Solomon stepped out of the glowing portal, and his boots hit solid stone. Tall walls built from massive gray blocks stretched up into the darkness. Patches of glowing green moss grew along the cracks in the masonry, providing just enough light to see the path ahead. He drew his basic iron sword and started walking down the wide, twisting corridor.
The owl fluttered behind his shoulder. A new wave of text scrolled up the translucent blue screen.
[LazyCat: wow you actually spawned near the central area.]
[User12: insane luck. people usually spawn at the outer edges and take days to reach the middle.]
"Luck always comes with a price," Solomon said while keeping his eyes locked on the shadows ahead. "If I just used up a massive amount of my good luck, the bad luck should be right on its way."
[LazyCat: okay philosopher calm down lol]
[User12: bro thinks he is socrates]
[GamerGuy: such deep words from a first year.]
Solomon sidestepped a loose cobblestone. "When I was ten years old, I used to watch streams all the time. There was this massive streamer doing a giveaway for a high-end luxury car. The conditions to join the giveaway were incredibly easy. You only had to follow the streamer on all social media platforms, leave a comment, and share the video. I did all of that without thinking much about it. A week later, they announced the results, and I had actually won."
[Skeptic: yeah right. nobody ever wins those big giveaways.]
[GamerGuy: totally making this up.]
[User12: cap.]
"I really did win," Solomon continued. He paused at an intersection and peered down the left hallway before turning right. "But when they finally shipped the car to my house, the company demanded I pay the shipping fees. Then came the custom duties, the import taxes, and the tariffs. The total cost ended up being more than the actual price of the car itself. My parents obviously rejected the delivery. The dealership then filed a massive lawsuit against my family, and the whole situation turned into a complete nightmare."
[OldTimer: wait a minute. I actually recall hearing something very similar in the news years ago.]
[LazyCat: no way lol. that is wild.]
[Skeptic: what an absolute scam.]
Solomon glanced up at the top corner of the floating screen. The viewer count slowly ticked up to nine.
He gripped his sword handle tighter as the glowing moss along the walls suddenly changed from green to a deep shade of crimson. A strange scratching noise echoed from the darkness at the far end of the corridor.
Iron torches hung from the stone walls at the start and end of every corridor. Solomon kept his eyes on the flames as he walked. Anyone with basic knowledge of the Eden Labyrinth knew those torches flickered and changed color right before the maze shifted its pathways.
No map existed for this place. A person only knew they were heading the right way by checking the glowing moss in the cracks of the floor and walls. The lighter the color became, the closer the path led to the center.
Solomon focused on keeping his small audience hooked. None of his nine viewers had sent him any gifts yet. He wanted to build good retention and keep them engaged.
"Where are you guys from?" Solomon asked the floating drone. "We have a long walk ahead of us. We might as well chat."
[LazyCat: bro is trying to host a podcast inside a death maze.]
[User12: London, Earth.]
[GamerGuy: I live in the martial realm, Crimson Peak Sect.]
[Skeptic: Texas.]
[OldTimer: is it really okay for you to talk so loud? You will get distracted and announce your arrival to everything in the maze.]
Solomon read the comment off the blue screen. "The paths here are one-way," he explained. "There is no other place to go. The monsters in this labyrinth can smell a human from two passages away anyway. Me talking does not change anything. They already know I am coming."
The fire torch at the far end of the tunnel suddenly flickered. The bright orange flame turned into a harsh blue color.
The maze was shifting. Solomon hurried forward to make sure he avoided getting stuck or led away from the central zone.
Suddenly, a loud grinding noise echoed through the corridor. The stone walls on his left and right began to move inward, squeezing the passage tight. He looked down the hall and saw a massive stone door descending from the ceiling at the exit.
He shoved his iron sword into its scabbard and broke into a full sprint.
[LazyCat: RUN!]
[GamerGuy: go go go!]
[User12: slide for it!]
Solomon pumped his arms and pushed his legs as fast as they could carry him. The narrowing walls grazed the shoulders of his jacket. The descending stone door was only three feet from the floor. He threw his body forward and slid across the smooth cobblestones on his back.
His boots cleared the gap right as the heavy slab slammed into the floor behind him. A small cloud of dust washed over his face.
Solomon stood up and brushed the dirt off his uniform. He looked around and took in his new surroundings. He had just entered a spacious, circular stone chamber.
Solomon walked around the perimeter of the circular chamber and inspected the deep cracks lining the stone blocks. The room stood completely empty. Dust coated the floor, undisturbed by any footprints or tracks.
[LazyCat: you bypassed all the monsters again. so lucky.]
"There is absolutely nothing in here," Solomon said, kicking a loose pebble across the floor.
[GamerGuy: use your search skill to find hidden items or secret signs.]
"I do not possess a search skill," Solomon replied.
[User12: then just search for a way out before something spawns.]
Solomon walked across the room and stopped beside a thick stone pillar. He looked up the length of the column. The top of the pillar stopped a full foot short of the ceiling, supporting absolutely nothing. He stepped closer and knocked his knuckles against the gray surface. A hollow thud echoed back. He pulled his arm back, clenched his fist, and punched the stone block.
The impact shattered the surface. Large chunks of rock fell to the floor, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel hidden entirely inside the hollow structure.
"It seems we found a hidden route," Solomon said to the floating drone.
He dropped to his hands and knees and squeezed into the tight opening. The metallic owl hovered right behind his boots, illuminating the cramped space with its blue projection. He crawled forward over the rough stone floor.
A sudden chime rang out. A mechanical voice spoke directly inside his head.
[User12 has sent a Direct Echo and gifted a Bronze Idol! (50 Points)]
"Keep moving forward, newbie," the voice of User12 echoed clearly in his mind.
Solomon blinked in surprise and continued crawling.
"I can definitely get used to this feature," Solomon said, adjusting his grip on the dusty floor. "Hearing the messages directly in my head is much less distracting than trying to read a screen."
[LazyCat: wait someone actually donated already?]
[GamerGuy: rich flex.]
Solomon reached the end of the narrow path and squeezed his shoulders out into another stone chamber. A brightly glowing orb rested directly in the center of the room atop a cracked stone pedestal. He sprinted forward, snatched the treasure, and quickly shoved it inside his jacket.
[LazyCat: wait what was that?!]
[GamerGuy: bro snagged it before the camera could even focus. show us!]
"I cannot just reveal my findings so easily," Solomon said. He adjusted his collar to completely hide the illumination leaking from his chest. "You will all have to guess."
He kept his hand pressed tightly against his jacket. 'Should I really show my loot live to the entire world?' he thought. Broadcasting rare treasures could easily invite an ambush from other streamers currently exploring the labyrinth.
A new notification suddenly popped up on the floating blue screen.
[Loot Found. Would you like to store the item in the drone's inventory?
Warning: The inventory can only be accessed upon returning to the academy.]
He considered the new safety feature. Storing the orb immediately eliminated the risk of getting robbed by an opportunistic player. He decided to use the digital storage, yet he kept the item hidden against his ribs for another second.
A loud chime rang out inside his head.
[Skeptic has sent a Direct Echo and gifted a Silver Sword! (500 Points)]
"Stop playing around and reveal the item," Skeptic's voice demanded in his mind.
Solomon patted his jacket. "It is an orb."
[GamerGuy: what color? a copper orb is worth 100 copper coins.]
[ LazyCat: Lmao, bro wasted 500 silver coins only to see a copper orb. ]
[User12: It could be a silver orb that gets you 100 silver coins. a gold orb brings in 100 gold coins, but those never spawn in the labyrinth.]
Solomon pulled the sphere from his clothes and held it up to the drone's crystal eye. Brilliant white light instantly spilled across the gray walls of the chamber.
[LazyCat: A GLOWING ORB?!]
[OldTimer: that sits at a much higher rarity than gold! depending on the purity, those sell for anywhere between 500 to 10,000 gold coins!]
[GamerGuy: curse your absolute luck! I am so jealous.]
[Skeptic: this newbie is totally cheating.]
Solomon tapped the confirmation button on his system screen. The owl projected a beam of blue light over his palm, and the glowing orb vanished into the digital inventory. He turned his back to the pedestal and walked straight toward the exit corridor.
Solomon walked down the winding stone corridor for another hour without encountering a single monster or triggering any traps.
The chat cursed him even more to see how lucky he was, until he hit a dead halt.
The passage split into two distinct directions. One route continued straight ahead, and the other branched off to the right. He checked the glowing moss lining the floor cracks. Both paths displayed the exact same shade, offering absolutely no help.
He glanced at the floating blue screen. The viewer count had climbed to seventeen.
[User12: take the straight path. a man should always walk a straight line.]
[GamerGuy: no go right. the right path is obviously the right path.]
[LazyCat: just flip a coin.]
[NewbHunter: straight!]
Solomon swiped his finger across the drone interface and brought up the interaction menu. He created a quick poll asking which way to go and set a short timer. The viewers cast their votes immediately. The final results appeared on the screen, showing a clear seventy percent majority in favor of the right passage.
"The right path it is," Solomon said. "Not going to lie, this was easy. I am glad I chose the labyrinth of Eden."
He adjusted his grip on his iron sword and walked down the elected corridor. The green moss quickly faded into complete darkness. He took exactly twenty steps before a group of armored figures stepped out from the shadows.
Solomon stopped moving and lowered his stance.
A dozen undead human soldiers blocked the narrow tunnel. Rusted chainmail hung from their decaying flesh. Faded streaks of golden light pulsed through their exposed bones, radiating the corrupted remains of ancient divinity left over from the holy war. They turned their rotting skulls toward him and raised their chipped swords.
Solomon clenched his jaw and cursed his decision to trust a viewer poll.
[NewbHunter: lmao I told you to go straight!]
[User12: bro jinxed it.]
[OldTimer: your unluck has finally arrived at your destination.]
[GamerGuy: Make a run for it. They won't chase you… probably…]
"I don't have insurance, you guys."