After replenishing their energy, the two set off deeper into the labyrinth.
Gray pulled a specialized compass from his pouch to confirm their direction amidst the thick fog.
As they ventured further, the gray mist grew increasingly dense, and the quantity and strength of the monsters began to surge noticeably.
What started as a few scattered pirate skeletons had escalated into swarms of ghost sailors and skeleton swordsmen.
The magic monsters emerged incessantly from the fog and sand like sharks catching the scent of blood.
Because he had to constantly shield Katy behind him, Gray was unable to fight with his full range of movement, causing their pace to slow significantly.
Just as they stepped onto a stretch of seemingly peaceful beach, a pale skeleton arm burst from the sand, clamping firmly onto Katy’s slender ankle.
“Ah — !”
Before Katy could finish her startled cry — or more accurately, before she had the chance to stomp the thing into dust — a brilliant flash of lightning tore through the thick mist.
The hard bone arm was instantly charred and snapped, leaving a clear, cauterized mark at the break.
“Don’t stop chanting Light Magic!”
Gray shouted, shattering a pirate skeleton that lunged at him without even looking back.
His voice was slightly strained against the sea breeze.
“Holy-attribute healing magic is effective against the undead!”
“Yes, I understand!”
‘I feel like I’ve seen this setting in a game somewhere,’ Katy thought as she kicked away the broken bone. She closed her eyes and began to chant softly.
With her at the center, ripples of soft golden light — lethal to the undead — pulsed outward in every direction.
“Damn it, there’s more and more of them — “
A few minutes later, Gray looked at the dense clusters of flickering green ghost fires surrounding them, his brow furrowed.
Continuing like this wasn’t an option.
His own stamina wasn’t an issue, but Katy’s mana consumption…
“Close your eyes!” the youth barked.
He bent his knees slightly, then launched himself into the air like an arrow from a fully drawn bow.
Katy gave a verbal agreement, but she secretly peeked through a narrow slit between her eyelids.
‘As if I’d really close them. I need to observe. It’s not because he’s handsome; this is crucial intel on Gray.’
Gray’s long blade was completely enveloped in intense lightning.
As he let out a sharp cry, the violent electricity didn’t strike down directly.
Instead, it split and reshaped itself in the air, followed by a piercing sound like 1,000 birds chirping in unison.
“Hah — !”
Gray swung his blade in a wide sweep.
The lightning filling the sky transformed into countless birds made of electricity, trailing long feathers of light as they dove toward the undead on the ground.
Thunder roared.
Every time a lightning bird struck a skeleton, it exploded in a brilliant burst of sparks.
In less than a few seconds, the undead army that had surrounded them was reduced to nothing but charcoal and bone fragments.
Katy’s mouth hung open in shock.
‘He didn’t use this when he fought me in the 13th Dungeon. Is it a specific AOE skill for clearing trash mobs?’
‘He really is… kind of cool.’
Gray landed lightly and sheathed his sword, the residual electricity crackling around him.
“That was amazing, Mr. Gray! You cleared out all the monsters nearby in a single hit!”
Katy ran toward him, her praise this time entirely sincere.
As a former Calamity Pillar who specialized in single-target combat but struggled with crowds, she understood the immense value of a powerful AOE skill.
“Miss Katy, I told you to keep your eyes closed, didn’t I?”
Gray turned around and looked at the girl’s sparkling eyes, a helpless smile on his face.
“If you look directly at the lightning, you could burn your retinas.”
“It’s fine! I’m a Priest, I can just heal myself!”
The girl stuck her tongue out playfully, completely ignoring his mild reprimand.
“Does that move have a name?”
Gray shook his head.
“It’s just a technique for dispersing the lightning from my blade. I haven’t given it a specific name.”
“Then how about ‘Chidori’?” she suggested, blinking.
Gray thought for a moment and nodded.
“It fits the sound. Let’s call it that.”
“But…”
Katy looked around at the scorched battlefield, her brow tensed.
“We’ve cleared so many small mobs, yet there isn’t a single person in sight. Wasn’t the mission Sister Lobelia gave us to find the ‘missing Association investigators’?”
Gray also found it strange.
A search and rescue mission should have yielded signs of combat or dropped equipment along the way, yet they had seen nothing but sand, shipwrecks, and waves of monsters.
“Mr. Gray, look.”
Katy walked over to a skeleton that hadn’t yet dissipated and poked its right arm with her staff.
“Every skeleton here is missing a hand.”
He walked over to inspect it.
It was true; the cut was clean and smooth, unlike a wound sustained in battle.
“Maybe it’s part of the labyrinth’s lore? Every Starshine-level Labyrinth has its own background story, though I didn’t have time to study the records for the ‘Graveyard of Ghost Ships’ in detail.”
“Maybe…”
Katy replied pensively.
“We’ve covered some distance now.”
Gray checked his compass; they had progressed nearly 3 kilometers.
“Let’s prepare to head back. For a new team’s first exploration, we’ve gone deep enough. Besides, I have the feeling we’re being watched… Miss Katy?”
With her back to Gray, the girl was crouching on the ground looking at the severed arm.
A cold glint, unnoticed by anyone, flashed in her eyes.
She was very familiar with this kind of cut.
Back in the 13th Dungeon, a job seeker had once come to her — a mutated Decapitating Demon.
Initially, Noctiluca had been satisfied with his combat prowess and his intellect, which was rare among the Demon Race.
Consequently, she had placed him in charge of the third floor.
However, she soon discovered the guy was a freak.
He had a near-obsessive fetish for collecting “right hands.”
After only 3 days on the job, every goblin, skeleton soldier, and even the gargoyles guarding the entrance on his floor had been deprived of their right hands, which he hung in his boss room as decorations.
Noctiluca naturally wouldn’t tolerate such a creep working under her.
She had stepped in personally, given the man a brutal beating, and then tossed him out of the 13th Dungeon like trash.
The familiar severing technique, the familiar cruel sense of “art,” and the nauseating mana reaction in the air…
Katy was certain that the creepy former employee she had fired was currently in this labyrinth, and he had likely become the boss here.
“Mr. Gray.”
The girl stood up and turned around, her face already wearing her usual smile.
“Let’s go a bit further. We might find something unexpected.”
“Why?”
Gray asked reflexively.
“Hmm…”
Katy blinked and thought for a second, then placed a finger against her lips.
“A girl’s intuition. And a Captain’s decision.”
Gray looked into those deep blue eyes, hesitated, and finally let out a sigh.
“Fine. We’ll listen to the Captain.”
It was only a Starshine-level Labyrinth, after all.
Even if an emergency occurred, he was confident his strength was enough to ensure Katy’s safe escape.
“Business as usual, then. I’ll lead the way.”
Besides, Katy was usually quite sensible and obedient.
If he refused her rare moment of stubbornness, it would make him seem far too insensitive.
With that thought, as he stepped past Katy, Gray stealthily unhooked the Return Crystal from his belt and attached it to the belt of the girl’s windbreaker.
This way, Katy had a double layer of safety.
As for him?
It didn’t matter.
The life of an A-rank Hero was very resilient.
Katy didn’t seem to notice anything.
She simply gave a sweet smile and followed obediently behind him.
***
In Knox City, inside a mansion in the East City Wealthy District, Lobelia was curling up on a sofa enjoying a glass of wine after “mentoring” Timmy.
The Mana-vision Screen displayed the backs of Gray and Katy.
The woman took a small sip of the red wine, her fingertips tapping rhythmically against the glass.
“Don’t disappoint me too much, you two… especially you, you insolent brat.”
The wine in the glass rippled, reflecting the fleeting cold light in her eyes.