[You have killed an ordinary human - Naaji Nason]
Levi looked down at the corpse with cold eyes as he heard the message of Providence. The fat boy had a hole pierced through his neck, his face frozen in shock. Blood still poured from the wound, and soon, the smell would attract nearby monsters.
Levi felt nothing as he watched his fellow team member's death. He wasn't new to seeing blood, and he wasn't new to killing either. His first kill had taken much more effort, and the mental trauma from that time still lingered.
Strangely, Levi didn't even feel sorry for the fat boy. He knew that if he hadn't killed him, he would be the one lying there instead.
"Rest well in Paradise," he said before moving to check the body. Since the boy was already dead, it wouldn't hurt to take any belongings he might have. Unfortunately, Levi found nothing but a bow, arrows, a ring, and a bell with runes carved on it. As he inspected the items, descriptions related to them popped up.
-----------[Path Finder]------------
Type: Artifact
Rank: Spirit
Description: A wondrous artifact that will show the way toward a set target.
-----------[Path Finder]------------
-----------[Spatial Storage]------------
Type: Artifact
Rank: Earthly
Description: An artifact that can store things - Locked.
-----------[Spatial Storage]------------
The description of the bell surprised him. Even knowing its functionalities, he hadn't expected it to be of Spirit rank.
'Seems like the bell is not so normal as the description says.'
Levi thought, sure that the bell hid some amazing abilities.
Since he couldn't do anything about it, he turned towards the ring. As it turned out, the ring was a spatial artifact although of earthly rank, but it was still valueable.
The problem however was that the ring was locked! Storage artifacts like this bind themselves to their owners, but it wasn't like there was no way to unlock it. Special magical runes can unlock them only that Levi had no means to unlock it now.
Deciding to keep it for now, Levi pocketed the ring along with the essence crystal and decided to leave behind the bow and arrows. He had no use for them and if he happened to meet the tall boy then that would surely be dangerous, as the tall boy would instantly realize that he had the bell.
Anyway, after taking everything he needed, Levi finally looked at the bell.
"What should I do with this?"
He had two options: ring the bell and risk danger, or leave everything to luck and move forward.
Considering his current state— with a paralyzed leg, blood dripping from multiple wounds, and an exhausted body—ringing the bell would be nothing but suicide.
So, he chose the only option left.
To leave everything to luck and move forward!
***
Two hours passed.
Levi had still not found the exit or any clues that might lead him out. He had encountered some ordinary monsters along the way, barely defeating them, but with every step, he was slowly reaching his limit.
His stomach grumbled so loudly that he could hear it scream. He wasn't a stranger to hunger, so he could hold on somehow. But the bigger problem was his blood loss. He had lost too much blood that he was getting dizzier with every movement. If he didn't find the exit soon, he might die in the maze.
"I will not give up… I will surely make a contract with the god."
The Lord of Smoking Mirrors. He didn't know which god it was, but since the trial was this hard, he was sure that the contract with the god would also reveal incredible rewards.
"Huff… Just a bit more… for my future."
Holding on by motivating himself, Levi moved, using his spear as support. And right in front of him was another dead end.
"Damn it!"
He cursed aloud, supporting himself against the opposite wall. His frustration had reached its peak, and he was on the verge of a breakdown.
He no longer remembered how many dead ends he had encountered. He was just moving ahead, sticking to one side of the wall. He didn't know how long it would take to find an exit this way but he surely knew that he didn't have much time.
Nonetheless, as Levi turned at the side of the wall, he suddenly came face to face with something unexpected!
In front of him sat the tall boy, cross-legged, his eyes now wide open, staring at Levi.
"You look terrible," the tall boy said, watching Levi from head to toe.
'Fuck my luck,' Levi cursed inside, trying to stay calm. He looked at the tall boy to see if he was exhausted or injured but luck wasn't on his side this time.
"And you look surprisingly fine."
Unlike Levi, who was in terrible shape, the tall boy barely had any injuries. His breath was calm, and his weapon—the axe—was sitting right by his side. It seemed as if he had been sitting there for hours.
They exchanged looks for a few seconds before the tall boy spoke again.
"I don't like talking in circles, so let's cut to the chase. Do you have the bell?"
His gaze was cold and menacing. Levi, however, didn't show any emotion and simply signed with empty hands.
"Does it seem like I would suffer this much if I had the bell?"
He lied. The tall boy didn't know who had the bell, so Levi took the risk and lied, hoping to make him think the fat boy had it. But the tall one was not as foolish as he thought.
"That indeed seems to be the case. However… that is even more suspicious," he said, taking the axe in his hands.
"You can check me if you want—I would have long used the bell if it was with me."
Once again, Levi lied through his teeth. It was almost believable, as he didn't show a bit of frustration. However, his words didn't seem to convince the tall boy.
"It's fine even if you don't have the bell," the tall boy said, getting up. "It just so happens that I need a spear."
From the start, he had no intention of sparing Levi.
---***---