The cubical room was large enough to fit the two coffins and had enough space left over to let whatever or whoever had been inside rest in peace. And, aside from the two coffins and the sconce Ackster had taken the torch from, the room was empty. The tiled floor, walls, and ceiling were bare except for the fifteen-pointed star on the wall straight ahead.

Ackster went up to the star imprinted on the wall with a faded grass-green color. It felt like it shimmered slightly in the torch’s light.

While Ackster wasn’t sure if it really glimmered, the star and its color were confirmation that his guess was right. The room he was in was a room in the Alchemaze.

He hadn’t expected that his first stop in the Alchemaze would be a tomb. But the Alchemaze was much too large, expansive, and varied for him to be able to predict what he would encounter. That was even if he decided to look for one of the entrances that popped up in the future.

There was just no predicting the Alchemaze as the greatest remnant of a past cycle.

Although there were many ruins and remnants of previous Calamitous Cycles, many of which had yet to be fully explored or uncovered, it's an indisputable fact that the Alchemaze was the greatest. That was also why Ackster wasn’t unduly shocked at finding a part of it below the ant nest, even if it was surprising.

After all, the Alchemaze had entrances all over the world. Many scholars and fans of the original story were even convinced that the Alchemaze was like a second, slightly smaller world existing within Millmeria, like a second surface below the world’s crust. Of course, since it was impossible to find the Alchemaze just by digging deep into the ground, many also thought it was hidden in a pocket dimension that sustained itself on the world’s core or something along those lines.

In short, no one truly knew the full extent of the Alchemaze, only that it was the greatest remnant and that it came from a cycle so far in the past that the Alchemaze was the only one left. Records uncovered from the Alchemaze also revealed that the cycle it came from had been one of if not the longest and most prosperous cycles in the history of Millmeria, at least in the known history.

And the Alchemaze was the life’s work of that cycle’s strongest and greatest person, who was simply referred to as the Alchemist, hence the name.

It was unclear what the Alchemist’s goal in creating a second world in the form of a labyrinth had been or if the Alchemist had been that Cycle’s Hero. It was also unknown what kind of Calamity had destroyed a civilization advanced enough to give birth to the Alchemist. But what people knew was that the Alchemaze held answers and treasures to untold questions.

So, any entrance to it was worth more than a mortal fortune. Well, if any finders would have any alternatives, no one would sell it. After all, the Alchemaze was worth more than simple wealth.

However, entering and exploring the Alchemaze was one thing that was moderately close to impossible. And actually finding anything of value within, finding anything within, really, was as close to zero percent possible as it could get.

And that was if one was even strong enough to explore the Alchemaze.

Although many things had deteriorated and turned to dust, the Alchemaze’s magic wasn’t totally defunct. In fact, in some places, it was still vividly alive and in charge of maintaining, repairing, and expanding the Alchemaze. It was just that things such as treasures, journals, and decorations, which could tell the present society about the Alchemist’s world, weren’t included in that maintenance.

So, the things of value might not be intact while the Alchemaze itself and all its defensive measures were in good enough shape to fend off intruders. And since the Alchemist, one of the historically strongest people, had made the Alchemaze and all its defenses, few adventurers could withstand the traps and defenses of the Alchemaze.

Even if one might be killed just for knowing the whereabouts of a location to the Alchemaze, it might still be better to take the risk and sell the information to the highest bidder instead of foolishly and stubbornly hoping to get a lucky break and finding a life-changing treasure inside the Alchemaze.

However, Ackster didn’t have any intentions of doing that. If possible, he would like to monopolize the entrance, at least as long as it really is one.

The Alchemaze and all its defensive measures and treasures would be a great training ground for Ackster, especially if he found one of the special regions.

However, he didn’t know how to get through the tomb to enter the Alchemaze. He didn’t have an endless supply of food. And he really needed to get started on his mana training soon.

Although entering the Alchemaze was an alluring option, Ackster felt that it wasn’t in his best interests at the moment. Even if he might find something better than the Sea God Manual, considering the Alchemist might have been greater than even the Sea God, it was too much of a risk.

He could choose to try and get something that might not even exist by exploring a labyrinth spanning the entire world. Or he could almost certainly get his hands on something that should be good enough to help him defeat The Hero. Ackster might be desperate. But he wasn’t desperate enough to take such an unnecessary risk.

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The best thing for him to do would be to quickly find the Sea God Manual, go on a quick trip, and gather people that could help him stop The Hero, including Karandiel, find a trainer that could help him get started, and then hide out in the Alchemaze for a couple of years to hone his mana and techniques.

But if Ackster could leave the ant nest of his own volition, he would have already done so.

Ackster put his hand against the light green star, which was the only deviance in the room’s otherwise uniform tiled walls. The surface beneath the star was completely flat. It was still the same yellow color. But the only unevenness on it was the star’s lines, perfectly etched into the wall.

Ackster traced the star with his finger, amazed at how smooth and perfect it was, even after all these years. Reading about the Alchemist and their maze and seeing its perfection, despite the wear and tear of time, were two completely different things. A lot of things in the original story were neat, the Alchemaze and the Alchemist included.

But it was only when touching a fragment of the Alchemaze with his own hand that Ackster could get closer to understanding truly how ancient and powerful the Alchemist was. The Alchemist had left behind a legacy that withstood multiple millennia and almost uncountable Calamitous Cycles and the destruction they would have wrought on Millmeria.

Considering not all Heroes were victorious in their final battle, and humanity and the intelligent races of the world had suffered doomsday of various kinds since the Alchemist’s Cycle, it was almost beyond Ackster’s understanding how the Alchemaze could remain intact.

Ackster pushed with his hand.

If possible, he would have left the ant nest to retrieve the Sea God Manual and the other things that took priority over exploring the Alchemaze. But his desperate attempts at finding a tunnel leading to the surface had all failed. So, he couldn’t leave, even if he wanted to.

Thus, his only option was to enter—try to enter—the Alchemaze and hope that his luck would guide him to greatness.

Ackster glanced at his stump.

‘That’s because of bad decisions, not bad luck. I got this.’

However, nothing happened when Ackster pushed his hand against the center of the star. The wall didn’t move.

“Hmph. I guess this isn’t it.”

Ackster wasn’t willing to give up with just that or decide that it was a fragment that had broken off from the Alchemaze. After all, the torch was still shining. That would only be possible if it were still connected to the main labyrinth’s magic.

Or it could be because the lingering magic in the room was enough to sustain the torch.

Ackster shook his head to clear it of unnecessary thoughts. He didn’t know enough about magic, in the first place, to make a reliable guess. And he certainly didn’t know enough about the Alchemist’s magic to be able to discern whether the room and its torch were still connected to the main Alchemaze.

So, since he hadn’t given up, Ackster continued pushing and pressing on the tiles in the room. The Alchemaze might have been an almost otherworldly wonder of magic, but it was still a labyrinth filled with traps and trapdoors.

In the original story, when The Hero entered the Alchemaze, it happened on multiple occasions that he and his party triggered hidden traps and rooms with pressure plates that even The Hero or the party’s designated scout couldn’t detect in advance. Many of those traps didn’t do anything other than trigger since the ensuing effects had broken down or withered away.

But the Alchemaze still relied a lot on touch-activated effects. And if Ackster were right, the way past this tomb would be the same.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense. Ackster refused to believe there would be a dead end in the Alchemaze, even if it were a room for the dead. There might only be one door, but there had to be at least one more hidden entrance or exit that he could use to access the main Alchemaze.

With that insistent belief, Ackster continued touching and pushing all the tiles.

“Man, this would have gone twice as fast if I had two arms.”

Ackster made a grim joke to try and ease his mood. It had the opposite effect, and he grew more sullen as he kept methodically pushing all the tiles. But he didn’t lose his speed.

However, even after touching all the tiles on the walls and floor, Ackster still hadn’t found the trigger. He looked up. The ceiling was the only thing left, then.

He climbed onto one of the coffins so he could get a better reach. He almost reached if he tip-toed. And he could easily touch the ceiling if he jumped a little. But there were hundreds of tiles. Ackster didn’t want to jump hundreds of times. It might be good training for his plyometrics and his legs’ explosive power, but Ackster, oddly enough, wasn’t in the mood for it.

But even after pressing all the tiles in the ceiling by standing on the coffins and then jumping to reach the ones in the corners and the edges of the room, the room still hadn’t opened up to the Alchemaze.

Mio, the great slime in charge of protecting and overseeing the torch usage since Ackster had left an arm behind and because he needed to see the tiles clearly, tapped him on the head with the bottom of the torch.

“Yeah, good job. I know you don’t have any muscles, so holding that torch was probably pretty tough. Thanks, Mio.”

Thinking that Mio was just fishing for compliments or, in a roundabout way, telling Ackster he was still holding onto the torch, Ackster reached up to grab it. Now that he had touched all the tiles, he didn’t need Mio to hold it for him.

However, Mio didn’t let him grab it and moved the torch away.

Ackster looked up. He couldn’t see Mio on account of his head being in the way. But he could see the tentacle Mio used to hold the torch with.

“Hey, what gives?”

Ackster made to reach for the torch again, but Mio swatted his hand away with it. And, after confirming that Ackster was paying attention, Mio used the torch to point toward the door.

No, he wasn’t pointing at the doorway. He pointed at the sconce.

Ackster facepalmed.

“I’m such a fucking idiot. Thank you, Mio.”