Labyrinth of time and space (1)

However, the leader was also not an easy opponent.

"We came to meet the natives. Is that enough?"

"That could be an answer, but you have to explain it. It's a breach of contract. If this continues, I won't ask more."

The leader regretted it. He intended to provoke Shirone, but ended up closing the deal too quickly.

The cunning magician explained further.

"We don't know anything else either. Because we really came just to meet the natives."

"I see."

Shirone looked at his friends and nodded. If they also didn't know what was underground, the risk of falling into a trap was eliminated for now.

Thinking it was a fair trade, Shirone took out an additional gold coin.

"Why did you come to meet the natives? Here's one gold coin."

The archer who received the money clicked his tongue as if in conflict. To be honest, it was embarrassing to tell others.

"We came to look for Loop. It's also distributed in the market, but we can buy it in bulk here at a much cheaper price. We plan to sell it and finance our adventures. Now, is that an answer?"

Shirone was surprised for a moment. It was a Loop trafficking place that had nothing to do with the secrets of the ruins.

But the mercenaries had also found this place with fragmented information, so it was premature to conclude.

'What is this? Completely different from what I expected? A drug trafficking place? No, I shouldn't think that way. It's a drug for ordinary people but a ritual tool for the natives. Therefore, it must be a sacred object. That means, ultimately...

After finishing his thoughts, Shirone asked.

"By any chance, is this place connected to the autonomous area of the natives?"

"What? How... Oh, damn!"

Realizing his mistake, the archer frowned. He had answered without receiving money.

So Shirone rummaged in his pocket and took out a gold coin. He had hurriedly asked, but he had no intention of playing a trick.

"Oh, here's one gold. Sorry for asking first."

The archer stared at Shirone's outstretched hand.

Of course, a gold coin wasn't easy to earn, but it wasn't an amount that would terrify a mercenary who had built their own career.

"Darn it! Never mind. It's my mistake."

"It's not a mistake. That's how contracts work."

"I know! It's just that my pride won't let me accept it. Damn it, I can't believe I made such a mistake. I still have a long way to go."

"Then I'll consider the last question as a free service."

Shirone returned the gold coin without hesitation. It wasn't the attitude of a prudent student to waste it when he didn't want to accept it.

The archer was in trouble for no reason. At some point, he felt like a child was playing with him.

"Instead, let me ask you something. How did you find out? Indeed, that information is top-secret."

"Because Loop is sacred to the natives. Also, if the profit margin is large enough to make a lot of money selling Loop, it wouldn't be easy to free it. Ultimately, you'd need permission from a person with authority among the natives, and the only place where that person could be would be an autonomous area."

The archer had nothing to say. While they wondered if there was anything worth doing with the money, what they found were the ruins of Kerugo.

Shirone's brief words contained all the conclusions he had reached after spending several days and nights investigating Loop and examining the information market.

"Tsk! What an incredible brain this brat had. Any more questions?"

"No, that's all. Now, let's go down and check."

The archer smiled bitterly. He guessed why Shirone wasn't asking. Probably, he noticed that no matter what he asked, he had nothing more to say.

Shirone and the others descended for 20 minutes. Although it spiraled, it still had great depth.

When they reached the end of the stairs, a one-way corridor continued. Two natives stood at an iron door installed 10 meters ahead.

Unlike the natives outside, they were bare-chested and barefoot beneath their pants.

The tattoo, starting at the navel, branched out to their faces and looked intimidating even from a distance.

Shirone didn't believe that place was an autonomous district. They would have to walk at least a few kilometers to delve into the Toa Mountain jungle.

The mercenaries also showed signs of tension. The archer acting as an interpreter shifted his position to the leader's side.

After exchanging some coded words in the Kerugo language, the native pressed the switch.

When the iron wheel turned, the door opened sideways.

"Wow..."

Shirone's eyes lit up as if he had landed in a strange world.

It was an octagonal room carved in stone walls. On the other side of the entrance, they could see an iron door, and three men were standing guard there.

In the center was an octagonal altar, identical to the shape of the room, flat, and floating above each of its eight corners were spheres about 30 centimeters in diameter.

Shirone's eyes lit up as if he had landed in a strange world.

It was an octagonal room carved in stone walls. On the other side of the entrance, they could see an iron door, and three men were guarding it.

In the center was an octagonal altar, identical in shape to the room, flat, and floating over each of its eight corners were spheres about 30 centimeters in diameter.

Shirone recalled from his memory. It was a sphere he had certainly seen somewhere before.

"Hey, what's that?"

The archer looked at Shirone with a puzzled look. He didn't even know what it was until they arrived here, and the chances of anything being familiar to him were extremely slim.

"Why, do you know what that is?"

"That, it's definitely from Miro..."

The leader moistened his lips.

"Hey, who do you think you are pretending to know? Do you think you remembered some bells hanging from your behind?"

The leader didn't like Shirone from the tavern. He despised men who lacked the courage to fight but were boastful in front of women. Because he had no woman to impress.

"Miro? Did you just say Miro?"

Asked a native guarding the entrance. Even Shirone, who didn't know the native language, could understand the word Miro.

The archer, curious about the situation, reluctantly translated further.

"Is he asking if you know Miro?"

"Yes. I met her once."

When the archer said that, the eyes of the native distorted. When the tattoo twisted, it was like seeing a creature from a legend.

"You met? There can't be such a thing. That's a lie."

"No, it's not. I really met her."

The native sank into deep thought. However, as if he had reached a simple conclusion, he quickly returned to having an empty look.

"I judge nothing. Only the eyes of the angel will watch over you."

After leaving behind incomprehensible words and closing the iron door, Shirone put aside his regret and turned around. He thought the beginning was from now on anyway.

As the mercenaries walked towards the center, a native arrived from the other side of the iron door.

Apparently, of the three natives, two were gatekeepers, and only the man approaching seemed to have a different role.

It was clear just from the color of the tattoo. While common people in Kerugo have red tattoos, this man's tattoo was white.

"This is a room of achievements and sacrifices. The eight eyes of an angel will judge you. To enter Kerugo, you must traverse the labyrinth of time and space."

Upon hearing the word labyrinth, Shirone quickly turned his head. But the archer kept his mouth shut, as if he had no intention of interpreting further.

"Labyrinth? Did he just say labyrinth? What did that man say?"

"Hey, don't misunderstand. I'm not your interpreter, why should I explain everything to you?"

"You're going to tell your colleagues anyway. Tell me quickly."

"I don't want to. From now on, let's not worry about others. We came here with something to do as well."

The man with white tattoos looked at them with crossed arms. Shirone could tell just from his gestures that he was asking for a translation.

"Is there anyone among you who knows the ancient language?"

"Oh, I know a little."

"Then translate. The opportunities are the same for everyone. The eyes of an angel watch over everything in the labyrinth of Time and Space."

"Why should I do that? They're not our companions. I don't know what you're judging, but please separate them."

"No. From the moment you entered the room of achievements and sacrifices, you are one. Will you achieve or sacrifice? That is the only choice you have."

"Damn it! We had bad luck. What are we going to do with these kids?"

As the conversation dragged on, the magician moved forward.

"What is he exactly saying? Tell me now."

With no other choice, the archer conveyed the conversation they had heard so far.

The mercenaries who heard everything were irritated. If they knew this was going to happen, they should have gotten rid of Shirone's party before coming here.

"Will the Angel's eyes judge us? Does that mean they assess our abilities? And group us with these brats? Isn't this too unfair for us?"

Amy's eyes narrowed as the magician complained.

"Hey, you keep calling us brats, how do you know if we have skills or not?"

"Ho Ho Ho! Ah, so it's like that? Do you want to cling to us after taking advantage? Just so you know, if we mess things up because of you, you better be prepared."

"Hmph! Do whatever you want. We never planned to team up with you anyway."

The magician smiled coldly. Who did they think they were? She was a novice mage, one of the most promising newcomers in the mercenary world.

She didn't get along with inferior mercenaries, so her colleagues were only formed by people of similar age and level.

On the other hand, those ignorant children were obviously students who learned swordsmanship and magic somewhere.

What you learn in the academy is a world apart from real combat. For mercenaries who easily risk their lives, she could be sure they wouldn't hold her back, even compared to a certified mage.

'Ha, just wait and see, brats. I'll make you cry and beg once we've passed through here.

Thanks to the women's disputes, they were able to bury petty feelings.

As the eight awaited further instructions, the man with the white tattoo began to explain.

"There are two conditions to pass through the door. You can test your ability or send a person through the sacrifice of another."

As soon as Shirone heard the translation, he asked a question.

"What do you mean by testing? What do we need to specifically test?"

"Hey! Stop meddling! I'm not going to translate for you!"

"He said we have to do this together. Ask him already."

The archer, who had nothing to say, gritted his teeth and translated. The man with the white tattoo nodded and continued speaking.

"Descendant of a warrior, ascend to the altar of judgment and cast your spell on one of the eight orbs. The divine language will respond. If a red light lights up, you have failed. If a white light comes out, you have passed."

Shirone kept asking questions, as if he had hired the archer as his personal interpreter.

"Is there a limit to the number of attempts? For example, can a person try as many times as they want?"

"You can keep trying until you're exhausted. If a passerby comes out, everyone can go to Kerugo. If no one passes, everyone must return. This is the will of the labyrinth and the mission of the people of Kerugo."

"You said achievement and sacrifice. What does 'sacrifice' mean?"

"A person can pass with the blood of another."

"Do you mean someone has to die?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing that, Shirone lost himself in his thoughts. It is possible to challenge as many times as one wants, and even if only one person succeeds, everyone can pass.

But what if nobody succeeds? They would have no choice but to pass through the door with the sacrifice of a companion. And it was one life for each passage.

'Something is strange. Was it necessary to go to Kerugo with such cruelty? It doesn't make sense to kill a comrade just to get to Loop. There must be something more in Kerugo. The mercenaries must have come here without knowing the true secret of this underground place.

Shirone indicated to continue the interpretation. The information gathered so far was useful, so the archer agreed without a word.

"Is there any restriction on the sacrifice? Like bringing someone else from outside or using the corpse of a dead person?"

"No. From the moment you entered the room, you are one. The door will never open until everyone agrees. Therefore, that question is meaningless."