Let's have a look at Elen's team.
They were still on the first floor of the labyrinth, where finding rare-grade gear was close to impossible. These people were moving cautiously, perhaps even too cautiously. But that same careful pace was what allowed them to pick every treasure chest clean on the first floor with flawless precision.
Yet, to their surprise, the situation was about to take a sharp turn.
"Have we farmed enough?"
"Are we really going there now?"
"Uh… Aren't you going to ask me about it…?"
"Of course we are going! We're gonna make it big this time!"
Kabal's opinion was completely ignored as Elen's party began descending the stairs. With less than an hour left, they'd clearly decided to go for broke. Their reason for staying on the first floor so long was to stock up on potions—and they had apparently used every scrap of information Ramiris gave them. Their goal? The tenth level.
"Oh, Kabal's party seems to be on the move," Myourmiles said. "They're switching gears from that cautious strategy and deciding to head deeper."
"Hmm—perhaps they've changed their approach to find better treasure chests?" Souka wondered. "But relying on luck alone won't make it easy…"
"But just like Basson's team, won't silver chests also give you rare-grade items?"
"That's not something you can get by wishing for it," Myourmiles explained. "Look at Gai—he's opened more than twenty silver chests and still hasn't found one rare-grade item."
"Then the only sure way to get one is from a golden chest?"
"That's right. But golden chests only appear in boss rooms—unless…"
"Unless?"
"There are special areas where you might find regional monsters guarding one."
Hearing Souka and Myourmiles' conversation, Atem's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ramiris."
"I-I'm here!"
"Did you leak information about the spawn point of the regional boss?"
"Uhhh… It might have been part of it!"
Atem sighed quietly. His deep voice carried a commanding tone that made even Ramiris flinch. "So be it. At least it'll make things… entertaining."
He folded his arms and leaned forward, watching the screen intently. He remembered placing that regional boss on the fourth floor. Once defeated, it would change locations—but right now, it should still be there.
In that monster room, several Rank C-plus vampiric bats waited in ambush. Without knowledge of the trap, a team could easily be swarmed. Even those who knew what awaited them were at risk of being overconfident.
And yet—
Elen's party intentionally triggered a fall trap to drop straight to the fifth floor. They even pretended to be injured, all to demonstrate how effective their potions were. Then, under the pretense of finding a resting place, they moved straight toward their true goal.
"Big bro, big sis, there's a room around the corner—we can rest there!"
"All right! Kabal, how are you holding up?"
"Uh, uhhh. This potion sure works fast. I think I'm already fine, but let's rest up before we go for another pile of loot."
Kabal's rigid acting would've made anyone cringe, yet the audience didn't notice. They were completely immersed in what was happening on-screen.
Then Gido opened the door.
"WOH! Vampiric bats!"
"Don't worry, Kabal, we'll count on you!"
"…Do I have a choice?!"
Despite Kabal's protests, battle broke out.
He raised his shield, taking on the swarm alone. The bats couldn't pierce his defenses—his shield held firm, and he didn't even flinch. Meanwhile, Elen stepped forward.
"Now! Giant Magic Icicle Shotgun!"
A storm of razor-sharp ice filled the room, cutting down the bats instantly. The confined space made escape impossible. Elen's dryad staff amplified her power, and in seconds, the monsters were gone.
"Eh—this looked too easy."
"Yeah, if it had been Basson's team, they'd be dead by now…"
"We seem to be losing out by giving them that golden chest so easily."
Ramiris crossed her arms. "They did cheat, remember? That's the only reason it looked so easy."
Atem smirked faintly. "Perhaps. Still… an entertaining show."
Indeed, no one else could have done it so flawlessly. If any other group had stumbled across a golden chest like that, Atem might have called them blessed by fate.
"That was a clean fight," Souka remarked.
"As expected from an experienced party," Myourmiles added. "They even held back. Ah, Gido's opening the chest now."
"Oh oh! It's a golden one! Will it really be a rare-grade item?"
Everyone leaned closer. Atem watched in silence.
"This is… a sword…"
"But I wanted defensive gear for magicians!"
"Did you say sword? Ha! Guess the gods finally noticed how hard I've been working!"
The crowd laughed. Elen looked frustrated, Gido confused, Kabal ecstatic.
"Oh oh, there really was a weapon, Myourmiles-san!"
"Aha, that's right. The golden chests all contain high-quality items—just as Lord Atem intended."
Atem didn't remember saying that, but Myourmiles was a natural-born showman, and the crowd ate it up.
The weapon was a storm longsword — an authentic special-grade artifact, crafted by Kurobee from a scale of Charybdis. Veldora must've increased the reward probabilities again. Elen had beaten one-in-a-hundred odds.
With their goal met, Elen's party immediately returned to the surface.
"We may have given away too great a prize," Atem said with a quiet smirk, "but… I'll allow it."
They returned early, before the time limit.
Meanwhile, Masayuki and Gai were still racing downward.
Masayuki's party moved at terrifying speed. In less than three hours, they'd reached the ninth floor.
"These guys are absurdly fast," Ramiris murmured.
"Sorry, I didn't expect people to use fall traps like that…" Atem replied, his tone dry.
Still, Masayuki pressed on, and with fifteen minutes left, his team reached the tenth floor and defeated the Floor Boss —a great-spider of Rank B— in one clean strike.
"HEWH!"
Jinrai's saber cut the beast down in a single motion.
Atem clicked his tongue. "So much for dramatic tension."
They claimed the golden chest, grabbed a rare-grade short sword, and returned to the surface with a 'Return Whistle.'
As their figures vanished from the hall, Gai entered next.
"Gai-san has managed to reach the Floor Boss," Myourmiles announced. "He avoided every trap and moved through the passages with incredible speed."
"He's not your average adventurer," Souka said, impressed.
Indeed, Gai was fast—but also arrogant.
"Tsk, that damned hero got ahead of me?! Fine! Revive the Floor Boss immediately!"
Atem folded his arms and stared silently at the screen, his expression unreadable.
"By the way, Myourmiles-san," Souka asked, "what happens when that occurs?"
"The Floor Boss needs about thirty minutes to respawn," Myourmiles replied. "That includes the golden chest."
"Then Gai-san won't have enough time," Souka realized.
"Most likely. There are only fifteen minutes left."
Hearing that, Gai snapped.
"Quit joking around! You think I follow your pathetic rules?! Revive it now!"
His voice echoed through the hall, dripping with rage and contempt.
Delta, the labyrinth manager, stepped forward. Her calm voice cut through the air. "Your words have violated the laws of Eterna. If you apologize now, you will be spared punishment."
"What did you say? How dare a mere receptionist talk down to me! Don't be ridiculous!"
Delta's eyes darkened. "You were warned. Proceed with execution."
"Hmph! Execution? What the hell can you—"
Before he could finish, vines erupted from the ground and ensnared him.
"—What the—!"
"The pain resistance of your Resurrection Bracelet has been disabled. Will you apologize now?"
Spikes burst from the vines, piercing through the gaps in his armor. Gai screamed, thrashing violently.
"D-damnit! You think this can stop me?!"
"This is your last warning," Delta said coldly. "Will you apologize now?"
"Don't underestimate me—"
Snap.
Delta moved her hand. In one motion, Gai's head fell to the floor.
The hall went silent.
No one had expected it—Gai, a Rank A adventurer, killed instantly. Delta, the calm and polite dryad, stood there with her expression unreadable, vines retreating slowly into the ground.
Atem watched in silence for a few seconds, his gaze sharp as steel.
"Justice delivered," he said finally, his deep voice carrying a divine authority that shook the chamber.
The audience remained frozen.
Then Myourmiles cleared his throat and continued the broadcast with professional calm.
"As everyone has seen, the words of the labyrinth manager are equivalent to the laws of Eterna. Breaking those laws brings judgment."
"H-how terrifying," Souka whispered. "Then what happens to Gai-san now?"
"Nothing severe," Myourmiles replied. "His items will be confiscated, and the pain resistance of his Resurrection Bracelet was deactivated. I imagine the pain he felt… was immense."
Atem rose from his seat, his expression unreadable, cloak flowing behind him. "Let this be a lesson," he said, his tone calm yet final. "In Eterna, defiance has a price."
And with that, the judgment of the labyrinth was complete.