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Chapter 26 – Uncharted Dungeon (4)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 26 – Uncharted Dungeon (4)
‘How…?’
The priest was astounded.
In a way, a typical maze was one of the most difficult things to create.
Any form of maze could be made by even a three-year-old child.
However, within it lay all sorts of contradictions and distortions.
The term “canonical” implied a defined structure and rules.
It had to be followed and understood to create, and to comprehend those structures and rules, one needed sufficient education.
Understanding the structure of the maze required studying space, which was a considerable higher education.
It was something a barbarian couldn’t possibly learn.
But this was…
“Have you ever received any education about mazes?”
The barbarian probably hadn’t received such an education.
However, the situation made such a question necessary.
Ketal shook his head.
“I haven’t received such education explicitly.”
What he knew about mazes was something he had discovered for himself rather than learned.
Above all, it was somewhat ambiguous to explain since it was a matter of a different dimension.
However, that question further astounded the priest.
“Um, well….”
“Is drawing a maze such a remarkable feat?”
The warrior had a puzzled expression.
The thief’s face wasn’t much different.
Drawing this ordinary maze seemed like something anyone could do at a glance.
However, as someone who had studied the concept, the priest couldn’t say such a thing.
She knew how many laws were involved in such a simple thing.
Until she and her sisters who were studying together had practiced, she hadn’t been able to draw a maze properly.
Yet this barbarian had grasped the concept perfectly with just listening and thinking.
‘A genius?’
Was this barbarian, beyond her realm of common sense, a genius?
Barbarian and genius.
The priest’s head spun with the two words that seemed impossible to reconcile.
But, that’s not important right now.
What’s important is whether they can break through this maze or not.
If the barbarian understands the concept, it would help with the escape.
The priest quickly changed her thinking.
“Anyway, look at the form in front of you.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
The thief and the warrior looked at the maze drawn with an axe with serious eyes.
The priest pointed her thin finger at the center of the maze.
“Let’s assume we’re here. And we move by touching this left wall.”
At first, the thief and warrior watched uncertainly, but as the priest’s finger moved, their astonishment grew.
The finger touching the wall moved and moved, exploring the entire maze.
“This…!”
“All the walls of the maze are connected. If you keep touching either left or right, you’ll eventually reach an end.”
The thief and warrior were amazed.
Such a simple solution existed!
The priest quietly continued.
“This maze is said to be a typical form of a maze. So it shouldn’t be much different from this maze. In other words….”
“If we keep moving by touching one wall, we can escape someday?”
“The possibility is high. And Ketal has prepared plenty of provisions.”
At least a month.
If rationed properly, they could endure even longer.
That was enough.
Excitement appeared on the faces of the thief and the warrior.
“We can escape!”
“All right! I never imagined there would be such a way! It’s beyond my wildest dreams!”
They were jubilant.
In their minds, they had already escaped.
The priest wasn’t much different.
She wasn’t afraid of a typical maze.
But only Ketal wore a vague expression.
“I wonder if it will be that easy.”
“What?”
“Nothing. You have to try everything to know. So, it’s best to move right away.”
“Yes. Since provisions are limited.”
With the priest leading the way, they placed their hands on the wall and moved forward.
It was somewhat ridiculous to see four people walking as if in a queue with their hands against the wall, but no one laughed.
They applied strong pressure to the hands touching the wall, as if they would fall into an irretrievable hell if they let go.
In the silence and stillness, they reached the first intersection.
“What, what should we do?”
“Nothing changes. Just keep going in the direction you’re touching.”
The priest said briefly.
They continued on.
Several more intersections appeared, but they never let go of the touching hands.
As they continued on,
Ketal muttered with interest.
“There are torches at each intersection.”
“What?”
There were torches at regular intervals in the maze.
Thinking they were for illuminating the darkness, the priest didn’t pay much attention.
However, Ketal was looking at the torches as if they were interesting.
The reason intrigued her, but for now, moving forward was more important.
They continued to advance.
Losing track of time, they forgot how far they had gone.
They felt like their breath would burst in tension.
Eventually, they arrived at their destination: the initial location with the skeletal remains.
“Huh?”
They had arrived back where they started.
They had placed their hands on the wall and gone around in a circle.
It was evident that something was wrong, even to the thief and the warrior who didn’t properly understand the concept.
“Hey, Heize? What’s going on?”
“Um, uh, uh, uh?”
But the priest was even more bewildered.
Why!
Surely, if they moved by touching the wall, they shouldn’t return to the same place!
“It seems it’s not as simple as that.”
Only Ketal had a face that expected such an outcome.
“What happened?”
“It’s not difficult. It’s just that the structure of the maze is a bit different.”
Ketal drew the maze on the ground again.
The structure was similar to the one drawn before, but upon closer inspection, it was different.
“The maze I drew had all the walls connected. But what if there were inner walls that didn’t connect to the outer wall?”
“Oh.”
The priest’s face turned pale.
Ketal raised a finger and moved along one wall of the maze.
It endlessly circled, returning to the same spot.
“The method you mentioned for escape is undoubtedly possible, but it won’t work in this case.”
“That… I never imagined the existence of inner walls. It’s not something I learned.”
The faces of the thief and the warrior, who had realized that the escape method was useless, also turned pale.
“What should we do then?”
“I, I don’t know! This is the only thing I learned!”
For a moment, there was confusion, but the conclusion was clear.
The only escape method didn’t work in this maze.
They couldn’t escape from the maze.
Hope turned into despair.
They sank down with blank faces.
In the midst of despair and the terror of death, only Ketal had an interested face.
“Is this kind of maze. Well, if solving it with just left-hand or right-hand methods were possible, it would be too easy.”
At those words, the priest felt a bit choked up.
The barbarian was scary indeed, but their lives were already at stake.
That’s why she could become aggressive.
“Is it really okay to say it’s that easy? The only escape route is blocked. We’ll all die like this.”
Of course, even if she became aggressive, objectively speaking, it was just a voice of despair, but still.
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
But Ketal’s face was rather incomprehensible.
“There is a way to escape.”
“…Really?”
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“Is that true?”
The despairing thief quickly got up. Ketal nodded calmly.
“There is. It’s a more reliable method than groping around.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Why didn’t you tell us if such a thing existed?”
Ketal replied lightly.
“It’s my first time actually using the left-hand rule and the right-hand rule. I wanted to try it out. It was fun.”
He had the information that he could escape the maze, but he had never used it in practice.
There were no mazes in the modern world.
So he wanted to try it out himself.
He confirmed even that fact.
It was very satisfying.
“…You went through all that trouble for fun?”
“Yeah.”
Ketal smiled brightly.
It was a very happy smile.
The party, including the priest, was perplexed.
But deep down in their hearts, they understood.
This barbarian was someone who prioritized satisfying his curiosity.
She had already realized that after two party plays.
What was more important was knowing the escape method.
“What, what? I don’t know about this situation….”
“Hmm. Don’t you know?”
Ketal stroked his chin.
He knew about the left-hand and right-hand methods, but not about this.
After all, the era when he came up with it in theory was the 1800s.
Although the maze had existed as a myth for a long time, many escape methods were relatively recent creations.
Originally, laws and concepts seemed very simple, but it took a considerable amount of time for them to be formalized as theories.
“Well… You can escape with that method, but it seems it will take quite a long time.”
The maze was quite large.
It would take a significant amount of time with his method.
It was possible, but there was no need to use such a method.
“I’ve had enough fun. So, let’s go with the fastest method.”
Ketal raised his fist.
They instinctively understood and fled.
Crash!
A deafening noise erupted.
Broken fragments scattered in all directions.
“Ahh!”
“Whoa!”
The party members screamed, shielding their bodies.
After a moment, as the dust settled, they looked up to see a shocking sight.
“Uh….”
Despite being fired with a cannon, the thick walls, sturdy enough to withstand any shaking, had flown away, leaving no trace on the floor.
Ketal said cheerfully.
“This is the fastest way.”
“Uh… I guess so….”
The priest said with a tired expression.
* * *
The exit of the maze.
In that place untouched by anyone, there was a ghost.
Behind it, there was a large treasure chest.
Judging by its size, it was clearly not a minor reward.
But the fruit at a height unreachable by anyone was meaningless.
Since this dungeon was created, no one had ever conquered the maze.
The ghost sighed deeply.
[I don’t know who created me, but I wish they had placed me in a more suitable location.]
The ghost didn’t know where this was.
Bound to the dungeon, it couldn’t know what lay outside.
But it could roughly gauge the level of those who visited the dungeon.
Simple and foolish individuals.
Only those who lacked intelligence and reason, seeking instant wealth, came here.
None of them had the qualifications to conquer this maze.
Oh, how tragic.
When would someone appear who could navigate this maze?
The purpose of its existence was to praise and reward those who navigated it.
That was its only purpose.
When would that goal be achieved?
It couldn’t even guess.
[…Recently, adventurers have come.]
A barbarian, a thief, a priest, and a warrior.
They were a common combination.
They didn’t seem to possess any special traits.
But that barbarian was somewhat peculiar.
What should it be called?
They seemed different from the foolish ones who came here.
But ultimately, they were still a barbarian.
They probably didn’t possess the intelligence to conquer this maze.
The ghost gave up hope.
Mmmm…
At that moment, a deafening noise rang out.
It was very distant, but it was loud enough to be undeniable.
Only then did the ghost realize that something was approaching.
And that something was most likely the adventurers.
]Wait.]
They hadn’t been in the maze for long.
Yet they had already found the exit?
It couldn’t be.
It was impossible.
It didn’t make sense logically.
Even if it were the detection magic of an Archmage or the sensing ability of a Swordmaster, detecting the exit was impossible.
The maze was of a considerable size.
No. It was possible.
Hero classes could do it, right?
Although bound to the dungeon, the ghost knew roughly about the world.
It had known since it existed as a ghost.
Hero classes were monsters.
Even this vast maze could be fully detected by them.
However, even hero classes couldn’t possibly navigate the maze so soon.
Detection and navigation were separate issues.
But the growing noise had somehow reached the vicinity.
And then, the ghost, finally realizing the nature of the noise, panicked.
[What the hell!]
It couldn’t be!
Even if it were a Hero class!
It was impossible!
Because it was a law.
It was the concept of the unbreakable world itself.
So it couldn’t be possible.
Crash!
That denial shattered in an instant.
The door guarding the exit was smashed to pieces.
Shards flew in all directions.
Beyond the collapsed door, white fangs were visible.
“Oh. We’ve arrived.”
The barbarian stepped out of the maze.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]