"[On the positive side, Master Axel, you may gain a boon whenever these irregularities occur.]"
"Oh, how I wish that were guaranteed instead of just a possibility. But I guess wishing won't change anything." Axel sighed, running his hands through his hair. "No use lamenting over this mess anymore. Let's hope the system decides to be kind to me this time."
He turned his attention to the traps and started examining them one by one. At first, the mechanisms were unfamiliar to him. Every item he picked up felt like an enigma—a series of puzzles waiting to be solved. However, as he worked, information began surfacing in his mind like distant memories he hadn't known existed.
"Wait a second... I actually know what to do with this stuff?" Axel muttered, surprised at how natural it all felt. With each passing moment, his movements grew more confident.
This is insane, Axel thought as he tied ropes with precision he didn't know he had. It's like I was born to set up traps. Guess my hellish awakening wasn't a complete waste.
After inspecting the hallway stretching nearly 100 meters outside the steel gate, Axel nodded to himself. "This should be a good spot for some defenses. The corridor's straight, empty, and unavoidable. Perfect."
At the far end of the hallway, he started with a simple alarm system. Using shards of metal and rope, he hung them from the ceiling. "If anything passes through here, I'll hear it right away," he murmured, testing the tension in the rope.
Next, Axel moved to dig a trench across the hallway. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he worked, but the thought of danger kept him focused. Once the trench was deep enough, he lined it with sharpened wooden spikes.
"No good if they can see this coming," he mused. Opening a chest, he retrieved a rune-inscribing material and began scrawling strange glyphs across a stone. As he finished, the glyphs glowed faintly before forming an invisible floor over the trench. Axel grinned. "Perfect. They'll never see this one."
In the middle section of the hallway, he decided on more direct traps. He chipped hollow tubes into the walls and inserted spring mechanisms he made from elastic bands. Into these, he loaded darts coated with a potent paralytic fluid from a vial he'd found earlier. The pressure plates he linked to these tubes were concealed with remarkable care.
"These should pack a punch," Axel muttered as he tested the spring's tension.
Closer to the gate, Axel resorted to a more straightforward tactic. Mixing various alchemical ingredients from the chest, he concocted a thick, sticky glue. He poured it across the floor, ensuring it covered the area evenly.
"This'll slow anything down long enough for me to shoot them with darts," Axel said, setting aside some of the poisoned darts from the earlier traps.
Still, a sense of unease lingered. Axel knew better than to rely solely on his preparations. "Knowing the system, something's bound to go wrong." He gathered the remaining materials and crafted makeshift bombs, filling jars with flammable liquid as a last resort.
Finally, Axel stood back, hands on his hips, surveying his work. "Not bad. I think I'm ready... sort of."
"[Actually, Master Axel, there is another option. You could summon a monster companion to assist you.]"
Axel froze. "And you're only telling me this now?"
"[I considered it unwise to recommend, as the summoning process carries significant risks. The result may be... unfavorable.]"
Axel frowned. "Define 'unfavorable.'"
"[There's a possibility of summoning a weak or even hostile creature. However, given the system's current instability, the outcome is uncertain.]"
"Great. So it's a gamble. What are the chances of getting something strong? Like a dragon?"
"[High-ranking creatures cannot be summoned initially, but with the system's irregularities... anything is possible.]"
Axel sighed "This is probably a terrible idea, but screw it. System, initiate the summoning."
The chamber's floor lit up as a summoning circle materialized, its intricate patterns glowing faintly. Axel stepped back, gripping his weapon.
The light blinked blue, pulsing in an almost hypnotic rhythm. But then, the color shifted to crimson, and the air grew heavy. Purple orbs of energy erupted around the circle, crackling ominously.
"Oh shit. This doesn't look good." Axel retreated further, weapon drawn.
"[I have no records of a summoning like this. Proceed with caution, Master Axel.]"
As the light intensified, Axel's heart raced. Please don't be something terrible. Please don't be something terrible...
Finally, the light dimmed, and a silhouette began to form in the circle's center. A burst of black fog obscured the figure as the summoning finished.
Moments later, the fog dissipated, revealing...
"A FUCKING SLIME?!"
Axel stared, dumbfounded. After all the ominous signs, the result was a small, gelatinous blob. Its body was a deep purple with faint red streaks, glowing faintly in the dim light.
The slime quivered and emitted a faint telepathic sound: 'Siiil…'
"You've got to be kidding me," Axel groaned. "How the hell did this cause all that?"
"[It appears to be a mutated slime, Master Axel. Its characteristics are... unusual.]"
The slime wobbled forward, staring at Axel with an almost innocent curiosity.
"Uh... hey there, little guy," Axel said hesitantly. As the slime approached, it let out another soft telepathic sound: 'Siiil~'
Axel crouched down and gingerly picked it up. Its texture was warm and soft, almost comforting. "Well, aren't you weirdly adorable. So, what can you do?"
The slime quivered happily in his hands, but it didn't demonstrate any abilities. Instead, it snuggled closer to him.
"You're not very helpful, are you?" Axel muttered, though he couldn't help but smile. "Guess we'll find out during the trial. You need a name, though. How about... Sylva? Since you keep saying 'siiil.'"
'Siiil...va?' the slime echoed. 'Siiil~'
"Yep, Sylva it is. Let's hope you're more useful than you look," Axel said, placing the slime on his shoulder.
As Sylva settled contentedly, Axel felt a small glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. For better or worse, he wasn't facing this trial alone anymore.