Floor ??? — Labyrinth of the Deadly Embrace
Adonis lay sprawled on the cold, unforgiving stone, his body a grotesque tapestry of pain. His skin and muscles had been peeled away like layers of brittle parchment, his guts spilling onto the damp floor. The exposed ribcage rose and fell with each ragged breath, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood. Above him, the crimson interface flickered, its message mocking in its simplicity:
You have leveled up.
A bitter laugh escaped his cracked lips. "What's the point? I'm already as good as dead." His voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible over the distant echoes of the labyrinth. Yet, defiance flickered in his eyes. If this was his end, he would meet it head-on.
With a thought, he willed the interface to proceed. The screen shifted, revealing new text:
You gained 4x Skill Cards.
Four cards materialized before him—two bronze, one green, and one blue, their surfaces shimmering with otherworldly light. Hope, fragile but insistent, stirred in his chest.
Maybe… just maybe…
He focused on the blue card first. It dissolved into motes of light, and a new notification appeared:
Skill — Regeneration
Rank — C
Grade — Growth Type
Description — Automatically heals the player.
Adonis frowned. Growth Type? Did that mean the skill could evolve? Before he could ponder further, warmth spread through his ravaged body. Torn flesh knitted itself back together, muscles reformed, and his bones creaked as they realigned. The pain receded like a tide, leaving behind only a dull ache.
He gasped, sitting up in disbelief. His hands—whole again—trembled as he reached for the green card. The moment he touched it, another message flashed:
"Annihilation Beam (E) has been upgraded to Fire Manipulation (D)."
"Fire Manipulation?" he muttered, selecting the skill.
Skill — Fire Manipulation**
Rank — D
Grade — Growth Type
Description — Controls fire any way you want.
A grin split his face. Now we're getting somewhere.
The bronze cards came next. The first granted him Appraiser Eye (D),a skill that promised to reveal the truth of the world. The second bestowed Haste (D), but as soon as he acquired it, another notification appeared:
"Blink (E) has been combined with Haste (D) and changed to Teleport (D)."
Skill — Teleport
Rank — D
Grade — Growth Type
Description — Cover great distances instantly.
Adonis exhaled sharply. His arsenal had just expanded exponentially. He pulled up his stats, eager to see his progress:
---
Name: Adonis @#!@#
Level: 11
Stats:
- Strength: 15
- Agility: 12
- Endurance: 12
- Intelligence: 10
- Luck: 15
- Durability: 7
- Stamina: 8
Skills: Fire Manipulation (D), Teleport (D), Appraiser Eye (D), Regeneration (C)
Stat Points: 30
Tower Points: 250
---
"Three levels in one go," he murmured, satisfaction lacing his words. He distributed the stat points carefully, reinforcing his strengths and shoring up his weaknesses. When he finished, his updated stats glared back at him:
---
Name: Adonis @#!@#
Level: 11
Stats:
- Strength: 25
- Agility: 12
- Endurance: 12
- Intelligence: 15
- Luck: 18
- Durability: 12
- Stamina: 15
Skills: Fire Manipulation (D), Teleport (D), Appraiser Eye (D), Regeneration (C)
Stat Points: 0
Tower Points: 250
---
Power thrummed through his veins, a heady sensation that made his heart race. But the interface wasn't done with him yet. A new message appeared:
Shop has been unlocked.
Curious, he navigated to the Shop tab. The screen displayed a dizzying array of items—weapons, armor, quests, skills, and spells—all tantalizingly out of reach. The prices were exorbitant, and his meager Tower Points wouldn't even cover the cheapest dagger.
Quests… The word caught his eye. If he could complete one, maybe he could earn enough to buy something useful. But he was still trapped in this damned labyrinth, with no idea how to escape.
No matter. He had skills now. Strength. A fighting chance.
Adonis gripped his sword, the weight familiar and comforting in his palm. The labyrinth stretched before him, its shadows whispering of untold horrors. But for the first time since he'd been thrown into this nightmare, he felt something akin to hope.
Whatever lay ahead, he would face it—and he would survive.
With a deep breath, he stepped forward, ready to carve his path through the darkness.