The maze was built starting with the mother skeleton replenishing its magic.

Glenn, panting heavily, planted his sword in the ground to barely keep himself from falling.

The skeleton instructor... is so powerful.

Biglen was much stronger than before he left the labyrinth.

Clearly, he had no intention of killing Glenn, nor did he send the skeletons behind him to hunt down the fleeing Seth and his two companions.

The whole process felt like a test of Glenn's progress in his training.

Then, Martin put his hands on his hips and shook his head with a helpless expression.

He looked like he was "frustrated by the disappointing student".

It has been less than ten days since Glenn resigned from his job and officially became an adventurer, so this kind of progress is already quite remarkable.

After killing the pack of underground wolves, I leveled up to level 19.

But in Martin's eyes, this level of skill would eventually lead to his demise in another maze, so it seems he'll have to "send" him a few more times.

Just as Glenn was about to begin the next round of sparring, the skeletons that had blocked the way retreated to both sides of the wall, leaving a path for passage, and stood straight and saluted.

One of the skeletons, perhaps because its head wasn't turned properly, was also standing ramrod straight, but it was giving the middle finger, which was immediately corrected by its companion next to it.

You should only give the middle finger when you encounter an enemy, but you should salute in front of your boss.

Among the skeletons, Glenn saw Mr. Skeleton struggling to pull the Skeleton King step by step toward him.

On the Skeleton King's shoulder remained a fully golden mechanical spider.

Then all the skeletons on site were removed, leaving only him and Glenn standing facing each other.

"The Skeleton King..." Glenn murmured nervously.

"My partner said, is the tacky name 'Skeleton King' referring to him?" 3413 raised his hands and said.

"The spider... the spider is talking!" Glenn feigned a stereotypical expression of surprise.

"That's right, Gentleman 3413 is relaying what his partner said to you."

"My partner asked, 'Why did you suddenly organize a large group of adventurers to come to the labyrinth?'"

Glenn took a moment to process what was happening.

The so-called "3413" should be the name of this metal spider. He had heard of this kind of metal spider in his history class with his young lady.

These are the products of the underground dwarves of the First Age, a technologically advanced race that chose to live underground rather than participate in worldly conflicts.

The "partner" mentioned by 3413 should refer to the Skeleton King.

So, this metal spider is actually able to enable Glenn, a human, to communicate with the skeleton, a monster?!

"We've come to vanquish the monstrous beasts that have fled into the labyrinth," Glenn answered Lance's question truthfully.

"My partner said the monster is dead; you're too late."

"My partner said that the skeleton you call Mr. Skeleton is actually female, or rather, Ms. Skeleton. She's always been very bothered by being called Mr."

"My partner said, 'You don't need to add the words "my partner said" to every sentence.'"

My partner said, "Shut up!"

Inside the maze, the melodious voice of 3413 echoed continuously.

"Is the scourge dead?"

Glenn finally felt relieved, but even if he believed that, the guild still needed proof to settle the quest settlement.

So Glenn scratched his head and asked again, "Um, is there anything that can prove the beast is dead? Otherwise, the quest can't be completed and adventurers will keep coming into the labyrinth."

My partner said, "Is there really such a good thing?"

"what?"

My partner said, "Don't you dare ruin my plans, or I'm done!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lance opened a portal to the first level of the Starfall Maze. Taking advantage of Glenn turning around to look, he kicked him in the butt, sending Glenn flying to the other side of the portal.

"My partner said, 'Three, Four, One, Three, go look after this little guy, and while you're at it, bring back some magic crystals... Huh?'"

Then, 3413 was also thrown over.

Lance waved to the man and the spider, and then the portal closed.

Only Glenn and 3413 remained on the first floor of the Starfall Maze, staring at each other blankly.

"Um, my name is Glenn, nice to meet you." Glenn awkwardly extended his hand.

"Good heavens!" The metal spider jumped up, its legs stiffening instantly. After landing, it frantically circled Glenn, yelling, "How could my partner do such a thing?!"

Halfway through its turn, 3413 suddenly stopped, raised its head, and looked at Glenn with two red dots resembling eyes:

"Kid, what's your level?"

Level 19.

"Good heavens! 3413 is a gentleman, not a nanny!" 3413 anxiously spun around again.

But the anxiety lasted only a short time. Then he leaped up and jumped onto Glenn's shoulder, raising his two little hands.

Anxiety comes quickly and goes quickly.

Perhaps it was just a performance of 3, 4, 1, and 3 from beginning to end.

"Alright, since your partner thinks highly of you, then Gentleman 3413 will accompany you to explore the deeper levels! What's your name, kid?"

"My name is Glenn," the boy muttered softly. "I already told you my name..."

His teammates are still waiting for him to return to the Kru Maze, so there's no time for him to explore it now.

Which maze is this again?

After a pause, Glenn said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. 3413, I have to go back and rescue my teammates."

Standing on Glenn's shoulder, 3413 shook his left hand, as if he were wagging a finger at him.

"Going back empty-handed is not a gentlemanly thing to do, young Glenn."

"Only by taking the spoils back can you have the right to make demands."

"That makes sense," Glenn nodded thoughtfully.

If they can complete the Skeleton King's mission, he probably won't make things difficult for the adventurers.

In other words... the lives of the adventurers trapped in the Kru Labyrinth are now entirely in his hands!

Glenn patted his cheeks lightly to cheer himself up.

"By the way, I'm only level 19, is it okay for me to go to the deeper levels?"

"Don't worry! Gentleman 3413 will protect your safety!"

What a reassuring gentleman he is.

Glenn thought to himself.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Starfall Maze, fifth floor, is where the "Morning Star" team sets up camp and rests.

"Eat slowly, Lena, be careful it's hot."

Captain Parker handed the roasted potato to the little girl next to him with a doting smile on his face.

Lena's eyes sparkled as she took the potato from the other person with both hands. Because it was too hot, she tossed it back and forth between her hands. Finally, she wrapped the potato in her clothes, took a bite, and her little face lit up with happiness.

Even though it was burning hot, he still smiled and mumbled indistinctly, "Thank you, thank you! *slap* (a sound of something being scalded)!"

"Another day of trying to trick me into having a daughter." The therapist, Delon, knelt down, cupped his chin in his hands, and smiled like a doting aunt.

"You should find a girlfriend first," the old magician Nick said, wiping the magic crystal on his staff.

This is the complete team of the "Morning Star" squad, a three-person squad consisting of a warrior, mage, and priest.

Captain Parker, a level 35 veteran adventurer, whose profession is warrior.

Nick, an old mage, is a level 34 mage who can use fourth-order destruction magic.

The healer, Delon, is a level 32 follower of Caldilon and is capable of using support magic and Caldilon's exclusive healing spells.

Although they are not as strong as the C-rank team "Platinum Unicorn" in terms of overall strength, their combat power is still decent, and they can be considered the mainstay of the Byrondin Adventurers' Guild.

Because Enniman is a rich and peaceful province, and none of the most dangerous labyrinths on the continent are in the south, the adventurers here are generally less skilled than those in other provinces.

Even if the maze wasn't dangerous, getting down to the fifth floor with a little girl was already the limit.

Parker subtly exchanged glances with his two former teammates, then nodded to each other.

It's about time this farce, born out of a desire to appease Lena, came to an end.

Everyone knew that the "Platinum Unicorn" team, who had gone deep into the labyrinth to explore the strange phenomena, had most likely been wiped out. But when Lena came to the Adventurers' Guild that day and asked, "Where is my brother?" even the most ruthless tough guy couldn't bear to tell the truth.

We could only go along with her wishes, ask the guild to issue the quest, and have the "Morning Star" team accept the quest.

Parker and his companions walked slowly, showing Rena the dangers and mysteries of the maze, giving her ample time to mentally prepare herself.

Now, it's time to tell her the truth.

We can't go any further.

"Lena, look at the campfire." Parker tried to make his voice as gentle as possible.

"Okay." Lena held the potatoes and obediently looked at the fire.

"When you feel lost, fearful, or in pain, when you feel like you're about to give up on the adventure, stare at the campfire and listen to the sound of the flames. Throw all your troubles into the fire and let the flames burn them away."

"How interesting!" Reina clapped her hands repeatedly after finishing the roasted potato, blinking her big eyes with a smile. "Is this an adventurer's secret technique?!"

"Yes." Parker smiled and reached out to touch her head.

"I also want to share a secret to becoming happy!"

Lena sat cross-legged on the ground, swaying her body from side to side.

"Sister Clara said that there are actually two ways to become happy. One is to completely shut yourself off. As long as you don't come into contact with things that cause pain, you may become happy."

"Another method is to concentrate all the suffering in the world on one person, so that the rest of the people will be happy."

"Klara?" Paka asked, somewhat surprised. "Is she the older sister you mentioned before?"

Judging from her tone, she seems to be a woman with quite a few ideas.

"Yes, yes! My brother, my sister Clara, and I live together."

At this point, Lena, who had been all smiles, suddenly became somewhat downcast, and the sunshine on her face disappeared.

"But my brother never came back, and my sister Clara left too."

"Uncle Parker, is my brother deep inside the maze? When are we going to find him?"

Lena looked up, her large eyes filled with unease and anticipation.

Parker seemed to choke, his lips trembling slightly but unable to speak. He looked at his two companions and found that they were both looking at him with disapproving expressions and turning their heads away.

"Lena, listen to me."

"Um?"

"Your brother... may not be coming back."

Lena's expression froze, her eyes were vacant, and she trembled slightly.

"Huh?"