He didn't understand what was happening, but one thing was certain—this wasn't just an illusion.
And worst of all…
He wasn't alone.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
He ran aimlessly through the labyrinth, searching for an exit—one that may or may not exist.
"Haa... haa..."
His breath came in ragged gasps. His legs ached, and the air seemed to vanish from his lungs.
His vision blurred from exhaustion, and then—
Thud!
He stumbled over a small rock and crashed face-first onto the cold ground.
"Argh!" He picked himself up, groaning. But before he could take a step—
Tip! Tip! Tip!
'Huh?' His ears perked up. A faint dripping sound echoed through the corridor. He turned his head toward the right, where the noise was coming from.
Gulp!
He swallowed, his dry throat tightening, and cautiously walked toward the source of the sound.
At the end of the path he took, he entered a large chamber—and his eyes widened at the sight that welcomed him.
The room was filled with glowing blue gems embedded in the stone walls. They emitted a faint light, casting a soft blue hue inside the room.
Strange, otherworldly plants sprouted from the cracks in the stone, their leaves swaying gently despite the still air. Lush bushes and even small trees filled the space—completely unlike the labyrinth he had seen so far.
But that wasn't what surprised Kai. His gaze locked onto a pointed formation on the stone ceiling, positioned at the center of the room.
Tip! Tip! Tip!
Water dripped steadily from the tip, falling into the pool—or whatever it was—that had formed beneath it.
Gulp!
Kai hesitated before slowly pushing himself forward, drawn toward the water to quench his thirst.
He crouched near the azure-blue water, which shimmered with a soft glow, reflecting the faint blue hue cast by the scattered gems embedded in the stone walls.
Slowly, he dipped his hands into the lake, cupping the cool liquid in his palms before bringing it to his lips.
"Eww!"
He grimaced awfully after taking a sip—the taste was far from pleasant.
But at this point, he couldn't afford to be picky. Who knew when—or if—he'd find another source? Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to drink more.
Then, with a heavy sigh, he lay down on the ground, trying to catch his breath after running for who-knows-how-long.
Grrr!
But his stomach had other plans.
Kai groaned, lifting his head lazily to scan the bushes and trees, hoping to find something edible. After a few moments, he frowned—no fruits, no berries, nothing.
With a sigh, he crawled to a nearby plant, plucked its leaves, and shoved them into his mouth.
Bitter.
But he chewed and swallowed anyway.
So, what if he didn't find any fruits or berries? That didn't mean he couldn't eat other things.
This wasn't the first time he'd been forced to eat leaves and grass to survive. Hell yeah—he had been eating these before, when he had nothing else to eat in his earlier days. He knew how to endure hunger.
After stripping the plant of its leaves, he moved on to another, carefully avoiding the flower.
Who knew if it was poisonous? Or worse, if it triggered something he couldn't afford to deal with.
After eating the leaves of who-knew-how-many plants, he sat down for one final rest.
He closed his eyes, and after five minutes, he stood up and walked out of the room.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
He kept walking for a few more minutes until—
Garrr!
A guttural growl echoed in his ears.
Kai froze.
His heart pounded faster; he pressed himself against the cold stone wall.
'What was that?' he thought.
Taking deep breaths to calm himself, he crept forward.
Reaching the end of the stone wall, he cautiously poked his head out, peering into the corridor in right-direction.
And then—
He gasped, his breath catching in his throat.
There, in the dim light of the labyrinth, stood a massive creature.
Its body was pitch black, its deep crimson eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness.
Its jagged white teeth gleamed from its slightly open maw, saliva dripping from its fangs.
It stood on four twisted limbs, each ending in razor-sharp claws at least five inches long. A long, tail swayed slowly behind it.
The creature was sniffing at the ground, pacing around aimlessly.
Kai's hands trembled.
'What the hell is that?! Why is something like this here?'
Kai's heart pounded wildly in his chest as he took in the terrifying sight.
His mind raced. If creatures like this were roaming freely, how was he supposed to survive the trials?
He quickly backed away, pressing himself against the wall, panting.
Slowly, summoning his courage and steeling his resolve, he peeked again at the creature.
A shudder ran through his body, a cold chill creeping down his spine.
But then his gaze shifted—toward the corridor behind the beast. A three-way split.
The passage wasn't wide, and the beast was blocking his path. There was no way around it.
Kai backed away again.
'What should I do now? Wait—'
His eyes landed on the small pebbles scattered near his feet.
An idea sparked in his mind.
He bent down, picked one up.
Tying the ends together, he slipped the pebble inside, gripping the knot tightly.
Quickly, he tore off part of his sleeve and tied it into a small sling. He placed a pebble inside it.
He stepped out from behind the wall, gripping the knot tightly and began swirling it in the air.
When he was confident in the speed, he released the pebble—
Clack!
It struck the wall down the leftmost corridor.
Garrr!
The creature growled once again before bolting toward the source of the sound, its heavy footsteps echoing through the corridor.
Kai didn't waste a second.
He sprinted toward the middle corridor, making as little noise as possible.
Just as he passed the three-way split, he didn't dare glance in the creature's direction, fearing the worst—that it would spot him the moment he looked.
He kept running straight, his heart hammering in his chest. Only when he reached the end of the passage did he finally stop.
He stood straight, breathing heavily, slowly he turned around and exhaled in relief
"Phew... Just as expected... That was worth the risk." he muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on the stone wall behind him rather than the three-way path.
He slumped down, leaning against the wall to catch his breath.
"Haa... Haa...!"
But the labyrinth had different plans—it wouldn't grant him the luxury of relief.
Garrr! Garrr!
He had barely escaped one nightmare when another took its place.