The vines attacked the moment Nova's voice broke the silence.
He barely had time to move before several pointed tendrils shot toward his chest. Nova threw himself to the side, and the vines struck the stone where he had been standing. More came from above, forcing him to duck. He could hear them cutting through the air as he moved, one after another, each attack aimed at a part of his body he would rather keep intact.
"Okay, I get it!" he shouted, immediately regretting the noise.
The vines responded with another barrage.
He twisted away from the first spike and dropped beneath the second, but the sheer number of them made it impossible to avoid everything. Two thick vines caught him around the waist before he could run. They tightened, digging into his sides, and pulled him toward the wall where dozens of smaller spikes were already waiting.
Nova planted his feet against the ground and grabbed the vines with both hands. He pulled as hard as he could, trying to make enough room to slip out. They hardly moved.
You've got to be kidding me. These things are stronger than they look.
Another set of spikes came toward his face. He bent backward, feeling the air shift inches above his nose. The movement put more strain on the vines around his waist, and for a moment he thought they were going to break his ribs.
He gritted his teeth and pulled again.
His arms trembled. The muscles in his back burned from the effort, and his feet scraped across the loose stone as the vines dragged him forward. He had spent days trying to make his mortal body stronger, yet here he was struggling against a couple of plants.
Well, calling them plants seemed a little unfair. Ordinary plants weren't interested in turning people into pincushions.
Nova shifted his weight and pushed away from the wall with everything he had. The vines stretched just enough for him to twist his hips. He dragged one arm free, forced himself through the opening, and felt the tendrils scrape against his sides as they slipped away.
He landed awkwardly but managed to remain on his feet.
The next barrage arrived before he had recovered his balance. He ducked under one spike, stumbled around another, and then sprinted toward the far end of the corridor. Several vines struck the ground behind him, so close that small fragments of stone scattered against his legs.
He did not look back.
Nova kept running until the sounds of the attacking vines disappeared. Only then did he slow down, turning a corner before stopping with one hand against the wall. He bent forward and tried to get his breathing under control.
"Phew... that was close."
Sweat ran down his temples. He wiped it away with his forearm, then straightened slowly and cracked his shoulders. His waist still ached where the vines had held him, and his arms felt heavier than they had only a few minutes earlier.
I don't even know how much energy I've spent already. It doesn't feel good, though. If I run into another situation like that without recovering, I'm going to have a problem.
Nova jogged onward, keeping his pace slow enough to conserve strength. The volcano rose above the maze walls, and he used it to guide him toward Adam.
The problem was finding him.
I need to find him quickly. Otherwise, he's dead meat.
He bit his lip and picked up his pace despite his aching legs.
* * *
Adam, meanwhile, was having a surprisingly peaceful time.
He walked between the high stone walls, taking in the strange landscape as though he were exploring an entirely new world. Patches of moss grew in the cracks, and small tufts of grass pushed through the dark volcanic soil. The air carried a faint smell of ash, but the plants felt soft beneath his fingers when he stopped to touch them.
It was his first real adventure, and a part of him wanted to enjoy it.
Another scream interrupted the quiet.
Adam froze, his fingers still resting against the moss. This one sounded closer than the others. He looked toward the bend ahead and listened for footsteps, growling, or anything else that might tell him where the danger was coming from.
Nothing followed.
"Right," he muttered. "Not going that way."
He headed in the opposite direction.
Earlier, he had come across a small group of participants who offered to let him travel with them. At first, he had considered accepting. They were awakened, after all, and having people with abilities around him sounded considerably safer than walking alone.
Then he noticed the way they were smiling at one another.
Their offer had seemed a little too convenient, and when one of them suggested that Adam should walk at the front, he remembered Nova's warning.
"Don't trust everyone who offers to help you," Nova had told him before they separated. "Some people will use you as a shield the moment something dangerous shows up. Head toward the volcano, avoid fights if you can, and wait for me. It might take a while, so focus on staying alive until then."
Adam had turned down the group's invitation. They hadn't been pleased, but they eventually left him alone.
Good thing I listened to him, Adam thought. I don't think those guys wanted me around because they liked me.
He continued walking, checking the passages before stepping into them. Some led to dead ends, forcing him to turn around. Others seemed to carry him in circles. The maze was beginning to feel much larger than it had from the outside.
Yet the volcano looked closer.
A figure appeared at the far end of the next passage.
Adam stopped. The stranger looked directly at him, paused for barely a moment, and then disappeared around the corner so quickly that Adam almost questioned whether he had seen anyone at all.
So fast...
Adam took another careful step toward the volcano.
* * *
Nova was only a few walls away from the same landmark when something on the ground caught his attention.
He slowed and crouched beside a patch of thick, sticky saliva. It glistened against the stone, forming a narrow trail that disappeared around the next corner. He had seen enough of the mutated wolf earlier to recognize the sort of creature that might have left it behind.
"Wonderful," he muttered. "Another one."
He could try finding another route, but that might take him farther from Adam. Instead, he straightened and closed his eyes for a moment.
During his time at the library, he had read about a simple meditation technique intended to sharpen concentration and awareness. He hadn't known whether it would work, especially without a proper ability, but he had nothing to lose by trying.
Nova steadied his breathing and focused on the sounds around him. He let the more distant noises fade into the background and concentrated on what he could hear nearby.
He could make out tiny movements in the maze, the faint scrape of something against stone and the smell of damp fur beneath the heavier scent of volcanic ash. The details seemed clearer than before. He judged that he could track activity within roughly ten meters, though he had no idea how long the heightened awareness would last.
A faint cracking sound came from ahead.
Nova tilted his head. It reminded him of someone stretching a stiff joint, except the sound was deeper and followed by the scrape of claws. He moved carefully toward it, keeping close to the wall.
Around the corner stood another mutated wolf.
It had been facing a small group of participants who looked ready to flee. Its body resembled the first wolf Nova had encountered, with broad shoulders, coarse fur, and claws that looked capable of tearing through flesh without much effort.
The creature turned its head before Nova had time to retreat.
It sniffed the air.
Then its red eyes fixed on him.
Nova knew why. He had gotten the first wolf's blood on himself during their fight, and apparently this one recognized the smell.
"Oh, come on. It's not like I went looking for your friend."
The wolf growled.
The group behind it took advantage of the distraction and began backing away. Nova glanced around for a rock or another weapon, but nothing useful lay within reach. He considered retreating too, then looked at the creature again.
He had wanted to measure his mortal strength against something dangerous. If he kept relying on whatever objects happened to be nearby, he would never learn what his body was capable of on its own.
Well, here's my chance.
He raised his fists and settled into a fighting stance.
The wolf did not bother circling him.
It lunged immediately, claws sweeping toward his chest. Nova stepped aside with barely enough room to avoid the attack. The creature landed, twisted, and sprang at him again before he had properly recovered. He ducked, feeling its claws pass close enough to his cheek to make him wince.
"You're in a hurry, aren't you?"
The wolf threw back its head and howled.
Please tell me that wasn't what I think it was.
He cracked his knuckles, hoping the sound might distract it as it had distracted the first wolf. The creature's ears twitched, but instead of hesitating, it leaned forward and growled more fiercely.
"Well, that didn't work."
He shifted his feet and watched its shoulders. An ability would have been useful right about now, but he had no intention of reaching for the divinity he had deliberately set aside.
The wolf charged. Nova feinted right and swung a hard hook toward its head. Before his fist connected, the creature changed direction too. His punch cut through empty air while its claws passed dangerously close to his arm.
He stumbled back and caught himself against the wall.
It feinted too? You've got to be kidding.
He was still trying to regain his footing when he heard another growl behind him.
Then another.
Nova turned.
Several wolves had entered the passage. Some carried bloodied limbs in their jaws, apparently taken from the group that had fled only moments earlier. One dropped what it was holding onto the ground in front of him. The sight made his stomach tighten.
The tournament's teleportation system was supposed to prevent permanent deaths, removing participants once they suffered fatal injuries. But it didn't spare them the pain before they were taken away, and Nova had no desire to discover how much that would hurt.
He counted the creatures again.
Five wolves. Including the one already facing him.
They spread out, forcing him backward until his shoulders were nearly against the stone wall. Every time he shifted toward an opening, one of them moved to close it. Their growls echoed through the narrow passage.
Nova let out a slow breath.
"Fuck."
He remembered the first wolf, how he had blinded it with stones before leaving it behind. He had thought the creature would simply remain there while he escaped. From what he had seen and smelled since then, it must have stumbled into one of the maze's sharp stone formations and died from its injuries.
I guess they weren't going to let that go. Well, this is quite a pickle. I suppose I deserve some of it, but five at once? That's a little excessive.
Nova looked from one wolf to the next, searching for the smallest gap between them. There wasn't one. The creatures had surrounded him carefully, and none seemed interested in giving him a chance to run.
They aren't leaving any blind spots. If I try to force my way through, they'll tear me apart. What am I supposed to do?
He kept his fists raised as the wolves edged closer, his mind racing for a way out.