The poison dagger had been enough to leave the lion writhing in pain, but not enough to kill it. My blade wasn't strong enough to deliver a fatal blow; it had merely disturbed the beast. While I felt a brief moment of relief, something inside me urged that I should retreat immediately. A creature this large and powerful couldn't be defeated with just a dagger.
A bomb… The idea of using such a powerful weapon to kill the lion was tempting, but I was well aware of its risks. Even if the explosion killed the lion, the noise would almost certainly draw the attention of other creatures. Even if they hadn't heard the lion's agonized roars, they would surely hear the explosion. I couldn't be sure if other predators lurked nearby, and I couldn't leave things to chance. It was too dangerous, so taking that risk wasn't an option.
I hesitated for just a second more, but then I had to decide. Slowly, I took a step back. No matter how careful I was, I could feel the lion stirring, attempting to rise. I turned around quickly and began to run, carefully but swiftly. With each step, the grass wrapped around my legs, but I moved like a shadow in the dark. Behind me, the lion groaned in pain, but I could only think of one thing: escaping. Without knowing how much longer the lion could hold on, I simply needed to get away.
The wound on my arm still burned. My breath was growing short, but I couldn't focus on that. The real challenge was to flee cautiously without creating a new threat. As I continued running, I noticed the tall grass around me thinning. The massive stalks I had left behind were finally giving way to shorter vegetation. I slowed down, carefully observing my surroundings as I moved.
Suddenly, something else caught my attention. The grass ahead had thinned further, revealing a massive stone door. It was identical to the one I had entered through, with the same carved image of a lion amidst the grass. Its structure was the same in every way—it was the same door.
But there was one difference. This door lacked a keyhole. When I tried to push it, unlike the previous one, it wouldn't budge at all. Forcing my way in wasn't going to work this time. That's when I noticed the inscription carved at the top of the door. I realized things weren't as I had expected.
"Even if the leader falls, another will take its place. Only true warriors are merciless and eradicate the enemy to its roots."
As I read the words, a question mark formed in my mind. The leader's death meant that everything would continue to change. But what did this mean? Could another take its place? To be a warrior… But what did it mean to be a true warrior? To eradicate to the roots… Did this door represent a trial where warriors were meant to replace their predecessors?
While I wrestled with my thoughts, that terrifying sound—a roar—resounded once again, shaking everything. But this time, it felt weaker than before. It didn't sound like the same lion's roar. Could it be another lion?
For a moment, I noticed movement in the bushes. Fear gripped me, and I stepped back cautiously. As I retreated, dread tightening its hold on me, a silhouette emerged from the foliage.
A small, lion cub.
At first, I didn't understand what I was seeing. But after a moment, I met the gaze of a young cub. It was nothing like the massive, deadly lion—it was smaller, more vulnerable. Still, despite its size, it was a lion nonetheless.
A few seconds later, I heard rapid footsteps behind me. Before I could react or turn around, the massive lion leapt over me and positioned itself in front of the cub. It stood there, as if shielding the cub, guarding it with unwavering resolve.
"Damn it, what do I do now!?"
As I took in the scene before me, things began to click into place. The leader falling, another taking its place, eradicating the enemy to its roots...
The leader must have been the big lion, and the one to take its place was the cub. Did I have to kill the cub to become a true warrior? Was this the test of this door?
Luckily, the large lion couldn't move easily due to the poison and was visibly out of breath. It wasn't making any sudden moves either, as it was focused on protecting the cub. Taking advantage of this, I quickly pulled out my bow and arrow from my back and began running. I couldn't kill the massive lion, but if I could find an opening, I could shoot the cub with one of my arrows and rush to the door to try my luck. If that didn't work, there would be nothing else I could do.
I ran, searching for an opening, but the massive lion stood in front of the cub like a living wall, blocking my shot. The longer I ran, the more exhausted I became, and for a moment, my focus faltered. My foot caught on a branch, and I stumbled to the ground. Seeing this, the lion charged at me, ready to attack. In desperation, I loosed an arrow toward the cub, hoping that killing it would magically end all of this.
A deafening roar echoed in my ears. When I opened my eyes, I realized the cub was still alive. The large lion had thrown itself in front of the cub, shielding it from the arrow, and had been injured in the process. But why? Why would it do that? If a single arrow had killed it, it would have worked in my favor, but now I had lost my last chance. This lion was fiercely determined to protect the cub, and for some reason, it reminded me of my mother...
"Wait a second, my mother? Of course! The large lion must be the cub's mother!"
No matter what I did, the mother lion would protect the cub, just like my mother would. I drew my bow, aiming for the cub again. The wound on my arm still throbbed with pain, but I had to endure it. The mother lion stepped in front of its cub again, blocking my view. This time, instead of searching for an opening, I loosed the arrow, hitting the mother lion instead. The lion roared in pain. In that moment, I realized nothing I did would stop the mother lion from protecting its cub.
I began firing arrows in succession, hitting the mother lion again and again. This continued for a while until finally... the mother lion collapsed to the ground.
Cautiously, I approached the fallen lion, nudging it with my foot. There was no reaction. I had truly killed it. A mixture of excitement and satisfaction welled up inside me. All that remained was to kill the cub.
The cub was whimpering, licking its mother and trying to wake her. I walked up behind the cub, gripping my dagger with both hands and raising it high.
"I'm sorry, little one, but I have to do this."
I brought the dagger down, killing the cub. As it died, it let out a soft, sorrowful cry.
Then, I saw the stone door creak open, and a bright white light poured out from within. I had done it. I had completed the trial.
As I quickened my steps toward the door, I felt clever for realizing that the large lion was a mother, much like my own. But in that moment, I failed to realize how much I resembled my father...
I stepped into the brilliant white light shining from the door. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back in the room with three doors. The collapsing bridge had stopped, and the wound on my arm had healed.
I looked up and saw that the massive door had opened.
"Is it over? Does this mean I can leave now? Did I clear the first floor?"
The only way to find the answer was to step through that massive door. But then, I noticed something in my hand.
"A yellow orb? I don't remember picking this up. Is this the reward for completing the door I entered?"
I didn't know what it was at the moment, but I was certain it was something I earned through my efforts. Even if I didn't understand its purpose now, I might figure it out later.
"Well then, it's time to move on…" I decided to step through the massive door and see what lay beyond. Just as I was about to take a step, something caught my eye—a reflection. The golden key was still in the keyhole of the door I had entered.
"The key is still here?"
I reached out, removed the key from the keyhole, and an idea came to my mind. It was a reckless one. I knew I had almost died in the trial behind that door, but I also knew that I had received a reward for completing it—one that could help me grow stronger. Perhaps, with this key, I could enter the other doors, pass their trials, and gain more rewards.
"If I want to force that bastard to do what I want and then kill him afterward, I need to take every risk I can."
At that moment, I decided I had to enter the other doors. For my next trial, I chose the door with the sword stabbed through a skull, the one on the far left.
I inserted the key into the lock and stepped inside. As soon as I entered, I was enveloped in pitch-black darkness. The air smelled foul, and the space felt suffocatingly narrow. I stretched out my arms to get a sense of my surroundings and realized I was in some sort of corridor. It had a terrifying dungeon-like atmosphere.
The heavy, damp stench of the air filled my lungs with every breath, and each step I took carried a deep sense of isolation. I couldn't see anything. Not the walls, not the floor, not even the sky. The pitch-black darkness surrounded me entirely as I tried to move forward slowly.
But the darkness of this dungeon wasn't just blinding my eyes—it was creeping into my soul. With every step, I felt as though something was watching me. My footsteps echoed faintly in the darkness, swallowed by the silence. I stopped for a moment, straining my ears to listen. Nothing but darkness. Nothing but silence. Which way should I go?
At that moment, I remembered the glowing dagger at my waist. I pulled it out, its cold metal giving me a small sense of reassurance. The blade of the dagger began to glow faintly in the darkness, serving as a tiny source of light in my hand. Slowly, I lowered my head, letting my eyes adjust while using the light to look around. It felt like searching for a path or direction in a void.
The faint glow illuminated the space around me, weak but sufficient to give me the courage to move forward. Slowly, I began to walk, carefully placing each step while keeping all my attention on my surroundings.
I moved forward for what felt like a long time, but the walls stretched endlessly, like an infinite corridor. In my mind, I was certain I wasn't alone in this long, dark hallway. The tension in the air hinted at the presence of something.
Then, I heard it—faint footsteps in the distance. The sound told me something was ahead of me. Each noise echoed briefly before fading into the darkness…