Chapter 13

The Labyrinth City of Eight Dragon Citadel it's a neutral zone bordered by three nations: the Breton Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the Duchy of Germania.

"As ever, the disgusting landscape of this place never changes."

"...."

Aria said coldly as we crossed the city but I didn't bother to reply.

I had no memory of what it was like to see this place with my own two eyes in the first place.

However from the perspective of a game player it was a Mecca for leveling up for generations of players in the Heroic Age series.

Underneath the city lies an otherworldly passageway called the Abyss, the highest level dungeon that is recycled like a skeleton from series to series. That's why it's called the Labyrinth City in the first place.

It's also where you'll find the dark strands used to make the Black Snake uniform.

At the same time, it's worth noting that the city doesn't end below.

The top of the city, rising up to the edge of the sky, almost like the Tower of Babel, is a skyscraper slum.

They are so big and tall that even though it's broad daylight, they don't receive any sunlight from the ground.

Criminals and vagrants from all over the world flocked to it, and it has been endlessly expanded and remodeled, and is still rising.

Bordered by three countries, the area can only expand upwards.

And at the bottom of it all are the endless underground labyrinths that lead to Abyss.

It's the continent's most lawless region, and the final destination for adventurers who flock to it like moths to a flame.

"I'll be traveling to the Abyss alone for a while."

That didn't mean I had a mission up there right now. Rather, it was down below.

"Until I return, you will be on your own for a while."

"─you mean."

Aria's eyes widened at the unexpected words that even I would have found abrupt.

Nevertheless, she nodded silently without asking any further questions.

"Bring me some dark strands!"

"… … "I will remember it."

"Yep! Absolutely!"

Alice's tone was like she wanted me to buy her ice cream when I came back.

With that, I separated from the two of them and traversed the interior of the Labyrinth City alone.

Like walking through the belly of a city, the interior of a creature that is still endlessly expanding into the sky, the inside of the Eight Dragon Citadel was even more horrifying than the outside.

Even in broad daylight, the dense shadows and lack of sunlight were worse.

Everywhere is dank and dark with humidity, and the walls are strewn with all sorts of filth and vomit that stinks to high heaven. Not to mention the rats that made the place their home.

Right there, a group of adventurers roam about in tattered leather armor and robes.

Their dirty, lifeless expressions told me that the name Adventurer's City was nothing more than a glossy dog whistle.

Finally, beyond them, was the Great Hollow, a gaping maw of immeasurable size.

The Devil's Mouth.

However, I don't need to explore the cave on foot.

I found the nearest "transmission magic circle" and channeled my magic without difficulty.

Mages have free access to it, while non-magical physical classes have to buy magic crystals to use it.

As it is, the places connected to the magic circle are projected in my mind's eye, like a three-dimensional map.

This not-easy-to-understand system message, it's a reminder that this isn't a game, but literally a world.

As it is, my destination is the deepest place I can descend through the magic circle.

The official name is the Abyss of the Deep.

It's usually referred to as "the Abyss" without all the fancy, double entendres.

Furthermore, no one particularly cares or restrains you from traveling to dangerous places like the Abyss via magic circle.

The city is not that friendly to adventurers, and lives are no exception.

-Whoosh!

With a surge of magic, the landscape is transformed as I enter a violet realm of endless disorder and incomprehensible chaos, where the concept of order does not exist.

It was the place that has consumed the most playtime in the entire Heroic Age series.

The view of Abyss that greets me is nostalgic and familiar, like coming home.

Even the monsters were no exception.

"─"

Abyss Reaper, true to its name, the figure of the Reaper wore a black robe and held a scythe of death.

The darkness of nothingness beneath the hood looked this way. It tilted its head slightly at a 45-degree angle, then fixed its scythe and showed its enmity.

A shadow of pitch-blackness rushed forward, scythe in hand and it took less than half a second for the distance to close.

The speed was beyond the realm of normal human vision but not so fast that it tricked my eyes and Rain Gray's eyes at the same time.

Like slowing down a movie, the Abyss Reaper's movements seemed slower, like watching a slow motion video. Like the world was slowing down.

I wasn't even using <Heist > just stretched out my arms wordlessly.

As I stretched out my arm, I quickly recalled all the magic of Heroic Age in my head.

The energy curled along my fingertips, formed into a sphere, and shot toward the onrushing Abyss Reaper.

It was an ordinary fireball, not like the Black Flame I used earlier to kill a rat from Imperial Intelligence.

In the first place, the Warlock class's unique trait wasn't just the Black Flame, which mixes flames with curses, it was the act of mixing elements.

In Heroic Age, there are six magical elements that wizards can use: fire, water, earth, air, curse, and finally divine.

It was the ability to freely combine these six that was the true nature of the Warlock class.

The searing flames, combined with the divine attribute, formed a white ball that struck the Abyss Reaper directly but I didn't stop there and was about to activate additional magic.

"─"

I gulped at the unexpected result.

'No, is it dead?'

There's no need to unleash the next magic. It just died.

Even if it was Warlock's Fireball, the opponent was a mob from the highest level hunting ground in Heroic Age. He's also level 120.

Is this a bug?

No way.

After thinking about it, I smirked. There's no way it's a bug. I'm not playing the game anymore.

Similarly, killing a level 120 Abyss Reaper doesn't give me any experience.

My level is too high to gain experience.

'Or I don't have any more levels to gain.'

This is another possibility that I can expect in this situation.

I shake my head after thinking about it.

─There is no maximum level in Heroic Age.

While the amount of experience required for each level increases exponentially, there is no such thing as no level at all but I still don't know much about this world.

Things like the purpose of the Black Snake and how I accidentally got possessed by Rain Gray aside.

This is not a game. It's also a "world" in a game.

The Abyss was the perfect testing ground to learn the difference.

Here, I can act freely without having to be conscious of my surroundings but most importantly, I was able to test my strength to the limit.

'It's here.'

─Another monster, this one roaming the Abyss, finally appearing before me.

There was no other way to describe it other than 'monster'.

It looked like a mangled mass of fleshly materials before the Creator molded it into a man.

Hundreds of limbs walked around in a mass of flesh, swollen into a ball.

"Ah, ah, ah, you know."

"Yes, yes, once upon a time, ah, my father advised me."

There are even things like eyes, noses, and mouths clinging to the limbs in disarray, staring this way and that, or muttering unintelligible nonsense.

<The Abomination> Level 150.

In front of it, I stretched out my arms once more but what I was about to use was no longer a fireball.

"Coquitos."

I breathe the name into my mouth as I activate my magic.

The frozen lake of hell, the highest ranked AoE spell in the water element and the most destructive.

With the Warlock's "Fleshcraft" attribute, I added the lightning element, as a whirlwind of electricity and cold swirled.

"─"

Amidst the swirling thunder ice, the abomination was nowhere to be seen.

Only a faint feeling of exhaustion settled in my chest.

'I can't seem to get enough of this.'

Once I understood the nature of the sensation, I couldn't even laugh because I was too exhausted.

The worst mana-consuming spells in the entire Hero's Century series, the AoE spells.

I can't see the number of MP remaining. Still, I could tell what a ridiculous mana pool this character, Rain Grey, had.

Luckily, there are plenty of things to try with an overflowing mana pool.

'Next spell to try is....'

That was it.

"When you look into the abyss-"

Without warning, a voice spoke.

"The Abyss is looking at you, too."

Right behind my back.