Earlier, Noah and Damien had searched nearly every bookshelf, hoping to find a clue leading to the next floor.
Instead they discovered something far stranger.
Every single book was completely blank. Not a single word had been written inside them.
Just as they had begun wondering what kind of place this was, one book suddenly floated off its shelf.
It slowly drifted toward them before opening by itself. Its pages were blank for only a moment.
Then dark letters gradually appeared across the paper as though an invisible hand was writing them.
Noah quietly read the riddle aloud.
I consume forests, cities, and kings.I have no mouth, yet swallow all things. No sword can wound me, no chains can bind me.Those who ignore me will leave nothing behind.
The library fell silent.
Noah read it again. Then a third time. He carefully considered every line.
Meanwhile Damien confidently stepped forward.
"I know this one."
He crossed his arms proudly.
"...Sleep?"
The instant the word left his mouth.
BOOM!!
One of the motionless suits of armor suddenly came to life. Its eyes glowed crimson.
Without warning, it charged straight toward Damien.
"Oi! What the—?!"
Clang!
Damien barely managed to block the first strike. The enchanted knight continued attacking relentlessly.
Seeing this, Noah pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Honestly."
He looked toward the floating book and calmly answered,
"Time."
The moment the word echoed through the library. The armored knight abruptly froze.
Its sword stopped mere centimeters from Damien’s face.
A second later the magical light within its helmet disappeared.
The armor returned to its original position as though nothing had happened.
Damien let out a long sigh of relief before walking back toward Noah.
"...You’re smarter."
He sheathed his sword. "You handle the riddles. I’ll keep my mouth shut."
A faint smile appeared on Noah’s face.
"That’s probably for the best."
Damien scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"...Yeah. I think so too."
---
After one week...
And one additional day.
A total of eight days had passed since Noah and Damien first entered the labyrinth.
At long last...
They arrived at the final floor.
Damien stretched his aching shoulders before letting out a long sigh.
"Haa..."
"That was one hell of a journey."
Noah rolled his stiff neck and nodded.
"It really was."
He recalled the countless battles they had fought over the past week.
The endless forest.
The submerged city.
The undead fortress.
The cursed library.
Every floor had tested them in a completely different way.
Damien chuckled.
"Honestly..."
"That undead fortress was incredibly annoying."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"Annoying?"
"I thought that floor was easier than the library."
He looked at Damien with an amused smile.
"You have no right to complain after getting attacked by enchanted armor every time you answered a riddle incorrectly."
Damien immediately frowned.
"Don’t remind me."
"My brain almost stopped working in that place."
"I’d rather fight a hundred skeletons than answer another one of those ridiculous riddles."
Noah laughed softly.
"Well..."
"That’s behind us now."
He looked ahead.
"Let’s see what the final floor has prepared for us."
The two stepped forward. Unlike the previous floors this place resembled a gigantic underground cavern.
Countless enormous stone stalactites hung upside down from the ceiling like the fangs of some ancient beast.
The cavern was vast enough that its farthest walls disappeared into darkness.
Near the center stood an ancient ruin.
A solitary stone structure that had somehow survived the passage of countless centuries.
Rows of blue mana lanterns were embedded into the surrounding walls.
Their soft azure light illuminated the otherwise dark cavern, giving the entire place an eerie yet mysterious atmosphere.
Damien looked around cautiously.
"...Now what exactly is this place?"
Noah slowly drew his sword.
"I don’t know. But let’s stay alert."
They carefully approached the ancient ruin.
Despite its incredible age the structure remained remarkably intact.
Not a single wall had collapsed. Not a single pillar leaned out of place. It was as though someone had preserved it perfectly.
The two climbed the worn stone staircase leading toward its entrance.
Click
Click
Their footsteps echoed softly against the ancient stone.
Eventually they entered the building. Beyond the entrance awaited a massive circular hall.
The room was supported by dozens of towering stone pillars arranged in a perfect ring.
The ceiling rose high above them, disappearing into darkness.
Near one side of the chamber stood two thick stone pillars.
Resting across them was a massive rectangular stone slab, almost resembling an altar.
Damien pointed toward it. "What’s that?"
Noah narrowed his eyes. "...I don’t know. Let’s take a closer look."
Neither of them lowered their guard.
With swords firmly in hand they cautiously approached the stone slab.
When they finally reached it. Their eyes immediately focused on the carving engraved across its surface.
Noah frowned. "...A dragon."
Once again they had encountered the image of a dragon.
Ever since entering the labyrinth.
Every door leading to the next floor had been decorated with the carving of an enormous black dragon whose eyes were inlaid with crimson gemstones.
This carving, however was different.
It wasn’t black. Nor did it possess gemstone eyes.
Everything had been carved from ordinary gray stone.
Even the dragon’s appearance differed slightly from the previous ones.
Its posture. Its wings. Even the shape of its horns. Everything seemed subtly different.
Damien folded his arms.
"So what exactly are we supposed to do now?"
He looked around the empty chamber.
"There’s nothing here. Maybe we’re supposed to find a hidden passage?"
Noah slowly turned around, carefully studying the entire hall. Stone pillars formed a perfect circle around the room.
The walls appeared completely solid.bThere were no visible doors.
There were no staircases nor obvious mechanisms. After several moments of observation, he nodded.
"...Yeah. Let’s search everything. There has to be something hidden."
Damien grinned.
"Sounds good."
The two immediately split up. They carefully examined every section of the circular chamber.
Their hands moved across the ancient walls. They pressed suspicious-looking stones.
Inspected the pillars for hidden runes. Checked the floor for pressure plates.
Every possibility was investigated. Several minutes passed.
Nothing happened.
Thud!
A dull mechanical sound echoed throughout the hall.
Noah instantly turned.
"Damien?"
From the opposite side of the chamber...
Damien raised one hand.
A single stone brick beneath his palm had sunk inward.
"Noah! I think I found something!"
Noah immediately tightened his grip around his sword.
"Stay on guard! It could just as easily be a trap!"
Damien nodded.
"Already am."
The entire chamber suddenly began to tremble.
Rumble
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then one section of the circular wall slowly slid open.
Thud!
A hidden passage revealed itself. Both young men instinctively raised their weapons.
Their eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the opening.
Something enormous began emerging from within. Heavy footsteps echoed through the passage.
Thud
Thud
Thud
As the figure finally stepped into the lantern light.
Noah smirked helplessly.
"...Here we go again."
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