At some level, Aster knew his plan wouldn't work. It was far too obvious a solution. But every time he tried to move forward, the memory of the spear impaling his neck played like a broken record.
So, Aster stood still and waited.
This wasn't to say he had given up. He spent the time attempting to reduce his presence as much as possible, taking deep, quiet breaths to calm his heart and mind. Not a sound escaped him.
Yet…
Why... why are they still growing louder?
Less than ten minutes later, Aster spotted a silhouette at the end of the hall. Metallic clicks echoed out at an unnerving pace, as eight iron-tipped legs skittered toward him much faster than he had anticipated.
The beast was some sort of spider, though calling it that felt like an understatement. Its body was partially metallic, with segments clad in armor-like blackened maroon plates. Its size became clear as it approached, nearly as tall as Aster and wide enough to fill the entire hallway.
His skin crawled; every instinct in his body screamed red alert.
I understand now.
Aster knew hiding had been a foolish gamble. This was the price he paid.
And he didn't even have a weapon.
He'd like to say he went down fighting. Reality was not so kind.
---
Bellchet watched the glowing panel that showed the human's progress and let out a sigh. He didn't care about the puny creature, but even he disliked watching such a one-sided affair.
---
The hallway appeared before Aster once more. He stifled a shiver—this death had come faster than the first. A small victory, if it could even be called that.
> [TRIAL ONE RESUMING SOON]
- Name: `Labyrinth`
- Task: `Survive 1 Hour`
- Attempts Remaining: `3`
- Time Remaining: `1 Minute`
The prompt appeared again.
Three more tries, huh?
He took a deep breath in, a deep breath out—then slapped himself across the face, leaving a painful, pinkish-red mark.
What the hell am I doing? Three more tries? Are you kidding me?
He'd just died. Twice. Twice, and he was thinking he had "room to work with"?
If he continued at this pace, he'd be dead before the end of the hour.
There was no room for mistakes. If he didn't treat each attempt as his last… well...
I won't let that happen.
---
Aster moved through each hallway with silent, swift determination. Just over ten minutes had passed, and so far, he'd managed to avoid detection.
From what he could tell, the beasts started each attempt by moving toward his starting point. From there…
They were following something.
But what? He was confident he hadn't done anything to alert them as he walked.
Is it my scent? It was possible, but something about it felt wrong. The labyrinth seemed filled with monsters, and the odds of all of them having such a keen sense of smell didn't seem right.
He'd moved through the tundra without attracting this much attention—at least until his encounter with…
Wait, could it be?
Aster had a moment before his pursuers caught up. He wasn't certain, but if his theory was correct, he had to confirm it.
He meditated, peering inward at his damaged spiritual form. Instantly, he noticed something was different.
In the real world, meditation felt like floating underwater, with a constant, slight pressure around him. Here, his spiritual form felt light, almost weightless—yet he could feel a faint trail of something.
Mana, he presumed.
In normal circumstances, it shouldn't have been enough to leave a trail. His gaze drifted to the wound on his arm.
Mana seeped from it, dripping steadily onto the ground.
Pieces started to click into place.
In the real world, ambient mana in the environment masked it… but here? He was practically announcing his path to every creature in the labyrinth.
Aster checked his stats.
- Abilities:
`Meditation (UPDATED)`
- `Attributes: Active, Basic, Non-combat`
- `Mastery: Novice (93%)`
- `Description: When the rest of the world disappears, it becomes easier to see yourself. You can now sense your mana pathways and observe the world around you. What use could this possibly serve?`
Aster smiled. It was time for the trial to truly begin.
---
> [NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED: PRESENCE CONCEALMENT]
`Presence Concealment`
- `Attributes: Active, Mana Control, Stealth`
- `Mastery: Novice (1%)`
- `Description: In a world of monsters and magic, concealing your physical presence isn't enough; you need to hide your mana as well. Stopping the flow works, but it leaves you powerless. Is that really the only way?`
Aster glanced at the new ability as he walked.
Novice already? This was new—every other skill he'd learned had started at unlearned. It reminded him of when he pretended to be dead against the Aggoar, except this time he was sneaking around. By meditating, he could slow the flow of his mana. The longer he held it, the slower it flowed.
He dismissed the ability's description. The questions it posed could wait until he survived this trial.
But Aster had a feeling this attempt was nearing its end. Half an hour had passed, and he was almost certain he was surrounded.
Just moving undetected… it's probably not enough to pass.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEE.
A shrill shriek echoed through the hallway, terrifyingly close. Instantly, the sounds of metal clashing on metal rang out.
Aster's instincts told him to flee, but something stopped him.
Am I really going over there? This attempt already looks bad… if I can learn something, it's worth it.
He looked toward the sounds, unease churning in his gut.
I can't believe I'm doing this.
---
A familiar spear was lodged deep in the belly of the spider that had killed him last time. Opposite it stood—
Holy shit.
It was massive, at least eight feet tall, resembling an ogre but with pale white skin and four enormous arms. Most terrifying were its veins: thick and bulbous, flowing with pitch-black blood that webbed across its body like cracks.
The beasts clashed violently. The spider fought valiantly, but the spear in its side slowed it down. From Aster's vantage, the outcome seemed inevitable.
This… isn't this huge?
Ideas began to form as his mind raced.
These monsters—they aren't intelligent, and they're not working together. They'd kill anything in their path—
[TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
What?
Snort.
The sounds of battle had all but stopped, and a pair of bloodshot eyes were locked onto Aster.
"Shit."