After a few minutes of riding in the Jeep driven by Lee Jiseong and passing several danger signs, a layered blue serpentine barrier came into view.

The three of them passed through the barrier and stood in front of the gate.

Usually, a gate had a single entrance resembling a blue-colored black hole, but the entrance here was divided into multiple parts.

“…What is this?”

“Ah, all the gates in Gunshin are like this. Since the purpose is management, not subjugation. We need to extract resources through the optimal route.”

“This is basically a gate fish farm…”

“It’s not entirely wrong to say that, is it? Anyway, if something goes wrong, take any one of the exits here and come out. You checked the gate map yesterday, right?”

Rude snorted as Lee Jiseong earnestly advised them that their safety was the top priority.

“There are three S-ranks here. If we run away, our pride will die.”

“I think you just raised a failure flag.”

Rude waved his hand and checked the map on his terminal. The three of them stood in front of the entrance leading directly to the boss stage.

“Anyway, we’ll be back soon.”

“We’ll be careful. Don’t worry too much.”

[We’ll contact you once the situation is resolved, elder brother.]

Lee Jiseong blinked once at the rare situation where three of the top S-rank hunters in their 20s in Korea had gathered together.

Perhaps their parting words before entering were too different, he thought as he smiled.

“Alright, have a safe trip. Don’t get hurt.”

[Entering the boss stage of the Crete Island Labyrinth is randomized.]

Before taking a step into the gate, Jeong Sooho reviewed the briefing from yesterday on his terminal.

Random entry within the same stage. A structure where you have to reach the boss room while defeating endlessly respawning monsters in the boss stage.

If the three of them entered together, there was a high possibility they would all be separated and dropped in different locations.

[If all three of you are dropped together, I will guide you. But if you are dropped at random locations, let’s aim to reach the boss room as quickly as possible and wait to fight together.]

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Sure.”

The three of them nodded and took a step inside the gate.

Instantly, the surrounding sounds disappeared and everything turned blue.

Rude felt the energy gently pushing him out of the gate. It was the instinct of the gate’s owner trying to repel the strong.

Even when he turned his head, Kang Ihyeon and Jeong Sooho were nowhere to be seen. They were probably going through the same process as him.

Reality returned. A large, damp, and dimly lit labyrinth with a musty smell.

Occasional screams of monsters could be heard in the surroundings. Rude looked around. No one was there.

[As expected, you all ended up separated, the Ruler of Chaos nods.]

“Since the boss monster is only 2nd grade, it must have some intelligence. If I were it, I would tear apart three strong people entering at the same time.”

[Anyway, we need to quickly reach the boss room and rendezvous, the Ruler of Chaos says with a serious expression.]

“Don’t worry about that.”

Rude scanned his surroundings and noticed a glowing blue marker on the labyrinth wall. The arrow pointed ‘forward’.

“We just need to keep going forward until the next marker appears.”

It was the culmination of Jeong Sooho’s countless attempts to create a guide through the labyrinth.

No matter where you were dropped, it was designed to allow reaching the boss room in the shortest time possible.

Rude, who had read the report analyzing the types of respawning monsters, where they appeared, and the boss monster’s attack patterns to an almost thesis level late into the sleepless dawn yesterday, briefly rotated his shoulders.

At some point, growling sounds could be heard nearby. In the pitch-black darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, pairs of glinting eyes were huddled close together.

“Since it was said that a lot of monsters will respawn from here on out, shall I show off my skills a bit?”

There was no one to be influenced by Rude’s biggest weakness, his ‘evil tendencies’. A situation where there were no witnesses and only simple destruction was required.

[Showing off your skills? More like venting your anger, right? The Ruler of Chaos says, looking at you.]

“Same thing.”

Destructive spirit energy fluctuated around Rude. Rude took out a black half-scissors.

The nightmare black half-scissors, paired with the ‘dream gold half-scissors’, a tool created solely for spreading destruction and fear.

[Trait :: ‘Natural Lucid Dreamer’ activates!]

Kwarreuk, black spirit energy billowed up behind Rude.

Step, step, monsters that seemed to react to his spirit energy gradually came forward. Monsters with the heads of cows and bodies of humans.

“Let’s see… Two pairs of eyes per one… Ah, forget it. Too bothersome.”

One, two… Rude, who was counting, lowered his hand as if it was meaningless. There was no excitement in his eyes.

“Well, I’ll just kill them until they’re out of sight.”

Whish, he swung the black half-scissors downward. The spirit energy gathered upward and formed dozens of black spears in the sky behind Rude.

As he lightly drew a circle with the tip of the half-scissors, the spears began to rotate at a tremendous speed with a whirring sound. Rude looked at the approaching monsters with dry eyes.

“I’m annoyed and it’s bothersome right now, you know? I’ll end it with one hit each.”

Kwang!! Dozens of black spears were simultaneously fired from the air. With an explosion of dust, the sounds of kwaddeuk, kwadeuk, kwajik…!! could be heard, and a mountain of corpses instantly piled up on the spot.

‘The resources had to be returned to Gunshin, right.’

Rude, who had a brief thought, snapped his fingers and put them in his inventory.

Kwang!! The last spear was fired, and the hazy smoke gradually dissipated. Rude walked through it, step by step. He had to find the next marker. The moment he thought that.

[Kuooooooh!!!] [The Minotaur’s first roar begins!]

“Nari?”

An all too familiar voice came from behind. Rude froze and stopped.

The Ruler of Chaos said something through indirect messages, but he couldn’t hear it.

The Minotaur’s curse was cunning. It showed an illusion that immobilized the target, directly inflicting trauma, Jeong Sooho had explained.

That’s why he had no choice but to suffer, Jeong Sooho said. So he was prepared for it.

Things like the abusive words when Jeong Sooho left, or the suffering he endured from the people around him and the media.

He was even more thoroughly prepared since his past and PMS were causing him a lot of stress.

He didn’t want to lose control of his spirit energy.

But as always, things turned out completely different from his expectations.

A woman with long, curly brown hair, green eyes, a small build, and droopy eyes who called Nari so affectionately.

“Nari. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Come to think of it, it was really obvious. The one person who would forever be etched in Nari’s mind.

The person who brought Nari unforgettable trauma. Someone that reporters or Jeong Sooho could never touch.

Rude’s eyes trembled violently. A deflated sound leaked from his mouth.

“…Mom…?”

Nari’s mother, Kang Hana, who had already passed away, stood there.

Just as she looked when she was alive. Kang Hana gently approached Rude.

“Our Nari, are you having a hard time?”

Those kind words. Rude made a sound as if holding back tears at those words.

Words he always wanted to hear. And sounds he always wanted to hear.

[Nari, this is fake. Your mother isn’t here, the Ruler of Chaos earnestly advises you.]

Indirect messages kept popping up, but they didn’t register in Rude’s eyes. He vaguely knew this was a curse. He knew it would be the end if he succumbed to it.

But Nari was an illusionist, and this was an illusion that Nari had desperately wanted to see but could never create himself.

“It must be really hard, right? You endured a lot on your own. You probably have a lot of friends around you, and you met Sooho again this time too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Mom…”

[If it continues like this, you’ll lose control of your spirit energy, and you know what will happen then! The Ruler of Chaos shouts at you!]

Even the Ruler of Chaos’s shout had no effect. Rude nodded, a sound close to crying flowing from him.

“I had such a hard time…”

“I know, our Nari. Come here. Mom will give you a hug after so long.”

“…Okay, Mom. I’ll go. I’ll go there.”

Clang, Rude dropped the black scissors.

Rude, whose heart’s lock had instantly opened, smiled with tears in his eyes.

The moment Kang Hana’s illusion tightly embraced Rude,

[Natural Lucid Dream activates!] [The user has lost control. Sinking deeper into the subconscious.]

Saaaaak, black spirit energy began leaking from Rude’s entire body.

The uncontrolled spirit energy started sticking all over the labyrinth.

The surrounding environment rapidly distorted. Since the lucid dream lost control, this was a mere dream.

[Entering ‘Nightmare’.]

And Rude was a being who had only nightmares all his life.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Kang Ihyeon!!”

At the same time Rude was struggling with Kang Hana’s illusion.

Kang Ihyeon, who was in the labyrinth, shuddered. Because he heard the voice that had tormented his ears for a long time again. He turned around.

An old man with pure white hair, still healthy despite his age, leaning on a cane – Kang Ihyeon’s grandfather.

Complete immunity to evil-natured mental attacks, but come to think of it, the Minotaur wasn’t evil-natured.

Moreover, due to hanging out with Rude, who was unrivaled in mental attacks, he had recently not even considered the possibility of being subjected to mental attacks himself. It was a mistake born from carelessness.

“What are you doing here, you useless thing? How many times have I told you! Your humanity is rotten!”

“Ah… So this is how the curse works…”

Kang Ihyeon’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the old man who was much smaller than him.

Kang Ihyeon covered both ears. No one would say anything even if he covered his ears here, unlike at the main house.

Tak!! The sound of his grandfather’s cane hitting the floor was heard again.

“You can’t even bring information about Gunshin for this old man, let alone entering a place like this?! Your parents would never do that! Because your heart is filthy. That’s why you have that filthy power since you were young…!”

“Ah… I’ve been thinking.”

Kang Ihyeon, who suddenly reacted to the words ‘filthy power’, strode towards his grandfather. He took out a holy sword from his inventory.

Golden holy power swirled around. The light gradually faded from his eyes.

Like Rude, his constellation sent indirect messages trying to dissuade him.

[The constellation, the Staff of Purification, says to stop, that you’ll lose my power again, trying to dissuade you.]

“Why? Why do I always have to endure? Huh?”

Kang Ihyeon’s hand holding the holy sword trembled.

The golden holy power was gradually losing its light, and his golden hair was also changing to a bright yellow color.

“Look! You lose your holy power so quickly because you can’t control your emotions again! Rather than revealing such a horrible appearance to others, this old man would rather take his own life.”

“Why do I have to hear such things? What did I do wrong?”

His holy power rapidly took on an evil nature.

The white armor crumbled into powder and gradually disappeared, replaced by black and yellow robes creeping out.

“Am I saying anything wrong? If you only listen to what you want to hear, you’ll ruin your family later! Listen carefully to my words. If your holy power remains intact even after hearing this, then you’ll become a fairly useful fellow. Do you understand?! Kang Ihyeon!”

“Why only me, always…!”

A silver dagger was gripped in his hand.

The moment he thought he couldn’t suppress his anger, black powder enveloped his grandfather and covered him.

His grandfather’s silhouette was crumpled like clay and disappeared.

“…What the?!”

He realized that the surroundings were filled with a sticky black spirit energy.

The sticky spirit energy was clinging like mud all over the gate.

There was only one person who could do this. Kang Ihyeon’s eyes widened.

“Rude?!”

And the moment he looked up at the ceiling, tens of thousands of cameras were pointing this way.