Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Leaving It to Luck (2)

'Then I should be able to ask about my daughter too.'

With that in mind, Ju-Heon folded his arms and tilted his head with an irritating grin.

"There's a Dionysus relic somewhere nearby that's maintaining this entire city, isn't there?"

"What?"

Ju-Heon merely smiled.

He could sense the overwhelming aura of a Divine-Grade relic somewhere in the vicinity.

Judging by the circumstances, he figured it was a relic under Majesty's control. There was no way Majesty would allow a relic of this caliber to roam freely in his own territory.

Then if I destroy Majesty's relic, wouldn't that count as conquering the city?

"Take me to it."

"...!"

"You'd better choose carefully. Become an NPC... or stay alive and guide me."

The elite officer's shoulders trembled.

His honor as one of Majesty's direct subordinates, his pride, and the duty he had upheld until now all flashed through his mind.

But becoming an NPC and losing his humanity was even more terrifying than death.

"...I'll take you there."

Ju-Heon grinned and dusted off his coat.

"What? Is that true?"

"So it's confirmed."

The instructor who received the report looked utterly incredulous.

Majesty Yu Jae-ha nodded.

"Yes. According to eyewitnesses, he used a Dionysus relic... just like Majesty himself."

"Then that's enough—"

"Now hand over every relic you possess."

An icy silence spread through the operations room.

Someone muttered under their breath.

"...This bastard..."

"...Someone other than Majesty is using that relic in the City of Madness?"

Meanwhile, at the Public Security Command.

"Report! An elite officer infected by madness has been seen traveling together with an unidentified man!"

The silence that followed spoke volumes.

Orders were issued immediately.

"He is a dangerous individual disrupting the order of this city. Arrest him at once. If he resists... lethal force is authorized."

[Do you think the Security Force is just going to leave Captain alone? By now they've probably already put a bounty on his head.]

Ju-Heon smirked.

The elite officer staggered ahead while Ju-Heon followed behind, dragging the Rope of Binding along the ground.

A strange smile played across his face.

"See? You ended up guiding me after all. Better than becoming an NPC, right?"

"...Shut up."

"Good answer."

"Works for me. Even better, actually. They're coming to us on their own despite us not having many relics."

Still, if they all charged in as one massive group, that would be troublesome.

We really don't have many relics with us.

Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha sneered.

"Can't you use the relics from your original world?"

"I can. If I have a Summoning Ticket."

"How do you get one?"

"The Rulebook usually gives them out as rewards. Or... one might drop if we beat up Majesty."

"So slow. Someone's restoration speed is exactly the same as ever."

Ju-Heon glanced sideways at Yu Jae-ha.

Yu Jae-ha looked back at him in utter disgust.

Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha cried out,

"I just make relics myself! I don't bother collecting things like that!"

[Hey! Think like a human being for once! Maybe consider how fast you destroy relics?!]

Ju-Heon clicked his tongue and turned away.

He had confidence in his own combat ability, and he still had the Rope of Binding, but even so, he wasn't yet at the level where he could comfortably fight Majesty or other high-ranking relic users.

Majesty Yu Jae-ha was with him, so in an emergency he could simply force him to create another relic...

Ju-Heon ignored the thought.

In any case, getting ambushed would be dangerous. The more relics he carried, the better.

That was why he had brought the elite officer here in search of another powerful relic...

Then Ju-Heon frowned as he stared at the manhole the officer had led him to.

It takes that guy annoyingly long to make relics.

"...You're not telling me to go down the manhole, are you?"

"That's right. The relic you mentioned is down there."

Standing over the opening, Ju-Heon suddenly heard a voice.

Ju-Heon smiled viciously.

"Those whose Sanity Gauge is too high to succumb to madness... imprison every last one of them beneath the grave!"

"This feels like you're leading me into a trap."

"If you want to fight Majesty, obtaining a Divine-Grade relic here is absolutely essential."

"Oh? Why are you suddenly saying something helpful?"

"Helpful? Don't be ridiculous!"

The city plaza shook crimson.

Ju-Heon and everyone nearby were suddenly dragged toward the opening.

The Rope of Binding immediately stretched itself out to catch him.

Unexpectedly, however, Ju-Heon didn't grab it.

For perhaps the first time ever, the Rope of Binding was genuinely startled.

As that voice echoed across the city, every manhole erupted with crimson light, resonating with one another.

The glowing manholes formed what looked like an enormous magic circle.

Then something astonishing happened.

A sinkhole suddenly opened beneath Ju-Heon's feet and swallowed him whole.

[Huh? Why aren't you grabbing me?! Why aren't you grabbing me?!]

Ju-Heon even grabbed Majesty Yu Jae-ha—who had been trying to save only himself—and dragged him down as well.

"Hey, are you insane?!"

The flustered Rope of Binding hurried after him.

To resist, one had to deliberately raise one's own Madness Gauge.

But the higher the Madness Gauge climbed, the more one inevitably fell under the power of Majesty—the ruler of this city.

Thud!

Thud!

One after another, they disappeared into the darkness.

Once the plaza sealed itself shut again, the security officers began reporting in one by one.

"Having a high Sanity Gauge is useless after all. In the end, they'll have to drink on their own inside the labyrinth."

"But the liquor in there isn't ordinary alcohol."

"That's right. It's the liquor that turns you into an NPC."

"The city designed by Majesty... is truly perfect."

"Captain, the containment has been successfully activated. The troublemakers have been imprisoned."

"Good."

Every intruder up until now had been turned into NPCs and sold off to other Majesties.

The captain of the Security Force smiled.

That labyrinth was a prison created by the Blessing of the Wine Cup. To escape from it...

"Prepare them for trade. If one of them is a Majesty, they'll fetch an especially high price."

Boom!

Ju-Heon crashed into a cold, damp pit.

"Hey! I could've survived! Why did you drag me down with you?!"

"Oh, come on. I even protected your heart, and now you're saying you wanted to save only yourself? That's disappointing."

"No! One of us had to survive so we could rescue the other!"

Ssshhh...

A blood-red liquid dripped from every wall.

It didn't smell like wine.

It smelled more like narcotics.

Soon, an enormous labyrinth came into view deeper inside.

At the same time, Ju-Heon and Yu Jae-ha splashed into a crimson pond.

"Enough talking. Just follow me. I've become interested in the relic here."

"What?!"

Instead of answering, Ju-Heon simply swam.

The Majesty here uses a Dionysus relic.

Splash!

Dionysus is a high-ranking relic.

Eventually, Yu Jae-ha shouted as if he were about to grab Ju-Heon by the collar.

"The more famous a relic is, the stronger it becomes."

That was precisely why Ju-Heon had intentionally jumped in.

[W-What are those people?!]

"I can definitely feel the aura of a Divine-Grade relic here."

It seemed the elite officer hadn't lied.

At that moment, Majesty Yu Jae-ha shouted.

Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha stared ahead in shock.

By the time they reached dry land, dozens of people were already gathered there.

They were of all ages.

Their eyes were filled with exhaustion and anger.

"So... more people have arrived..."

"Don't tell me you're here to steal Majesty's relic too? A rookie like you?"

"Is that supposed to be a problem? My Madness Gauge is high enough."

Whispers spread throughout the crowd.

Ju-Heon frowned.

Well...

The number really is absurd.

Just then—

"Who are you people?"

"You can understand us?"

The man extending his hand toward Ju-Heon looked like a refined scholar.

But his eyes were burning with rage.

His angry voice echoed through the cavern.

"We're prisoners. Our only crime is having a high Sanity Gauge... refusing to submit to Majesty."

"...!"

"I don't know why that bastard Majesty goes this far!"

"Why else? He doesn't want intellectuals gathering together."

"They get in the way of his policies."

A glowing number shone brightly on the man's wrist.

Ju-Heon looked around.

Massive iron doors lined every wall.

[Sanity Gauge: 87]

"So passing through those doors is how you get out?"

Another prisoner ground his teeth before answering.

The others all shook their heads as though there were no hope.

"If your Sanity Gauge is over seventy, the moment you organize any kind of gathering, you're dumped in here. The Security Force labels you a dangerous individual..."

"Do you see all those wine cups hanging from the vines over there?"

"...!"

Indeed, countless wine cups hung intertwined among the vines covering the walls.

"If you don't drink that wine... the doors won't open. Eventually, you just starve to death in here."

[Rules of the Labyrinth]

• Doors can only be opened through madness.
• Drink from the wine cup and surrender yourself to madness.
• Otherwise, you will remain imprisoned forever.

Starve to death?

Ju-Heon noticed corpses nearby that had apparently died of starvation.

It really was a relic prison.

Someone nearby eventually collapsed to the floor, clenching his teeth.

"If you don't get drunk... you can't open the doors."

"The problem is, the moment you drink the wine here, you become an NPC."

"Our Sanity Gauges are too high... We rejected the city's wine cups, so we were abandoned here. Unless we drink, not a single door will ever open."

Wondering what exactly they meant, Ju-Heon walked over to one of the doors.

Rules written in glowing letters covered its surface.

The prisoners' faces twisted in despair.

One of them looked at Ju-Heon sympathetically.

"So you're one of us too. Were you a journalist who criticized society?"

"What's supposed to be so difficult about this?"

No.

He had never taken a single sip from any wine cup.

Instead, he stood before the door and placed his palm against it.

"No matter how hard you struggle, if your Sanity Gauge is high..."

Everyone imprisoned here possessed exceptionally high Sanity Gauges.

They were rebels proudly locked away by the Security Force.

Then—

Boom!

Ju-Heon looked at the scene before him and chuckled.

[Madness Gauge: 99]

[Requirement Fulfilled]

"What is this? A children's game?"

The crimson pattern lit up.

With a deafening crash, the enormous stone door swung open.

Rumble!!

"...!!!"

Yet the door remained open.

The prisoners could only stare at Ju-Heon as though he were some kind of monster.

Their eyes widened.

"W-Who... are you?!"

"How did you open it?!"

"Impossible... It opened that easily...?"

Ju-Heon casually shrugged.

At the same time, realization dawned on the crowd.

"Me? I've always been crazy."

"If it opened..."

"Don't tell me his Madness Gauge is already that high?"

"You'd have to be at NPC level to open that door!"

"Wait... then something doesn't make sense. If it's that high, why hasn't he become an NPC?"

Ju-Heon simply shrugged again.

Then he held out his wrist.

[Madness Gauge: 99]

The crowd was horrified.

What?!

They weren't the only ones shocked.

The Security Force, watching the labyrinth from above ground, stared in disbelief.

"W-What is that? With a Madness Gauge that high... he should've become drunk on the city and turned into an NPC!"

"But he's completely fine?! How is that even possible?!"

"Even Majesty's Madness Gauge isn't that high, is it?"