"I've lived a long time. I'm not sure about the lifespan of Earthlings, but I'm over 800 years old this year. The average lifespan of our species is around a thousand years. Among the many species in this universe, our planet's inhabitants tend to live quite long."
"As expected, turtles are a long-living species…."
"When I was younger, I traveled the universe, helping out when we received distress signals from stranded ships or arks. I even received awards from Cosmos. Then, one day, a group made up entirely of non-Awakened individuals came to me."
'Amaur, our planet has very few Awakened ones, so public safety is a mess. The Awakened are too busy attacking dungeons to focus on maintaining order. In their place, we, the non-Awakened but well-meaning individuals, have formed a vigilante group to uphold the law. That's us, the Vigilante Corps.'
These non-Awakened individuals pleaded with the turtle, asking for powerful weapons and items.
At the time, the turtle was wealthy and generously provided them with the weapons and items they requested, even throwing in some currency for good measure.
She said she'd collect payment later, once public safety had been restored, essentially giving them everything for free.
But the turtle's generosity was met with betrayal.
"It turned out that their planet was in the midst of a war between the non-Awakened factions. While the few Awakened were in the dungeons, they used the weapons and items I gave them to wipe out the opposing non-Awakened faction and take over the planet."
Furious, the turtle reclaimed the weapons from them, but by then, too many lives had already been lost.
The organization ruled the planet as dictators, but it didn't last long. Constant rebellions and uprisings caused them to be shattered, just like the groups they had wiped out.
The planet's native Awakened worked tirelessly to end the war and restore peace.
In the midst of all this, they discovered that the turtle had provided weapons to one of the factions, and the turtle fell out with those Awakened as well.
"Even now, the non-Awakened factions on that planet remain divided, and the Awakened, despite risking their lives in dungeons, continue to struggle to mediate the fighting."
"Did you tell them that you were tricked into handing over the weapons?"
"I didn't say a word. I didn't want to make excuses."
Though the turtle's voice was cold, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"I learned then that many Awakened are naive fools who don't know how to doubt others' intentions, and that the non-Awakened know this all too well. I decided I wouldn't be one of those foolish Awakened who gets taken advantage of. Ever since, I've been making use of both sides for my own benefit."
"So, you protect the natives from the dungeons and help establish markets in front of portal zones?"
"In exchange for a hefty fee."
"And you provide dungeons to hunters desperate for dungeon loot?"
"In exchange for a hefty fee!"
As Kwon Jihan gave her a teasing look as if he were saying, 'Oh, I see, that's how it is,' the turtle trembled with annoyance.
"I am not… I am not a fool, an idiot, or a pushover!"
The turtle shrieked in frustration, urging the bartender to walk faster. The bartender picked up the pace, moving quickly ahead.
The deer and rabbit shook their heads.
"If you call our leader kind or righteous, she'll sulk. She's like a child, totally."
"Oh, I know the type. There's someone like that near me too. But hey, you just have to let it slide because they're cute."
Kwon Jihan laughed slyly as he said that, while Yoon Seo pretended not to notice and continued to fidget with Riceball.
***
The group progressed smoothly.
Although the distorted beings launched fierce attacks, their side was strong enough that it could still be described as a smooth journey.
They reached the second terrain of the dungeon, the labyrinth, after only three days.
In a sense, Kwon Jihan was more consumed by Yoon Seo's trauma than Yoon Seo himself, so he worried about whether the labyrinth would resemble the temple, which was the final terrain of the Great Dungeon.
Thankfully, the labyrinth was shaped like a tall tower. It was the kind of tower that one might imagine from the story of Rapunzel.
The door to the tower was open, and there were traces on the floor, as if something had been dragged. These were none other than the tracks of the Ego Box. It had walked diligently.
Following those tracks, they came upon a platform. The deer placed its hand on a protruding part.
"I'm nervous. I wonder what kind of problem will be presented. Sometimes ethical dilemmas come up that are so tricky they even cause Awakened ones to fight. I'd rather it be a mechanical puzzle."
"It doesn't matter what problem it is. Just press it quickly."
"Doesn't matter? If we answer wrong, a trap will activate, or distorted beings will appear. Far more than what we've encountered so far!"
"That's why it doesn't matter. Let's just quickly get it wrong, break through everything, and get on with the raid."
Growing impatient with the deer's hesitation, Kwon Jihan abruptly pressed the stone.
The first problem of the labyrinth is as follows.
You are a bus driver. There are 11 passengers on this bus. While driving, you see a child tied up on the road ahead. If you swerve to avoid the child, the 11 passengers will die, and the child will survive. If you don't swerve, the child will die, and the 11 passengers will survive. You will survive in either case, and there will be no public criticism of your choice. What is your decision?
※ Note: All seven members must make the same choice.
Swerve / Do not swerve
"So, it's the trolley dilemma. Tricky."
"This problem comes up frequently in labyrinths."
"If it's common, you must know the right answer by now. Isn't there some sort of labyrinth guide?"
"There's no guide. The answer changes based on the values of the group at the time."
Kwon Jihan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"In problems like this, where there's no correct answer, debates tend to get heated. Especially with people who pride themselves on being good and righteous. It's probably designed to cause conflict among the Awakened."
"Exactly. Don't forget, this labyrinth was created by the distorted beings."
The distorted beings exist outside the universe, in places where they shouldn't exist.
They are the shadows of particles.
The darkness that resents the light.
The inevitable shadow that follows wherever photons exist.
They are both the force that sustains the universe and the force that destroys it.
They are beings from the far, cold outer world, gazing at the warm inner world they can never have, filled with hatred and rage.
Gaia created the system specifically to counter these distorted beings. The moment they cross the boundaries of the universe, they are confined to appear only in the dungeons of each planet, locked within the system.
The distorted beings, materialized as grotesque shadows within the dungeon, seemed to lack intelligence or will, but there was an intelligence and will controlling them from outside the universe.
This labyrinth could also be seen as a massive living monster, materialized by that will crossing the boundary.
"It seems we need to discuss now. Everyone, share your thoughts."
"There's no need for that."
"No need?"
"From now on, just choose the first option for every question. No need to read the problem, just press the first choice the moment it pops up. We don't have time for this. Let's speedrun it."
Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo both selected the first option at the same time.
"I'm not sure if this will work…."
The turtle voiced its concerns, and just as predicted, when the group all chose the first option, a trap was triggered.
Their values had not truly aligned.
Roooaar—
As grotesque shadows oozed from the walls, pillars, ceiling, and floor of the labyrinth, the turtle shouted.
"See! I knew this would happen. Such cheap tricks won't work in the labyrinth—"
A blue shield suddenly enveloped the group.
Boom! Crash!
Outside the shield, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo, wielding the 'Watcher's Sword' and 'Existing Spirit,' were causing chaos. With flashes of light and rapid movements that made it hard to tell if they were lightning or wind, they wiped out the distorted beings, needing no help from the others.
Still, Black Kalia members couldn't just sit comfortably inside the shield while their comrades fought. They were about to rush out to assist, but the humanoid stopped them.
"Let them handle it, myam. We'll take our turn next, myam. Let's go out in shifts to conserve our strength, myam."
"Next? Are you saying you'll keep choosing the first option without coming to a consensus?"
"Exactly, myam. This is the fastest way to clear the dungeon, myam."
"This kind of trickery…."
"The level of this planet is lower than the power of the raiders, so the trick works, myam. On higher-level planets, minimizing trap activation is the proper method, myam."
Though labyrinth-type dungeons were usually quite tricky, Kwon Jihan, Yoon Seo, and Myam had such overwhelming strength that they could use this shortcut. When the body is strong, the mind doesn't have to work as hard.
Thus, the group continued by unifying their choices with the first option for every problem. They didn't even bother reading the questions anymore and just selected the first answer immediately.
It wasn't just problems they encountered, but mechanical traps too.
If they didn't press the buttons in the right order, poisonous gas would spread.
If they didn't find the correct path at a fork, boulders would roll toward them.
If they didn't step on the correct pressure plates, arrows would rain down from all sides.
These types of traps occasionally appeared in temple terrains of older dungeons, so Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo weren't fazed.