Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 225

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

225. Heuji’s Labyrinth 9th Layer Strategy

The Minotaur waiting for the party in the center of the arena, not behind bars, raised its head.

“Moooo!”

The Black Bear, whose size rivaled the Minotaur’s, threw the goblin corpse it had been dragging—or more precisely, the head it had torn from the corpse.

The Minotaur swung its hammer to strike the flying sphere.

Pop—!

The goblin head exploded in mid-air before touching the hammer. Goblin bones, flesh, and brains rained down like drops on the white sand.

Monsters that appear in labyrinths don’t become angry or terrified when covered in the flesh of their own kind.

But besides the physically visible flesh and bones that poured over the Minotaur, an invisible energy struck the bull’s head.

It was chilling and sinister. Despite no temperature change, an unbearable cold swept over.

The Minotaur’s fur stood on end, and its upper and lower teeth—more resembling a carnivore than a bull—chattered together.

Its massive eyes rolled back, showing the whites.

Mooooooo—!

The Minotaur foamed at the mouth and writhed while screaming. Despite hearing the scream, the party’s steps remained light and the bars didn’t open.

“Got it!”

As soon as the Princess spoke, Count Randy used magic to pour water over the Minotaur.

Even with cold water splashed on it, the bull’s head couldn’t regain its senses and wailed pitifully. Ying shot magic arrows at the water-soaked bull.

The area hit by the cold ice arrow froze solid. The Minotaur jumped like a calf with its tail on fire, then swung its hammer wildly at everything around it.

Moo. Moo. Mooooo!

After ice came electric arrows. The Archer skillfully avoided the wildly swinging hammer and shot arrows at the Labyrinth Rat Leader.

When electricity flowed through its water-soaked body, the Labyrinth Rat Leader seemed briefly paralyzed and couldn’t move. In that gap, Bear closed the distance and struck the bull’s head with its front paw.

Mooooogh—!

Blood vessels appeared in the large whites of its eyes, then the bull’s gaze became clear.

“Bear, fall back! Knight!”

“Now, Your Highness!”

Count Alpha threw a new goblin head into the gap created when Duri hastily retreated. The goblin head exploded in mid-air again before reaching the Minotaur.

The Minotaur, whose gaze had become clear, once again rolled its eyes back in terror and began suffering.

Olive stealthily approached the Minotaur as it wildly swung its hammer again, then instantly closed the distance to escape the hammer’s attack range and clung to the bull monster’s body. Olive held a dagger borrowed from Ying.

Though not a magic weapon, the dagger with excellent cutting power pierced through the Minotaur’s thick, tough hide and stabbed its weak point.

The Minotaur spat bloody foam and collapsed. Olive didn’t let her guard down and stabbed the dagger into its large eye, twisting it to destroy the brain.

[You have defeated the Labyrinth Rat Leader. 1 shop coin has been awarded.]

Serena checked the notification and stopped the Guide from stabbing the bull with the dagger.

“It seems dead.”

“Just to be sure, let me cut off the head~”

Olive sliced through the Minotaur’s hide and muscles, which had weakened after death, completely separating the head from the body.

Clang. The sound of bars opening was heard. The party tensed, wondering if more battles would follow.

The door opened and some time passed, but no one entered.

The party smiled slightly. The group had fought and won against the Labyrinth Rat Leader of the 35th Floor of Heuji’s Labyrinth’s 9th Layer.

Everyone was pleased with the smooth victory that matched their thorough preparation.

‘Finally.’

The regressor alone felt moved. Serena closed her eyes tightly and savored the afterglow of victory.

‘To think I died four times over this.’

The 9th Layer was truly a terrible layer. She could only beat her chest in frustration while fighting endlessly and looking at treasure chests she couldn’t open.

‘Who can I blame? It’s my own fault for being lacking.’

The image of the Young Knight getting hit by the hammer and smashed into the wall was vivid. If only Serena’s lightning had pierced the ceiling, she would have died only 3 times instead of 4.

At least she wouldn’t have won with magic least suited for a princess in the world. Serena felt regret as she opened her eyes and looked around.

Besides the exploded goblin head, remaining goblin heads rolled on the sand. Finding it unsightly, Serena gathered sand with her foot to bury the goblin heads.

As if resenting the Princess who not only killed it but cut off its head to use as a bomb, the goblin glared with bulging eyes while shedding green bloody tears. It was a frightening and hideous sight that might appear in nightmares.

Compared to the goblin resenting the world so bravely, the head of the Minotaur, the Labyrinth Rat Leader, retained a terrified expression that lacked dignity.

Count Randy looked at the bull’s head with burst eyeballs from the dagger and expressed regret.

“What a shame. If the eyes were intact, it would have made a better sacrifice.”

“It’s not bad even now, right?”

Olive hummed while stripping the Minotaur’s armor and splitting its chest to collect the magic stone.

Duri buried her snout in the sand to search for treasure chests, as she had done on other floors. Olive, who had collected the magic stone, joined her.

Count Alpha finished collecting the Minotaur corpse that Olive had abandoned after taking only the valuable parts. He first put the hammer and armor into Count Randy’s subspace bag, then began preparing meat that would serve as daily protein.

Serena silently said the words Count Randy hadn’t said this time.

‘We won. Tonight’s dinner is steak.’

“Phew.”

Count Alpha slightly frowned his handsome face and sighed.

Is it okay to eat monsters that walk on two legs and even use tools? It seemed he was having the same concerns that Serena and the original members had resolved on the 2nd Layer.

“The heart is good for sacrifices, so set it aside separately. Which bones do you think would be appropriate for making broth?”

“I don’t know.”

The Imperial Knight, seeing the Alchemist even collecting bones for broth, seemed to realize his concerns were luxurious worries and abandoned his hesitation.

“Woof!”

“Did you find a treasure chest?”

“Woof woof!”

Duri, who had been sniffing with her snout buried in the sand, eagerly dug with her front paws. After digging deep enough to bury a coffin, the top of a treasure chest was revealed.

“Well done, Bear!”

Olive roughly scratched the bear’s head and threw an apple. Duri ate the apple deliciously with munching sounds.

“This time it’s also a sparkly sparkly sparkly sparkly chest, right?”

Olive clapped her hands together in delight but didn’t volunteer to open the chest herself. Her reason was quite practical.

“First we should check if the path to the Teleportation Room and upper floors opened before opening it.”

On the 9th Layer, once you choose a path at the crossroads, the other paths are blocked and you can only advance. Since they had defeated the final Labyrinth Rat Leader of the 9th Layer and completed the strategy, checking if the path opened was priority before opening the treasure chest.

If the path didn’t open, they could use the rewards from the treasure chest to carve out an escape route.

The party only extracted the treasure chest buried in sand and entered through the path where the bars had opened.

“I can see stairs.”

“There’s also a treasure chest. Doesn’t the color look a bit strange?”

The Imperial Knight and Alchemist only saw what was immediately visible. The Princess and Guide discovered even what wasn’t visible to the eye.

“There’s a small secret door. Here. It looks like a Sealed Door. Princess?”

“Before calling me, isn’t there something you should do?”

The Guide grinned and placed her hand on the hidden Sealed Door. The door didn’t budge.

Even when she inserted a key into the secretly hidden keyhole, it was the same. The key wouldn’t turn.

The Knight, Alchemist, Archer, and even Bear placed their hands and front paws on the Sealed Door. The seal didn’t break.

“Sigh.”

Serena sighed and placed her hand on the door glowing with a subtle crimson light. The seal broke and the door opened, revealing the Teleportation Room.

“Great!”

The party had secured a path. The Guide snapped her fingers and led the group to the treasure chest that the Alchemist had said had an unusual color.

“I saw it on the way here, but this is a treasure chest that contains cursed equipment.”

“Ah. So that’s why the color is unusual.”

The treasure chest’s grade was magic level. It should shine brilliantly, but an ominous aura swirled around it, making the color appear slightly faded.

“Rather than opening this here, how about taking it to the Lobby and having Neet open it?”

“Oh! Count Sirius! Good idea. We can also get Grey’s advice. What do you think, Lady Serena?”

“Yes. That sounds good.”

She worried about what would happen if dresses and accessories came out of the treasure chest like Duri had done on the 4th attempt, but Serena thought positively.

‘Neet is smarter than Duri. She’ll do well after hearing Grey’s advice.’

For reference, the treasure chest found on the 34th Floor was opened by Olive, not Duri. The Guide wanted magic weapons or escape magic tools, but the chest contained an unidentified potion—a magic potion.

“I’ll take this and analyze it.”

“What if it’s holy water that cures all curses, injuries, and status ailments?”

“That’s impossible.”

Since the Young Knight wasn’t there, the Guide had simply harbored dreams and hopes, but the Archer firmly denied it.

Anyway, Olive, who had opened the magic-grade chest on the 34th Floor, sneakily reached out for the magic-grade chest that appeared on the 35th Floor as well.

“Then I’ll take this chest too~”

“Now, now. Olive didn’t open one on the 34th Floor. It’s Lady Serena’s turn.”

“I’m fine with it. Count Alpha, haven’t you never opened a magic-grade chest before? Count Alpha should open it.”

“I’m overwhelmed by Your Highness’s mercy, but would it be alright if we take this chest to the lobby as well and yield the turn to Lord Willow?”

A cursed chest with ten confirmed people would be one thing. But bringing a magic-grade chest to the lobby held sad memories for the 1st Attack Group. All three refused without hesitation.

“That won’t do.”

“That won’t do.”

“Black Knight, stop!”

“Why is everyone acting like this?”

“Stop nagging and hurry up and open it.”

Count Alpha was flustered but couldn’t resist Count Randy’s momentum and opened the treasure chest.

‘What if an oven comes out?’

Contrary to the Princess’s worry, a pair of boots emerged from the treasure chest. Count Alpha immediately presented the boots from the chest to the Princess of Heuji.

“I had hoped for armor for Your Highness the Princess. But boots came out.”

Count Alpha’s elegantly drawn eyebrows furrowed slightly. He seemed disappointed that shoes came out when he had hoped for a robe or cloak.

“They seem to be enchanted with magic. They don’t look bad. Lady Serena, why don’t you try them on.”

Serena brushed the sand off her feet and put on the new shoes. The boots fit her feet softly and perfectly.

“They feel comfortable to wear.”

“Don’t you feel any other effects?”

“I’m not sure about that. My feet do feel a bit lighter though.”

She wasn’t expecting top-grade items with various magic enchantments layered on like Prince Willow’s belongings, but for now, there was nothing noticeable except the comfortable fit.

The moment she said that and took a step, Serena realized the boots’ utility.

“I thought my feet felt light. They don’t sink into the sand!”

The 9th Layer Commander’s Room was entirely covered with fine sand, making it difficult to walk.

When combined with the Minotaur’s fear effect, feet would sink deep into the sand, making walking itself an ordeal.

But wearing the boots from the chest, the Princess’s feet stepped lightly on the sand as if strolling through a ballroom. She didn’t even leave footprints.

“Thank you, Count Alpha. When we leave the labyrinth, I’ll give shoes as gifts to your wife and child.”

“If this makes Your Highness the Princess’s safety more secure, I could ask for nothing more.”

“Four.”

“Huh?”

While the Princess and Imperial Knight were talking, the Archer quietly muttered a number. Duri perked up her round ears, looking at the Archer who suddenly called her sibling’s name.

“Bear! Not your sibling, the actual number!”

Olive laughed heartily while clearing up Duri’s misunderstanding, then looked at the Archer with a serious expression.

“But are you really counting that? How scary. You’re counting how many flicks I have left too, aren’t you?”

Ying blatantly turned her head to avoid Olive’s gaze. Olive’s round eyes became even rounder.

“Zero! You should count while hitting! What about you, Princess? You’re counting, right Princess?”

Serena also quickly turned her head to avoid the Guide’s gaze.

“Such things should be counted by the criminal themselves.”

“No way! One hit feels like it’ll crack my skull, and there’s so much to worry about in the labyrinth, how can I count and remember that! You! Big brother executioner or the Princess should count!”

Serena had expected Olive to take this opportunity to manipulate the remaining number of flicks, but instead she was throwing a tantrum.

Just as Serena thought this was unexpected, the Guide revealed her true nature.

“Ah~ I guess there’s no choice. Then I’ll be generous and settle on exactly 5 hits.”

‘So this was her scheme.’

Rather than clumsily manipulating the count, her plan was to blame those who couldn’t remember and reduce the remaining flicks to 5.

No matter how she thought about it, there seemed to be more than 5 left, so Serena was about to refuse when Count Randy stepped forward.

“Olive. Don’t worry. I’ve been counting accurately. You have 7 left.”

Since none other than the Empire’s genius had been counting, no one could raise doubts.

Olive, whose plan had failed, glared with fury in her eyes.

“Why is the Count counting that!”

“Didn’t you just complain about why no one was counting?”

“I’ve never seen such a boring Count. Tsk tsk. Let’s just check if we can go to rooms with other chests and return to the lobby.”

Sensing the situation was unfavorable to her, the Guide drew the party’s attention to the treasure chests.

The party, including Serena, followed behind Olive while chuckling.

Serena wrote a note to Count Randy so that Olive, who had sharp ears, wouldn’t hear.

-But do you really have 7 left?

Count Randy smiled brightly and answered his beloved lord’s question.

-Actually, I wasn’t counting either. I said 7 because it seemed like more than 5 were left.

Serena was satisfied that their friendship, which had begun by overcoming social status, seemed to grow stronger each day.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————