"Bleughhh!"
Spitting out blood... that last move might have been too straining. I try crawling through the entrance with the rest of my strength. To be honest, I am so exhausted that even breathing feels like suffocation.
I don't feel any internal injuries, but there's an unusual heat in my chest. This is what they call a 'mana core' in this world, right?
The moment I got inside, the entrance sealed itself. The shattered sand and rocks gathered as if pulled by a magnet, closing the gap. It was as if nothing had ever happened. But now, it was pitch black. How am I supposed to navigate this?
Just then...
The area lit up. Torches ignited along the walls, revealing my surroundings. It was less of a hall and more of a rugged cave, leading toward a massive, imposing door. Is this some sort of boss room? If so, I'm definitely not ready.
Wait... what? I just realized that ever since I stepped inside this place, I feel perfectly fine. It's as if the entire cave is supplying me with mana.
This is the feeling you died for, isn't it, Ran?
A bitter smile curves my cheeks as I remember how desperate he was before dying. He clung for life until the very last moment.
Never mind. I tried to turn back, but destroying the entrance again was futile. It wouldn't budge no matter what I did.
"A one-way trip, huh?"
Since I have no knowledge of this "story," I can't predict what lies beyond that door.
With no other choice, I pushed the door open and entered the chamber cautiously.
It was a massive, hollow hall... empty, except for a single pillar on the far side. A stony, rough, and ancient-looking pillar.
Approaching it, I noticed an inscription:
Trial 1
Thou must discover thy passage hence within the span of one minute; for with every fleeting second, the walls draw ever nearer about thee.
"Trials?"
Judging from the old inscription, this isn't going to be a birthday party. I looked back. There was no way out. I either pass the trial, or I loop back and get killed by Karl again.
I touched the pillar. An intense flicker of light followed, blinding me.
When my vision returned, I had been teleported into a bizarre maze.
Grrr—!
Shit, the trial has already begun.
The walls are already moving, grinding toward me. Come on, Ran, there has to be some ability you possess.
Every second, the walls draw closer.
Yes, if my mana works perfectly fine here, maybe I can use 'Mana Zone.'
Without wasting a second, I closed my eyes and concentrated. A circular yellow glyph surrounded me, glowing faintly. I pushed it outward. It expanded slowly, and after twenty seconds or so, it covered the entire maze like a sonar pulse.
There. I see the exit.
"Run, Ran! Run with everything you've got! I don't want to end up as a human sandwich."
With every fleeting second, the walls grew narrower. My anxiety spiked. Only ten seconds left.
Run... run... run! It's close. The exit is right there.
Hurry! I could literally feel the stone walls brushing against both my hands now. It was too tight. I still had twenty-five meters to go.
Shit! I'm not going to make it at this pace.
Taking a final gamble, I attempted the Bloodrune sword technique again.
It requires massive concentration, and I couldn't execute it perfectly, but as clumsy as it was, I had to move.
Dash!
BOOM!
I somehow burst through the gap a split second before the walls slammed shut. I was breathless. The execution of the sword style was horrible, and my chest was paying the price.
Unimaginable pain raged through me as I screamed, my lungs burning.
Then, the same light returned blinding me. I was teleported back into the main hall.
The pain... was gone. Just like that. Is this the nature of this place? Does it heal you upon completion?
The door on the other side of the hall groaned open. The trial was over. I remembered the countless skeletons I saw while running through that maze. It means I wasn't the first one to find this place.
That doesn't matter now. I left the hall without looking back once. The door behind me clicked shut.
I entered another large chamber. Same stone pillar in the middle, same door on the other side.
Trial 2
Thou must endure for threescore minutes; yet take heed, for abyssal fiends lurk in every quarter.
"Threescore!!"
That's sixty minutes. An hour. And... were there supposed to be abyssal fiends in this world? I can't find it anywhere in Ran's memory.
Going inside without prior knowledge is too risky. As they, say little knowledge is harmful knowledge.
"But what can you possibly do in this situation?"
Having no choice, I approached the pillar and touched it, closing my eyes this time to avoid the same blinding light.
When I opened them a few seconds later, I was standing in the middle of a desert.
But that would have been the least surprising thing about this place... if not for the abominations surrounding me on all sides.
I think I am kinda screwed.