“Insignificant creature!”

Hishmith Kritz spoke urgently.

“What are you doing now!”

The Constellation no longer spoke through just Patricia’s doll. Beyond the glass windows surrounding me, hundreds and thousands of dolls cried out in unison.

“Do you think my existence will fade away if you overthrow me with force!”

The cry of thousands was a scream that seemed to tear the sky apart by itself.

“I am the master of all secrets! I posed a problem to you, and you accepted my problem! It’s a duel. This too is a duel. Do you understand! Even if your pitiful blade shatters the glass windows and splits the ground, the problem remains unsolved! The Gordian knot¹ is not recognized! Never! Just wait, the judge will eventually declare my victory……!”

“I’m not Alexander.”

I twisted the hilt of my sword.

“I’m doing this with a proper answer.”

The sword blade, deeply embedded in the ground, twisted with a violent roar, Kwazzeuk! A spiderweb-like crack spread from the sword. As my sword twisted the ordeal, the spiderweb spread beyond measure.

It was instantaneous.

“An answer, what are you talking about……, stop! Stop it! You are not using force now, but violence! Violence means, in essence, assault! Do you understand! Assault!”

“Yes. If you intend to keep resisting, then I’ll give you the answer we both know.”

Find the real body of Hishmith Kritz in the world of the Glass Palace.

This was the task given to me on the 63rd stage.

And as soon as I heard the task, no, even before hearing it, I only cared about two things.

“I thought it would be either the sky or the ground. From the beginning.”

“……What……”

“All these dolls are controlled by you. What this means is simple. The moment I am killed by one of these dolls, Hishmith Kritz, I will see your trauma.”

I lifted the corner of my mouth.

“That’s exactly what you truly want. Isn’t it?”

“Claiming to govern all secrets, proficient in labyrinths and mazes, you are that Constellation. You are also the mastermind behind the trauma penalty. I may not know exactly what method you used, but one thing is certain, [Your trauma is an excruciatingly difficult maze to escape from].”

“……Eeeeek! Eeeeeeek!”

Yes.

All the dolls were nothing but bait.

‘Common sense’ dictates that among the countless dolls covering the entire world, finding Hishmith Kritz’s real body is impossible.

Only by using my ‘non-common sense’ skill, [Returner’s Clockwork Watch], can I find the real body.

If I enter the trauma and see Hishmith Kritz’s past, I will naturally learn about that Constellation, and by understanding his habits and nature, I will naturally realize where It has hidden himself.

“It didn’t work.”

Therefore, in this stage, [Trauma] is the fastest shortcut and the only key.

“I’m not foolish enough to pick a fight in the domain you are most confident in!”

And hence, it’s the most dangerous [Trap].

“All dolls are bait! You provoked me by exposing Patricia’s secret, hoping to agitate my emotions, tempting me to quickly fall for the easiest shortcut! If I hadn’t met Fox~nim on the 61st floor, if I hadn’t fallen into a triple layer of dreams, I might have overlooked the dangers of trauma!”

I already realized how dangerous ‘the trauma of a Constellation’ could be.

Haven’t I lived through half of Raviel’s life and half of my master’s life?

The lessons were too fresh to forget, the gap between the 61st and 63rd floors too short.

“Bad timing, you venomous snake!”

Kwajijjik!

The cracks etched into the ground widened further. Tzzuk! The gap widened into a crevice, and the crevice split open into a fissure. Just a span wider, and it would have been an abyssal crack; a moment longer, and it would have become the cliff of a canyon. Kuwoong, a vibration like an earthquake occurred.

“And, you were foolish!”

“Can’t you hear me telling you to stop! You! This guy! Even if the race of humans is said to be a lowly creature that cannot even understand human speech, you cannot ignore the decrees of the constellations! Listen to me!”

“To be able to move the mouths of all dolls and manipulate them at will! No matter where they are, no matter which doll it is, to freely control them all. That means—- you are either [above], where all dolls are visible, or [below], where all dolls are supported!”

“Listen to me!”

“I will tell you the answer to the riddle you posed!”

The earth split apart.

“The very earth of this Glass Palace you’ve erected is your real body!”

The glass showcases shattered noisily, Chachang.

“The land of this world is your skin! No, your shell!”

Feeling the earthquake intensify.

I revisited the fact I had confirmed immediately after falling into the labyrinth.

「The floor.」

「Made of wood.」

「The floor was covered in a pattern that swirled like snake scales, resembling wood.」

Every riddle is given with a hint.

The fact that the pattern of the ground I was standing on resembled snake scales could be seen simply as [decor fitting for the world of the snake deity].

And perhaps it could also be seen as [the old shell shed by a snake as large as the world itself].

“Acknowledge my answer! Constellation of the labyrinth!”

The fissure widened, and the ground sunk into the abyss.

The dolls displayed within the exhibition fell as well.

Countless, the white glass shards fell like petals.

Billions, the wooden dolls fell like branches.

“I hereby expose your secret!”

“Ugh…!”

Alias, The Eye Living in the Labyrinth.

True name, Hishmith Kritz.

And its identity.

“[I am here!]”

Jǫrmungandr².

A monster so vast that it could engulf the entire world, eventually wrapping around the edges of the world to bite its own tail.

A snake that formed a world.

“The winner of this duel is me!”

“Ugh…!”

Eventually, the ground collapsed.

What was mistaken for land, so vast and thick, was an old shell.

The shell was torn apart.

“You, bastard…!”

Below the torn shell was nothing but endless darkness.

It was the deep sea, but not water, so swimming was impossible.

It was the universe, but physical laws did not apply, endlessly, without knowing the bottom, forever hidden and will forever hide like the shell of an egg.

“You! You! You, Death King! You dare!”

There was a snake there.

“Dare to, me, Hishmith Kritz!”

The snake was coiling around the entire abyss, covering the whole universe. Jjeoreuk! When the snake opened its mouth, a chasm like hell itself opened up.

Only two eyes.

[The Eye Living in the Labyrinth manifests.]

Two eyes shining with bright red hostility, the only light illuminating this deep sea.

Within the shell it had shed in the past, creating an outer layer as its wall, this circular world, allowing no light other than its gaze, is perhaps the most profound palace.

That is why it is The Eye Living in the Labyrinth.

Anyone can build this palace in their mind. Anyone can become the one king reigning on the throne. The giant monster, becoming the king of a world it alone rules, coiled in a palace no one else can rule, howled like an old tyrant.

“Despite being a human who made a name for himself by flattering Hamustra!”

The tail of the snake, whose size was immeasurable, struck me.

Perhaps, it actually has no size at all.

This place was both the depths and the heart of Hishmith Kritz. Literally, it was the dwelling of the mind. Being the only giant in the world he created, existing alone, meant that this profound deep sea was nothing more than a wick that needed to be cut rather than a terrifying majesty.

“Aha!”

So, I cut it.

“How light! So light! The gesture of the venomous power, which couldn’t occupy even a single point under the sky, was a thousand times heavier than your tail flick!”

With my strike, Jǫrmungandr’s tail was cut off. Blood was sprayed, and infinite redness spread out, dyeing the world, casting a dark red sunset over the deep sea, albeit for a moment.

“———-!”

The scream added redness to the bloody waves.

“Peep.”

Timely, Fox~nim, who was wrapped around my neck, cried softly.

[‘A Music Box Only for You’ assigns a quest.]

Between me falling and Jǫrmungandr crouching at the bottom, grains of sand formed letters.

+

[God of Shedding]

Difficulty: S-

Mission Objective: Defeat [The Eye Living in the Labyrinth] Hishmith Kritz, who rules over the 63rd floor. Hishmith Kritz has exposed your companion and insulted your honor.

※However, if you die even once to Hishmith Kritz, you will be defeated.

+

“This is why! It’s convenient to serve a Constellation!”

“Pyak.”

“I don’t know why I’ve ignored such convenience until now!”

Chwaaaak-.

I continued to slice through the snake’s attacks. I did not dodge. Even if Hishmith Kritz constantly shook its body to strike, bit with its fangs, or spat poison from its mouth, I did not dodge an inch and countered everything.

“Kuh, ……Eek! Eek! Kaaaaaak!”

Each time I swung my sword, blood splattered.

The darkness of the deep sea embraced the red sunset.

“Aaaaaak, Aa, Aaaaaaaaa!!”

In a world that should have been self-contained, aaaaaa, an echo resounded.

The screams overlapped and overlapped.

Endlessly, like waves crashing against a cliff by the sea.

[The presence of ‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth’ fades.]

Like the waves eroding the rocks of the coast surrounding the sea.

Jjeojeojeok. Jjeok!

The snake’s scream gradually cracked the eggshell surrounding it.

“Aaaaaaaaaa!!”

It was a world wide enough to contain its own heart but too shallow to bear its own screams.

In the end, every palace is a house doomed to destruction.

[The presence of ‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth’ fades.]

Just as every dynasty marks the era predicting its downfall.

[The presence of ‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth’ fades.]

The kingdom of ‘The Eye Living in the Labyrinth,’ established by the tyrant named Hishmith Kritz, with walls made of doll bodies and pillars made of human secrets, announces its end at this moment.

“……Uh……, Black. Ugh……”

The snake’s groan flowed softly.

“Everything……. All, will be exposed. Everything……”

Now, this place was no longer the deep sea that denied the bottom.

Light leaked through the cracks split open like wounds.

Being scorched by a light more sinister than shadows, Jǫrmungandr shrunk to just a slightly larger size than an ordinary snake.

“If you attack me, if you attack more, I will expose the fact that you are a regressor… Not only in the world you live in! But also to your companions, your son, your daughter, and not just them… Everywhere my faith reaches! In all worlds! Yes, throughout the entire tower! I will reveal everything!”

“…….”

“The moment I get hurt is the moment you fall. Do you understand? You know, right? All the success you’ve reaped will be belittled as thanks to regression. Your blood, all of it, will be undervalued. No one will respect you, as if they knew it would happen. Your blood. Your time. Your dedication. Everything will be regarded as if it never existed.”

“…….”

“Do you understand!”

The snake was truly small.

If all it knew was to inflict wounds.

“Really, you, do you underestimate my power!”

A stone lying on the road, a blade placed there by chance.

A piece of iron.

It was no different from that.

“Sun.”

The wounds I bear might still be wounds.

But you too will forever remain just a piece of iron.

“I have Raviel, I have a family, I have friends. Just as I stayed by Patricia’s side even after I found out her secret, Patricia will continue to stay by my side even after she found out my secret.”

“…….”

“While you play eternity here, I’ve gained people through bleeding.”

It wasn’t enemy blood.

Nor was it thin blood.

There was no blood that wasn’t red.

“Hishmith Kritz.”

“Ugh…… Uh…….”

“I will spare you.”

The moment I said that, the snake screamed as if it was being torn apart.

“Then, let’s do this!”

I silently raised my sword.

“I will protect your secret! I will hide the fact that you have a regression skill, so that nobody, absolutely no one knows… With my power of secrecy! Forever! I will hide it deeply within my shell! How about it!? This should be enough to satisfy you…!”

Raised high.

“Is that not enough for you!? What, you, no, Gong-ja! When you entered Hamustra’s domain, didn’t you use the blessing of the Goddess of Vitality!? How was it!? Good, wasn’t it!? Convenient, wasn’t it!? What if you could use that power unlimitedly!? Huh!? What do you say!?”

Lifted to the end.

“It’s not just that! My life has been as long as my body! My powers are just as deep! I can give you more powers! I have them! I, Hishmith Kritz, am telling you!”

Paused for a moment,

“Let’s talk! Like Humans! Beings with intellect should interact not with arms but with words, so! Let’s come to an agreement! Let’s talk! Let’s solve this situation wisely, so, ah, you brat, young star! No, great star! Sir! Just listen to me for a moment…!!”

Swung it forthwith.

The next moment, with a tearing scream, the world was split in two.

****

1) The cutting of the Gordian Knot is an Ancient Greek legend associated with Alexander the Great in Gordium in Phrygia, regarding a complex knot that tied an oxcart. Reputedly, whoever could untie it would be destined to rule all of Asia. In 333 BC Alexander was challenged to untie the knot.

2) In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth and biting his own tail, an example of an ouroboros. As a result of it surrounding Midgard it is referred to as the World Serpent.

*****