The man, whom the girl had once called "Dog Meat Uncle," found himself dreaming once more.

He was fully aware that it was a dream, but it was the kind of dream he never wanted to wake from.

It was the dream of the moment when he decided to give up on descending further into the labyrinth.

Just before he had said, "I will go no further down this labyrinth."

This moment stretched endlessly within his dream.

As if time had halted, allowing him to grasp an opportunity to change the future.

A dream where time had stopped, giving him the chance to say, "Let's continue through the labyrinth together!"

He stood on the 43rd floor of the labyrinth, amidst a dense forest of conifer trees.

It was raining so heavily that it was almost impossible to see ahead.

The rain poured down as if a hole had opened in the sky, yet it was frozen in place, as though time itself had stopped.

He could see himself standing before his companions, about to speak with a serious expression.

Perhaps if he merged with that body, time would begin to flow again in this dream.

It was a past he wanted to change.

After all, his companions, who had left him behind on the 43rd floor to descend further, never returned.

But he couldn't bring himself to say, "Let's continue through the labyrinth together."

Because he was afraid.

And even so, he couldn't find the courage to wake up from this dream.

It was a past he longed to change.

Yet, he lacked the courage to alter his past choice, or to accept his decision and awaken from the dream.

He could only stand frozen in this endlessly suspended moment.

Even though it was a dream, even though he knew the terrible future that awaited, he couldn't say, "Let's go down."

Having grasped the labyrinth's true nature, he could no longer choose to descend.

It was almost a premonition, a profound realization.

The labyrinth granted those who conquered it superhuman powers.

With each floor they cleared, they were given even greater strength.

The labyrinth fulfilled what adventurers desired most.

Great power, a dazzling appearance, magic and swordsmanship, powerful artifacts.

As long as they continued to venture into the labyrinth, these treasures would eternally belong to them.

But nothing came without a price.

Those who gained power began to change.

Arrogance and a sense of superiority?

No, their transformation went far beyond those ordinary "flaws."

They became lunatics.

Consumed by an endless hatred of humanity, muttering incoherently.

And once that madness reached a certain threshold, the labyrinth devoured them.

They never returned.

Most knew this but couldn't stop descending into the labyrinth.

The allure of "great power" was addictive.

He was the only one who had stopped descending after passing the 30th floor.

Thinking about both the simplicity of the labyrinth’s difficulty—clearing it like a cautious game—and the insanity that awaited those who gained strength, he realized the labyrinth's purpose.

The labyrinth was transforming humans into something else.

And it was choosing those who could retain their sanity through that transformation.

So, he couldn't go any further.

He had already begun to lose himself.

He no longer remembered what he had done in Japan, or what kind of person he had been.

Yet, ironically, the foresight he had gained through losing himself had led him to understand the labyrinth's true nature.

He stood there, caught in his thoughts for what seemed an eternity, but the torrential rain—like the tears of the sky—remained frozen.

Though the dream was utterly silent, he could still hear the pounding of rain against wood and earth echoing in his ears.

Years had passed, yet the sight of that coniferous forest was etched into his mind as vividly as a brand.

The man could do nothing, just standing there, unable to make any choice at all.

The girl stood on the rooftop of the school, gazing down below.

The evening glow painted the world in hues of twilight.

She had always loved the twilight of the labyrinth city.

Twilight was the only thing here that felt like Japan.

She loved the twilight of the labyrinth city and the noisy clamor that marked the end of the day.

The girl closed her eyes and listened.

She could hear the students below, running and shouting on the sports field.

The bustling sounds of cars and people moving about the streets beyond the school.

She listened to those peaceful sounds.

If she closed her eyes now, she could almost hear the rough sound of meat grilling over well-dried wood and the lively chatter of people drinking.

For some reason, Japan felt distant.

It seemed like she couldn't stay in this dreamlike illusion forever.

It was a life she longed for every night.

But she didn’t want to erase all the bonds she had made in the labyrinth city.

And there was no cute little black reaper fighting to protect her here.

Returning to the school after so long was fun.

So, the girl said her goodbye to the world.

Until we meet for real, farewell.

The black reaper was hopping around in the mini-reaper garden.

In front of the playful mini reapers was the gray reaper, smiling with the gentlest smile, watching them frolic.

She was like a loving mother, feeding the tired mini reapers spoonfuls of pudding.

A mother who didn't snatch the children's pudding away but instead shared treats with them.

When the mini reapers brought pudding to share, she didn't run off with it; she ate with them.

It was truly a happy mini reaper garden.

When the tired black reaper stepped outside the garden, the familiar figure from Sehee Research welcomed her.

Nom-nom.

The black reaper sat on the palm of her beloved human, munching on the pudding they offered.

Happy.

The mother had become strangely gentle, and she was happy because of it.

Sehee Research changed the rules so her beloved human only worked one hour a day, which made her so happy.

She could be with them all the time!

But the peaceful sky over Sehee Research split open, signaling the end of this blissful moment.

From the tear in the sky, a mischievous yellow eye peered down at the black reaper.

It was a nightmare.

The black reaper jolted awake, startled from her sleep.

She knew Tyranno's grudge well!

I let out a silent roar as I looked down at the labyrinth boss I had crushed in the shape of Tyranno.

As I regained my senses after smashing the labyrinth boss, the searing pain in my body finally registered.

The power radiating from the Halo was scorching my body mercilessly.

I threw the Halo to the ground, frustrated.

No matter how often I used it, the pain didn’t lessen; it was just agony.

Even though it was my power, it never got easier with use.

I hated the pain so much that I never wanted to use it again, but blinded by Tyranno's revenge, I summoned it above my head without thinking.

As the discarded Halo returned to the sky, I turned my gaze to the chaotic scene of the black reapers playing around.

The insubordinate reaper was now a bed, tending to the sleeping girl.

The black reapers jumped around, celebrating victory, looking happier than ever as they fell asleep.

For some reason, seeing the black reapers’ blissful faces as they slept gave me a strange feeling.

It felt like they were somehow mocking me.

“Why are these guys acting this way?”

When I asked why they kept sleeping, the black reapers, startled, rushed to the sleeping black reapers.

They seemed to realize something about the sleeping reapers.

Golden reapers and black reapers tended to be nonchalant about their own injuries, likely due to their toughness.

In contrast, they tended to care for the blue reapers as if they were injured infants.

They shook their shoulders, tugged at their cheeks, and tried all sorts of things to wake the sleeping black reapers, but they showed no sign of waking up.

Realizing they couldn’t handle this on their own, the black reapers hoisted up the sleeping reapers and gathered before me.

"Trouble!"

"The Sleep Charm!"

Hearing the black reapers' words, I understood the situation.

They’re dreaming about the Tyranno adventure like I am.

The dream may be blissful, and reality harsh, but I must wake them up.

They look so happy, but it can’t be helped.

It’s not like I’m envious or anything!

The solution was simple.

Using the power of the Golden Tree, I could enter their dreams and shatter them with my spatial cutting ability.

As I tapped into the Golden Tree's power to enter their dreams, the black reapers started waking up with a start.

I hadn’t even used spatial cutting, so why?

The black reapers, now awake, looked around, rubbed their eyes, and gazed at me as if they had seen something strange.

They rubbed their eyes some more, then looked at me again, a single tear falling.

What had they seen in their dreams to make them react like that?

A strange unease crept over me as I prepared to ask, but just then, the entire labyrinth began to shake.

Rumble.

The sound was out of place in the second-floor labyrinth of snow-white plains and inverted trees.

It was as if a cogwheel of stone and sand, abandoned for eons, had finally started turning.

The labyrinth’s scenery, which had been flickering like a broken TV screen, transformed into a landscape of stone and sand.

Sand snowflakes flew up into the sky, and bare trees carved from stone hung from the ceiling.

The previously static and solid stone and sand began to crumble and flow.

Like a river of sand under the desert sun, each grain trickled down, cascading with a soft rustling sound.

As the sand crumbled, it reformed into towering pillars that rose to the sky, filling it with a sea of sand defying gravity.

Once the endless upheaval of sand ceased, a vast plain made entirely of sand stretched out before me.

Rustle.

The sand that now filled the sky above the plain continued to flow, making a sound like snakes slithering over the sand.

The desert of sand and sky of sand.

In the midst of this unusual desert, a crack appeared in the space, revealing itself.

The crack formed right before me, as if inviting me in.

In a space made entirely of flowing sand, an old man sat in a chair, eyes filled with sand, watching the labyrinth's interior.

His gaze, once fixed on the black sword, shifted to the gray reaper clad in black armor.

When the gray reaper threw off his black armor, revealing his true form, a hint of surprise crossed the old man's expressionless face.

[The Gray Body.]

[Homunculus.]

[A likeness of the last alchemist.]

The old man opened his mouth as if to laugh.

But his body, now transformed into sand, could no longer produce laughter.

Instead, his jaw crumbled and fell away as sand.

[Ha ha ha.]

[I see. It succeeded.]

[The one who seemed least likely to succeed did so.]

[Then, I shall stake my own hopes on that success.]

As he waved his staff, the labyrinth’s power began to gather, returning to him.

[I shall see if you are worthy to bear the Nine Crowns.]

As his body continued to disintegrate into sand, the old man exuded a sense of satisfaction.