"Uuugh. Where—"
I didn't know where I was.
It was a strange place.
The space was wide, with pillars of rock extending infinitely into the clouds formed in such a space that were quite low.
"Where is this place? I was thrown into the portal and—"
Recalling what happened, I began to hear something...
Footsteps.
Heavy Footsteps.
"What...!"
Turning my head, before me was a towering beast.
A minotaur, with large horns that glowed yellow, with lines that outlined it, especially its eyes, muscular, and with sharp claws.
"..."
I was frozen in shock, unable to think properly.
It was only after it reeled back its fist back did my survival instincts kick in.
"AHH!"
Jumping out of the way, it left a fist imprint in the earthy ground.
"ROOOOOOOOAR!"
"No, no , NO!" Quickly getting up, I ran.
I ran and didn't look back.
Its roar echoed, and its heavy footsteps I could hear behind me.
Turning my head, I could see it chasing after me, the faint fog allowing me to see it.
It would wave its arms around as if it were a zombie or a mindless beast.
"I need to—, wait, my skills!"
I quickly stopped in place, opening my status window.
Looking at the [Stun] skill, I tried thinking about it, looking at the minotaur, but nothing happened.
"Maybe if I… [Stun]!"
I yelled the skill, but something showed up…
[The [The Cursed Right Hand] passive skill denies the use of your skill]
"What?!"
Looking up, I began running away again, tapping the passive skill to see why it was preventing my skill use.
[The Cursed Right Hand: The right hand must be raised and pointed to use any skills.]
"Tch, this is stupid."
Stopping again, I aimed my hand at the minotaur.
I was starting to panic, seeing how close it was getting, but I tried to compose myself.
[Stun]
[40% Chance Failed]
"...!! WHAT!?"
40% chance? Don't tell me they aren't guaranteed!?
I tried running again, but I tripped over a rock before I could run any further.
"AH!"
I was now helpless on the ground, the beast getting closer and closer, roaring and ready to pounce at me like a wild dog.
"Nnnngh! [Stun]!"
I yelled.
[40% Chance Failed]
"[Stun]!"
[40% Chance Failed]
"[Stun]!"
[40% Chance Failed]
"Come on!"
The minotaur was reaching ever closer, my death imminent.
"Please! Just give me one stroke of luck! [Stun]!"
[40% Chance Failed]
"[Stun]!"
[40% Chance Failed]
Inches away from me, I shouted one last time, putting everything into it, my last bet at survival.
"[Stun]!"
[40% Chance Success]
The beast froze in place, electricity generating from its body, unable to move, restrained forcefully by magic, its eyes rapidly looking around in confusion.
"...hehahaha, finally."
Taking a deep breath, I dragged myself away, getting up before looking at the minotaur.
"...maybe I can…"
Raising my hand to the minotaur, I tried using [Poison].
But something appeared before me.
"The hell is that?"
It was some strange golden frame, a square of sorts aimed at the monster.
Something compelled me to use my skill while aiming at the square, so I did.
[100% Chance Success]
"100%!? But it said 40%."
The monster began to foam at the mouth, purple ooze leaking from its mouth and eyes.
Watching it suffer, I ran away, having no intention of waiting for it to die, if it was even going to.
I ran and ran until I finally saw something, a frame that looked like a door, a path that was big enough for me, yet too small for the monster.
I went inside, yet it was a dead end, a trap I made for myself, now at the mercy of whatever was out there.
I dropped to the floor, the light in my eyes lost, my hope vanquished from this trap I laid in.
I took this chance to look at my status in full, with a desperate desire for any hope of escape.
Name: Kuro
Class: Curser
Rank: EX
Stats
MP: 10000/10000
ATK: 1
DEF: 1
SPD: 1
ARC: 1
Skills
Stun [LVL: 1]
Poison [LVL: 1]
Coma [LVL: 1]
Burn [LVL: 1]
Bleed [LVL: 1]
Disease [LVL: 1]
Fear [LVL: 1]
Hallucinate [LVL: 1]
Charm [LVL: 1]
Silence [LVL: 1]
Disarm [LVL: 1]
Panic [LVL: 1]
Obsession [LVL: 1]
Misfortune [LVL: 1]
Absorb [LVL: 1]
Passive Skills
[The Cursed Right Hand]
[The Failure Frame]
[The Forsaken One]
[Bastard Son of a Mongrel]
"...hold on. Why is there an X? It didn't have that before."
[Oh, sorry, my bad]
A message appeared before me, one that was out of place.
"What?"
My Status Screen began to glitch, dispersing before a new light took its place.
"...!!"
Emerging from the light was a spirit.
A petite creature.
It was strangely adorable, yet utterly alien.
Her skin white, the octopus tentacles that were her hair moving around, multi-colored, curling towards the end.
She was levitating, defying gravity, fixing her witch hat that almost fell off, which was see-through like plastic.
And when she looked at me, her eyes were captivating, swirling pools of color, like unmixed paint in a bucket.
She grinned at me, though her teeth were many, sharp, and pointed, there was something calming, even cute, in that smile.
What she wore had caught my eye to its simplicity, yet relatability, suggesting it was female.
An unkempt sleeveless gray dress held by straps and delicate in design.
Slits formed like petals.
Multi-colored flowers around the dress, with cracks in the delicacies, like dried paint flaking off.
She twirled in the air like a lazy spirit, no footwear to be seen, instead ankle-wear with a rose.
"...who are you?"
".....I'm your Staitus System."
Even when speaking, she still had her smile.
Her voice also sounded a little childish or mature.
I would best describe it as a young woman speaking with a little bit of pitch.
"Mine?"
The goddess did say something about using spirits to create the Status System.
She must be a spirit then.
"Um, so why did you transform back? Wait, do you display all my stats and everything?"
"Y-Yeah, I do, yeah."
She sounds like a total bum.
The way she carried herself, how disconnected she felt from my current situation, I felt like she was the kind to be useless in any given situation.
"Then why did my Rank only say E before? When I checked, it said EX."
"Oh, that? Hehehehehe. My bad, forgot to add the X."
"...you forgot?"
My eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. I was a little tired."
I grabbed her in anger, my hands around her neck.
"You forgot."
The glare I held had her shaken, that previous disconnection gone, replaced by fear and nearing tears.
Her small hands slipped through the little gaps that were still present where my hands were, a terrible attempt to free herself.
"Tell me now, what does EX mean?"
"I-It means you are on par with the S Rank, a person with a-abnormal capabilities and growth."
She spoke quickly, her breathing rapid.
"And you know why I'm down here?"
"...no."
"BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"...!!"
She tried to pull away from my grip, but I'm not even sure why I kept squeezing.
I was so angry, seeing red, that I had almost done something I would have regretted later.
I quickly let go of her, and she cried, hugging me and crying.
"..."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!"
Her tears and words were soggy and ugly.
Her grin had also disappeared, replaced by a frown too unbearable for me.
"Please forgive me!"
She desperately gripped my shoulder, her tears wetting my clothes.
"O-Okay! Okay!"
Hesitantly, I hugged her back, her skin soft and her 'hair' slimy.
Despite my anger, I felt compelled to forgive her.
Seeing her so desperate made me feel like the bad guy.
I felt like I was bullying and abusing her, especially after I just choked her.
"I'm sowwy."
Her words slipped, a result of her tears.
She was much calmer now, still not letting go.
She was also quite heavy, probably a result of her thighs that were on the plumper side.
"Um, can you tell me your name?"
Sniffing her nose, she rubbed her snot away.
"Marra-shaytana."
"...I'll just call you Mara."
"...!! A nickname? Thank you so much! Hehehehe."
Her smile returned.
…it's just a nickname. Why is she so glad I gave her a nickname?
"So, uh, can you show me my status window? I want to read everything."
"Okie, Kuro."
She even called me by my nickname.
Sitting between my legs, my status window finally appeared.
Now was the chance for me to finally understand what I was dealing with.
First, I checked my Passive Skills.
I had four in total.
Two of them I was already aware of, two more were unknown to me.
The first one was called [The Failure Frame]:
[Makes any status ailments 100% effective and guaranteed, but only if you aim in the golden frame made that has only a 30% chance of appearing.]
It explained why my [Poison] said 100% and thankfully, I had it, especially with a 40% chance to hit showed up near the skills.
The second one, I didn't even understand why it was called a passive skill.
It should be called a passive curse or debuff, because I gained no benefit from it.
It was called [Bastard Son of a Mongrel]:
[The stats of such trash shall never increase, ever]
Not only did it insult me, but now I couldn't increase physically.
My misfortune really shone through.
Not only do I get mistaken for an E Rank, not only did I got thrown into this place, not only did I have a 40% chance of hitting, but now I can't even increase my stats.
"ROOOOOOOOAAAARRR!"
"...!!"
The minotaur was free, and it was coming for me.
"Wait, how much time passed? It said an hour."
"An hour did pass."
"W—When!?"
"Just now."
At the entrance, the minotaur had somehow found me despite me running far away from where I had stunned it.
It kicked at the frame, trying to make it bigger to reach me.
"Come on, just stay away! Maybe I can try [Coma]?"
Raising my hand…
[Coma]
[40% Chance Failed]
I raised it again, and the golden frame appeared.
[Coma]
[100% Chance Success]
The moment it worked, I felt something in my hand.
Strange thin marks appeared on my right hand, formed by small symbols I couldn't decipher, and on the palm, a mouth appeared, sticking its black tongue out.
"What the hell!?"
Instead of me speaking the words of my skill, it said those words for me, only its voice sounded demented and unhinged.
The minotaur fell asleep, dropping to the floor, unable to resist the power.
I already knew the time limit was an hour, which was perfect.
I used this chance to get out of this suffocating spot, moving Mara to the side so I could squeeze through, and she followed behind.
Now outside, I looked at the body of the beast, aiming my hand.
[Poison]
[40% Chance Success]
It succeeded!
The monster leaked from the same spots, now unconscious and unable to resist it for long.
[Congratulations Kuro. You have slain a Minotaur.]
"...why did you narrate that, Mara?"
"I have to."
"...are you going to do that every time?"
"No."
[Level UP]
Poison [LVL: 2]
Coma [LVL: 2]
At least my levels can still change.
"Good job Kuro."
"...can't you call her to bring me up? The goddess, I mean."
"No. When the goddess touched you, she broke the enslavement she had on me."
"What? Enslavement?"
"Mhm, the spirits are enslaved, and she enslaved me too. She put us all in the glass sphere so that when one of you touched the sphere, we would experience 'Volludor'.
"And that is…?"
"When our souls are bonded together. My life and self are connected to yours."
"...is…the goddess even a good person?"
Mara didn't reply, only shrugged her shoulders with no answer to say.
"O-Okay, let's just get out of here."
Walking away from the carcass, Mara floated beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"By the way, why isn't there a general level? There are levels for the skills, but that's it."
"The goddess thought that was stupid, wanting the summoned to focus on the skills themselves, which are skills and experiences you had in your original world, translated to power.
Looking at the [Coma] skill in my status window, I realized she may have been right.
After all, I've been in a coma once because of my father.
It didn't help that [The Forsaken One] is literally just my own terrible luck translated.
Reaching another frame, I walked inside, and this time, it was an actual path to somewhere.
"Finally."
Walking down the path, it was very cold, the cold air leaving my mouth.
The only thing I can hear being my echoing footsteps and faint roars in the distance.
That alone made it clear that this place was far more dangerous than I thought.
"That stupid goddess. Throwing me down here. If she had just done a better check, she would have seen the EX. She's a goddess after all. I swear I'll smack some sense into her."
"...I don't think we can escape from here, Kuro."
"What are you talking about? Of course I'll escape."
"But it's the Labyrinth."
"Is that what this place is called?
She nodded to my question.
"The labyrinth was created by Shumato, an infinite prison created to trap those she despises and who are a threat to her."
"What? Why—"
Before I could ask that question, I had tripped on something.
"Crap! What the hel–"
When I had turned, I saw a skeleton in black clothes.
"WHOA! What the hell is that!?"
"A decayed body."
Mara said casually.
Meanwhile, I was utterly shaken at the corpse in front of me.
Seeing actual human bones, I was terrified. The idea that it could be me next made me uncomfortable.
It didn't help that it smelled awful, absolutely awful.
The smell was practically molesting my nose, drilling deep into my nostrils, and making me tear up.
I did notice his clothes would allow me to change into something more comfortable and warm, but I was scared.
I didn't want to take off his clothes, let alone touch whoever this was.
It felt disrespectful.
I also didn't want to go near that thing.
But Mara had understood just from my gaze alone what I wanted.
She pulled the clothes off the body, the skeleton falling apart from her pull, and dust picking up from the action.
"What are you doing!?"
"You're cold. As I said, my body and life are connected to yours. I can feel how cold you are."
"..."
Reluctantly, I took the clothes which were far warmer than the bed ones.
It was a black coat with golden buttons and a high collar that had gold at the top, the sleeves cuffed as well.
Under that was a white shirt I could slip on, a red jabot along with that.
And of course black pants and boots, the boots having laces and golden colored soles.
"...it's…nice."
Despite my words, I still felt a little disgusted by what I had done, but I kept going forward until I reached the end of the tunnel, the frame quite high from the ground.
What the hell is this place?
It was a very ethereal sight.
The fog was persistent, but far thicker than before.
In the distance, more minotaurs were walking around, some with decaying bodies in their hands.
"...!!"
They were holding the dead bodies of different elves, lizard men, and other fantasy creatures in their hands, some going as far as to chow down on them.
"...I'll kill them from a distance."
Aiming my hand forward, the frame appeared again, and I was grateful for that.
"Let's see…"
Looking at the status window, I tapped [Panic] with my other hand.
[Panic]
[Duration: 30 Mins]
[Causes mindless fighting among targets]
By choosing [Panic], multiple frames appeared in front the single golden frame, each one pointing to a different monster and following them.
That's when I realize the [Failure Frame] aims automatically.
[Panic]
[100% Chance Success]
With all of them inflicted, they turned to each other, screaming at each other and fighting one another.
They were berserking like animals, ripping each other's limbs off, gouging out each other's eyes, ripping jaws, and clawing at flesh.
It was disgusting, so much so in fact, I turned away, while Mara was indifferent to it.
"How are you so indifferent to it?"
"Because they aren't truly alive."
"What?"
"The goddess created all sorts of monsters like those minotaurs. She created them without souls, soulless flesh machines that obeyed her orders, serving as the guards and the executioners of this place. So don't feel bad for something that isn't alive in the first place."
"..."
Even knowing that, it was still gory, so I didn't look until it was all over.
[You have slain multiple Minotaurs]
[Level UP]
Panic [LVL: 4]
[Duration: 30 Mins —> 1 Hour]
An hour now. That's good.
Jumping out, I landed on the ground, walking by all of them before reaching a metal gate.
"A gate?"
Grabbing it, it felt cold and rusty.
I shook it, but it didn't budge.
"Come on, don't be like that."
"Is someone there?"
An echoing voice came from beyond the gate.
"...!! H-Hey! Are you a person?"
"Yeah. Think you can help me?"
Realizing I had hope for a collaboration.
I tried my hardest to push the metal door, rushing into it multiple times until I broke it off its hinges.
"Damn!"
Landing on my shoulder was not the best move, especially on metal.
The corridor was one meant for a prison, jail on each side, all open and destroyed inside, the ground dirty and littered with rats, and at the end, a wooden door.
"Kuro, can we ignore this person?"
"What? No. I need an ally."
"That isn't—"
Ignoring her words, I ran to the noise.
"Hey man, over here."
Running towards the sound, to think of seeing someone else despite only being down here for not long made me hopeful we could escape together.
"Stop!"
Mara pulled my collar, and in that moment, a giant mouth with teeth chomped.
"..."
I was utterly stunned to see that mouth coming from the cell where the voice came from.
Its teeth were disgusting and yellow.
And inside its mouth that turned, eyes were apparent.
"Y-Y-You—"
"Hey, man, think you can help me?"
This monster or whatever it was still spoke in a human voice, walking out with a body.
It was on four legs.
Furry and black with the same yellow lines and eyes as the minotaurs.
In an instant, I got up, running away.
"Damn it! It tricked me!"
Running out of the corridor, it followed behind, nearly getting me before I managed to get through the door frame.
[Stun]
[40% Chance Failed]
[Stun]
[40% Chance Failed]
[Stun]
[40% Chance Failed]
"For fuck's sake."
"Mommy, please. Don't leave me. MOMMY!"
It spoke in the voice of a little girl, as if repeating words that were already spoken.
To hear it say that was beyond disturbing.
And the goddess sends people down here; she hates or is a threat to her. Why would she—
My pity wouldn't get me anywhere.
It pounded, its desire to eat stronger.
"I need to—"
Jumping out of the way, I looked at my skills, seeing another one that may be useful.
[Bleed]
[40% Chance Failed]
[Bleed]
[40% Chance Success]
It began to bleed from its mouth, eyes, ears, and butthole.
It shook in pain, but it kept coming after me, its red blood spilling on the floor, creating a trail behind it.
"Tch!"
[Poison]
[40% Chance Success]
Managing to stack these deadly ailments, it moves even slower.
[Stun]
[40% Chance Success]
Another success! Is luck finally on my side?
Freezing in place with nowhere to go, it could only wait as it slowly bled and was poisoned to death.
[You have slain a Mimic]
[Level UP]
Poison [LVL 3]
Stun [LVL 3]
Bleed [LVL 2]
This is good.
I'm stronger now…
Even if I was victorious, seeing how easily I was deceived made me realize just what the goddess wanted.
She wanted me dead.
All because she thought I was an E Rank.
Knowing this, I had a feeling, a small feeling.
A feeling I believed would only grow if I was exposed to any more of this place.