Chapter 201: "I Am the Hero Oshu—With Me, Everyone Will Get Out Alive!"

“Hit Iresha with magic—now!”

A thunderous explosion shook the labyrinth, scorching flames roaring forth and coiling into the shape of a monstrous serpent, devouring all in its path. Before them, the colossal beast—a veritable mountain of flesh—collapsed under the relentless magical onslaught.

The lingering shockwaves sparked a series of secondary blasts, their echoes reverberating through the cavernous maze. Only after a full half minute, when she was certain no further threat remained, did Iresha finally exhale the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Her burgundy eyes glimmered as she focused on the mental sand table—an intricate, living map projected directly into her mind, every corridor and chamber rendered with crystalline clarity.

This skill is incredible! Even in a labyrinth I’ve never seen, every passage and chamber appears in my head, clear as day. With this, we’ll never walk into an ambush.

“Hey, Lin Wei… seriously, where did you learn a scouting skill like this? Rein always boasted he’d seen everything the Guild had to offer, but even he’s never heard of something like this. Is it some ultra-rare technique?”

It was as if the world ahead had been copied and pasted into her mind, down to every jagged wall and the very texture of the ground. Elements drifting in the air glimmered in distinct hues, perfectly mapped out.

And those auras… What are they? They’re making me stronger. What’s with that?

Iresha’s proud, striking features were alive with curiosity. Now that the battle had ended, her pent-up questions spilled forth.

“The magic I just cast—its power was at least triple what I’m used to, and it barely used any Mana at all!”

She shot him a sidelong glance. “Just how strong are you? At this rate, you might be even more terrifying than I thought.”

This was her third time teaming up with Lin Wei. The first two outings had been little more than routine, but the Selm Labyrinth… that was another matter entirely. Here, she’d come face-to-face with death—and with the true extent of Lin Wei’s strength.

“I told you before,” Lin Wei said, strolling over and giving her a perfunctory flick on the forehead as he passed, “it’s not some secret technique. Just a basic skill, really.”

He crouched beside the monster’s corpse, inspecting it with clinical detachment. It was clear he had no intention of elaborating.

“I’m just a lot stronger than your old teammates, that’s all. Once they reach my level, they’ll figure it out. As for the aura skill—I picked it up ages ago, back when I was slacking off and stumbled into a treasure room. Don’t overthink it. Let’s keep moving and see if we can save anyone.”

In a sense, he wasn’t even lying. The sand table projection wasn’t a special power—it was the result of fusing a maxed-out Scouting Skill with prodigious reserves of Mana. Anyone who reached his level could do it. It was less a matter of technique, more a question of brute force: sweep the area with overwhelming Mana, and the world would reveal itself.

“Hmm… Looks like our chosen route is clear.”

“Some adventurers passed through here not long ago.”

He sliced open the bellies of a few monsters littering the ground. Inside, undigested human remains told their own grim story.

“Judging by the bones, these were frontline warriors. There’s still metal in their guts—probably cheap gear. I’d guess they were from a Level 60-plus adventuring party.”

He stood, brushing dust from his hands. “It’s been about two hours since we got teleported to this floor. I’ve found adventurer remains in three monster nests so far—no commoners, only professionals. Looks like that Portal on the Lava Platform was targeting us specifically. There’s some mechanism at work, controlling where people land… which means the demons and the other hostages must be elsewhere.”

Honestly, it was a nasty surprise. When he’d heard of a route to the seventh floor, he’d chalked it up to luck. He hadn’t expected a trap to spring so quickly—one that sealed the entire platform with spatial energy.

Unfortunately, now that he was half-integrated into the human camp, he couldn’t just go around smashing his way through with brute force. Those days were behind him.

“So, what’s the plan?” Iresha asked. Unlike her time in the Hero’s Party, where everything was about the mission and following orders, out here with Lin Wei, she felt a strange sense of security. It was as if the word “reliable” was stamped across his forehead. Handing him the reins was no burden—if anything, it was a relief.

“Simple,” Lin Wei replied, clapping her on the shoulder. “We keep going. Look for other adventurers, and find a way to the next floor—or deeper, if we have to.”

He knew the way. The Selm Labyrinth had twelve levels, all connected by a single, looping magma sea that flowed from the first floor to the last. Countless heat-adapted monsters swam those rivers of fire. If you could survive their attacks and dive into the magma, there was a hidden path—a ten-thousand-meter vertical vein winding through every floor.

Of course, there was no way he could bring Iresha through that meat grinder. She couldn’t survive the lava, let alone the monsters—some as powerful as Knight Vice Commanders.

He could show off a little, thanks to his status as an Honor Knight, but there were limits. He couldn’t outshine the Grand Commanders. Otherwise, even Veya might start to suspect something—and if the legendary Archbishop caught wind of it, matters could get… complicated.

An Archbishop with decades of experience isn’t as easy to fool as that airheaded Pope of ours.

Besides, he was curious what the demons and the Cult of the Evil God were really up to in here.

He’d already smuggled Saintess Yalis out. If that archer, Eileen, really was some kind of gene-bred hybrid for the Cult… well, that’d be interesting. And if Krulu’s existence had been discovered by the demons, things could get even messier.

I wonder who they’ll send to capture Krulu? Cain? Morteir? Or will Sabela show up herself?

Lin Wei flexed his fingers, knuckles itching with anticipation. He’d wasted enough time already—if the enemy didn’t bring out their best, he might not get to cut loose at all.

And then there was the Hero. Was it really possible that the demons and the Cult were only after the Little Saintess? He doubted it. Oshu—the Hero—was just as likely a target.

After all, the new Demon Lord was up to something in the Demon Lord’s castle, pulling back troops from the front lines. It wouldn’t be strange if they wanted to get rid of the Hero, too.

Things are finally getting interesting, he murmured, eyes gleaming as he gazed deeper into the maze.

◇

“Cough… Weird. Why do I feel like someone’s talking about me?”

Elsewhere in the labyrinth—on the eleventh floor—a very different scene was unfolding.

Monsters prowled the shadows, radiating a palpable sense of menace. Oshu, the Hero, pressed forward with his greatsword in hand. He couldn’t be sure which floor he was on, but years of adventuring—and the sheer number of enemies—told him these were the final three levels.

“Maybe it’s some kind of psychic monster messing with us,” muttered Rein, the party’s scout and warrior. Despite their usual friction, in a place like this, even Rein set aside their rivalry.

It had been three hours since they’d climbed from the Abyss up to the Lava Platform. At least they’d been teleported together, not scattered. But the monsters here… that was something else entirely.

Monsters that could dominate entire regions in the wild—here, they were everywhere.

The original plan had been to use the labyrinth and the demons to get rid of the Hero for good. But no one had expected to die alongside him—trapped forever in this deathtrap.

No one had ever explored the final three floors of the super labyrinth. Legendary adventurers had only ever reached the ninth, and even then, just to plant a flag and retreat. Now, they were pressing into truly uncharted territory. The thought sent a chill down anyone’s spine.

“If only Iresha were still with us,” Rein sighed. With only Eileen providing support from the rear, they were badly outgunned—especially when waves of monsters attacked. Oshu’s greatsword was the only thing keeping them alive.

If he’d known it would come to this, maybe he’d have stood up for Iresha back then. Had he favored Eileen too much?

“It’s just a demon trap—we got teleported here, that’s all,” Oshu said, forcing confidence into his voice. “But it’s not all bad. The closer we get to the core, the stronger the monsters get. If we keep moving, maybe we’ll find whoever’s behind this—and take them out. That might be our ticket out.”

Rein looked tense, but Oshu wasn’t worried. Ever since he’d accepted the title of Hero and received Alicia’s Holy Light, luck had always been on his side. No matter how dire things seemed, he always managed to pull through. It had become almost a habit—waiting for the Goddess to deliver him at the last moment.

Which made him wonder… What had really happened to those earlier subjugation squads? With all this divine protection, how could so many parties have vanished before reaching demon territory?

“Just follow my lead and we’ll be fine,” Oshu declared. “Krulu, don’t worry—I’ll protect you!”

Confidence surged through him. He waved with a flourish, making sure to reassure Krulu—and rack up a few Favorability points while he was at it.

“Ah… Thank you, Hero!” Krulu’s wide, trusting eyes shone up at him. Such a docile Catkin was a welcome sight—especially now that Eileen, his previous favorite, had started to show fatigue.

He needed a new harem candidate, if only to keep his spirits up. Still, catching Eileen’s silent stare from the corner of his eye, Oshu coughed awkwardly and looked away.

“A-anyway, let’s keep moving!”

“It’s a shame we haven’t found the other adventurers. If we could link up, we might make faster progress.”

Even with Alicia’s luck, survival was never guaranteed. Oshu tightened his grip on his greatsword and pressed on into the dark.

A chill wind, thick with danger, whistled down the twisting corridors. Suddenly, he froze—a faint sound ahead, and the air grew heavy with the scent of blood.

“Careful! Something’s up ahead!”

He gathered his energy, ready to fight, but stopped short as a flicker of light illuminated the passage. Figures emerged from around the corner—haggard, battered survivors, weapons drawn, eyes wild with desperation.

But when they saw Oshu’s party—pristine, uninjured, and well-armed—their tension melted away. The leader, caked in blood and dust, rushed forward.

“Don’t attack! We’re the first wave of adventurers!”

“So the Adventurers’ Guild knows about the labyrinth now?”

He looked them over—battle-worn, but still standing. Compared to Oshu’s group, they’d clearly had a much rougher time. Relief and hope mingled on their faces, and soon, they were pouring out information in a rush.

“The monsters here are insane. We were just planning how to search the Lava Platform when this happened. Our teams got lucky and were teleported together, but the advance parties got scattered all over. We’ve found a lot of bodies from other teams on the way here.”

“Wait… Are you guys the rescue party?”

Oshu hesitated, but Eileen shook her head and answered for him.

“No, we’re not here to rescue anyone. We’re the second wave of adventurers, just like you. We got caught by the spatial energy on the Lava Platform and teleported in.”