The girl cried, the black reaper with its severed head lay still, and there was the black sword, and suddenly a man who appeared out of nowhere, dying.

The moment I saw this scene, I realized it was an illusion.

It must have read my mind, wanting an adventure, and then created this illusion.

While I aimed for an exciting and thrilling adventure, I didn’t want anything as spectacularly dramatic as this…

I wanted a classic adventure without hardship and adversity—just a journey filled with pure enjoyment!

But this illusion before me was disappointing.

Aside from the scene's unpleasant nature, it didn’t even make sense.

Let’s say it could be possible for the middle-aged man from the labyrinth entrance to suddenly appear here—he could have followed me.

And maybe there was a spatial-cutting trap or monster in the labyrinth that could sever the black reaper’s head—sure, I can buy that.

But it was the presence of both the black sword and the black reaper at the same time that was really off.

The girl had the black sword in her hand, and yet there was another black reaper?

Two black reapers? How ridiculous!

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, the entire scene began to distort slightly.

The vivid reality of it started to thin.

And once that thinning reached a certain point, the entire world began to collapse.

When the world crumbled away, all that was left was thick fog, and the sight of the girl standing in front of me with a concerned expression.

“Are you alright?”

Even though she’d seemed wary of me before, now she held both my hands tightly with a worried look.

Strangely, I found I could understand her Japanese effortlessly.

The moment I understood those words, I realized it was still an illusion.

Seeing through the illusion with the power of the Golden Tree, I took in my surroundings.

I saw myself lying on the cold, icy ground next to the girl, who lay as if she were asleep on a bed transformed from the black reaper.

Why don’t I have a bed?

It felt a bit unfair, considering how harshly I seemed to be treated.

Besides, the black reapers, who formed my armor, had reverted to their mini reaper forms and were slapping my cheeks.

They wore expressions that practically screamed, “Wake up!” as they pummeled my face with their tiny hands.

Seeing those expressions, I suddenly didn’t feel like waking up.

It didn’t seem like an urgent situation, so I figured it’d be okay to take my time waking up.

It wasn’t because I didn’t have a bed, absolutely not.

It really wasn’t.

Lifting my head, I saw the girl pulling at my hands, grinning brightly.

“Let’s go. We should go on an adventure already!”

Since I already knew it was an illusion, her words just sounded like she was eagerly inviting me on a genuinely fun adventure.

Hehe.

The sound of birds chirping, the warmth of a cozy bed, and the mouth-watering scent of toast.

These were things the girl had always dreamed of.

Though she was waking up, she tried to linger in the warmth and dream a bit longer.

But despite her efforts, the sunlight streaming through the curtains forced her to open her eyes.

“Oh?”

She’d expected to return to the cold labyrinth upon waking, but it was nowhere to be found.

All she saw was the familiar sight she’d always dreamed of.

Home.

Looking at the calendar on the wall, she noticed it was the day after she’d been sucked into the labyrinth.

“It was… all a dream…”

Feeling a strange mixture of relief and sadness, tears began to fall from her eyes.

The dog meat guy, the ramen shop lady, everyone who’d been kind to her—all just a dream.

Well, that makes sense.

Getting swept up in such powerful objects was too much for someone ordinary like her.

Wiping her tears with her arm, she forced a smile.

“Come down for breakfast!”

She heard her mother’s voice calling from downstairs.

“Okay!”

Forcing away her lingering sadness, she responded cheerfully.

The start of a normal, happy day.

As I continued following the girl, walking on and on, the fog began to thin, revealing a new and unfamiliar landscape.

This time, it was an open, expansive view.

A cold wind blew across a cliffside, and below, I could hear the roaring winter sea.

On top of the cliff was a massive bridge stretching toward a bright springtime city on the other side.

Even from a distance, the city was full of green grass and wildflowers in vibrant colors.

In stark contrast to the frozen landscape around us, it was a world of endless spring.

“Wow, I never knew such a place could exist in the labyrinth!”

The girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she admired the sight.

Walking across the bridge toward the city, the air gradually became warmer.

What had been a biting wind turned into a gentle breeze, softly caressing our skin.

With each step, it felt as though we were moving closer to spring.

Once we stepped into the city, an unexpected sight awaited us.

Wild grasses swayed along the road, and white buildings gleamed under the warm spring sun.

Everywhere we looked, people bustled about, unable to contain their laughter and cheerfulness.

It looked like an ordinary medieval fantasy city in some ways.

But there were definite oddities here.

For one, the people.

“Adventurer! Have you decided on lodging? I know a quiet, clean inn, if you’re interested?”

Even the person trying to draw me into her inn was unusual.

Everyone in this city had the stature of a child.

No matter where I looked, there were only people slightly shorter or slightly taller than me.

It made my one-meter height seem completely normal.

And their language was peculiar too.

Korean, Japanese, English, German, French…

They were speaking every language under the sun, both ones I could understand and ones I couldn’t, yet somehow I understood them all.

It was easier to pick up on what they were saying than inferring their emotions.

Being led by the innkeeper’s hand, I felt a little smile creep onto my face, thinking it might be an enjoyable adventure.

Arrows shot into the body of a white tiger-striped tyrannosaurus with enough force to pierce through the air.

The beast roared in pain, ducking its head.

“Now’s your chance!”

The elf archer, about 120 centimeters tall with pointed ears, called out to me.

At her shout, I jumped high into the air, plunging my dual swords into the beast’s head.

With that final blow, the tyrannosaurus collapsed to the ground.

And so, I conquered the 97th floor boss of the labyrinth: the white tiger-striped tyrannosaurus.

By now, I’d sped through 97 floors of this illusory labyrinth.

It was a world I thoroughly enjoyed.

Known as the "Silent Dual Swordsman," I never spoke a word.

A statue of me had even been erected in the city square.

Every restaurant served only the best desserts: puddings, marshmallows, and pudding-flavored treats.

All the boss monsters were tyrannosauruses, objectively the coolest dinosaur.

My adventure companions followed my commands without question, trusting me completely.

Even when I played pranks on them, they never doubted me.

‘Mom!’

It was an ideal labyrinth.

‘Mom!!’

A truly perfect, blissful adventure.

‘Mom, wake up!’

The urgent cry of the black reaper snapped me back to reality.

Unable to wipe away my tears, I raised my hands to the sky.

“Is something wrong?”

The 80-centimeter tall magician in our party looked at me with concern.

‘Goodbye, my wonderful tyrannosaurus adventure.’

And with that, I reached into the air and tore it apart.

My happy dream shattered, and before me was not a tyrannosaurus, but the labyrinth boss.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

Arrows fell from the sky at terrifying speed, shattering the ground beneath them.

Beep!

The black arrows let out a frantic beep.

Though their power was strong enough to penetrate anything not immune to physical attacks, they were utterly useless against the transparent ice spider.

A massive spider made of ice so clear it was like looking through spotless glass.

Attached to the spider’s torso was a human upper body with skin paler than the purest snow.

From the torso, eerie white tendrils dug into the spider’s body.

Ding!

The staff held by the spider-human emitted a clear chime.

It was the sound that plunged both objects and humans alike into hallucinations.

The black reapers who had been facing off against the spider-human began to sway and collapse, one by one.

One by one, the black reapers were dragged off to the false reaper garden of endless kindness.

With the black reapers dropping like flies, they could no longer protect against the spider-human!

The black reapers looked over to me.

Smack, smack.

One of the black reapers slapped me, desperately calling for me to wake up, but I didn’t stir.

[It won’t wake.]

[Ten years have passed in that illusion.]

[Once one is drunk on such peaceful fantasies, there is no coming back.]

The spider-human sent a telepathic taunt to the black reapers, laughing at them.

[And even if it wakes, a creature so beholden to desire will never be able to defeat me.]

Undeterred by its mockery, the black reapers simply stood their ground, protecting the girl.

And then, the sky of the labyrinth suddenly split, revealing the sand beyond.

Though it was brief, it left a mark, as if the very space of the second floor had been torn.

[Could it be… the power of the Eye?]

The spider-human glanced in shock toward the gray reaper, who lay on the ground, reaching his hands to the sky.

Those hands began to turn black, and a dark aura started spreading outward from the gray reaper.

A wave of emotion so strong that anyone who came in contact with it would be overwhelmed by sorrow and regret.

The gray reaper's entire body turned black, and he rose from the ground as a monster, with burning logs glowing red.

The sight of the creature, fierce enough to instill terror, made the spider-human shake its chimes furiously.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

But the monstrous figure with a halo above its head and eyes like tears of crimson flame wasn’t fazed in the slightest.

[H-How…?]

The spider-human, now covered in white flames, frantically shook its chime.

But the monster, with its blazing red eyes, stepped forward slowly and steadily.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding.

And then, in a fit of rage, the creature compressed it into the shape of a small tyrannosaurus.