> [TRIAL ONE RESUMING SOON]
- Name: `Labyrinth`
- Task: `Survive 1 Hour`
- Attempts Remaining: `2`
- Time Remaining: `1 Minute`
Aster didn't hesitate. The instant those familiar granite walls materialized around him, he launched himself into a sprint, taking care to rein in his leaking presence. Every step pounded out a surge of defiance as he charged forward, sharp breaths keeping his mind focused.
At the first turn, he veered left, eyes darting for familiar markers. Less than 15 seconds later, he found exactly what he was hoping for.
At the end of a dim corridor, frozen in eerie stillness, stood the spider.
Aster released his meditation and spun on his heel, tearing back down the passage without a second glance. His heart hammered against his ribs, adrenaline searing through him.
Not much farther now...
As he skidded around another corner, Aster nearly tripped over his own feet. Standing in his path was a hulking, bone-white skeleton, draped in mithril-colored greaves. For a split second, panic seized him.
The skeleton didn't react. It was as frozen as the spider.
Aster exhaled, the tension draining. He didn't have time to linger, however; he resumed his meditation and darted down the one route he hadn't taken this round, nerves taut as piano strings.
> [TRIAL ONE RESUMED]
- Name: `Labyrinth`
- Task: `Survive 1 Hour`
- Attempts Remaining: `2`
THUMP.
Aster stumbled, his shoulder slamming into the granite wall as the ominous sounds of movement surged around him. His pulse thundered louder than his footsteps.
He forced himself to stay put, pressing against the wall as he struggled to stay hidden.
_If the skeleton spots me now, this will all be for nothing._
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
A wide grin split Aster's face. It worked. His plan had actually worked.
All right. Let's see just how far we can take this.
---
Bellchet watched the shifting screen, a crooked smile on his lips. He looked almost wistful.
"A clever approach, I'll give him that," he murmured, voice barely audible in the dim room. "But will it be enough?"
---
In the Wright family living room, the dim glow of a screen was the only light piercing the quiet. Isabella Wright sat transfixed, her tired gaze fixed on the display, emotions churning as she watched her son. This journey wasn't easy on her heart.
She'd long since placed heavy restrictions on what her other children could see of Aster's battles, making sure to carefully vet the footage.
The apartment was silent, every creak magnified in the stillness.
"Yes! That's my boy!" she whispered fervently as she saw the confirmation flash across the screen.
Realizing she'd spoken aloud, she flushed and heard the soft sounds of movement from down the hall.
"Mom? What's going on?" a drowsy voice called.
"Nothing, sweetheart, just go back to bed," Isabella whispered, unable to stifle the small smile that crept onto her face.
---
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
Aster's breaths came in ragged gasps as he pushed forward, a thin sheen of sweat coating his brow. He had managed to bait one beast after another, watching them clash in ferocious battles, picking off the wounded who lingered.
It had been grueling work. Every step was a delicate dance, baiting monsters into one another, then slipping past the survivors. He'd been meticulously clearing sections of the labyrinth, creating a tenuous sanctuary where he could rest between the rounds of carnage.
> [TRIAL ONE: MONSTER KILL CONFIRMED]
The walls around him had grown quieter now, his plan succeeding far beyond what he'd dared to hope. He was already halfway through the trial.
THUD.
The low sound sent a jolt of unease through Aster. He halted, nerves on edge.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The thudding grew, an ominous drumbeat that sent chills racing down his spine.
Something big is coming. And fast.
> [TRIAL ONE: UPDATE]
- Prerequisite: `75% of the trial time has elapsed.`
- Change: `The final chamber has opened. The boss has been alerted to the challenger's location. Good Luck.`
Aster's eyes darted wildly around the corridor. The pounding footsteps reverberated through the stone, disorienting him. Each heavy beat seemed to come from all directions.
He tore forward, sprinting back the way he'd come, ignoring the trembling of his limbs and the ragged hitch in his breath. Blood pounded in his ears as he passed the bloodied remains of fallen beasts, the smell of iron thick in the air.
THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.
The footsteps were deafening now, each one closer, hammering into him with crushing weight.
I won't make it.
Aster's mind swirled in desperation, knowing there was no escape. He turned to face his pursuer, jaw clenched.
A towering minotaur loomed at the end of the hall, its hulking frame painted in a sickening shade of blood red. It stood poised, twin battleaxes gleaming in each hand, its nostrils flaring as it snorted heavily.
Aster's body locked up, terror freezing him in place as his mind raced frantically.
Is it even possible for me to defeat this thing?
The minotaur didn't attack right away. Instead, it regarded him, dark eyes glinting with something like disdain, as though assessing him, deciding whether he was worth the effort.
The beast's mouth opened slowly, a gnarled voice emerging in a low rumble. "You... are not worthy."
Aster blinked, momentarily dumbfounded. "You can talk?!"
That, it seemed, was the wrong thing to say.
The minotaur's lips pulled back in a grimace. "Die."
The axe came down in a brutal arc.
Aster barely registered it. One second, he was staring up at the massive creature; the next, he found himself floating, looking down at his body from above.
Oh.
> [TRIAL ONE RESUMING SOON]
- Name: `Labyrinth`
- Task: `Survive 1 Hour`
- Attempts Remaining: `1`
- Time Remaining: `1 Minute`