Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 285

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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285. Genuine Undead (2)

“From today, Grandmother will be in charge of lockpicking for the 2nd group assault team!”

Olive shouted excitedly. Serena doubted her ears.

‘Using undead for labyrinth conquest is one thing. But having an undead pick locks?’

In the fiction Serena had seen in her previous life and in this reincarnated world, undead mainly handled combat. They didn’t seem suited for work requiring advanced skills like lockpicking.

Serena wasn’t the only one who thought this way. Everyone seemed to have the same thought, judging by their similar expressions. Olive clicked her tongue seeing people’s faces.

“Tsk tsk, you don’t know anything. Hey. Real undead controlled by necromancers can use the same skills they had when alive. She even worked at a bakery. She’s a skilled craftsman! Hey! Experienced worker!”

It was a brilliant idea bordering on bizarre. Seraph frowned and interjected.

“I have no idea what nonsense you’re spouting. Doesn’t the 2nd assault group have a guide? That muscular baldy could pick locks, right? Or that vagrant. I heard he’s a thief. Isn’t lockpicking a thief’s basic skill?”

Seraph pointed to the Hunter and pickpocket Hana, whom he had identified while studying traps together in the snowy mountains. For Seraph, this was quite a normal reaction.

‘Right. We have Low and Hana, so why have an undead pick locks? That’s strange.’

Serena had the same thought as her sibling and turned her gaze to the Mysterious Stranger and Compass, but couldn’t look away and remained fixed on them.

‘What’s this?’

Somehow their faces looked strange. They had expressions like they’d been hit where it hurt.

When the Princess didn’t take her eyes off the two, others’ gazes also focused on them. The Hunter confessed first.

“Hehe, this humble one handles traps. My brother was in charge of locks.”

The Sol Brothers were said to do the work of three people, but the brothers had different specialties, so Low wasn’t confident with lockpicking.

Then why did Hana the pickpocket look uncertain?

Hana rubbed her palms together and craftily bowed her round head.

“Safe cracking is something people with money do. Bottom-feeders like me only trust our hands.”

According to Hana, safe cracking is a high-class(?) profession requiring intelligence to scout targets and know safe locations, plus the skills and tools to crack them.

“They don’t sell lockpicking tools to drifters like us. Hey. They only sell to locksmiths with confirmed identities. Shops dealing with Labyrinth Adventurers do sell to anyone, but it’s more expensive.”

Olive supplemented Hana’s excuse.

“Couldn’t you teach the skills to Hana and Low?”

“Ha!”

The Guide looked up at the sky and laughed at the question from someone of different status. Her unfocused gaze was very hollow.

“You think I haven’t tried? Hey? Radish’s fingertips are dulled from metalwork, so she’s fine with big traps but can’t handle small locks. Hey. And that Compass is.”

Focus returned to Olive’s hollow eyes. The Guide put her hand on the back of her neck and ground her teeth.

“She’s a blockhead. Hey.”

“Not a blockhead!”

“She’s a rock. Her head only has rocks in it. How do you teach someone and they forget by the next day!”

Hana shouted confidently.

“Not the next day! Takes several days!”

“Whether it takes several days, you shouldn’t forget!”

Angry at the shameless blockhead, Olive grabbed Hana’s round head and shook it rapidly.

“Aaaaah! Let me go!”

“Why! Why why why why do you learn it then forget! I definitely taught you, but why are you blank when you return from floor conquest! Is it like pouring water into a holey bucket!”

After thoroughly shaking Hana’s head, Olive complained to Serena.

The story was that Hana’s head wasn’t bad. Her short-term memory was very good.

The problem was long-term memory. What she learned that day needed at least a week of review to stick in her head and body, but when Olive left the Lobby for labyrinth conquest, there was no one to correct mistakes.

Then Hana would either practice and learn wrong content, or forget what she learned. When Olive returned to the Lobby, a student in blank state or with her head filled with wrong answers would be waiting.

‘That would be frustrating.’

Serena had never been in a teaching position, but if a student’s progress was stuck in place, it would be maddening.

Olive noticed the calmed atmosphere and smiled brightly.

“Then from now on, undead Grandmother will handle locks for the 2nd group-.”

“No.”

“What? Who? Who’s opposing?”

Olive looked for who opposed and made a fed-up expression.

“Zero again? Why this time?”

The Archer, who spoke little but had overflowing persuasiveness in each word, revealed her reason for opposition.

“Undead learning has limits. Hana must be taught lockpicking skills.”

“Ying! What do you mean undead learning has limits? Please explain in detail! It’s really necessary!”

Grey emphasized the necessity, worried about being ignored again. Ying’s indifferent gaze turned to the undead.

“Undead raised by necromancers can reproduce memories and skills from life according to the caster’s magic power, but cannot learn new things. Variations of existing skills are possible, but additions are not.”

Olive seemed used to it now and didn’t wonder ‘How do you know that?’ Instead, the Old Man expressed doubt.

“Huh? Then what about undead mages who avoided death through necromancy? They learn new magic. This is really necessary too!”

The Archer said calmly.

“Don’t know.”

The answer was very short, but contained genuine ignorance rather than reluctance to answer. Grey gave up on getting an answer and focused only on the new information.

“I see. They can reproduce powers from life but growth is impossible. That would be unsuitable for ever-changing labyrinth conquest.”

The Guide was openly disappointed at the conclusion reached by the labyrinth’s greatest intellectual.

“Aw. So doing what Zero says is best? Hey?”

“Should I learn lockpicking from that undead?”

Learning lockpicking from an undead. It sounded stranger than having an undead handle lockpicking.

While Hana, who would be the student, seemed unconcerned but others couldn’t give a definite answer due to mixed feelings, Seraph again interjected with a blunt voice.

“Are all your heads empty? Shouldn’t we first confirm if that undead has such skills? I saw her finger movements earlier and they seemed sluggish – I doubt precise movements are possible.”

“Ah! Your Highness is right! May we release Krom now?”

Ralph asked Serena’s opinion, and Serena looked at Grey. Grey nodded, judging this was enough.

Serena nodded accordingly. Ralph approached Krom.

“You’ve been tied up too long. I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt either.”

“I’ll untie you quickly. Huh? What?”

Ralph, who touched the rope binding Krom’s hands, was flustered. It was an unfamiliar knot, and what was meant to be careful binding was tied too tight, not easily loosened even with Ralph’s strength.

“Huh? Sorry! It’s too tight, I’ll have to cut the rope!”

The Young Knight drew a dagger from his chest. But he couldn’t cut the rope immediately.

He clearly showed signs of wondering how to cut the thick, sturdy rope without hurting the bound person.

“If I cut here… Or not here?”

“Oh come on!”

Krom, who had been waiting, got angry at Ralph fidgeting behind her. Krom wriggled a few times then instantly loosened the rope and held it out to the Young Knight.

“Learn how to tie again.”

“Huh? Did you just untie it yourself?”

Ralph was dumbfounded as he caught the rope falling into his palm.

‘She could escape the restraints on her own?’

I want to stop being surprised, but I don’t know why surprising things keep happening. Krom stared curiously at her wrists that weren’t numb despite being tied for so long.

“I dislocated my thumb joint but it doesn’t hurt.”

“Cough, are you injured? I’ll use magic.”

“Ah, never mind. This kind of thing heals when you put it back. Damn! It’s not healing?”

Krom moved away from her spot and cursed looking at her dangling thumb. Grey answered like a sigh.

“Because you’re undead.”

Grey pressed his neck with his staff and muttered disapprovingly.

“It’s a bit concerning that she could escape restraints on her own but didn’t say so. But since she submitted to restraints and stayed quiet, we can assume no hostility.”

Finally, after Neet cast body restoration magic, Krom’s dislocated thumb returned to place. The skin pressed and scraped by rope also became clean.

“So I’m here as a test subject, and I should teach skills to that kid with a round face like an onion?”

While the living people were still processing their repeated surprises, the dead person was carefree. Serena nodded for now.

“Mm, that’s right.”

“I see. But.”

Krom covered her mouth with her hand as if she had something secret to say.

Serena bent her waist to match Krom, who was short and hunched. Even this close, it was amazing there was no rotting smell.

“That Blue-Haired Knight who keeps muttering. Is he sick somewhere?”

She had simply been ignoring it because it was so noisy. Krom pointed at the Fire Knight who had been chattering away under the guise of prayers the entire time.

‘It does hurt though.’

Since his wrists and ankles had been cut twice each, he was indeed someone in pain. When Serena nodded, the undead clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk. Such a young person.”

Krom left the Princess’s side. Serena watched the hunched back of the undead and thought.

‘His personality has changed.’

The living Krom had been a miser, full of complaints and irritation, a materialistic drug dealer. He groveled before power, especially force.

But the undead Krom had fewer complaints and grievances than before. He drew a line when it came to the affairs of the living and power.

‘But I get more irritated the more I die. What’s the difference?’

Was it because dying wasn’t painful for him? Had wandering the Labyrinth in soul form affected Krom?

While thinking about various things, Serena watched the undead habitually patting his waist and placing his hands on his knees, and she knew the answer.

‘Ah. It’s because his body doesn’t hurt.’

The more one suffers in youth with insufficient nutrition, the faster the aging and the more severe the pain. Thinking that the irritation the drug dealer showed when alive originated from pain made her feel a bit heavy-hearted.

But Serena quickly changed her mind.

‘No sympathy for drug dealers.’

Wouldn’t he have a bad influence on the young Number Siblings? The Princess pretended to study magic while keeping watch over the drug dealer.

Her single eye was complaining of fatigue, so Serena squeezed both eyes shut, intending to give them acupressure. In the world of her left eye, a new tip appeared for the first time in a very long while.

[Tip. Undead are not included in party members.]

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