Chapter 33: Anomaly – 1

The Cradle had one guild.

And beneath it, countless clans operated.

The only organization deserving the title of “guild” was the Adventurer’s Guild itself.

Its power was immense.

With its adventurers alone, it could crush an entire kingdom in an instant.

And at its helm.

The ruler of The Cradle.

The Guild Master.

She was a woman with a cold, commanding presence.

If Lucia’s hair was a deep crimson, like freshly spilled blood.

Then this woman’s hair was a raging inferno, burning vivid and wild.

Her eyes gleamed with an unusual golden hue.

Not just gold, but something closer to a reptilian gaze.

Click, click.

Her heels echoed against the floor as she walked.

And her gaze lingered on me for a brief moment.

‘…Was that my imagination?’

It felt like her attention had lingered on me just a little longer than the others.

But before I could think further, she took her seat at the head of the table.

“It’s been a while since we’ve gathered.”

Her voice was weary.

Yet unlike Volcan’s, it carried a weight of absolute authority.

The kind of charisma that made people instinctively follow her without question.

‘…A Gift?’

Most likely.

Because for a split second, even I felt the urge to obey her.

“Let’s keep this brief. Everyone’s busy, and we have more important matters at hand.”

“Anomalies have begun appearing on floors 1 through 5 of the labyrinth.”

“Specifically, the monsters have started exhibiting higher intelligence.

Boss monsters with command over others have started appearing.”

“And most importantly.”

“Our ‘scavengers’—the ones we rely on to control dungeon flow—have been dying in large numbers.”

“Because of that, the Guild has decided to intervene.”

“The labyrinth will be sealed temporarily. Floors 1 through 5 will be investigated to determine the cause.”

“That is why you were all summoned.”

The Guild Master’s gaze swept over us, completely indifferent.

“Any questions?”

A hand was raised.

“How long will the investigation take?”

“Unknown. We plan to resolve this as soon as possible, which is why we’ve gathered our top adventurers.”

“But… the highest-ranking adventurers aren’t here, are they?”

“No. They’ve all entered The Abyss.”

“Ugh…”

The Abyss.

The term used to refer to everything below the 20th floor of the labyrinth.

Only adventurers on Volcan’s level or higher were permitted to enter.

It was a place where absolute teamwork was required.

One wrong move—one failure to follow a party leader’s orders.

Could result in complete annihilation.

‘If even people like Volcan struggle to survive there…’

Then calling it The Abyss was more than fitting.

It was also the reason why the Empire and the Kingdoms weren’t overly concerned about the Demon King.

Because if all the adventurers exploring The Abyss gathered together.

They could easily wipe out an entire army of heroes from a thousand years ago.

That was the scale of their power.

“In any case, this is a high-priority request. I expect everyone to give it their all.”

“A high-priority request for floors 1 through 5? The Guild must be in a real hurry.”

“Well, if it’s high-ranked, we’ll earn a lot of contribution points.”

The adventurers chatted casually.

Most of them explored beyond the 10th floor, so a low-level investigation didn’t faze them at all.

‘I could probably handle the 1st floor by myself, too.’

That said.

Not everyone seemed at ease.

Erme had a serious look on her face.

‘That’s… a little concerning.’

If someone like her looked uneasy, then there was real danger ahead.

“If there are no further questions, you’re all dismissed. Carry out your missions.”

With that, the Guild Master left the hall.

The remaining adventurers exchanged brief greetings, then began dispersing.

‘The atmosphere isn’t tense at all…’

Most of them weren’t worried—they even called this a lucky mission.

That’s when Volcan spoke up.

“Brats, you should be thanking me for this one.”

“I don’t know… This doesn’t feel right.”

“What, your gut feeling is bad?”

Volcan looked genuinely shocked by my words.

Then, for some reason.

His expression turned serious.

Like he was actually considering my instincts.

“If it were anyone else, I’d just tell them to stop spouting nonsense…”

…Why does he trust my gut feeling so much?

Even I found his reaction a bit unsettling.

“So, Yuseong… You’re feeling uneasy about this too?”

Erme’s voice cut in.

…Too?

I wasn’t reading the situation—I was just reading her expression.

“Are you nervous? If so, you’re welcome to join my party instead.”

Lucia’s sultry voice flowed smoothly as she waved at me.

Before I could react.

Erme stepped forward, blocking my path.

Her stance was clear.

A silent refusal.

“Sorry, but Yuseong isn’t some object to be passed around.”

“Oh my, I never said he was~… Or do you feel guilty about something?”

“Ah, my apologies. I’ve just been a little on edge lately—there’s been someone following Yuseong around, you see.”

Lucia smiled.

“Well then, I suppose I’ll see you later.”

She waved and walked off.

As soon as she was gone, Erme grumbled.

“Ugh. That woman seriously gives me bad vibes.”

“You’re probably the only one who could talk to the Execution Princess like that.”

Glasses adjusted his lenses as he spoke to Erme.

Behind him, Theresa silently nodded in agreement.

‘What exactly happened between them for them to react this strongly?’

A small curiosity sparked in my mind.

“Shall we get going?”

At Erme’s words, our party all nodded.

We headed downstairs, where the five of us inscribed our marks.

And then, we stepped toward the portal leading to the labyrinth.

The moment we entered.

I felt it.

‘Something’s… off.’

My senses sharpened.

My body temperature dropped slightly.

Everything felt.

‘Different.’

The instant I stepped inside, a chilling realization struck me.

A faint, foreboding scent in the air.

As if.

‘I might actually die today.’

“W-What is this…?”

“W-Was the labyrinth always this terrifying?”

Glasses and Rozanté spoke in turn.

They felt it too.

Theresa’s brows furrowed slightly in discomfort.

“Something definitely feels different.”

I nodded.

“Last time I came alone, the goblins were acting strangely.”

“How exactly?”

“They were setting traps, luring people in, and moving in coordinated groups.”

“Wait… don’t goblins usually do that?”

“Not like this.

It was far more… professional.”

Glasses frowned, deep in thought.

I could tell he was rethinking whether we should even be here.

But now wasn’t the time for hesitation.

“Let’s set a clear objective.”

“An objective?”

I swept my gaze across the surroundings.

Before answering.

“Survival.

That’s the only goal.”

Our party was weak.

We had only ended up here by chance.

‘They probably don’t expect much from us.’

Some people took this incident seriously, but no one here believed we would make any significant contributions.

Most likely, they just brought us along to introduce us to the higher ranks—to establish connections.

‘Still, we need to achieve something.’

As long as it didn’t put our lives at risk.

“There’s something you all need to be careful of.”

Erme gathered the party and spoke in a hushed voice.

“What is it?”

“If you see anyone acting strangely… or as if they’ve been possessed, do not hesitate. Run. Immediately.”

Her tone was firm—almost commanding.

Erme was usually careful when making suggestions, but this time, her words bordered on an order.

Everyone must have noticed the seriousness, because their expressions hardened as they nodded.

“And one more thing. If we get separated in here…

Do not trust anyone you meet again.”

“Just in case, let’s set up a verification method.”

“A… verification method?”

Glasses asked, and Erme nodded firmly.

“No words—only a sign. Draw an X on your wrist and wear this band over it.”

She quickly handed out bands and used a marker to draw an X on each of our wrists.

‘So whatever we’re up against… it can mimic party members?’

If Erme was emphasizing this much, then there was no doubt about it.

I tightened the band over the X on my wrist.

…But then, a strange sense of déjà vu hit me.

‘…I’ve seen this before.’

Where?

I couldn’t remember.

“As party leader, I have one last thing to say.”

“Our goal is exploration, But above all else, prioritize your own survival.”

“Ah, got it.”

Erme repeated herself multiple times—urging everyone to protect their own lives first.

It was unlike her, and it put everyone on edge.

Rozanté, however, looked touched.

“At least we have a leader with a conscience.”

“Why?”

“My last party only cared about results.

They saw sacrificing party members as just part of their success.”

I frowned.

“And… what happened to them?”

“They cared too much about results… and got stabbed in the back by their own party members.”

Well, that figured.

‘In the labyrinth, no one really knows what happens inside.’

“Alright, let’s move out. Yuseong, if you notice anything—even the smallest thing—tell us immediately.”

“Got it.”

I took the lead.

Theresa followed behind me, with Glasses and Rozanté in the middle.

Erme took the rear.

“Let’s go.”

We stepped forward—into the darkness.

We hadn’t been walking long before I noticed something off.

The labyrinth was unnaturally quiet.

Normally, we would have at least heard distant battle sounds by now.

‘Maybe there just aren’t many adventurers here today?’

Most of the weaker adventurers had already been expelled.

Right now, the only ones in the labyrinth were Level 3 or higher.

Which meant even the weakest among them were far stronger than me.

That level of firepower would wipe out monsters instantly, leaving no time for prolonged fights.

That could explain the silence.

But something still felt wrong.

We kept moving.

Then, Rozanté spoke up.

“The labyrinth is too quiet.”

“Yeah. This level of silence is unnatural.”

“It’s probably because of the high-ranking adventurers.”

Erme shared my theory, but…

She was clearly tense.

‘Why is she so on edge? What exactly happened in this labyrinth?’

‘If even Erme is this anxious… we need to be careful.’

‘This labyrinth is strange today.’

‘…I know.’

Rishiel’s voice echoed in my head.

“Never take labyrinth anomalies lightly. Every time something changes, there are always casualties.”

‘Understood.’

The moment even she felt the need to warn me.

I found myself automatically tensing up.

Our party moved with caution, carefully advancing.

And then.

I smelled it.

Blood.

And something worse.

A rancid, nauseating stench.

The entire area was drenched in blood.

It was as if an entire massacre had taken place.

Something was wrong.

If there had been this much blood, then there should have been bodies.

But.

‘There are none.’

Only blood.

Nothing else.

That was what made it so unsettling.

If high-ranking adventurers had killed goblins, their corpses should be here.

But why would they take the bodies?

There were better things to loot than goblin corpses.

And then.

That unnatural silence settled in again.

I didn’t have to wonder for long.

Because that’s when I saw it.

A severed head, lying on the ground.

Nothing below it.

Just a head, placed neatly in the middle of the blood-soaked floor.

And I recognized this person.

Because he had been kind to me at the Guild.

Because he had introduced himself as—

“Nation.”

Viola’s older brother.

The man who had thanked me for humbling his sister.

His face was frozen in shock.

As if he hadn’t even realized how he died.

And now, only his head remained.