengthened, but we, as manifesters, will not be able to receive an inheritance from God.

As I swallowed the eggplant I had stuffed into my mouth in one bite, I felt the hot air lingering inside my body.

There was a similar description in EndWorld.

After defeating the Archmage of Calamity while holding the power of Revel, swallow the branch.

This exact phrase used to appear.

[You have consumed the source of disaster. The disaster reacts to your flames.]

[A small amount of the power of disaster hidden in the flames awakens. The power of flames you can control becomes stronger.]

[Your flames seem to wish for endless disaster. Breathe out the flames.]

[Manipulate fire and become the master of disaster.]

… … a disaster.

In the past, since the theme of the Flame Labyrinth itself was ‘flame’, I thought they had hidden this element in the game.

Looking at it now, it seems that these settings were not created by chance.

At least since I’m here.

And now that I’ve come here and encountered various stories, I can’t just think of EndWorld as a game.

… … The Great Calamity Wizard we encountered here must have said this.

That my name was stolen.

There were similar elements in EndWorld as well.

The more I spread the ‘name’ of God, the stronger my power becomes.

This is the system that is the foundation of EndWorld.

Could this also be considered a coincidence?

… … Probably not.

Name, and roots.

There was a lot to know, but nothing was easy to figure out.

Whenever someone you meet by chance in the labyrinth tries to talk about that object.

Repeating mistakes and forgetting what you were trying to say.

I forgot about this.

It’s as if it’s an error under the game’s system.

As if it were under control.

… … So I had to find out more.

What real power a name has here.

And what is the root, and what power does it have?

After finishing the root intake, we took a short break inside the boss room.

“… … .”

In the quiet atmosphere, there was also the fatigue from fighting the boss.

Most of them looked puzzled by the situation just now.

I guess that’s to be expected.

Even if the Frost Queen’s hallucinations were special circumstances, that’s okay.

It was the first time a monster in the labyrinth spoke like this.

“… … .”

Nowen, the 5th Count adventurer, was also confused by this situation.

The 5th coefficient is the coefficient that can be upgraded when reaching the 6th floor.

Then, of course, you would have passed the 5th floor, and you would have also encountered the 5th floor’s unique monster that you can talk to.

Even Nowen, who was immune to this situation, still had a blank expression on his face.

And he looked at us and said this.

“… … This is the first time something like this has happened.”

“But, Mr. Nowen, haven’t you ever talked to a monster?”

“Of course, it’s a common thing on the 5th floor… … .”

After that, Nowen looked straight at me and answered like this.

“I’ve never heard of anyone being able to talk to monsters in the Flame Labyrinth.”