The Main Characters That Only I Know

Chapter 18:

Chapter 18

The Labyrinth of Crete.

It was a place that many collectors had challenged in the beginning, but eventually gave up and abandoned after repeated failures.

The cornerstone of their failure was always the same existence.

The Minotaur, the monstrous offspring of King Minos’ wife and a bull sent by Poseidon.

This creature, which had a human body and a bull’s head, was a famous fantasy being that was well-covered by the media.

According to the original myth, it should have been defeated by Theseus with the help of Ariadne, but this was the world of ideas.

The Minotaur here was still alive and waiting for intruders in the labyrinth, clutching its hungry stomach.

“It would be hard to face it with an average level of collector.”

The mythical monster was as formidable as its reputation.

The spirits knew that too, so they started to spam me with indirect messages full of anticipation.

[The Flower Blooming in the Ruins is excited.]

[The Silver Witch is shining her eyes and heating up the story.]

[The Runner on the Clouds is asking you to show him the story quickly.]

Maybe it was because I had gathered a lot of expectations from the first story?

The number of viewers had already exceeded 80. 

At this rate, I would be able to achieve some more sub-missions soon.

“It’s an exceptional speed.”

As a teller, the growth potential of my library was absurd.

But the explosive popularity now was nothing but a momentary phenomenon.

“Just because the beginning is good, it doesn’t guarantee that it will be good until the end.”

The spirits who came to my library now were not captivated by my story. 

Of course, some of them might be, but most of them were not.

The current popularity was only due to the fact that I had done something crazy from the first story, and the momentum of that moment had lasted until now.

If I don’t keep pushing, the story will stop.

“So, the next 2 or 3 stories are the turning point.”

I had gathered attention by doing something that others didn’t do from the first story.

I had achieved that primary goal, so now what I had to do was to appeal to the audience who came here and take them along with me.

The number of viewers surpassed 90 and reached 100.

A notification window that I had cleared a sub-mission popped up along with a small amount of points.

“Are all the spirits who are going to watch here?”

The number of viewers who had been rising rapidly stopped at 110.

Even if I waited more, there would be no more guests, and I felt that it was time to start.

“Let’s go. Today’s menu is ox head soup.”

“Uh… are we going to eat it?”

“Do you really want to eat it? It’s just a figure of speech.”

We exchanged light conversations, but I didn’t forget to check the reactions of the spirits.

Most of them were people who came to check if the rumored restaurant was really good. 

If I didn’t show them a proper story here, they would leave my library without hesitation.

They were potential customers that I had to hold on to.

“More than anything, it’s not just the spirits who are watching this.”

It was the same for tellers who were interested in my library.

There were already 10 tellers who came to check out my library.

Their intentions were obvious. 

They came to see what kind of library the teller who suddenly rose up had. 

Whether it was a threat to them or not.

They analyzed and evaluated and tore apart if they could.

Their intentions were obvious.

“Fine. Look as much as you want.”

I didn’t intend to do anything mediocre anyway.

Whether they felt threatened by me or not, my primary goal today was to captivate the viewers.

“Then, let’s start. Hye-rim, take this.”

“This is…”

What I handed over to Kang Hye-rim was a large ball of yarn. 

She knew what it meant and took the yarn and pulled out a thread near the entrance.

This Labyrinth of Crete, which was made by Daedalus, had a very complex structure. 

It was said that without a blueprint, one could never get out once trapped inside.

But in the myth, Theseus was able to escape from the labyrinth by retracing his steps with the help of Ariadne’s yarn.

Since the original story was like that, this yarn was for possible escape.

“Then, good luck.”

I moved to [The Room of Observers] after saying that.

But I wasn’t just watching. 

I had arranged for Hye-rim to have a separate remote conversation with me.

It was a long-distance communication that only contracted collectors and tellers could do.

“Ah, can you hear me?”

-Yes. I can hear you well.

“I’m glad you can hear me well. First of all, there are no fantasy beings in this place except for the Minotaur, so you don’t have to worry and just move.”

-Can I just move around? It’s a labyrinth, won’t I get lost?

“Do you know this? This labyrinth was originally made to imprison the Minotaur and provide it with prey. It’s complicated to get out from the inside to the outside, but it’s very easy to go from the outside to the center of the labyrinth.”

So even if you don’t know the way and move around randomly, the final destination of this labyrinth is the space where the Minotaur resides.

I don’t know what principle makes it so, but it must be possible since it was a labyrinth made by Daedalus, the best inventor of the mythological era.

“Hye-rim, you just have to go without hesitation. As if this is nothing, confidently.”

-Yes. I got it!

Kang Hye-rim moved as I instructed. 

She straightened her back and lifted her chin slightly. 

She headed into the dark and gloomy labyrinth as if it couldn’t block her way.

That was the ideal scenario of a heroic tale that the spirits wanted most.

The spirits were happy and sponsored points.

[The Drunkard of the Tavern 100TP sponsorship!]

[Go all the way like this!]

Some spirits who couldn’t control their excitement even threw direct messages that cost points instead of indirect messages.

Especially that drunkard who came to my library for the first time seemed to like Hye-rim, and he often sponsored points. 

I got a good sucker.

‘But is it time to arrive soon?’

The uneasy energy in the labyrinth was getting stronger little by little.

Unlike the neat entrance area, there were more and more damaged parts everywhere. 

There were traces of something having fought fiercely.

Kang Hye-rim, who had been walking confidently, stopped for a moment and looked at something in front of her.

I quickly caught on to what she saw and stopped.

-Ah…

“Shh. Don’t make a sound.”

I swiftly covered Kang Hye-rim’s mouth as she tried to say something. 

My judgment was right.

If I had been a bit slower, she would have screamed out loud without knowing it.

“It’s a corpse.”

It wasn’t just a corpse. 

It was a corpse that had been torn apart by something. 

There were bones scattered around, belonging to unknown owners, and a foul smell wafted from everywhere.

It was a sight that could induce disgust and nausea in anyone who saw it for the first time.

It was natural for Kang Hye-rim to react like that.

“Breathe calmly. You must never show your fear to the spirits.”

She had to act as the character Geomhu right now. 

If she screamed here, she would ruin the image she had built up so far.

And more importantly, if she screamed, the thing that was waiting inside would quickly approach us.

“Breathe slowly.”

-Sniff. Hoo.

“Judging by the decay, it seems like a collector who came in not long ago. It looks like he tried to target the abandoned world of thought, but got caught instead.”

There were some people who tried to target the neglected world of thought, thinking that there would be no competitors.

But as you can see, their end was this.

They must have entered with some confidence, but the price of arrogance was too high for the collectors who lacked skill.

-Are you okay, Yu-hyun?

“I’m fine.”

I had seen too much to be surprised by this sight.

The corpse of someone I didn’t know didn’t give me much impression.

I added an excuse as if to justify myself.

“Tellers have different emotions than normal people.”

-Mhm.

“Anyway, I commend you for not screaming. Are you feeling better now?”

-It got better after breathing deeply.

“You have to be careful too, Hye-rim. If you let your guard down, you’ll end up like that.”

-…I know.

She must have exhausted her mental strength in the meantime, because her voice sounded slightly weak.

But she didn’t panic like other people often did. 

Rather, she accepted the situation and tried to focus more on the fight.

‘I’m glad she has a strong mind.’

Kang Hye-rim’s strength was not just her trait.

She didn’t realize it herself, but she had a mental strength that surpassed most collectors.

Historically speaking, great people always had something wrong with them. 

Then what about the collectors who reached the top among the chosen ones?

‘She doesn’t know it herself, but her nature is not ordinary after all.’

Anyway, it was a good thing.

Kang Hye-rim, who regained her composure, moved faster towards the center of the labyrinth. 

The labyrinth itself didn’t block her way, as if inviting her in.

How long did we walk?

The narrow corridor ended and a wide hall appeared.

-This is the center of the labyrinth…

The center was very spacious unlike the corridor with ceiling and walls. 

The height reached up to 30m and a bright white light came down like a pillar through a hole in the center.

In the middle of that light, there was a figure sitting still with its back turned to us.

A brown fur-covered body and a huge horn on its head.

I immediately warned Kang Hye-rim.

“Be careful. It’s him.”

The Minotaur.

The owner of this labyrinth sensed the intruders and slowly got up from his seat.

He was taller than Kang Hye-rim even when he was sitting down, but when he stood up, he looked like a mountain standing there.

He was about 4m tall. 

His flesh under his brown fur was full of steel-like muscles. 

He didn’t even have any weapons, but his presence was overwhelming.

Any ordinary collector would be squeezed like a rag if they were caught by his hands.

But.

“We came prepared too.”

Swoosh.

Kang Hye-rim drew her sword without hesitation as soon as she saw the Minotaur. 

She ran towards him with blazing eyes. 

Her body skimmed along the ground as if lying flat on it. 

The Minotaur raised his fist and swung it down from above to below like a hammer.

Boom!

His fist had an unbelievable power. 

The solid ground cracked and stone fragments flew everywhere. 

But Kang Hye-rim was not where he hit his fist.

Huh?nove(l)bi(n.)com

He lost his target for a moment. 

The Minotaur was momentarily confused, but he had no choice but to kneel down because of the burning pain he felt in both ankles.

Thud!

His Achilles tendons were cut and he fell forward without knowing it. 

Kang Hye-rim came out from between his legs and cut his Achilles tendons.

-Today’s menu is ox head soup!

She couldn’t contain her excitement and shouted out loud as she swung her sword.

“Seriously.”

I facepalmed as I watched her.

No, I was just kidding.