The pce Charlot “found” was an orc meeting hall, a feren for orc officers—indeed, it was rather “.”

  The adventurers were quite satisfied with this “camp.” After a bit of ing, they cleared a rge space for themselves.

  Although Lord Leo remained somewhat cautious, he eventually cluded that his s were overblown. fident in his strength, he paid no further mind and instructed his two attendants to y out a thick carpet so he could rest and recover his energy.

  His attendants, ever loyal, stayed close by, maintaining a buffer between Lord Leo and the group of adventurers.

  No oiced that Charlot had vanished.

  By now, Charlot had ventured deep into the Machubi Fortress. Standing alone on an abandoned path, he stared into the deeper recesses of the stronghold.

  This desote path marked the boundary where the fortress began to transform into a byrinth.

  Charlot could se: the byrinthiransformation of Machubi was driviain forces deeper into the stronghold.

  “So, there really are some strahings in this Machubi Fortress!”

  “I wonder if I could capture a few of them to enhahe byrinth’s power.”

  Charlot had researched this subject at Sheffield Uy, sulting professors and p over various materials, eventually pieg together fragments of “truth.”

  During the csh of twn gods of chaos, it seemed both had lost portions of their power, which had fused into the Diary.

  If Charlot could absorb the power tained in Agmirs' Labyrinth and the Vampiric Scroll〢〨 before the two gods rediscovered their lost energy, they would no longer be able to sehis portion of their chaotic essence.

  This was because the power would no longer belong to them.

  However, if Charlot failed to assimite the power within the given timeframe, Agmirs and Karnstein would seheir lost chaotiergy once more, pinpoint the location, and desd upon the world again.

  While the timeframe for the Vampiric Scroll〢〨 was tighter, Charlot’s mastery of Blood Glory and his study of Adonis vampiric secret arts made abs the scroll’s power retively manageable.

  Oher hand, Agmirs’ Labyrinth allowed more time, but ensions were possible. Ohe deadline passed, Agmirs would iably return, unstoppable aating.

  Humans could not resist fn gods of chaos!Only gods could tend with gods.

  This was the sensus of the Old ti.

  Charlot was therefore all the more eager to master the fifteen byrinths.

  Always cautious, he refrained from stepping outside the byrinth’s bounds or taking unnecessary risks. However, certaiies lurking in the shadows could no longer tain themselves.

  A whisper, soft and insidious, suddenly brushed against his ear. It was as though a lover, intimate and tender, was calling out to him.

  The whisper carried a boundless power of entment. Within its range of influence, dozens of wild beasts emerged from their hiding pces, their movements stiff as they stumbled deeper into the heart of Machubi.

  Charlot pressed a hand against his brow, debating whether to activate the Eye of Insight.

  He couldn’t identify the source of the whispering, but he was unafraid. Inwardly, he thought, “I’ve stared down fn gods of chaos twice. How could a mere charm spell affect my mind?”

  Charlot was certain that as long as he stayed within the byrinth’s domain, the hiddeure would have no way to harm him.

  “Kainan! I’m here…”

  As Charlot maintained his calm, a figure—a woman with wavy golden hair—suddenly darted into the darkness, her voice a soft, urgent call.

  “Hannah?!”

  “e back!”

  Charlot shouted in arm, but it was too te.

  Hannah, an unassuming young woman who seemed fond of him, had followed him here. Charlot had never sidered any romantivolvement with her, especially while he was on the run.

  Even if the day came when his escape ended, Charlot already had someone else in mind.

  He hadn’t expected Hannah to follow him, let alone fall prey to the whispers emanating from the depths of Machubi.

  Without hesitation, Charlot flung his Vampiric Axe into the air. Guided by his Bloodfire Qi, the axe should have flown with precision, but after traveling a few dozen paces, it abruptly lost its e to him and disappeared into the dark recesses of Machubi, o return.

  A chill ran through Charlot’s heart.

  His transmigration had begun in es, at Fars’ renowned seaside resort town. Later, he had returo Strasb, the empire’s capital, home to tless iial figures and evechful eyes of the gods. Danger and monsters were practically ent.

  Except for… the au house i, when he had been drawn into the byrinth.

  And the time he summown gods…

  Well.

  He hadn’t entered monsters often, but he had faced fn gods!

  In short, Charlot had no way to gauge how terrifying the forces lurking in the depths of Machubi were or the nature of their chaotic power.

  Gazing into the pitch-bck ruins of the fortress and the vanished shadow of Hannah, Charlot forcibly suppressed the impulse to charge into the darko save her.

  Even as a fourth-tier Transdent with two extraordinary ons, he was still far from capable of fronting the monsters hidden deep within Machubi. To rush in recklessly would meaaih, aplishing nothing.

  Charlot closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and activated the Protagoras Breathing Teique, forcefully suppressing the pangs of guilt and helplessness swelling within him.

  The whispers persisted…

  An intangible power crept inch by inch through the darkness as the byrinth’s transformation tio expand.

  Minutes passed, then dozens of minutes.

  Finally, Charlot’s mind sharpened. With a anding shout, the Vampiric Axe reappeared, s gracefully bato his hand.

  At the same time, Charlot saw what had bee of Hannah.

  She had been reduced to a skeleton, as though her body had weathered turies in an instant. Her shriveled face bore an eerie hint of te—horrifying and grotesque.

  Nearby, dozens of animals y in a simir state, their corpses withered and skeletal.

  Charlot extended his hand, causing the earth to rise and envelop Hannah’s remains, along with those of the animals. Within the byrinth, he could manipute the terrain to some degree, even altering paths and dist space slightly.

  This was not power that ordinary Transdents could wield.

  It was the chaotiergy of Agmirs, the byrinth god, a power lost to the fn gods of chaos.

  After pleting the burial, Charlot turned away without looking back. Though he had no deep e with Hannah, her fate filled him with anger. He swore silently, “Whatever you are, I’ll drag you into the sunlight eighteen days from now and watch you turn to ash.”

  “No! Fifteen days should suffice.”

  The moment Charlot turhe whispering ceased.

  In the distance, a dozen vines slithered across a boundary, creeping onto the desote path. These vines, animated by some mysterious force, suddenly went taut, shrieking in a bone-chilling pitch. Yet they could not resist as they were uprooted entirely, vanishing into the byrinth.