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Chapter 3 - Spirit Of Limbo

[WARNING: You're Approached by the Spirit of Limbo]

Soon after, the eerie fog that filled the floors of the white rooms intensified rapidly.

Leon looked around in a panic, feeling as if he were trapped in a maze, endlessly wandering in circles.

"Follow the light? What a load of bullshit!"

He felt an overwhelming sensation of pins and needles prickling through his limbs as he crawled forward, his movements slow and deliberate, his vision still obscured by the crimson fog.

The entire place was enveloped in an unsettling silence, broken only by his own grunts of pain. But suddenly, a faint wail pierced the air.

The sound of a mournful wail, unlike anything he had ever heard before, echoed through the air, carrying with it a profound sense of grief.

As the chilling voice reached his ears, Leon could feel fear slowly engulfing him, causing him to freeze in his tracks, shivers running down his spine.

His eyes blurred once again, and the crimson fog intensified, making it increasingly difficult for him to discern his surroundings and find his way through the disorienting maze.

Just then he saw it.

Had it not been moving in his direction, Leon might have mistaken it for a mere reflection. But there was no mistaking the ominous silhouette of the Spirit of Limbo as it crawled slowly and deliberately toward him.

The faint wail that had initially caught his attention had now grown in intensity, resonating with increasing strength with each passing second.

*ding*

[WRONG WAY FUCKER!]

"Oh shut up you!"

With a quick instinctive movement, Leon rolled to his side, seeking refuge and attempting to conceal himself by the adjacent wall.

By some stroke of luck, his vision cleared once more, allowing him to discern his surroundings. He could now navigate the twists and turns of the eerie place with greater clarity, giving him a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.

Even then, His brain wasn't braining.

"What now?"

*ding*

[Your Qi is critical]

[Say, "I'm here" to enable your last energy reserve]

In a moment of desperation, he impulsively shouted, "I'm here!" without fully realizing the consequences. His voice reverberated through the eerie silence, echoing in the air and giving away his position to the relentless Spirit.

With every passing second, he could feel the spirit drawing closer.

[Last Reserve is Enabled, your Qi is dormant]

But it was too late, the spirit's wail turned into an intense screech as it saw him.

The lights flickered as the marble floor reflected its slender and crooked body.

With each of his blinks, it closed onto him.

At that moment, he only knew one thing to do: Run.

He caressed the walls on his right side for support, desperately trying to maintain his balance as he stumbled along. It felt as if he was running with a head made of helium, constantly bobbing and swaying in the most inconvenient manner.

Remembering a tidbit he had read somewhere about surviving mazes, he thought, "Ah, yes, taking the right turns is the key!"

Little did he know that in this particular maze of misfortune, his trusty strategy would lead him straight into a dead end, trapping him in an enclosed room.

Before he could even contemplate his next move and execute a graceful 180-degree turn, the spirit of limbo had already caught up with him within the confining space.

Once again, the spirit let out a screech as it trudged toward him.

He cramped himself into a corner as he wished this nightmare would end soon.

*ding*

[The Entrance has appeared!]

He was shifting uncomfortably and this message got him perplexed but something behind nudged him.

It was a door behind, that he didn't see when he entered this room.

"Oh thank goodness!"

He twisted the doorknob, quickly shutting the door behind the spirit of limbo.

[You used up all your last reserve]

His vision blurred once again, and before he could discern his new surroundings, he succumbed to darkness, blacking out completely.

***

When Leon was nine years old, he was adopted by two popular YooTubers.

It was a dream come true for any child that lived in an orphanage who was so used to moving places and then got sent back.

Since Leon was older, he was least expected to be adopted. But somehow this couple found him to their liking, maybe a bit too much for his good looks.

Unfortunately for Leon, his dream-come-true home quickly turned into a nightmare. His parents used him as a prop for their YooTube channel, exploiting his every move to boost their popularity. No one knew the truth of what he endured, behind the screen.

They cashed off Leon for as much as they could and when he started to grow up he was no longer the cute little guy he was which made them invest less and less in him.

Until one day he had enough and ran away to not return, he lowkey wished they'd look after him but they didn't. He later found that they had released a video telling their viewers how much of a problematic child he was, and how he abused them with physical violence and so they had to give him up.

He remembered feeling miserable for weeks after seeing that. To make matters worse, there were those who recognized him from the videos and took pleasure in bashing him, relishing the opportunity to hurl insults at him and label him as ungrateful.

It seemed like he couldn't escape the judgment and criticism that followed him wherever he went. The weight of public opinion became an unbearable burden for him to carry.

All of his childhood and teen years were filled with loads of shit.

He lived off the streets until a kind-hearted old man named Rick extended a helping hand. Rick offered him a job at his small restaurant and even supported his education by providing financial assistance. He lived with that man until he passed away- one of Leon's greatest losses.

Although the Old man had written a will stating that Leon would inherit the shop, his biological kids came out of nowhere to dismiss it and claimed it for themselves.

At this point, he had already given up hope on people, for every other person he met was a monster driven by self-interest and betrayal.

Everything changed when he landed on a full-fledged scholarship to Virenbrook University, his whole school was proud of him.

But he knew all too well deep down, this happiness wouldn't last for long and he was right about it.

Although his life had been shitty, he was quite popular. Not because of his YooTuber parents but because of his knack for trouble and charming attitude.

Whether it was college, schools, or even his neighborhood, everyone knew his name. He had become a figure of intrigue and curiosity, drawing attention wherever he went.

Little did everyone know that Leon never considered anyone his ally. He maintained a carefree demeanor, unafraid to speak his mind and often uttering comments that were offensive.

But for Leon, it was all about being brutally honest, never sugarcoating his thoughts or compromising his integrity, even if it meant constantly finding himself in trouble for that.

Even though he spent a lot of time with his roommates and they hung out together frequently, there was always a sense of distance between them.

When Leon unexpectedly collapsed during a gaming session, it was his roommates who rushed him to the hospital. However, he made sure to keep his illness a secret from them when he received the diagnosis.

He informed them that he was dropping out of school due to personal reasons. No one suspected a thing, since he pulled weird shit all the time.

"Oh it's Leon, he'll be back in no time."

"He wouldn't risk losing the scholarship."

"He might've got into trouble again." That's what they thought.

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