Please Touch Me, Master

Three people walked together—nearly side by side—as they explored the cave-like structure of the Labyrinth. The walls were grayish black, giving off an ominous lustre that made the space seem far more claustrophobic than it really was.

One of them stood in front, while the remaining two were behind her. All three of them were dressed appropriately, with expensive-looking armor and weapons that gleamed with a special kind of light.

Those were most certainly Artifacts—special items that possessed mystical powers.

The three were Explorers; Masters who explored Labyrinths for wealth, fame, and glory. But, they weren't ordinary ones either. The mere fact that they could all afford Artifacts of this level showed that they were at least Rank 2 or 3 Adventurers.

The woman in front had a stern expression, one befitting a knight. As for her followers, they were both men who had more casual looks. They didn't seem to share the same caution that she displayed, most likely because this was simply the outermost layer of the Labyrinth, and the most dangerous existences here were Rank 1 Abominations and the occasional weakened Rank 2 Abominations.

As Rank 2 Adventurers, these men felt no worry in their hearts.

Plus, the woman leading them—Lady Hilda—was a Rank 3 Explorer. She would naturally be invincible in this place, so what need would they have to worry?

Besides their strength as higher-rank Explorers, they were also associated with the Korgstone Family. No Master or Rogue Slave would even dream of finding trouble with them, though they imagined that the possibility of running into the latter was slim.

They were more likely to find a Rank 2 Abomination than see a Rogue Slaves traveling in this Labyrinth. After all, only Masters and their Slaves were allowed into Labyrinths. A Rogue Slave present in a Labyrinth would mean the Master had died in battle, but how could that happen so easily?

Masters would always sacrifice their Slaves to preserve their own lives, so even in the case of a slaughter, Slaves were usually the first to die before their Masters.

As such, seeing a Rogue Slave in a Labyrinth was incredibly rare.

"Is this the place? The area Gwain described to the Patriarch?" One of the men muttered after noticing that the lady Hilda was slowing down.

"It fits the description, and we followed the directions given…" The other man replied, though he still had an expression of uncertainty on his face. "But where is the Cubic Barrier? Not even a glow of it can be seen."

There was silence as the three glanced at each other and nodded slowly.

Almost instantly, the air went heavy and they all exhibited wary looks. There was hardly any change on Hilda's face, since her expression had always been this way, but for the two men, they had lost their casual demeanors.

The cause for their sudden change wasn't far-fetched.

'Cubic Barrier' was an Artifact that varied in Rank, but the one that Gwain used was a Rank 3. That meant the only way it could have vanished was if a Rank 3 or higher Abomination destroyed it. Since they were veterans, these three realized this very quickly and became more cautious of their environments.

Of the three, only Hilda could face a Rank 3 Abomination.

If it was any higher… the two men were dead meat, but perhaps Hilda could escape if she was fortunate. Despite the possibility of this danger being practically nonexistent, considering the structure and history of the Labyrinth, the three still chose to keep their guards up.

They could not afford to be careless.

"Strange…" After being silent throughout the entire journey, Hilda finally spoke. 

Her eyes were fixed on a certain spot within the cave, and she ventured into the clearing with measured steps. She noticed the three deceased slaves that Gwain had killed, but paid them no mind at all.

Instead, her eyes focused on the spot where Imelda's Remnant Essence and the Zombie's corpse were supposed to be.

Both were absent from the site.

"This is too strange…" Hilda murmured and closed her eyes, her senses rapidly spreading throughout the cave. The two men watched this and fell silent, still opting to remain at the cave's entrance rather than venture inside.

This wasn't merely due to their caution, but also their consideration for Lady Hilda.

They didn't want to interrupt the effects of her Geist.

"The Cubic Barrier wasn't shattered. From what I can sense, it seems like it broke down and dissipated… but that shouldn't be possible unless sufficient time passes after activation."

Rank 1 Cubic Barrier lasted only a few hours.

Rank 2 Cubic Barriers lasted for a few days—excellent ones even spanning a week.

As for Rank 3 Cubic Barriers, they could last for three months without dissipating. As long as the barrier wasn't attacked, it would remain firm for that duration and would only begin to disintegrate in the later weeks of its last month.

'It has only been a few days since this incident took place. Gwain is currently being punished for his negligence, and our team was sent to retrieve the valuables Lady Imelda had on her before she passed away…' Hilda frowned, the creases on her brow growing deeper. 'We were also instructed to retrieve the corpse of the Lesser Undead that killed her. According to Gwain's testimony, it seems to be an anomaly that can break the immutable rules set in the Unwritten Codex.'

If not for the fact that Gwain couldn't have lied about it even if he wanted to, even Hilda wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible.

A Slave killing their Master… it was completely unheard of!

"But it seems he was onto something. The Zombie is missing, and so are Lady Imelda's valuables and Remnant Essence." Hilda sighed, turning to the two men who patiently waited for her to complete her analysis.

Her short brown hair swayed mildly as her serious expression became even more grave.

"It seems the Zombie isn't truly dead. It only pretended to be."

"S-seriously?" The two men were stunned by this discovery, but they couldn't have been as surprised as Hilda.

After all, this Zombie had managed to fool Gwain, who was Hilda's equal when it came to strength. No, some might even say he was superior to her. However, since he was a Slave and she was a Master, there were natural disparities that existed between them.

If they fought seriously, though, even she didn't know who would win for sure.

'Yet this Zombie managed to deceive him? He also had a method to dispel the Cubic Barrier, making it appear as if it naturally disintegrated. This isn't the work of an unintelligent Zombie at all, but someone very crafty and powerful.'

A Slave that could kill its Master… a Lesser Undead that had such deep intelligence to scheme and deceive… and one that possessed enough strength to dispel a Rank 3 Cubic Barrier so naturally….

'… This is a strong enemy!'

Hilda dared not underestimate such an existence.

This Zombie was a very serious threat that she had to take very seriously, else even she couldn't fulfill her duties and capture him. 

"What should we do now? We can give chase to—"

"No!" Hilda quickly snapped, her eyes flickering with doubt. "We aren't prepared to handle such a threat yet. We need reinforcements—especially Slaves to use as meat shields and probes—and some special items. We also need more information and a clear strategy."

Hilda wasn't one to be careless, and she always prepared appropriately for any challenge she faced. This Zombie now had all of her attention, and she wasn't going to cut any corners when it came to dealing with him.

"When… and only when… we have prepared sufficiently… can we give chase." By that point, Hilda was confident that she could complete her duties.

She would kill this Zombie with her own hands.