The maze was built starting with the mother skeleton replenishing its magic.

Lance wasn't afraid that the adventurers would abscond with the money.

On the one hand, there was no one in Lance's team who could smelt refined iron, so these things were of little use to him.

On the other hand, all transactions involve risks.

Judging from the behavior of those adventurers, they were somewhat in awe after witnessing Lance's prowess.

If this deal with the adventurers goes through, they should be able to help us get all the equipment we need for the dungeons in the future.

As for their warning that "something big might be happening deep down"—no one knew better than Lance what was going on down there.

When Lance returned to the original iron ore deposit, the kobold was lying on the ground, exhausted, with a satisfied expression on his face.

Lance stepped forward and gave him a light kick, only then realizing that his boss had arrived.

He quickly got up, grabbed Lance's leg, and howled.

"Let's go, take me to the third floor."

The two of them, one human and one dog, traversed the complex terrain of the second level for quite some time, encountering several mine spiders, which all became Lance's targets for practicing his skills.

After testing, it was found that triggering the "Calm Aim" skill and then using "Explosive Arrow LV3" resulted in a headshot that could instantly kill a 300-HP mine spider.

Even excluding the extra damage from shooting vital points and the 5% instant-kill effect, this skill is still Lance's highest damage skill to date.

The only downside is that the hit rate is a bit low; Lance needs three arrows to hit a vital point within 10 meters.

Eventually, Lance found the stairs leading to the lower level in a more open area than the other caves.

Like the first floor, there is a large open space in front of the stairs, which should be a scene for boss battles.

However, there were no bosses guarding either of these two levels, which means they were probably killed by the adventurers and haven't respawned yet.

Lance told the kobolds to wait where they were, and then went down the stairs to the third floor alone.

Fortunately, the third floor was not the waterfall we saw in the shared view, but an underground ruin filled with crumbling walls and huge stone pillars.

Lance didn't rush to explore the new area, but instead returned to the second floor via the stairs.

We've been out for quite a while now, and apart from the magic crystal, we've basically achieved our goals. Let's head back to town and rest for now.

Lance opened a portal and carried the kobold back to the Kru Labyrinth.

【Magic Power: 500/900】

Surprisingly, as soon as I stepped out of the portal, I saw Angelica waiting there.

"Mr. Lance has changed his clothes!" Angelica covered her mouth in surprise and stepped forward to poke at the armor plates on Lance's body.

"You should now call me the Lord of the Dead."

Angelica tilted her head, looking puzzled, but she immediately shook her head and reached out her hand to Lance with an expectant look.

What is this doing?

Lance hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is there something wrong with your joints?"

"It's a gift! The gift I promised to bring!"

Gift?

Oh.

She seemed to have said that before leaving, but didn't she say she didn't want it?

After thinking for a moment, Lance handed the trembling kobold to her.

"Huh?" Angelica, holding the dog-headed creature that was even smaller than herself, looked completely bewildered. "What's this?"

The kobold habitually clasped his hands together and begged Angelica for mercy, looking somewhat comical.

"Your gift," Lance explained, putting down the bow and arrows he had been carrying on his back and the sword and shield he was holding.

He then explained another sentence.

"Our new employee, the kobold, means you have one more monster to manage."

Angelica, with mixed feelings, placed the kobold on the ground and muttered to herself as she looked at Lance:

"I don't feel as happy as I imagined."

"If you don't like kobolds, there are still spiders on the second floor over there."

"No! No spiders!"

Angelica shook her head rapidly.

When the little skeletons around saw Lance return, they all came up to examine his new equipment and then gave him a thumbs up.

A moment later, noticing that Lance had brought a new employee, they surrounded the kobolds again.

The skeletons gave the kobolds a thumbs-up, attempting to communicate.

The kobold knelt on the ground, clasped his hands in a fist, and begged the skeletons for mercy.

Before long, two species that would never have met in the first place began to interact amicably.

The skeletons were delighted by the addition of their new companion, patting him on the shoulder or linking arms with the kobold, ready to show him around the maze.

Watching the large group of monsters leave, Lance turned to Angelica and asked:

"Was everything in the maze still normal while I was away?"

"Actually, there's something I don't know how to explain to Mr. Lance." Angelica placed her hands on her lower abdomen, looking hesitant. "Mr. Lance, you should see for yourself."

Following Angelica, the two arrived at the deepest part of the labyrinth, which was originally the lord's room.

Instead of seeing Bruce, Lance spotted a figure that surprised him.

"Mr. Skull, you've arrived." Glenn put down the stone he was carrying, put his hands on his hips to catch his breath, and then said with a smile, "I've finished moving all the stones over here."

Lance was surprised.

Isn't this the same human boy from before?

"After Mr. Lance left, he kept shouting in the maze that he wanted to get back Mr. Martin's body."

"Later I let Bruce go to rest somewhere else and took him to see Mr. Martin's tombstone. To express my gratitude, he kept helping me with my work."

"But, he's clearly not Mr. Skeleton..."

Glenn walked up and looked at the knight next to Mr. Skeleton with some curiosity.

"Hello, I'm Glenn. Are you also Mr. Skeleton's friend?"

Lance removed his helmet, revealing his true face.

Glenn's eyes widened.

Skull, skeleton?

It's huge!

The man and the skeleton stared at each other, Glenn processing his shock, while Lance observed his stats.

————"Basic Information"

Name: Glenn Edmund

[Level: LV.12]

[HP: 1000/1000]

【Magic Power: 500/500】

Race: Human

[Class: Knight (Level 2), Anna's Guardian Knight (Unique)]

——"Racial Talent"

Courage: Human courage is the most magnificent epic in the world.

Unyielding Will: From the First Age onwards, humanity has demonstrated an unyielding will far surpassing that of other races.

——"Professional Talent"

Parry: When using a shield or weapon to parry, you can absorb more impact.

Ana's Shield: Absorbs damage that should have been received by Ana Fenix.

A hero's wish: When despair reaches its deepest point, a miracle will happen.

--"Skill"

【帝国剑术LV2、格挡LV2、力量强化LV1、徒手格斗LV2、人类通用语LV10】

......

Level 12, 1000 HP, not bad stats.

"Mr. Lance, should we get rid of him?" Angelica asked softly.

Humans cannot hear the communication between monsters, and skeletons cannot speak human language.

Unless they sit down and write, there is a huge communication barrier between them.

"They volunteered to stay and help, and you're thinking of kicking them out?" Lance glanced at Angelica. "Angelica, you're becoming more and more like a skeleton."

"What?! I was just asking!"

Angelica angrily reached out and punched Lance's arm.

Glenn, standing before him, became increasingly bewildered.

Are these two skeletons flirting?

Lance reached out and patted Glenn on the shoulder, mimicking the goofy skeletons by giving him a thumbs up.

"Angelica, take this guy to the kobold I just brought back and give them a job."

"We don't discriminate here. Whether you're human or a kobold, you're welcome to work."

"Alright," Angelica said, her green soul flames flickering in her eyes.

There is no death, no conflict, and humans can even live in harmony with monsters.

So this is the world in Mr. Lance's mind.

After waiting for Angelica to leave with Glenn, who was deep in thought, Lance walked to the tombstone with Martin's name engraved on it.

[Resurrecting the Dead]

His health and mana instantly decreased by half, and green energy began to seep into the graveyard from Lance's body.

[HP: 1125/2250]

【Magic Power: 75/900】

Primordial Spirit, activate!

A skeletal hand burst from the ground, and then Martin, now a skeleton, emerged from the ground, looking around in confusion.

Am I not dead?

Lance then checked Martin's stats after he was resurrected by the skill.

Aside from the race changing from "Human" to "Undead-Skeleton," and some changes to health and racial traits, almost all other abilities remain unchanged.

"Martin," Lance tried calling his name, wanting to test the other's intelligence.

Still dazed, Martin turned his head and cried out in surprise the instant he saw Lance:

"You are, you are the king of the labyrinth!"

This result was unexpected even by Lance.

I thought it would be good if Martin had half the intelligence he had when he was alive, but I didn't expect that he could even speak!

"What am I doing...?"

Martin looked at his skeletal hands, momentarily disoriented, his tone revealing confusion.

"Welcome to the maze." Lance patted Martin on the shoulder and nodded in satisfaction.

"You're now the third-in-command."