[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-adventures-of-hulim":3,"chapter-the-adventures-of-hulim-the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-481":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Adventures of Hulim",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1882232,2498,"Chapter 481 Back to the Starting Point","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-481",481,"\u003Cp>Hulim Heyerar lifted her head and stared back up at the spot where they had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All she saw was a gray stone door hanging in the pitch-black sky, and behind it, the one-eyed monstrosity was glaring daggers at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed unable to come out from that door……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are we safe now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miko was less suspicious by nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prarlulu, have we reached a deeper layer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I need to sense it first. Give me a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Prarlulu closed her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after only a few seconds,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she snapped them open in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible!? We’re still——”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground beneath their feet suddenly split open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……the exact same place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The idyllic scene of singing birds and blooming flowers shattered in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four of them plummeted into the unknown darkness……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew how much time had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bodies hit a cold, hard surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact was mild, roughly equivalent to falling from a height of about one meter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim stood up at once, on guard against her surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you all alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine.” Miko replied quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I…… I’m okay too.” Prarlulu rubbed her bottom, eyes glistening with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Hena? Is she hurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think she’s alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim glanced at Hena on Miko’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Miko had kept her tail wrapped tightly around Hena’s waist, the girl had not fallen off even through the collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t escape, can’t escape, can’t escape……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena repeated the disturbing phrase over and over, looking as if her mind had broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say, Hulim…… doesn’t this place feel familiar to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prarlulu said suddenly, her voice trembling with unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not just familiar……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim walked to the nearest wall, touched it with her hand, then looked up at the dim, grayed sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the labyrinth we were in before. The walls are just a darker shade of gray.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh!!? Then we’ve circled back to the starting point!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you so surprised…… you literally just said we were still in the same place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…… right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait……” Miko suddenly realized something. “If this is still the labyrinth, doesn’t that mean the monster will show up again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It will, most likely……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap, tap……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a strange set of footsteps echoed nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three tensed up immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s here. Close by.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is…… is it that monster? But the sound is different this time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prarlulu said nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dark figure emerged from around a labyrinth corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second she laid eyes on it, Prarlulu felt goosebumps crawl from her toes to the top of her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gurgluh~!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature made unintelligible noises nonstop. Its face was covered in scarlet, bulging eyes. Though still large, it was noticeably smaller than the previous monster—and far more visually horrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buzz! Buzz!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson light flared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gurl!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This new monster moved at an astonishing speed; Hulim’s attack only grazed its shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roar——!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster let out a shriek and charged straight for Hulim at full sprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this speed, it would reach her long before its body could be fully annihilated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shriek!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pitch-black, vicious claw sliced through the air straight for her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very last second, crimson light exploded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At point-blank range, the light struck the monster directly in the head. Everything above its neck vanished in the glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, the monster’s entire body dissolved away completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phew……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had nearly been injured……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hulim, are you okay?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miko had been terrified by the close call, and she hurried to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m unharmed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this thing is growing more dangerous by the minute. We should avoid fighting it as much as possible and focus on finding a way out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the group moved through the labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving the area, Hulim glanced back at the spot where the monster had disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new doubt crept into her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wondered if the monster had always been capable of evolving like this, or if it had changed specifically to counter her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was the former, things were manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if it was the latter……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that was deeply troubling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the worst-case scenario, the entity had begun to perceive the flaws in her Annihilation Divine Light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roar!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside the labyrinth,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the young girls were running for their lives in a desperate maze escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, the roar of the terrifying monster never let up, always hot on their trail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was only ever on their trail……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hulim, there’s another sign up ahead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miko called out in warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Follow the sign.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim said without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was their only option for now. They had tried ignoring the directions several times already, and every single time, it led straight to a dead end, with the monster cornering them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had narrowly defeated it each time, but every fight had grown more perilous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stopping meant being caught instantly. Straying from the path meant being trapped. Fighting only made the enemy stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their only choice was to keep following the signs……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew how long they had been running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The familiar endless straight corridor appeared before them once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group stood at the entrance, hesitating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An eerie, endless path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even looking at it filled their hearts with unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Hulim, do we really have to go down this path again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prarlulu asked, fear in her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have no other choice, do we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group broke into a run down the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster, which had always stayed just out of sight, finally closed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim silently counted the distance between them,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>mentally counting down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……Three, two, one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shriek!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black claw sliced through the air from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now! Jump——!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burst of white light suddenly appeared ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group’s feet left the ground once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, having braced for the fall, Hulim and Miko did not——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow! That…… hurts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……Hulim and Miko did not hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just as I expected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same familiar, sunlit pastoral realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked beautiful, but not a single trace of warmth could be felt—only an indescribable coldness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Hulim’s premonition had come true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way! Why are we back here again?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prarlulu climbed up, rubbing her nose, and stared at the scene in utter disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim lifted her head and stared at the door hanging in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The multi-eyed abomination was staring at them from behind the door, looking positively resentful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quite the act you’re putting on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had heard her words, the monster’s petulant expression vanished instantly, replaced by a gaze of icy, unfeeling malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it let out a sudden, sinister grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground beneath Hulim’s feet shattered at the same moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group plummeted into the deep darkness once more.\u003C\u002Fp>",1154,"2026-06-10T06:36:37.918Z",1,"novelbin.me","d763fdef0e9d97bf31241395e8b7b7b490033dfb8b65bf8b38d98006539c38f2","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-482","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-480",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-adventures-of-hulim-cover.jpg"]