Floor ??? — Labyrinth of the Deadly Embrace
Adonis knelt in despair. His chest gaped open, a crimson wound inflicted by the grotesque humanoid bat that loomed before him. The creature, once a mere beast, had transformed into something far more sinister Adonis's wounds, thanks to his "Regeneration" ability, began to knit themselves together, flesh weaving shut with an eerie slowness. But the bat was relentless, moving as if it teleported.
In a blur that seemed to bend time, the bat vanished and reappeared behind Adonis, its clawed fist descending with terrifying force. Adonis sensed the looming danger, his instincts screaming as he rolled to the side. The punch struck the ground, unleashing a shockwave that shook the labyrinth's very foundation. The impact carved a massive crater into the floor, and the force sent Adonis skidding backward, his boots scraping against the surface.
Struggling to his feet, Adonis locked eyes with the bat. Its grotesque maw twisted into something resembling a grin, and it extended a clawed palm. A sinister red light gathered in its hand, coalescing into a small, ominous sphere of energy. The air grew heavy with malevolent intent as the bat aimed the glowing orb at Adonis and fired. The ball streaked through the air, impossibly fast. Adonis dove aside, the projectile grazing his side as it slammed into the fleshy wall behind him. The impact triggered a deafening explosion, leaving a perfectly spherical hole in the pulsating surface, as if the wall itself recoiled in pain.
Undeterred, the bat conjured two more energy spheres, each pulsing with greater intensity than the last. It launched them in rapid succession. Adonis, his reflexes pushed to their limit, dodged the first, but the second struck true, obliterating his left arm in a burst of searing agony. Blood sprayed across the ground as Adonis staggered, his vision swimming. His arm began to regenerate, tendrils of flesh and bone slowly knitting together, but the process was agonizingly sluggish. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, and he realized his "Regeneration" ability had limits—his stamina was waning, slowing the healing process to a crawl.
The bat's grin widened, its eyes glinting with sadistic delight. It raised both hands, and ten red energy spheres materialized, hovering ominously in the air. Adonis's heart sank. That bastard… he's toying with me, he thought, his mind racing as he fought to suppress his rising panic.
With a flick of its wrists, the bat sent the ten spheres hurtling toward him. Desperate, Adonis summoned his own power, conjuring ten balls of roaring flame from his trembling hands. He hurled them forward, each fiery orb colliding with its red counterpart in a cataclysmic explosion. The labyrinth trembled as a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the battlefield, obscuring everything in a choking haze.
When the smoke cleared, the bat's eyes narrowed. Adonis was gone. The creature's nostrils flared as it sniffed the air, catching the faint metallic scent of Adonis's blood on the ground. In its vision, a shimmering thread of red energy traced the path of its prey's escape—a trail left by Adonis's blood. With a guttural roar, the bat spread its wings and soared into the air, following the scent with predatory determination.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of the labyrinth, another figure stirred. The leader of a bandit crew, who had been slumped against the fleshy wall, opened one eye. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps as he clutched his shattered ribcage, the pain a constant reminder of the bat's earlier assault. "What the fuck was that?" he muttered, his voice trembling with fear.
"When I came to, I felt that dreadful mana… that thing was radiating it. I played dead to survive."
He glanced around, ensuring the bat was gone, then staggered toward the labyrinth's exit. "Almost there," he whispered, his voice strained with hope. "Just a little more, and I'll make it out alive." Each step was torture, his hand pressed against his side to staunch the bleeding, but the promise of survival drove him forward.
Then, a soft thud echoed behind him. The bandit froze, his blood turning to ice. Slowly, he turned his head, and his heart stopped. The bat loomed over him, its glowing eyes boring into his soul. It had known all along that he was pretending, had played along to savor his fleeting hope before crushing it. The creature's lips curled into a cruel smirk, relishing the bandit's terror.
The bandit ran, ignoring the blinding pain in his ribs, his whimpers echoing through the labyrinth. The exit was so close—he could see the faint glow of freedom beyond the fleshy corridor. But then, the world tilted. His vision spun, and he realized with sickening clarity that everything was upside down. "Huh?" he thought, confusion clouding his mind. "Why is everything…?"
The realization hit him like a blade. I'm dead. His severed head hit the ground, followed by his lifeless body. The bat, satisfied with its revenge for the pain the bandit had caused it earlier, seized the corpse and tore into it with savage hunger before taking flight once more, its sights set on Adonis.
Adonis sat down in the shadowed recesses of the labyrinth, his ragged breaths echoing faintly off the damp stone walls. Pain throbbed in the mangled remains of his arm, a brutal reminder of his recent clash with the monstrous bat. The creature's ferocity had overwhelmed him, forcing him to flee in a desperate bid for survival. Anger simmered in his chest—not at the bat, but at himself. Weak, he thought bitterly, clenching his remaining fist.
I ran like a coward.
His arm, now a twisted wreck, was healing at a slow pace, a consequence of his depleted stamina. The fight had exposed a harsh truth: his fire magic, though potent, was shackled by his limited endurance. Each burst of flame drained him further, leaving him vulnerable. He needed to adapt, to wield his powers with precision.
The bat had been a nightmare. Its sleek, armored form was now adorned with jagged black spikes. The creature's speed had evolved into something terrifying—dodging its strikes was like trying to outrun a storm. Its strength was catastrophic; a single blow could shatter bones and end him. Adonis replayed the battle in his mind, analyzing every move. The bat's upgraded armor had deflected his flames with ease, its spikes tearing into him when he got too close. How do I kill something like that? he wondered, his mind racing. Brute force wouldn't work. He needed strategy, a way to exploit the bat's weaknesses—if it even had any.
Adonis pressed himself deeper into the alcove, the cold stone grounding him as he fought to steady his thoughts. The bat was likely hunting him now, its predatory instincts sharpened by their encounter. Time was slipping away. I can't stay here, he realized. I need to move, to get stronger. The labyrinth stretched endlessly before him, a maze of danger and opportunity. Deeper within, he might find answers—new skills, hidden power, or even an artifact to tip the scales. But venturing further meant facing worse than the bat. The labyrinth was alive with threats, each more cunning and lethal than the last.
He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing, and assessed his condition. His stamina was his bottleneck. Every spell he cast burned through his reserves, leaving him gasping and exposed. His fire magic, while devastating, was inefficient—wild bursts that consumed too much energy. I need control, he thought. Precision.
Adonis forced himself to stand, ignoring the sharp pain radiating from his arm. The labyrinth's air was heavy, thick with the scent of mold and something metallic—blood, perhaps
He didn't know what lay deeper within, but staying still meant death. The bat would find him eventually, and he refused to die cowering. I'll go deeper, he resolved, his voice a low growl. I'll find a way to grow stronger, to master my power. He took a tentative step forward, his good hand trailing along the wall for support.
Adonis's heart pounded, but he pushed forward. The bat isn't the only monster here, he reminded himself.
He would learn to wield it better, to burn brighter without burning out. The labyrinth would forge him, or it would break him. Either way, he'd face it head-on