2. DEATH (1)
"Hm, so I really did die. Great Labyrinth of Rejuvenation, more like Great Dungeon of Death," he said in a weak tone, his words barely heard by himself.
He lay there, still immobile, as he took his time to restart and recover from the nonexistent stress he felt from his dream. In reality, he was just taking a moment to sob some more since he'd just died.
"There's no point in me staying here," he said, trying to refill his depleted morale from the spark of determination he got from the abyss.
As such, he stood up. He took another moment to glance through the interface, seemingly not accepting the way things had played out.
Memories of his death came back to him in a heartbeat as he stood, lost in thought—this time, trying to reflect on his death.
---
"Where am I?" he inquired as his senses adapted to his new environment.
"What's happening?" he added, thinking he was being deceived by the game, as the last thing he could remember was finishing a battle with some forest wolves that had attacked him in the night.
"Where am I?" he inquired again, adding to the few statements he could utter since his brain was in a state of confusion.
[WELCOME TO THE FIRST GREAT LABYRINTH]
[THE GREAT LABYRINTH OF REJUVENATION]
[PLAYER IS TRAPPED IN LABYRINTH UNTIL LABYRINTH BOSS 'THE GREAT TREE DRYAD' HAS BEEN SLAIN.]
[GREAT LABYRINTH SPECIAL EFFECTS]
[HP POOL INCREASED THROUGH CONSTANT HEALING]
[HP REDUCTION BY 50%]
[AVERAGE DAMAGE INCREASE BY 20%]
[DEATH COUNT INCREASE BY 10]
"What?..." he muttered, plunging into instant thought as he was clueless about what the game was saying.
The minor information he could make sense of was the fact that he couldn't leave. His eyes darted in all directions, trying to find an escape route. But as he seemed to be at a dead end, he accepted the painful fact that he was trapped.
His demeanor, by then, was one of sheer seriousness and determination. He kept his head clear, even though he couldn't rid himself of the confusion he found himself in.
"Well, it'll be no good standing around. Let me start exploring," he muttered, his seemingly vague words carrying a storm of darkness that could be mistaken for murderous intent.
Even though he had accepted the facts, he knew something about his situation was too far-fetched to be a simple coincidence, fueling his hatred toward the game.
He began to walk, heading into the depths of the labyrinth. Still oblivious to the reason he was going through such hurdles, he pondered, expressing his thoughts on the game.
"First, you intentionally put me in debt, then confiscate the reason I'm in debt, making everything pointless. Then you trap me here, telling me to do what you say like your dog. And now this… This is one shitty game that I must destroy," he mumbled.
Even though his words had no solid evidence of the game playing unfairly against him, he wasn't wrong. It was the most likely thing anyone would think of in such a situation.
Holding his crafted 'Medium-Sized Rabbit Daggers' tightly, he prepared to face anything that came his way.
"Haaa," he sighed, expressing the exhaustion that still weighed on his body after his last battle. He raised his daggers, taking a look at them.
[MEDIUM-SIZED FOREST RABBIT DAGGER]
[Attack: 5-7. Critical: Null]
[Durability: 56/60]
He shifted his gaze to his other dagger, revealing the same status window, but this one bore a durability of [23/60].
Cracks and fractures could be made out on the second dagger's exterior, proof of the intensity of his last battle.
"I don't have much use for this. I can't afford to lose one of my weapons, especially since I don't have the materials to craft another one..." he said, suddenly interrupted by his own footsteps.
The ground, which had felt like hard tree bark, suddenly softened, the sound of crunching dry leaves echoing beneath him.
He shifted his gaze downward, noticing a mass of what seemed to be dead leaves scattered across the cave floor.
He continued walking, the sound of constant crunching causing an uneasy sensation to wash over him. It felt as if he were walking on corpses, their bony frames shattering with each step he took.
And soon after, he came into a clearing of flourishing green herbs. His steps felt softer than before, yet the eerie feeling, like crackling thunder, faded.
"What's this?" he asked, staring at the herbs with a curious look.
[HP RECOVERY HERB]
[HP RECOVERY HERB]
[HP RECOVERY HERB]
The system kept sounding off.
"Ha, I see. So this is the rejuvenation of the labyrinth. It looks like an infinite field of healing herbs," he muttered, astonished by the sheer radiance and beauty of the herbs that stretched as far as the cave went, serving as a neat carpet.
"Grawwl."
A sound emanated from the corner of a path ahead of him. Sounds of footsteps trampling on the soft herb carpet echoed a soft yet chilling vibe through the cave.
Startled but still burning with a fighting spirit, he decided to face the threat head-on, not even taking a minute to overthink his actions as he stood at a disadvantage, not knowing the foe he was to face.
He gripped his daggers firmly and slowly advanced toward the source of the sound, taking feathery steps and raising his guard as he didn't want to make his presence known to the enemy.
"Growl."
"Growl."
"Growl."
Three distinct yet similar sounds followed, proving to him that the lone monster had been joined by its compatriots. Oblivious to the reason for the addition, he still decided to progress. The disadvantage in numbers was a clear fact; planning to take a quick glance at the monsters to appraise them, he crept closer, reaching a few inches away from the curve.
"I need to make this quick," he thought, as even though filled with determination, he, like all creatures, feared the unknown.
The sound of growling suddenly started getting closer, the sound of impending footsteps sending shivers down Mark's spine.
He got closer to the walls, trying to hide from the creature's sight as he had gotten too close to achieve a safe exit.
A giant nostril appeared from the corner, covered with a batch of green hair; it twitched, seeming like a creature by itself as it moved from the left to the right, seemingly searching for its prey.