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

"You have the nerve to say that." The blond teammate with the high nose rolled his eyes. "If you hadn't held me back, I would have run away."

"How could I have a teammate like you! Coward!"

"Thank goodness the skeleton appeared." The third teammate was noticeably quieter than the first two, with dark skin and a hoarse voice, as dry as a frog stranded on the shore.

"What do you mean by a skeleton? You have no respect whatsoever." The high-nosed adventurer slammed his fist on the table in dissatisfaction. "That's the king of the labyrinth and the undead. It's said that worshipping this lord can even save a pregnancy."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like when you drag your exhausted body back from the maze, only to be surprised to find that your wife is pregnant, and you're going to be a father!"

"..."

Have the rumors about the King of Labyrinths become this outrageous?

The adventurer in the leather hood drank his beer, but his gaze drifted to the local adventurer beside him.

Compared to the outsiders, the atmosphere at the local adventurers' table was much more subdued. Although there was some interaction, their expressions were mostly serious.

It sounds like they're discussing some important topic.

"By the way, news from Byrondin should have reached this town by now," the hooded adventurer said, glancing frequently at the table next to him. "Why aren't the adventurers here reacting much?"

"Didn't you see the 'Slay the Beast' quest posted on the bulletin board?" the composed adventurer replied.

"A calamity beast? Are there witches here too?"

"It's said that they were infected by a witch before... huh?"

The three Byrondin adventurers were chatting animatedly when their eyes all turned to the waitress at the counter.

The girl with pigtails walked up to the task bulletin board, took down the "Slay the Calamity Beast" task, and then posted a new task.

In an instant, the adventurers in the hall all got up and went to the notice board to check the details.

The three exchanged glances, then got up and walked over.

"Investigating the New. Krug Maze"

"Mission Summary: The maze has undergone an anomaly. The current Kru Maze is no longer the low-level maze it once was; it is now filled with danger, and the possibility that a monstrous beast still resides within cannot be ruled out. Please investigate the new Kru Maze and create a detailed map."

"Task Reward: 1000 Gold"

Mission Level: C

What the hell!

1000 gold!

Why bother going to the East? Let's just make a quick buck here!

"Adventurers, please," the girl with twin ponytails explained from the notice board, "Due to the difficulties encountered by the previous extermination team, and considering that the threat of the calamity beast has not yet been eliminated, the difficulty of this mission has been adjusted to Rank B, and there is no limit to the number of times you can claim it, so everyone can claim it."

A C-level mission requires at least one C-level squad to complete.

...The average level of a Class C squad is 35, and the squad leader can reach level 40.

Is this maze that dangerous?

"I'm an adventurer from Byronden," an adventurer wielding a giant hammer raised his hand. "May I ask what level the monsters in the dungeon are?"

"Well... after all, I'm just a guild counter worker." The girl was a little embarrassed.

Sitting to the side, Zoro, the former leader of the monster-slaying squad, a veteran adventurer with 10 years of experience, and the champion of Byronden's escape, took a sip of beer and cursed.

"Incompetent fool."

"Dare you repeat what you just said?" The giant hammer adventurer stared wide-eyed at Zoro.

Unexpectedly, Zoro simply spat on the ground, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and wore a mocking expression.

"Only those who have never seen the world can judge a monster's strength by its level."

"What do you mean?" the man demanded loudly.

Zoro stood up and walked imposingly towards the giant hammer adventurer.

Have you ever seen a flying dog?

Do you know any magic that can cause muscles to atrophy?

Have you ever experienced the difference between fast and slow swords?

The giant hammer adventurer was so intimidated by the aura that he took a step back, clearly much weaker, but he was still shouting:

"What are you talking about?!"

"So you're a complete idiot," Zoro glanced at him. "Even I almost fell for it, let alone you guys?"

After saying that, Zoro turned and left.

The giant hammer adventurer's face turned red, and he raised his hammer, ready to hit him, but fortunately, a kind person next to him stopped him.

"Although Mr. Zoro was a bit blunt, the Kru Labyrinth is indeed dangerous right now," the girl at the counter patiently explained. "So, everyone must be extremely careful when navigating the labyrinth."

"Is he that Zoro?"

Zoro, the King of Escape?

The giant hammer adventurer's expression changed.

Is that Zoro, who has been uninjured for ten years, possesses a monstrous ability to perceive danger, and is known as the mascot of the labyrinth?

If even he almost tripped up, then that maze must have been very dangerous.

After gathering briefly in front of the notice board, the adventurers dispersed and began discussing matters related to the mission.

Even the adventurers from Byrondin temporarily set aside the topic of witches and the King of Labyrinths.

Pretending to drink, they actually pricked up their ears to listen to the conversations among the local adventurers in Ross Town.

That's how the adventurer's world works.

Senior veterans look down on junior veterans, and adventurers from big cities look down on adventurers from small cities.

Letting them go and properly consult the natives of Ross Town would be too embarrassing for them.

I can only eavesdrop.

The three men—a leather hooded man, a high-bridged nose, and a black man—didn't dare to breathe too loudly, concentrating intently for fear of missing any useful information.

Does "fast and slow sword" mean that the monster's attacks are sometimes fast and sometimes slow?

Beware of magic... It seems there's a monster in that labyrinth that can use both physical and magical attacks. Tsk, this is indeed a bit tricky.

That's terrible... does it refer to the excrement inside the maze?

It doesn't sound like that; it sounds more like an adjective.

In short, make a note of it first.

Damp traps... Hmm, I should also remember this. Be careful of traps when actually navigating the area.

But listening to it like that, there's nothing particularly special about it.

"What do you think?" the leather hooded man asked first.

"It's said that there might be a calamity beast in that labyrinth, so the mission level is C." No matter how much water the black man drank, his voice remained deep. "In other words, if there's no calamity beast, the mission itself would be enough to be D level."

Of the three, the leather-hooded one was level 28, while the high-nosed one and the black guy were both level 30, bringing the team to a mere D-level.

The key is that the task rewards are too generous; after completing this task, I can rest for at least half a month.

Just do it!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"So, this is the Kru Labyrinth?"

Outside the Kru Maze, a three-person team was fully armed.

After all, he was an adventurer who came out of the Starfall Labyrinth, so he had a fairly substantial fortune.

The leather-hooded man is an assassin, the high-nosed man is a warrior, and the black man is a healer.

All three of them were dressed in a set of fine iron equipment, a specialty of the Starfall Maze, and felt like the coolest guys in this rural maze.

Just as they arrived at the entrance, a group of adventurers had already entered.

According to the rules, if a team has just entered the maze, the next team must wait ten minutes before entering.

Avoid conflicts arising from the struggle for resources.

But... the entrance to this maze is just too magnificent!

"There's a notice board over there," the man with the high nose said, pointing to the gate in front of him.

The three of them crowded around.

"Kru Maze ↑ Enter from here"

Recommended level: Any level is acceptable.

"The monsters in the maze are all friendly and won't attack you unless provoked."

"SAFE" indicates the combat zone. Monsters will only attack you if you enter the combat zone.

"Welcome everyone to visit the maze!"

"What do you think?" the leather hooded man asked.

"No wonder those adventurers mentioned traps before, but they didn't say they were necessarily traps in the labyrinth. This is clearly the work of rogue adventurers." High-nosed man rolled his eyes.

The idea is to lower people's guard in this way so that they can take the opportunity to claim the mission's reward.

"Too sinister," the black man added.

The three men looked at each other, and then the man in the leather hood kicked the sign over to the ground.

This is the composure of a seasoned veteran, successfully seeing through the tricks of a junior.

"It's almost time, it's our turn to go in."

"To be honest, I'm already thinking about how to spend the money after I receive the reward."

"I was thinking about the witch from the Starfall Labyrinth that day," the black man suddenly said.

His teammates turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

"What, still scared?" The man with the high nose patted his shoulder.

The black man simply shook his head, then nodded, paused, and explained with a sigh:

"It was definitely dangerous, but to be fair, that witch's feet were quite beautiful, you know, I have a thing for them..."

"You deserved to die that day!"

The firelight on the wall gradually engulfed the three figures.

The insults gradually faded into the distance.

......

A moment later, in the first room of the Kru Labyrinth.

"Am I seeing things?"

"Probably." The man with the high nose took a deep breath. "Unless we're both seeing things."

The monsters held up a sign to welcome them inside.

Look closely, and you'll see that one of the plaques is written in standard universal language—

"Welcome."