Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Destruction

Hey, hey, the newbie is doing something!

It is more flashy than I expected?! What is his class?

Judging by how something is spinning, I guess he is a shell-game swindler! Heehee!

Crunch.

The more I looked at the chat, the more it was filled with things that made me want to punch someone.

‘Ignore it. Ignore it.’

I steadied my breathing and focused on the slot.

The slot spun quickly, then gradually slowed.

A short while later, it stopped on a card with a sword symbol drawn on it.

Ding!

[Super Lucky! You are a player with unbelievable luck! The goddess smiles upon Player Ryu Jin!]

[You have drawn an SSS+ weapon!]

[It is an unidentified ancient sword!]

[Severing Sword Callista / Grade: SSS+ / Ancient]

A sword imbued with the power of the ancient being Sirius!

Before his death, Sirius left these words behind.

Cut, and it shall be cut.

An ancient weapon from the very beginning.

It seemed I had truly hit the jackpot...?

I drew a question mark with my hand at the weapon that had been generated.

My first impression upon receiving the ancient weapon Callista was this.

Huh?

Why is it so small?

In all seriousness, it was smaller than the paring knife I used at home.

An immediate reaction also erupted in the chat window.

Puhahahahahahaha!!!

That is rude to our newbie! Do not laugh... Pfft!!

What is this? Did you come here to peel fruit? You should have said so! I would have brought an apple!

He must have awakened as a comedian class! Hahahahaha!

They were irritating, but I had to admit what had to be admitted.

It was funny.

I had come to hunt monsters, and I had been given a paring knife.

However, I was not disappointed.

It was an SSS+ grade ancient weapon.

The message had even said that the goddess had smiled upon me, so what I could see was probably not everything.

I calmly assessed the situation.

No matter how slow a self-destructing slime was, getting close enough to use this paring knife would be dangerous.

## Cut, and it shall be cut.

I read Severing Sword Callista’s description once more.

There was no way it would have written something pointless.

For now, I would do as it said.

While keeping my distance, I swung Callista broadly from side to side.

Whoosh.

Puhahahahahahaaaagh! What are you doiiiing?! His eyesight must be bad! Do you think it will reach if you swing it from there?!

It is certain now. That kid’s class is Comedian. A complete hidden class!

Do you want to come over here!? Be my little bell!

The chat window exploded once again.

But this time, too, I did not pay attention to it.

More precisely, I had no time to do so.

Because I had begun to see it.

The line that had been drawn, and the displacement created by that line.

Our newbie froze! Stop teasing him so... Huh?

Why? Is there something... Ah?

Crack.

The slime was the first thing to be split in two.

If there was one problem, it was that the slime was not the only thing that had been split in two.

The line had been drawn across my entire field of vision.

In other words, it had been cut.

Craaaaaaaack!!!

The entire labyrinth had been.

---

The Labyrinth Management Headquarters of Kronos, the company ranked first in the world by market capitalization.

Headquarters Director Park Gang-seok leaned back in his chair.

“I have a schedule with the CEO, so let us do this briefly. Any teams with changes from last week?”

“Management Team 1.”

“Oh, Team 1! Our company’s finest aces! All right, report.”

“A party consisting of the rankers Ron Cayley and Lando Mitchell from the U.S. Branch, and the rankers Kim Guk-hyeon and Yoo Si-yeon from the Korean Headquarters, has broken through every area of the ninety-third underground floor and fulfilled the clear conditions.”

“They definitely received the Proxy Authority too, right?”

A Constellation appointed Proxy Authority to the individual or party with the best clear record.

It was a powerful authority that allowed them to impose a tax on all magic stones dropped on that floor.

“Yes. As before, the maximum tax of thirty percent has been set. From now on, thirty percent of the magic stones dropped on the ninety-third floor will go to Kronos.”

“Good! Very good! Perfect!”

Park Gang-seok applauded and looked at the monitor.

The labyrinth had been cleared up to a total of ninety-three floors so far.

Kronos held the Proxy Authority for every one of those floors.

‘Regression really is sweet.’

Someone might think this.

Since everyone had regressed at the same time, was it not fair?

But that was a great misconception.

Knowing something and using it were entirely different matters.

Just because someone possessed information did not mean they could immediately make use of it.

In the end, only those with power could use information faster and more efficiently to seize profit.

This imbalance of power created countless beneficiaries and victims.

And without a doubt, Kronos, which had regressed right before launching its core labyrinth-related technology, was the greatest beneficiary of that imbalance.

“You all know it, right? Our headquarters’ goal is to secure the Proxy Authority for every labyrinth floor!”

It was not an absurd goal.

It might have been impossible before the regression, but now it was possible.

“Yes!”

Park Gang-seok smiled with satisfaction at the resounding answer.

“Good. Let us work hard today as well.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Yes, yes.”

Just as Park Gang-seok waved his hand and was about to leave.

Ding!

The System sounded an alarm.

Question marks appeared on the faces of the employees, including Park Gang-seok.

Alarms in reality, outside the labyrinth, were extremely rare, so why now?

[The first underground floor of the labyrinth has been destroyed!]

[The Proxy Authority held by Kronos has been transferred to an anonymous player!]

Park Gang-seok tilted his head.

Then he looked around at the employees.

“What the hell is this bastard saying right now?”

“I-I will check! There must be some kind of mistake!”

Although they hurried to move because Park Gang-seok was watching them, everyone actually knew.

There were no mistakes in the System.

A short while later, the labyrinth display board that they had been monitoring was updated.

The name Kronos beside the first floor disappeared, and “???” filled the spot.

“W-Why on earth is it showing question marks...?”

Cold sweat flowed down the employees’ backs.

Normally, a real name should have been registered, so why was it question marks?

And what did it mean that the labyrinth had been destroyed?

It was a concept they had never heard of before the regression.

Bzzzz. Bzzzz.

At his phone going wild, veins bulged on Park Gang-seok’s face.

“Find him.”

“Pardon?”

“Are your ears blocked!? I said find that fearless bastard!”

The Proxy Authority for every floor had not been maintained until now simply because the players affiliated with Kronos were the best.

Kronos was not only the company ranked first in the world by market capitalization, but also a company that wielded overwhelming influence across the globe through Ariadne.

Every player feared such a Kronos.

That was why, even when it had been possible, they had not updated the records.

Because they did not know what kind of terrible retaliation would fall upon them the moment they fell out of Kronos’s favor.

“I am going upstairs and coming back, so drag that bastard in front of me! Do you understand!?”

Park Gang-seok shouted fiercely and left the conference room.

It was rebellion. A rebellion had occurred.

---

[All Constellations spring to their feet!]

The, the, the labyrinth has been cut apart!!!

Uwaaaaaaagh!!

What is that!! What did he do!!

[The Constellations fall into a panic at a sight they have never seen before!]

[The jaw of the Sea’s Beloved Constellation drops! She opened her mouth too wide!]

At the mention of a Constellation’s jaw dropping, I quickly closed my mouth.

It had been opening endlessly, and I had nearly ended up with my own jaw dropping too.

The labyrinth had been cut in half cleanly, without anything catching against it.

“Huh.”

With a small exclamation, I swept a hand over my chest.

Ever since the company had thrown me away, my chest had constantly felt heavy.

The rejection emails piling up and the loan interest notices had only added more stones to that heaviness.

But just now, all of them had been sliced away cleanly.

I lowered my gaze and looked at Callista in my hand.

A smile rose to my lips.

The ability of the Gambler class.

I had confirmed it for certain.

[Lugia, the Arrogance That Never Bowed, rises to his feet.]

Was the labyrinth just... destroyed?

What are you talking about! How could the labyrinth be destroyed!

[Even the Oldest Immortal Constellation shakes his head.]

The labyrinth has never been destroyed since its birth. In the first place, those who enter the labyrinth are placed under restrictions, so even if they dropped a Meteor, they could not damage the labyrinth itself. How could it possibly be destroyed?

[The other Constellations join their voices in agreement! They say the only results a player can produce in the labyrinth are success or failure!]

The Constellations remained certain of its impossibility for a long while.

Then a message appeared, as if mocking them.

Ding!

[You are an Unselected Individual who is not forced to obey the rules of the labyrinth!]

[The first underground floor of the labyrinth has received damage it cannot withstand!]

[The first underground floor of the labyrinth will be completely destroyed!]

[When the labyrinth is destroyed, it is cleared unconditionally, regardless of whether the conditions have been fulfilled!]

[Clear settlement will be carried out when you exit the first underground floor!]

[The first underground floor will be regenerated, and ownership will be transferred!]

[Player Ryu Jin will become the new owner of the first underground floor of the labyrinth!]

It was a somewhat dumbfounding message.

Ownership transfer, and a new owner?

It was a concept I had never seen anywhere.

And before that question mark could even disappear.

[As the labyrinth is destroyed, a door that has been buried for a long time appears!]

A door of unknown identity appeared.

[Because the designer hoped this door would never be discovered, the designer built the first underground floor above the door!]

[The designer strongly sealed the door as a precaution, so that even if it was discovered, it could never be opened!]

I approached and examined the door.

It was a door covered in bizarre patterns.

[A door appears before the shock of the labyrinth’s destruction has even faded! The Constellations who discovered the door blink!]

The chat that had been pouring out without pause vanished completely.

Perfect silence.

However, that silence did not last long.

[The Oldest Immortal Constellation springs to his feet!]

Do not touch that door!! Your wrist will be blown off!!!

What is it, what is it?! What is that thing for you to make such a fuss?

Hey, old man! Do not keep it to yourself. Share it!

Shut your mouths, you tiny little Constellations! In any case, do not touch it!!

Newbie! I do not know what it is, but do not touch it for now! It looks like something terrible will happen!

What nonsense! Try touching it! It seems like it will be fun!

That is right! Hurry up and open it!

[Garid, the Constellation of Oppression, who had been silent, also opens his mouth!]

I warn you. Do not touch it. Unless you wish to regret it. It is something you cannot handle.

Seeing even Garid act like that, it really seems like you should not touch it! If you touch it, you will be scolded! Do not do anything!

What are these cowards talking about!

Ryu Jin stared at the Constellations going wild.

What on earth was it for them to make such a fuss?

I organized the situation in my head.

The System had already stated that the labyrinth had been destroyed and cleared.

That meant whatever was beyond that door was at least not a monster or a trap.

And even if there was something there? That was fine too.

Because I still had Callista in my hand.

It could cut through the labyrinth, so why would it be unable to cut anything else?

[The Constellation of Oppression and the Immortal Constellation lower their voices!]

Do not think about it. Step back at once.

Listen to us. That is the path for your own sake.

As the Constellations looked as if they might burst out at any moment, I slowly stepped backward.

Yes. You chose well. You have heard the rumor that if you listen well to the words of a Constellation, even rice cakes that did not exist will appear, have you not?

I had never heard of it.

A rumor like that.

Anyway, it seemed they did not know.

That it was human nature to want to do something even more when told not to.

‘Sorry, Constellations.’

I had stepped backward only because I did not know what might come out, so I had put a little distance between us.

I adjusted my grip on Callista.

Telling a Gambler to leave when there was an unopened gacha box in front of him?

That was absurd.

H-H-Hey! Newbie, what are you doing!!

That is not it! Wait!

Before the other Constellations could say anything more.

I swung Callista broadly from left to right.

Slaaaaaash!!!

A clear line was drawn across the sealed door.

Let us open it and see.

What was inside.