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#59. First Come, First Served

Aside from the satellite labyrinths set up as boundary defenses for the Fortress, Uther’s labyrinth was the closest to it.

Uther came to his senses at the same time as the birth of the Grand Labyrinth, and stared blankly into the air before quickly getting up. “What is this!?” he exclaimed.

His Labyrinth of Greed had turned into a desolate ruin, and the Dual Cores that he had worked so hard to obtain were now filled with cracks. Forty days had passed, but for Uther, whose stream of consciousness had stopped, it was as though his perfectly intact labyrinth had suddenly collapsed.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!” Shocked, Uther jumped around on the spot as he kicked up a fuss. Due to the mess he was making, he ended up shattering the two Cores and they turned into dust.

“Huh!? Damn itttt!” Uther screamed as he grabbed the remnants of the broken Cores. He was usually cowardly and reckless, but he had still been ambitious enough to copy the Naga’s Fortress and integrate his own Dual Cores into his labyrinth.

However, all his results had turned to nothing overnight, and it would have surprised no one if he turned mad.

“Uwaaaaaah…” In the end, Uther uttered a pitiful sound as if he had gone mad, and forced himself to get up.

He paused as he looked around his labyrinth, or rather, the remaining traces of it, and seeing that there was not a single ounce of possibility of recovering it, he went mad once more. This time, he was truly blinded by his rage, as several of the Slime Masses which had been observing him by his side were caught up in his tantrum and killed.

“Phew…” After wreaking havoc for a while, Uther let out a long sigh. One might have thought that he had finally calmed down, but his stiff, tensed-up slimy skin indicated otherwise.

In fact, Uther’s usual self seemed to have completely disappeared. His sharp eyes flashed, and he began to waddle in an uncertain direction. Seeing his lovely labyrinth that had once been surrounded by slime now completely dried up, his expression turned gloomy once more. But he pressed on and continued walking away.

And as Uther disappeared, so did the Slime Masses that had been left behind.

All that was left in the silent labyrinth was a dried-up tunnel and some gloomy traces of a labyrinth that had once existed in that spot. Somewhere in between labyrinths, long traces of slime were advancing little by little towards the Grand Labyrinth in the distance.

Just like that, all those who had lost their labyrinths were headed towards the Grand Labyrinth. All the recent events on the 9th Floor had been caused by the Naga King, and they all seemed to have a mutual understanding that this latest phenomenon must have been caused by him as well. And even if he wasn’t involved, they had a vague belief that he would have a solution to their problems.

However, among those heading to the Grand Labyrinth, there were some that had lost their minds out of shock and anger. They were hostile to anyone they encountered on their journey, and some even attacked others out of pure rage.

As the Grand Labyrinth drew closer, the number of angry residents grew. There were some who even lost all reasoning and rationale as they attacked other groups.

“We lost our labyrinths as well!”

“Shut up! I don’t trust anyone! How do I know that you’re not involved!?”

Fuelled by endless rage, they demanded compensation for their loss and anger, and preyed on the helpless few who walked alone in despair. The prey were more disappointed than angry, but they were equally helpless.

Of course, not everyone was helplessly attacked by the angry mob. Malaxus, the King of Hammer and Anvil, who was famous for his temperament, as well as Ariane and Hecarim, who could still be reasoned with, were able to repel some of the mob.

But the situation on the outskirts of the Grand Labyrinth continued to deteriorate. The labyrinths and their Cores were what helped their inhabitants to follow logic and reasoning, rather than the primeval savagery of the Underworld. Without a labyrinth, they were no different from the wild creatures and beasts wandering around the Underworld.

Having lost the foundation of their civilized existence, it was only natural that as time passed, more and more beings succumbed to the instinctive anger of their natures. Among them, some had already lost their ability to speak and reason, and had returned to their primeval, wild forms.

Some woke up to find that their kinfolk had turned into wild beasts, before being savagely attacked. Naturally, those who still had the ability to reason started to exclude those who were unable to.

The shallow alliance established under the banner of the Naga King had been broken in an instant, and the 9th Floor turned ever more chaotic.

To make matters worse, the number of Moai crossing the passageway was also increasing, as they took advantage of the lack of defenses. The road to the Grand Labyrinth became hell itself. That hell only came to an end at the Grand Labyrinth, and the ten thousand-odd refugees were reduced to half upon their arrival.

***

“My King!”

Those who arrived at the outskirts of the Grand Labyrinth cried out to their king at the top of their voices. The Vassal’s Pledge had been broken for everyone, and yet, they all continued to proclaim Kim Jin-Woo their king.

Although they were free from the master-servant relationship, none dared to offend the Undefeated Commander in any way. Even the angry mob stopped attacking others once they reached the border of the Grand Labyrinth, as they quietly examined the upgraded Fortress.

But their patience didn’t last long, and when the Naga King didn’t make his appearance despite the repeated calls, they slowly began to reveal their true colors.

“All the 9th Floor labyrinths have collapsed, and yet, the fact that this is the only labyrinth intact means that the Naga King is related to this!”

“What do you mean intact!? It’s way more glamorous than before, so he must be the culprit behind all this!”

Malaxus clicked his tongue when he heard what was being said. “Keep talking if you want to die. You’re all out of your minds.”

“They’ve lost their labyrinths and their minds.” Ariane echoed Malaxus\' words. Her face was still recovering from the injuries she had received from the last war, as she still looked to be in bad shape.

“What if the King makes his appearance later on?” Malaxus had half a mind to deal with the troublemakers, but he was also cautious and wary of inciting yet another riot.

“I just don’t want to be caught up in their mess,” Ariane replied.

The Naga King that Malaxus knew was a formidable being. If one were to be deceived by his small, unspectacular appearance, he would not spare their life, let alone their labyrinth. There were countless labyrinths on the 9th Floor and its vicinity that had perished in his hands.

Malaxus sincerely hoped that the Naga King wouldn’t be too angry with him. He couldn’t bear to face his wrath, and hoped that he wouldn’t be caught up in something so trivial that might anger the Naga King.

“I don’t want to take part in their hearsay, but I too can’t dispel the suspicion that this situation has something to do with the King,” Ariane remarked.

“Watch your mouth!” Malaxus freaked out. His face turned pale as he quickly covered Ariane’s mouth, and looked at the entrance to the Grand Labyrinth. After he saw that nothing had happened after a while, he sighed with relief and said, “We’ll eventually find out as time passes, so there’s no need to voluntarily put yourself up for punishment. So, stop talking nonsense.”

“But think about it. Isn’t it strange? It’s strange that our labyrinths have suddenly disappeared, while on the contrary, his labyrinth is even bigger than before.”

This time, Malaxus didn’t respond to Ariane’s words. It was because he had been thinking the exact same thing. He subconsciously nodded, but quickly realized that many were listening in to their conversation and quickly panicked.

He’d had to traverse a long and rough road to get to the Grand Labyrinth. His consciousness had been persistently weakening, and he had barely been able to lead his clan to this place.

It seemed as though everyone had finally regained their reasoning from the energy flowing from the Naga’s Labyrinth, but that could change at any given moment. In fact, the anger and impatience that permeated through the mob was slowly simmering. Malaxus was sure that he too was feeling the same.

“No, no. It’s still for the best that we take a step back and think about this situation. None have stood against the King and lived to tell the tale…” Malaxus stepped forward to stand up for his King, and the rest also seemed to hold back their opinions in response.

However, his influence was only limited to those who were able to maintain their sense of reasoning. And when the Naga King didn’t show up, the mob began to talk among themselves even more.

“Surely that thief must have done something! It’s impossible for his labyrinth to suddenly grow like this, especially when the down gems have dried up!”

“Maybe he’s the one who destroyed our labyrinths. I haven’t been able to understand what he’s thinking for some time.”

Now, the mob even called the king that they had once served a thief.

“Why are we wasting our time here!? If he’s wrong then all he has to do is meet and talk to us in person!”

“If he planned all this from his labyrinth, then the evidence should be inside of it as well. We should check it out ourselves before he destroys the evidence!”

Confused about the unexplainable situation, and influenced by the accumulated madness from all the battles and slaughter they’d had to endure on their way to the Grand Labyrinth, the mob became more and more radical. In addition, the grandiose labyrinth in front of them seemed majestic enough to confirm their suspicions.

Thus, something they would have never dared to do in the past happened.

“There are fewer than a thousand Nagas anyway!”

“If he were truly innocent, there’s no way he wouldn’t have shown up by now! It’s more likely that he’ll realize his mistake and try to escape!”

“The Nagas are definitely afraid of us!”

The mob started to march toward the Grand Labyrinth, following one of the labyrinth masters who was spewing unspeakable nonsense. Some weren’t originally part of the mob, but were caught up in the movement and the absurd allegations and decided to join in.

“Why does the King still stay silent!?” Malaxus groaned in frustration. He stomped about as he watched the mob invade the perimeter of the labyrinth.

“The one who seizes the Core first gets the biggest share!”

It was already a spectacle to see the mob clamoring on as if they had already taken over the labyrinth. They seemed eager to charge ahead, as they threw caution to the wind with their advance.

“That’s enough.” Just as the head of the mob breached the labyrinth’s perimeter, a low voice seemed to whisper across the Underworld.

“One more step and you’ll be cut in two.” No loud footsteps, no hasty cheers, nothing could drown out this deadly whisper.

“Try me if you dare. I’m sure it’ll be a fun experience to predict whether your body will be sliced horizontally or vertically.” It was a deep voice that resonated in the bones. Kim Jin-Woo appeared out of nowhere as he stood crookedly on the outskirts of the labyrinth, looking at the mob.

“Oh…” The mob, which had been running rampant, froze beneath Kim Jin-Woo’s indifferent gaze. Only then did they recall what they had forgotten. They turned white as they realized just whose labyrinth they had invaded, and how he had mercilessly slain all his enemies.