One and a Half Months Later...... A long break was needed.

[ ~ Chapter • Start ~ ]

3 months.

It had really been three months since they descended into the abyss. Each floor presented new challenges that sometimes required them to retreat with the help of Satoru in order to prevent any of them from dying.

But, it already had its own pros. They were all adapting, changing, and innovating through each floor.

Endou kept running headfirst to the next floors with confidence in his ability of being unseen by anything in order to give his classmates important information.

Despite that, he still needed the Ambrosia to even survive in stressful situations while mostly being alone.

Satoru also actively began to guide and help his students on more challenging floors, or was just there to give them a long breather and clear floors using an umbrella called "The Liberator".

That umbrella looked like a perfectly balanced weapon, and actually roused the more imaginative minds of the teenage students.

Cause apparently, being some super powerful white haired Teacher who dressed like a British Spy doing deadly tricks and even using gadgets to fight made him look like a protagonist to the point where they realized

they were just side characters.....

Speaking of which, the moment they arrived in the 50th floor, Satoru shrugged his shoulders knowing that this place is THE safest floor in the entire Orcus Great Labyrinth.

It was a wide forest the size of a baseball stadium, and while there are monsters, they're not that dangerous.

"Endou, report." He spoke, as the not-a-hentai-protagonist appeared in thin air with a smile.

"Nothing dangerous here. Just some really scared sentient trees that chuck tasty fruit at possibly around 100 mph." He replied, handing over the fruit that looked similar to an apple.

A few students who were curious about the object walked closer and glanced at it.

"Nah, I'll just eat it first." He said, immediately taking a small bite from the apple. "Hmhm~, this tasted really good, just a good enough break from eating meat almost three times daily."

Then, he turned to his students.

"Let's take a long break from our continous exploration. And how about we make this break, a little bit more fun?" He said, biting on the fruit for a second time as his students became a little confused at what he wanted to say.

"Yeah, let us go with treant hunting. The person with the most fruits taken in this day gets a reward from me, how about that?"

Disappointingly there was no reward to be given. It might have been Eri, it might be Hajime, or somebody in the group that got lucky.

Later on, they sat around a large campfire, basking in it's warmth while it lasts. Not just that, but they realized there wasn't anything good to talk out.

Due to that, this hour was silent. Nobody had slept yet because they, for once hadn't felt tired and exhausted yet.

"Is there anything you could get out of your chest?" Atsushi asked, glancing at his classmates and teacher. "For me? I kina wondered what would happen if everyone fell to the abyss 49 floors above."

"Yeah, and what would happen after that? I'd really like to see that idiot Kouki change, but due to what's happened in the past few months, I don't doubt he would be nothing but a burden to us." Eri nonchalantly continued, resting her head on the back of her hand.

"I wanted to disagree with you, Eri. But you're right. He really will be a burden." Shimizu replied, openly sighing deeply.

"Please stop that, he's actually kind, you know?" Kaori tried to rebuke, but Shimizu only glared at him.

"He broke apart the friendship of a group of boys and one girl using his "idealistic justice bullshit" without ever thinking. The girl was my niece, and she's dead because of him! And that was a year ago!" Shimizu rebuked back with anger in his tone, fists harshly clenched.

Kaori covered her mouth in disbelief, he would never do that, right?

These same thoughts were also channeled onto the students, and even some were in disbelief. Yet the genuine hatred displayed through his expressions alone almost made them believe him.

An suicide event happened a year ago, and it was strangely covered up. Only now had they connected who the initiator of that incident was, and that was the high graded student named Kouki.

Oh, how they were blind.....

This only turned into a powerful seed of doubt for the students.

When they asked Satoru, he didn't hesitate to prove Shimizu right, forcing the seed to grow faster.

Now, they've lost some respect to Kouki, and even Kaori was devastated.

It actually led to the students being in a depression as their eyes were opened to the boy who was originally a great idol for the younger students.

Now, they finally saw his true colors; a narcissist, selfish and arrogant brat that couldn't gain correction no matter what.

Well, that depression was short, however as they still have a Labyrinth to clear, venting their frustrations on the poor monsters that came to their path.

Until...

'Huh, now this is something else.' Satoru thought, looking at the temple before him.

'.... I don't remember making this temple on the making of this Labyrinth.'

[ ~ Chapter • End ~ ]

Author's Commentary: Still following canon with some more twists, until the end of this volume where the AUness would be shown more.

I admit that talk about Kouki was just for word count, but realizing how I could use this scene.... 🤔🤔🤔🤔

Now what do you think of this chapter?

Speeeeeed up speeeeeed up

[ OMAKE ]

Meanwhile, on Holward at day, Kouki stared at the Labyrinth's entrance.

Meld was behind him, patting his shoulder.

"Kid, I cannot blame you for that incident in the castle. But if you weren't really the Hero right now, you would've been sentenced to death." Meld spoke sternly, but Kouki didn't turn around.

"....They deserved it. Talking to Kaori like she's just some dead animal on the streets.... they really deserved it." Was his reply.

"You damaged the castle's interior, Kouki! Now they're all gossiping about you! Thank the bird for stopping you before more damage had been done." Meld rebuked, and all he got was a sword pressed on his neck.

"I'm the hero, Meld. I can do anything that's needed for justice." Kouki said, retreating his sword to his scabbard before entering the Labyrinth, for the last time.

'Damn it..... this is getting very worrisome.... if he continues descending to madness, I don't know what would happen next.' Meld thought to himself, but no matter how he tried to stop him, the knight commander was only threatened.

And now? Meld couldn't do anything due to orders from Pope Ishtar, which was to watch over the Hero and let him do what he wants. Which is troublesome.

With only Justice and possibly Daisuke by his side, Kouki wondered why he should even care much about Meld.

He was that man who looked like a teacher to them. Now he was just.... some fraud trying to stop his justice.

Although he wanted to enter the labyrinth, a thought appeared on his mind: what if he goes to the east to deliver justice instead of barely mindless power grinding?

Spoiler: It was still "Power Grinding" in a sense.

If he could save people, and prevent trouble from being done to them by monsters and bandits, wouldn't he gain fame?

A smirk revealed itself. It seems our fake hero decided to focus on something instead.

His "Holy Sword" began to flash in crimson darkness for a mere second.

What would happen to him?