The labyrinth shifted again. Streets straightened, torches lit themselves, and a massive bronze gate materialized before Ethan. Strange letters half Greek, half kanji glowed faintly across its surface.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: FLOOR 4 – GROUP ENCOUNTER INITIATED]
[SYSTEM WARNING: SOLO PLAY DISCOURAGED]
[OPTIONAL QUEST: JOIN OR OBSERVE A HEROIC PARTY]
Ethan groaned. "Oh, of course. A 'gather the heroes' arc. Can't let the author have fun without shoving NPCs at him."
As the gate creaked open, voices spilled out.
A tall swordsman clad in samurai armor stood at the front, blade gleaming with faint divine light. To his left marched a hoplite, shield polished like a mirror. Behind them trailed a priestess draped in white robes, her staff adorned with olive leaves. A rogue-like figure lounged in the shadows, flipping a dagger.
They were perfect. Too perfect. Ethan recognized the archetypes immediately protagonist templates.
"Another stray?" the samurai asked, eyeing him.
The hoplite frowned. "Looks weak. He'll slow us down."
Ethan raised a hand lazily. "Don't mind me. Just sightseeing."
The priestess tilted her head. "Sightseeing? Here?" She smiled kindly, though suspicion lingered in her eyes. "You survived the first trial?"
"Barely," Ethan said, scratching his neck. "Mostly luck."
The rogue chuckled. "Hah. He's lying. Look at his stance he's been in fights."
Ethan sighed internally. Damn it. Can't even play the weakling role properly.
The group debated whether to take him along. Finally, the priestess insisted. "If the labyrinth threw him here, he has a role to play. Let him join."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: TEMPORARY PARTY FORMATION AVAILABLE]
[MISSION CHOICE: 1) Join Heroes / 2) Observe from Shadows]
Ethan smirked. "I'll… tag along for now."
The party moved cautiously through the bronze gate. Monsters swarmed gargoyles, shadow wolves, skeletal hoplites. The samurai and hoplite fought like champions, cutting through enemies with radiant precision.
Ethan? He stayed just behind.
Occasionally, he'd "accidentally" kick rubble that tripped an enemy, or throw a small stone at the perfect moment to distract one. His katana still weak landed finishing blows on already-damaged foes.
The rogue noticed. "Tch. He's… stealing kills?"
Ethan shrugged innocently. "Oh, sorry. Reflex."
The priestess covered her mouth to hide a laugh. "He's not wrong… his timing is uncanny."
Uncanny wasn't the word. Ethan knew the script. Every dungeon like this had patterns where the ambush would trigger, when the statue would move, what chant the priestess needed to finish. He wasn't rewriting fate yet, just… editing margins.
Then came the final chamber. A giant statue of Hades loomed, eyes glowing. The floor trembled.
[SYSTEM ALERT: SUB-BOSS AWAKENED – GUARDIAN OF THE GATE]
[WARNING: SUB-BOSS SCALING BASED ON PARTY SIZE]
The statue moved, swinging its obsidian scythe. The samurai charged first. The hoplite shielded the priestess. The rogue darted between shadows.
Ethan? He circled the edges, watching carefully.
His katana flickered faintly, aura strengthening just enough to mark a weak point.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: SCRIPT PREDICTION – ADVANCED PATTERN DETECTED]
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Left shoulder. That's where the code cracks."
The samurai and hoplite bashed against the statue uselessly. The priestess shouted, "We can't break its defense!"
Ethan sighed. "Heroes." He darted forward, blade glinting. One slash at the glowing shoulder—small, surgical caused the statue to stumble.
The samurai's strike landed. The hoplite's spear pierced deeper. Together, the party shattered the guardian.
The chamber went silent.
The samurai turned to Ethan. "…You. How did you know?"
Ethan shrugged. "Guess I read too much mythology."
The rogue stared at him, whispering, "He's hiding something."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: TITLE PROGRESSION – THE LONE QUILL (STRENGTH NEARLY FULL)]
[SYSTEM WARNING: CERTAIN GODS HAVE TAKEN NOTICE OF YOUR ACTIONS]
Ethan leaned against the wall, smirking. "Don't look at me like I'm special. I'm just a background character."
But the way the labyrinth shivered at his words… even Ethan realized he wasn't fooling anyone anymore.