NOVEL NEXT Chapter 104: Nearby Sanctum?
Yes. Beasts in dungeons are different. They're not just strong—there stronger than normal dungeon beast. Their bodies are naturally tougher. Faster. Even if you're the same rank, they can overwhelm you."
The instructor glanced toward the distant sky. "Whoever that was… they're not normal."
"You students have a lot to learn from him"
---
Elsewhere, inside a military-run administrative complex, several officials were already analyzing the beam from security monitors.
"Trace it back," a woman in uniform said, tapping the screen. "I want to know where it came from. That looked like a clean Labyrinth sync. Was it done through a registered agency?"
"No ma'am," the officer beside her answered after a few taps on his tablet. "It originated from the Obsidian Anchor sector. Unit #314. No prior Labyrinth dive registration, but the core itself was purchased and licensed."
"Purchased? By who?"
"Checking now…"
The silence stretched a moment, before the name blinked onto the screen.
"Leon Grimveil," the officer said.
The room fell silent for a second.
"…Grimveil?" the woman repeated, eyes narrowing.
"No guild affiliation. Recent dungeon activity: cleared a Rank 1 Goblin Nest two days ago. Cleared solo even with Desperado guild's team as competition. Claimed full loot."
She leaned back slightly. "Solo clear of a populated dungeon? At Rank 1?"
He nodded. "Yes ma'am. From the report, he seemed… efficient."
"Interesting." She leaned forward again, folding her hands. "Keep him flagged. If he survives his first Labyrinth cycle, we may want to reach out."
---
Even the online forums began lighting up.
[SystemAlert: Beam sighted at Valeron Cross – Green Signature Confirmed.]
[Thread:]
["Someone Just Synced a Dungeon Core—Great Labyrinth Dive Confirmed!"]
[User1: "Anyone got a name?" User2: "From what I heard, some unaffiliated guy. Not noble. Not guilded."]
[User3: "Finally, someone with balls. Everyone keeps saying we need stronger Awakened, but no one wants to enter the Labyrinth."]
[User4: "Because most die in there, idiot."]
[User5: "Still… I respect it. That place is terrifying. Anyone who dives in willingly has my respect."]
---
Within hours, the green flare was all anyone talked about in Valeron Cross.
And in the quiet shadow of Unit #314, a small, faintly pulsing mana circle remained where the portal once stood—fading slowly, like the last breath of magic before silence.
The boy who had lived there just a moment ago was gone.
Into the Great Labyrinth. Where no one could follow. And where everything was about to begin.
A portal tore open in the heart of a dense, dimly lit forest—its edges warping space with a faint crackle of mana. From within, a figure stepped out.
Ethan Drakethorne.
Dressed in a simple black jacket, loose combat trousers, and worn boots, he looked no different from someone out on a casual stroll. But his eyes, sharp and alert, betrayed the truth. His entire body was subtly tensed, like a coiled spring. He didn't let his guard down for even a second.
As soon as his boots touched the grassy soil, he stilled.
His brow furrowed slightly.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment—spreading out his mana sense. A dome of perception rippled outward, covering everything within a hundred meters. It wasn't just a scan; it was a full sensory sweep.
His eyes opened slowly.
"...Hmm, goblins," he muttered, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "And in such huge numbers..."
For most Awakened, the presence of that many enemies—coordinated, no less—would've caused panic, maybe even fear. But Ethan? His heart thumped with a rising sense of glee.
'Looks like I'm lucky this time around.'
Through his mana sense, he saw it all clearly—like a mental image painted in strokes of energy. Goblins, over two dozen of them, swarming a wounded beast in the distance. Their movements weren't the usual chaotic mess. They were precise, timed, deliberate. Too coordinated for basic goblins.
And then he saw it.
At the rear of the formation stood a larger figure—a hulking goblin with tribal tattoos, a bone staff in hand, and mana swirling ominously around it.
A goblin warlock.
Ethan smiled, his hand drifting toward the hilt of his sword he summoned from his void ring.
The moment the goblin warlock sensed him, it raised its staff and screeched. Immediately, the goblins abandoned their target and turned to face Ethan, their eyes gleaming with primal hostility. Without delay, they charged toward him in a blur of shrieks and thudding feet.
Ethan didn't move.
His sword remained sheathed.
It wasn't until the goblins were just a few steps away that his blade flashed out in a single, fluid motion.
A crescent arc of blue light erupted from his strike—sharp, condensed, and lethal. The mana slash flew forward with a whispering hum.
Shhhhk—BOOM!
The entire front wave of goblins was torn apart mid-charge. Limbs scattered, blood misted, and silence followed.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
<Ding!>
[You have slain a Goblin.]
[+50 EXP]
Ethan blinked once, barely acknowledging it. Just one goblin, barely a warm-up.
He exhaled lightly, casually resting the sword against his shoulder.
'Even without mana slash, these things would drop like flies with my Goblin Slayer title,' he thought, watching as the second wave began forming up under the warlock's command.
The warlock screeched again, its mana flaring. More goblins poured in from the trees, barking, howling, fanning out around Ethan in an attempt to flank him.
But he'd already grown bored.
"Kaeryx," he called, voice steady.
A moment later, space behind him shimmered with heat. A rift split open, and from it emerged a serpentine silhouette—deep obsidian scales glinting in the filtered light, eyes glowing with intelligence and fury.
Kaeryx, his draconic companion, stepped forward with a low growl that shook the ground beneath its claws.
The goblin warlock froze.
Its hand lifted slightly, hesitant, as if issuing a new order.
Retreat.
But it was too late.
"Burn them," Ethan said, voice calm.
Kaeryx's maw glowed with a buildup of condensed elemental mana—deep orange swirling with flashes of white. In the next instant, he let loose a torrent of dragon breath, a wide stream of pure destruction.
The forest lit up in a blaze.
The air rippled from the heat, trees cracked and splintered, and screams were drowned out by the roar of the flame.
When it ended, more than half of the goblins were gone—charred husks or scattered ashes in the breeze.
<Ding!>
[Your companion, Kaeryx, has slain Goblin ×13]
[+650 EXP]
[Your companion, Kaeryx, has slain Goblin ×9]
[+450 EXP]
[Level Up! You are now Level 2.]
Ethan raised a brow slightly, the faintest grin forming on his lips.
"Already? That was fast…"
Meanwhile, the goblin warlock shrieked, enraged, but now, even it looked unsure. Ethan tilted his head, calm and unbothered.
He cracked his neck lazily.
"Go on," he said softly, locking eyes with the warlock. "You're next."
But to Ethan's surprise, the goblin warlock didn't make a run for it.
Instead, it remained standing in place, its hunched frame rigid as its staff lowered. Then, in an unexpectedly fluid motion, it dropped to one knee and bowed its head.
"Lord Human... spare us," the warlock said in broken but clear human tongue, its voice gravelly with age and caution. "You will surely benefit greatly if you let us live…"
Behind it, the remaining goblins—all those who survived the blazing breath of Kaeryx—dropped to their knees as well. Their heads bowed low to the dirt, eyes averted, silent in a display of reverence that contrasted sharply with the earlier bloodlust.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.
'A good leader knows when to submit and when to revolt… this warlock's smarter than I expected. I shouldn't underestimate it.'
He walked a few steps forward, Kaeryx rumbling softly behind him, the ground gently vibrating under each of the dragon's heavy steps.
Ethan's voice was calm, but it held the sharpness of a blade unsheathed. "Now, I'm curious," he said, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. "What possible benefit could I gain from keeping you alive? You do realize I can level up just by killing all of you right here."
The goblin warlock nodded without raising its head. "We come from a nearby sanctum… one still wild, but established. You need a sanctum, don't you? To move between this Labyrinth and your world easily."
Ethan's eyes lit up at those words, a flicker of interest flaring behind his irises.
'A sanctum... already? And right after entering the Labyrinth?'
It felt surreal. Almost too easy.
But he knew why—it was because he was simply too strong. Overkill strong. This kind of luck didn't come to just anyone—it came to someone who could clear out an entire goblin warband in seconds.
Still, his instincts whispered caution.
His gaze darkened, and a cold glint flashed across his eyes. Killing intent radiated from his body like a pressure wave, thick and suffocating. The goblins around him trembled, and even Kaeryx turned his head slightly, as if reacting to his master's mood shift.
"I hope," Ethan said slowly, his voice suddenly quiet—dangerously quiet—"you're not trying to play some kind of trick."
His words hung in the air like a guillotine.
"Because if you are… I assure you, you'll regret it."