Moon's Labyrinths

Tim gripped his ax and shield as he charged forward with a glum air around him. Sungyoon assessed his surrounding as he followed Tim.

‘Are there any other monsters?’

If other monsters besides the Skeleton showed up, they probably weren’t up for the task of facing them. If he could have it his way, he wanted to leave the labyrinth right now.

However, he couldn’t do that.

There were a couple of reasons Sungyoon picked the inside of the labyrinth as the battlefield.

The first one was communication. It was impossible for him to defeat the Skeleton by himself. Of course, he had to hunt it down with his party, but if they couldn’t communicate with each other, too many mistakes could occur.

Above all else, he wouldn’t be fighting only with the Ross siblings, whom he already had chemistry with. His party had a new ally to adjust to. They would be dead meat if they couldn't communicate with each other.

The second reason was the dust. The thin layer of dust present on the moon’s surface was too big of a distraction. Once the dust was sent into the air, it didn’t settle down quickly because of the low gravity of the moon.

Of course, it would hinder the Skeleton too, but unlike them, it fought alone. Sungyoon’s party would be at a disadvantage since they had to fight and coordinate as a group with impaired vision.

The third reason was the other monsters. There was no guarantee that other monsters wouldn’t exit the labyrinth if they fought outside.

The Skeleton had already exited the labyrinth, and the other monsters might notice this. Chances were that they’d follow the Skeleton out of the labyrinth.

That was why Sungyoon decided to fight the battle inside of the labyrinth.

But this also meant other monsters might show up at any moment.

The Mana Stream was still ongoing, and they had to worry about numerous monsters appearing at the same time, the reason Princess Grace’s party had been wiped out.

‘There is only one answer. We have to end this fight quickly.’

They had to defeat the Skeleton before other monsters could show up. Then they had to get on their Moon Surface Vehicles and move far away from the labyrinth.

‘The other Connectors….’

He finally thought about the other Connectors who had entered the labyrinth to rescue Grace.

If they arrived between the fight, the party's fighting power would increase. Sungyoon inwardly hoped it would happen.

On the other hand, there was a good possibility that the other Connectors were also in trouble due to this unexpected Mana Stream.

‘If the opportunity presents itself, we have to escape even if it is just us.’

It wasn’t as if he didn’t feel sympathy toward the other Connectors. However, there was no benefit for him to go save the other Connectors. Above all else, he had his own fish to fry right now.

“Hoo-ahhhhht!”

Sungyoon regained his focus when Tim let out a shout.

He saw Tim swung his ax toward the Skeleton.

This weapon was a Jewel rank weapon he had acquired from his mother. It was a Platinum rank weapon, which was a rank above Sungyoon’s Gold rank weapon. However, it didn’t possess any special abilities like Sungyoon’s weapon.

But this didn’t mean his weapon was weak.

It was said simple is best.

His ax was hard and sharp, very hard and very sharp.

Kwahng!

The Skeleton’s sword and Tim’s ax clashed against each other.

Tim faltered as he was pushed backward. It was clear that he was inferior in strength compared to the Skeleton.

But this didn’t mean Tim’s actions were all for naught. The Skeleton came to a stop for a brief moment.

Sungyoon immediately charged past Tim and attacked the Skeleton’s spine.

Hweek!

However, the Skeleton’s sword moved quickly.

Sungyoon had swung his sword first, yet the Skeleton’s sword was already positioned to meet his attack.

Kwahng!

Another explosive sound rang out.

Sungyoon furrowed his brows. He desperately tried to keep his grip on his sword that had almost slipped away from his hands.

‘It doesn’t work too well.’

As soon as their swords clashed, electricity flowed into the Skeleton. The Skeleton jerked a little bit, but nothing else happened.

‘Should I consider myself fortunate that there was some effect?’

Hoo-oong!

The Skeleton swung its sword. Tim raised his shield to block it.

Kwahng!

“Koooooohk!”

Tim groaned when he felt a stinging sensation run up his arm. The attack pushed him backward by a couple of steps. But he withstood the attack as Sungyoon placed his hands on his back.

Then the man immediately dashed out from behind Tim and swung his sword. The Skeleton flinched as it dodged Sungyoon’s attack.

‘Does it feel pain?’

Or maybe it didn’t like the sensation of its body jerking to a stop for a brief moment. Anyway, it was a good sign.

Tim let out a sigh of relief when Sungyoon’s sword restricted the movement of the Skeleton. Despite the advantage they gained, the Skeleton’s speed and strength was still a danger.

“Get out of the way!”

A female voice yelled out.

But it wasn’t Emily. In a flash, Sungyoon and Tim quickly moved away from the Skeleton.

Clack! Clack!

It seemed the Skeleton was taken aback by their actions. But as the Skeleton swiveled its head, intense heat hit the monster.

Kwahhhhng!

Red flames erupted as heat danced around it. The area where the Skeleton stood was swept up by an enormous fire.

“Wow!”

Tim’s mouth fell open as he looked at the flame. Sungyoon was also surprised.

The spell’s area of effect wasn’t large, but its power was on another level

Tim and Sungyoon had moved a good distance away from the Skeleton, yet they could feel the blast of heat. The flame was that powerful.

‘Is this the power of a damage dealer type Connector optimized around magic Gems?’

He possessed two spells, but those spells felt like a drop in the bucket compared to the spell displayed in front of him.

‘However….’

Sungyoon tapped Tim, who was standing there gawking. Sungyoon was tense as he glared at the location where the flames were dancing.

Hedirected Tim to follow him, and slowly moved around the flame. To be precise, Sungyoon and Tim moved in between Grace and the flame.

Too-hwahk!

The flame parted as the Skeleton rushed out.

‘I was right!’

Sungyoon gripped his sword harder, and Tim quickly raised his shield.

The monster's white bones were glowing red from the heat, and the surface of its armor had melted.

At a glance, one could tell the Skeleton had taken a lot of damage. It possessed high magical resistance, yet it was weak against fire magic. Moreover, Grace’s Gems had been optimized for magic only. That was why the monster had taken a significant amount of damage.

However, it wasn’t enough to incapacitate it.

Boom!

The Skeleton once again swung its sword.

A powerful blow landed on Tim’s shield. However, the Skeleton’s target wasn’t Tim or Sungyoon.

Tah-aht!

As soon as Tim’s body was rocked, it used the opportunity to rush past him.

Its target was Grace and Emily, who stood in the rear.

‘As I’ve expected!’

Sungyoon's worries came true. The Skeleton was targeting Grace, who was its greatest threat. Sungyoon quickly unsummoned his sword and shield. The halberd made its appearance, and he extended it forward.

He was able to catch the Skeleton’s arm with the hook of his halberd. Sungyoon immediately placed the gravity spell on himself.

Hwee-chung!

The Skeleton lost its balance. Its upper body remained in place as it was caught on Sungyoon’s halberd. However, its lower body couldn’t overcome its own momentum as it kept moving. In the end, the Skeleton flipped into the air as Sungyoon pulled back on his halberd.

But the monster quickly adjusted its body in the air and swung its sword towards Sungyoon.

However, Sungyoon had let go of his halberd, and he had summoned his shield.

Koo-oong!

Hisbody shifted. The Skeleton was still in the air, and it had swung its sword in desperation. That was why the attack didn’t have much force behind it.

Tim appeared. He brought down his ax towards the Skeleton’s body, which was full of openings.

Ka-ahhhhhng!

A hair-raising sound of steel impacting the Skeleton filled the labyrinth.

Koo-oong!

The monster fell to the floor of the labyrinth.

A large dent appeared on the armor around the Skeleton’s upper body.

However, one could see at a glance that no damage had been done to its real body. In fact, Tim was frowning. He had barely hung onto his ax when it bounced off the armor.

‘The magic was able to damage it, yet his physical attack couldn’t penetrate its defense.’

The surface of the armor had melted, yet Tim could only make a dent on the Skeleton’s armor. Sungyoon lamented at this fact.

However, his disappointment lasted only a moment. The Skeleton’s fiery eyes once again rolled around in its socket to look at its foes. Sungyoon immediately raised his sword when he saw this.

“Get out of the way!”

Sungyoon had been about to stab his sword through the gap in its armor, but he came to a stop. He immediately ran backward. Tim also hastily ran away from the Skeleton.

Did the Skeleton realize something was amiss? It quickly tried to get back on its feet.

‘I can’t let it do that.’

Sungyoon activated his gravity magic. The Skeleton froze in place for a brief moment.

At that moment, a formless energy wave hit the Skeleton.

Kwah-jeek! Kwah-jee-jeek!

Suddenly, the heated bones of the Skeleton started to flash freeze.

The cold energy froze its armor, weapon, and anything in its surrounding. The cold air spread into the surrounding in a flash.

Toohk! Too-doohk!

It was like watching a movie. The Skeleton started to move in slow motion. It turned completely blue, and one could visually see the temperature drop around it.

“Ooh. So cold~!”

The cold air had spread into the surrounding, and it even reached Sungyoon and Tim. Tim breathed out a white fog as he shivered.

‘Amazing.’

Sungyoon glanced at Grace.

The Flame magic had been great, but he found the Ice magic to be amazing. The spell was able to damage the Skeleton, and at the same time, restrict its movements.

Of course, the spell couldn’t completely stop the monster in its tracks.

Even if it was a small amount, the Skeleton was moving. Moreover, the frost coated around the Skeleton’s body was sloughing off.

‘It won’t last long.’

“Let’s go.”

Sungyoon tapped Tim’s shoulder, and he took the lead as he rushed at the Skeleton.

“Ha-ahhht!”

He brought down his sword toward the neck.

Kah-ahng!

The Skeleton barely blocked Sungyoon’s sword.

‘It is already able to move to this extent?’

Sungyoon was surprised, but the thunder flowing through his sword made the Skeleton jerk and pause once again. Tim, who had followed Sungyoon, didn’t miss this opportunity.

“Hoo-ryahh!”

Hisax once again hit the Skeleton. He was precise this time, and the weapon impacted the Skeleton’s cervical bones.

Kwah-jeek!

The sound of destruction rang out as the Skeleton’s head was separated from its body. Its head flew through the air.

Toohk!

The skull hit the ground as it rolled across the floor. Its body slowly fell backward. At the same time, its fiery eyes dimmed.

“D... did we win?”

Tim had severed its head, yet he didn’t sound confident as he mumbled to himself. It seemed Sungyoon couldn’t believe it either.

They had worked hard, but when they thought about how powerful the Skeleton was, they had killed it relatively easily.

‘I guess it is all thanks to her.’

Sungyoon looked at Grace. She was slowly approaching Sungyoon with Emily.

Of course, Sungyoon was now able to fully use his Jewel rank Gems. Moreover, Tim and Emily had acquired better quality Gems. They had all overclocked their Gems in this fight, so that had a large part in why they had won. However, he couldn’t deny the fact that Grace’s overwhelming firepower had the biggest impact.

Sugnyoon wasn’t the only one that was impressed.

‘They are a great party.’

Grace inwardly praised Sungyoon’s party in amazement. The Gems they possessed were great, but their battle sense and their ability to cooperate with each other was beyond outstanding.

‘Above all else….’

Grace’s gaze landed on Sungyoon.

When the Skeleton had charged out of the flame to target her, she had been afraid.

She was a woman of great courage, but her party had been wiped. She had aimlessly wandered around the labyrinth not too long ago.

The memory of the moment when her party members had desperately blocked the monsters from attacking her came to her mind.

Sungyoon’s actions had surprised her.

‘His Gem summoning speed is incredibly fast.’

He had summoned his halberd in a flash and interfered with the Skeleton’s actions.

‘Moreover, I’m pretty sure he used magic.’

His spells were also instant. She of all people knew how ridiculous that was since her power was centered around using spells.

Grace was able to prepare her second spell thanks to his actions.

She had lost too many Gems when she had overclocked them. So she had suffered in terms of the variety of Gems she possessed and the power she could generate. It also meant it took her longer to use her spells. Sungyoon and Tim had been great frontline fighters, and they had given her the confidence to act.

“Let’s quickly get out of here.”

When Emily and Grace approached him, Sungyoon quickly picked up the Skeleton’s moonstone. Then he gestured towards the entrance. He didn’t want to face an annoying situation where he would have to face more monsters. Unfortunately, Sungyoon’s hope was shattered into pieces.