Level thirty boss gates no longer required much effort. We headed out at 10 a.m. Ten hours inside only cost around four outside, but each gate still took two to three hours to clear.
We completed three full runs of the Humanoid Wolf Gate, then three of the Scorpion Gate. The desert took longer, nearly three hours each due to scale, but fatigue mattered less now. Near level thirty, our bodies endured nine hours of heat without exhaustion.
Levels climbed again from six bosses and a hundred-plus monsters. We pulled about 44 Gold in loot.
I still enjoyed the dives, but the lack of Absorptions lately gnawed at me. Progress without evolution felt hollow, numbers rising, but nothing new to show for it.
After fifteen hours inside and five outside, we found a gate we'd missed. Shay spotted it tucked between the trees, half-hidden by bush like it didn't want to be seen. It hadn't been there before. I was sure of it.
The air around it felt wrong. Not hostile. Just… watchful.
We shared a look, then we stepped through.
The world shifted.
Eerie, dim, silent but for water echoing off unseen walls. A purple haze hung in the air, thick and glowing, like a poison bog made of fog. We watched our HP and status windows. No debuffs. We pushed on.
The creatures here were grotesque mutations: swollen slugs, slick-backed snails, and bloated frogs, all warped by the gate's unnatural haze. Each one stood the size of a compact car, with limbs and bodies that twitched too smoothly for their bulk. They hovered around level twenty-five.
They weren't hard to kill, it's just messy.
The snails dragged armour-thick shells across the frozen mud, so dense my strikes barely made a dent. One reared back and spat a jet of sizzling acid, melting bark clean off a nearby tree. The slugs weren't much better, oozing a slow-burning slime from their skin that hissed with chemical heat.
Only Shay's elemental spells cut through them cleanly — fire searing away the filth, lightning crackling through their bloated insides. Everything else felt like a half-measure.
With the right skills, this place could've been an EXP farm with quick kills, fast resets, clean loot.
But the frogs were different.
One exploded from the fog like a sprung trap, the size of a small car with legs coiled like pistons. It launched itself high and fast, crashing down hard enough to split stone beneath its bulk. Its tongue snapped out mid-air a blur and clipped my arm. Numbness hit instantly. Paralysis. Just a flash, but enough to slow me. I stumbled, vision jittering from the impact.
Its skin was worse. Coated in a thick, mucous slime that hissed where it touched stone, toxic even through boots. Every blow slid off, the surface squirming and alive. I tried cutting deep, but my blade skated like it hit rubber.
Only flames worked.
I funnelled mana into the sword, the steel roaring to life with fire. The heat scorched through the slime, searing flesh beneath. My next strike landed, and the creature burst in a wet hiss of steam and acid.
Level twenty-nine. Nearly too much.
After clearing the area we pressed forward.
Then we stopped cold.
The boss room was already waiting.
A Level thirty-nine Giant Centipede unfurled from the far wall, easily five meters long, every half-meter leg clicking in perfect, alien rhythm. Its segmented body glistened like wet obsidian, and its mandibles jagged, twitching, were the size of my forearm, dripping venom onto the stone below.
The fight began at once.
It came at me again and again, a blur of jagged limbs and snapping jaws. Fast, chaotic, like it didn't obey the physics of its own size. I dodged by instinct more than skill, barely keeping ahead of its strikes. Every lunge forced me back, breath ragged, feet slipping across slick stone.
When it missed, the impact shattered the ground and stone split, chunks flying, the echo deafening.
Those moments, the fractions between its strikes, were all I had.
I countered, blade flashing toward its head. Sparks flared on contact, steel shrieking against armour.
Nothing. The carapace was like tempered iron. My sword barely left a scratch.
I backed off. "Cover me!"
Shay cut across the field, unleashing bursts of electricity that stunned and slowed its segments.
I yanked the shop open and dumped my gold.
Purchases:
• Dragonfang (Longsword): STR +100, +10% STR
• Nightmare Dagger: STR +40, DEX +15
• Armour of Vitality: DEF +20, HP +10%
• Black Soul Boots: DEF +25, DEX +10
• High Imbued Ring (+10): INT +10
Stats surged.
At level thirty, before the gear, I was strong.
After? I felt unstoppable. STR hit 289. DEF 134. I could lift trucks, crush stone. And I did it holding a sword sharp enough to split bone like fruit.
The new blade was a heavy, fire-imbued longsword, silvery-white, glowing faintly at the edges like it remembered being forged in flame. Despite its weight, it moved like part of me.
I slid in behind Shay, keeping low.
The giant centipede barrelled forward, legs clattering like a thousand daggers scraping stone.
I darted in, aimed for the seam in its armour, and drove my sword into the narrow gap beneath its plates. The blade punched between overlapping chitin into something soft and vital.
Got you.
I ripped upward. I tore through flesh and sinew like wet rope. The centipede reared, shrieking, a metal-on-metal screech that rattled my skull.
A massive pincer crashed into my side, hurling me like dead weight into the dirt.
I should've heard ribs break. Should've blacked out, but I didn't, even no bleeding, my skin didn't tear. I rolled to my feet, coughing, ribs bruised but intact. My body had changed, now tougher and denser. I was still alive, that was enough.
I sprinted, low and fast, and slid beneath its rearing head. Its mouth opened to roar, and I rammed the sword in deep.
The steel sank, and something shifted.
Power snapped into place, from the core of my chest to the hilt of the blade.
Mana surged.
The sword ignited.
Flames burst from the centipede's throat, roaring outward in a wave of fire and smoke. The heat kissed my skin, curling the air, blackening teeth and soft tissue from the inside out.
It shrieked, a high, piercing wail that shook the stone.
I held on. Wrenched the blade sideways, ripping the jaw wider, tearing it open from within.
Shay blinked for half a second, then moved.
Lightning shot from both hands, chaining across exposed segments. Limbs jerked in violent rhythm. Flesh charred and split. The air stank of ozone and burning chitin.
I ripped the sword free and darted along its side.
One clean, two-handed swing, steel blazing, and I cleaved through half its body. Segments flew. Black blood sprayed in arcs across the chamber.
The monster collapsed, twitching and convulsing.
Then it moved again.
Its front half dragged against the stone, jaws gnashing in reflex. A spasm. A death twitch. But in that moment, it still wanted to kill me.
I stepped to its head and drove my sword straight down between its eyes. Steel sank to the hilt with a wet crunch.
The body jerked once, a final, twitching spasm that rattled through its segmented frame. Then it collapsed, a steaming mass of cracked chitin and black blood.
I stood over it. My arms shook. The air reeked of scorched shell, and acid.
I waited for another twitch.
None came.
Only then did a sigh leave my body.
GIANT CENTIPEDE DEFEATED. EXP RECEIVED: 84,500.
White light took us. Shay hit twenty-nine and I reached thirty-one.
It felt similar to the Worg, but the centipede's defence was higher. With new gear we ran it again, +101,000 EXP. We cleared more low gates, about 40,000 EXP, and closed three more.
We repeated stable gates, Worg and centipede bosses, plus a level twenty-three lizardman. Repeats fed proficiency. Our skills sharpened with every pass.
Skills needed control. Proficiency raised the output you could handle. Shay's control outpaced his level. Maybe growth rate was personal. If so, could I trigger Absorption more often?
After the centipede fell, we took a breather and checked our progress.
SHAY — Skills
• Elemental Magic — elemental attacks. Proficiency grows with depth and complexity
• Fire Magic (Lv. 3) — 55/300
• Lightning Magic (Lv. 3) — 195/300
• Wind Magic (Lv. 1) — 81/100
• Earth Magic (Lv. 1) — 88/100
He was moving fast. A week ago he could barely throw fire. Now he chained spells mid-battle and synced without a word.
How far can we take this?
I stared at the screen.
It did not feel real. Not the numbers, but how easy it had begun to feel. Reflexes. Synergy. The way mana flowed under pressure.
The system claimed no upper limit. No max level.
What does that mean? Level 100? 1,000? A million?
What power waits at the far end?
What would we give to reach it?
I did not know. But I felt it.
Satisfied for now, we called it. I went home sore, adrenaline still humming. The glow faded. The questions did not.
I took Monday off. Shay kept levelling.
On Tuesday, I resumed the grind.
The first gate was a stable zone of twin-headed snakes. Easy, methodical. One by one they fell.
At the boss room, a level twenty-one serpent, large and fast, but manageable. The fight was short. The gate sealed behind me.
Then I re-entered the Worg gate.
It hit harder, moved faster, but not enough. My sword lit mid-combat and turned thick fur to cinders. When the opening came, I split it nearly in half.
The run time on the boss was around eleven minutes. EXP: 190,000.
Ninety-five thousand pushed me to 128K / 164K for the level. One more run would do it.
Next morning I met Shay. He was deep into thirty-one. I was thirty-two. He was closing fast.
He admitted he still couldn't solo the Centipede or the Worg. But he'd cleared nearly every other stable gate on his own. He'd dipped into higher zones, tested his limits, and avoided bosses unless he was sure. Smart.
He'd been training with the healer and gained a lot in the tougher gates. She was closing in on level four in support magic, a real milestone. But with Shay about to leave, she wouldn't be joining us again. So, I left her out for now.
Shay's vacation started tomorrow - Wednesday through Sunday. He wanted one last session before he left, just in case any gates near his trip turned dangerous.
While he trained, I took the solo window.
I cleared the Worg twice more. The first kill gave me one hundred ninety thousand EXP, enough to reach thirty-three, with a decent chunk carried forward. The second run was worse. I got hurt. Worse than expected. The MP potion barely kept me upright. Healing didn't stabilise everything.
But I still won.
Another one hundred forty-five thousand EXP pushed me to thirty-four.
And now I feel it in my arms, in my side, in every breath.
The grind's getting heavier.
I decided to go back and watch some TV to relax as I looked through all my notifications and stats, the system shop, and decided on a plan, then on Wednesday, I decided to go through all the weak gates, hoping for a new skill. The best I got was +5 DEF from some armoured ants and other insects.
I had become so invested in the gates I had become void from reality, I decided to sit back and reconnect with the people I had become slightly distant with, one in particular was my partner, admittingly I had not been very responsive, we still messaged every day, but I feel like I had to make up for the mistake of prioritizing the Gates.
She had always been a force of nature, with a quick wit and a heart that held more kindness than she'd ever admit. At 5'3", she was a head shorter than me. Her doe eyes could shift from soft and affectionate to sharp and full of mischief in an instant. She had an energy about her, a way of making even the most mundane moments feel like an adventure. Even though we were together, we lived separately due to work, but since I was close, I knew she was safe.
Admittedly I didn't want to bring her into any of this. She meant too much to me. We had been together for three years now, and the thought of her being caught up in the chaos made my stomach twist. She was tough, sassy and headstrong, but she didn't belong in this world of monsters and endless battles. I wanted her to stay safe.
Memories surfaced as I sat in the quiet hum of the hotel, staring out at the dark clouds stretching across the sky. A vacation, one of our favourite trips. It was just the two of us, no responsibilities, no looming threats just warm sun, golden beaches, and the sound of distant waves crashing against the shore. I refuse to let her be caught in this.
My resolve steeled, I will become stronger and protect what I hold close, even if it means I need to risk my own life.
I had decided that tomorrow was the day I would hit the labyrinth.
TOM'S STATUS SHEET
Level 34
• HP = 230 (Boosted: 253)
• MP = 196 (Boosted: 196)
• STR = 175 (Boosted: 347)
• DEX = 202 (Boosted: 227)
• CON = 93 (Boosted: 93)
• INT = 58 (Boosted: 68)
• WIS = 123 (Boosted: 123)
• DEF = 100 (Boosted: 145)
Skills & Effects
• Absorption – This skill can take the skills and stats of another upon death. The majority of damage must be dealt by the user of the skill. The chance of absorption is 1%. Stats absorbed are up to 10% of the highest stat.
• Critical Absorption – If a critical absorption is made by killing a boss monster or a monster ranking 10 levels above the player, you will absorb a random amount of stats between 1 to 100% of the highest stat.
• Swordsmanship (Level 4) – Allows innate skill with blades from swords and above. Proficiency: 67/400
• Dagger Skills (Level 3) – Allows innate skill with blades from short swords and below. Proficiency: 67/300
Equipment
• Dragon Fang (Longsword) – STR +100 (+10%)
• Nightmare Dagger – STR +40, DEX +15
• Armour of Vitality – DEF +20, HP +10%
• Black Soul Boots – DEF +25, DEX +10
• High Imbued Ring (+10) – INT +10
End of Status Sheet.
The sheet closed with a faint shimmer. Level thirty-four. Numbers higher than I would've believed two weeks ago, but they were real. Tangible. My body already felt the difference.
Shay had left for his vacation, giving me three days free. Work felt pointless now. It was Thursday, and for the first time, I had no excuse to delay. The labyrinth had been calling to me.
Posts about it flooded every forum: warnings dressed as bravado. Floors shifting like puzzles, monsters too strong for their levels, groups vanishing without making it past the first floor. Only two parties had even attempted this labyrinth near Poznań. Both had been broken before clearing the second floor.
Even the starting mobs were level 20–25.
For context, Shay, ranked third in the world, was level thirty-one. Our healer, ranked ninth, was twenty-eight. Strong, but not strong enough. Rank two might be slightly ahead of Shay, but not by much. Not compared to the gap I'd carved out with first-kill bonuses and critical absorptions.
It was time to test the edge.
The drive took an hour and a half. By the time I reached the outskirts of Poznań, the air was alive with noise and firelight. The labyrinth gate squatted less than a kilometre from the airport, close enough that every few minutes a jet screamed overhead, its lights carving across the night sky before vanishing behind the horizon. The roar blended with the low hum of generators and the restless murmur of hundreds of voices.
The labyrinth Gate dominated the clearing like a wound in the world, the golden glow of light that pulsed with every heartbeat. Tents and makeshift camps crowded around it. Torches flickered. The air stank of sweat, steel, and fear.
Players moved in waves, some staggering back bloodied, others marching forward with shaky bravado. Most were low-level fifteens, eighteens, a few just breaking twenty. A handful scraped into the top 100. I recognised a couple names from the boards. For them, the labyrinth was training. For me, it was where I prove what it means to be number one.
Heads turned as I cut across the clearing. Recognition spread in ripples, whispers slithering through the camp.
"That's him…"
"Number one."
"The most powerful player in the world…"
Their voices wavered between awe and envy. Some stared with admiration. Others with open resentment. A few looked at me the way cornered animals look in defence.
Dragon Fang rested at my hip, faint flame glimmering along its edge. The Nightmare Dagger rode my off-hand side, balanced and deadly. Both level thirty. Both proof I was walking miles ahead of anyone else here.
I let the voices stretch into a thin silence, "come on Tom, be brave, keep cool and do it," then raised my voice.
"I'm looking for three party members. A healer or buffer. A speed-type. And a tank."
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
For a moment, nobody moved. Just wide eyes, whispers, the crackle of fire.
Then someone in the crowd muttered, "Number one doesn't need a party."
Another scoffed, "He's just flexing. Bet he solos the first few floors alone."
But a different voice cut through: "If he's asking… then the Labyrinth's worse than we thought."
That sobered them. At last, a young woman stepped forward. She couldn't be more than twenty-three. Her staff shook faintly in her grip.
"Sir… I'm a healer." Her voice trembled, but she kept going. "Level nineteen. My healing skill is level three."
The crowd shifted, a murmur of doubt rolling over them. Too weak. Too green. Not worth the risk.
I chuckled softly, shaking my head, and offered her a smile. The thought ran through my head, "sir, wow now I feel old, Shay would get a kick out of this."
"Levels are not the issue. What matters is that you can heal. If you can keep people standing, you're valuable."
Her shoulders eased. A small, grateful smile flickered across her face. It reminded me, just for a second, of the healer Shay found for us, but I knew she was busy for now.
That broke the seal, then voices erupted, louder this time.
"I'm a speed-type! Level twenty-one!"
"Tank here, seventy defence flat, I can hold lines!"
"I've got Rush! Ten percent speed boost for thirty seconds!"
I scanned the crowd carefully. A speed-type with Rush—a temporary boost, only five percent at best, but it had potential. A tank with seventy defence. Weak compared to me, but solid enough to shield the healer.
I pointed. "You. And you. You're with me."
The chosen players stepped forward, faces pale but determined. The rest of the camp stared at us with a mix of envy and disbelief. For them, this was a spectacle. For me, it was necessary.
Three strangers at my back. My blades at my sides. And the Labyrinth yawning open ahead.
"Form up," I said, tightening my grip on Dragon Fang. "We go in together."