Clack…

“…Hey.”

Clack…

“What are you doing?”

“Exactly what you think I’m doing, dear American.”

“Are you purposely attracting lingering monsters to our location?”

“Correct! Isn’t it such a great idea to increase our Stats while we’re in here?”

I could only sigh at the young man as we continued to head deeper within The Labyrinth. Well, at least I think we’re heading the correct way. In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth is a maze constructed to hold the Minotaur and prevent it from escaping. Daedalus, the creator of the Labrinth, made sure it was as confusing and intricate as possible.

And we are going in completely blind with no instruments or any pieces of info that could help us. We are basically trying to find a needle in a haystack… The needle is the Minotaur obviously.

Our mission is to find the Minotaur and destroy it in order to leave this Dungeon. We were instructed by Mr. Reed to work with the other established Guilds, Olympus, and Murim. Even though we are here strictly for business, if there was one important lesson I learned throughout my seven months of being a Dungeon Conqueror, It’s to be wary of strangers, especially international strangers.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Chen Ling whistling a tune I’d never heard before as he nonchalantly strolled through the cobbled corridors of the Labyrinth. We’ve been together for a short while, but I have a rough outline of his personality.

This man loves to fight. It doesn’t matter whether you're strong or weak, he will still have a good time. While he sounds like a muscle-head, he’s far from it. He’s calm in any situation and makes the correct calculations needed during a fight. His most admirable trait though is that he isn’t arrogant. It makes working with him a lot easier. I hate working with people who have a superiority complex. I've seen way too many of those types when I used to do lumber...

“Hey, American.” Chen Ling called out to me.

“Hm?”

“Why not share our Stats with each other?”

His proposition had me halt my footsteps. I turned my body to face the smiling Chen Ling.

“Okay… look. First, you know what my name is. It’s Joel. Second, sharing Stats is like sharing our bank account details with each other. We hardly know each other. So, I’ll have to politely refuse.”

Chen Ling, still smiling, simply just shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright, Joel. I understand where you’re coming from…” Chen Ling inched closer as he tapped his sword on his shoulder.

“What I’m hearing is that you want my trust, right?”

“…”

Chen Ling stuck an arm out, still smiling. “I’ll give you permission to look at my Stats. I won’t look at yours. Deal?”

“…!"

I was flabbergasted at why someone like him would release information about his Stats like it was candy. At first, I was going to reject his proposal, but I stopped myself. There’s no need to be stubborn here if he’s willingly doing this himself. Not to mention it doesn’t appear to be a trap…

“Alright then…” I muttered, taking his hand.

[Waiting On Recipient to Accept]

In a heartbeat, Chen Ling accepted my request, and I was instantly shown a screen of his stats. I couldn’t help but let out an audible gasp at the absurd numbers.

Status Inventory Name: Chen Ling Rank: 5th Strength: 66 Agility: 73 Durability: 51 Mana: 52 Masteries Marksmanship Lvl 7 Swordsmanship Lvl 7 Night Vision Lvl 4 Poison Resistance Lvl 5 Aura Blade Lvl 6 Mana Absorption Technique Lvl 4 Mana Barrier Lvl 4 Phantom Steps Lvl 6

He’s ranked fifth in the entire world?! For the Chinese to hide a powerhouse such as him! This confirms Mr. Reed's suspicions of these countries hiding their power! He’s on a whole other level than us! If Sam and Chen Ling were to fight…

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Are you done taking a peek?” Chen Ling's voice snapped me back to reality. Swallowing the lump of saliva down my throat, I hastily retracted my hand away.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t expect someone of your stature here."

He laughed, smacking my back in the process. “Ha! No need to address me so formally!”

“Geh…”

This dude needs to show some restraint! It feels like I’m being punched repeatedly in the back by Sophie's fierce punches.

“Now then, friend. Let’s continue on ahead!” Chen Ling took the lead in navigating through The Labyrinth while still whistling that loud tune. While I followed along, I was once again thinking. This guy is strong. It might take two of the strongest in The Six Hunters just to barely beat Chen Ling if he were to have evil thoughts. If someone like him is here, just how are the other members faring?

Wait a minute! Could he be one of the fabled S-Rank?

The sudden realization washed over me like I was standing right under a roaring waterfall. For me to have met an S-Rank!

Wait… no Joel. Don’t let your imagination take control. It has not been confirmed whether he’s S-Rank. If I want to confirm it though…

“Hey, Chen Ling.”

“Yesss?”

“Are you an S-Rank?"

Chen Ling stopped tapping his sword and looked over his shoulder. “Sorry to say this but… No. Sadly I am not an S-Rank.”

My eyes lit up at the happy news. “Oh! Then-“

“Well… Not yet, at least,” he finished. He gave me a small wink and proceeded to walk again in silence, occasionally taking different paths spread out in front of us.

If he’s not an S-Rank- and he said not yet- that would mean he’s almost there. All he has to go through is a breakthrough.

If I remember correctly, we humans are able to evolve our stats to a higher level through the process of Mana Formations. Through extensive research, we have found out that there are a maximum of three evolutions one can experience, although it’s extremely difficult to evolve the higher you go. They are called the First Mana Formation, Second Mana Formation, and Third Mana Formation. To reach the first stage, you would have to absorb or be in close contact with an abundance of mana.

To get to the next stage, there are two widely known methods. The first and most popular one is to go through intensive training. It’s the safest method, but also the longest. The other method though is not recommended. You must experience a life-threatening situation to evolve. The success rate is below ten percent so mostly everyone avoids this method since they value their lives.

Those who are at least B-Rank and above are in the Second Mana Formation, and to reach A-Rank, you must be in the Third Mana Formation. However, to reach S-Rank, simply being in the Third Mana Formation won't cut it. Superhumans thought that the Third Mana Formation would suffice to reach S-Rank, until we found out that there was actually one final stage of the Mana Formations.

The Fourth Mana Formation… Otherwise known as The Final Formation. We aren’t entirely sure yet if it's just a myth… but who knows? Maybe we’ll have solid proof that the final stage exists. Either Chen Ling might be the first ever S-Rank or there was already one of them lying in wait, hiding their strength.

“Stop,” Chen Ling whispered.

“…?”

I peeked over his shoulder, wondering what on Earth would make him stop.

“Oh…”

After walking around aimlessly for what felt like hours, we finally arrived at an area that seemed promising. And when I mean promising, I mean it's not the same walls we’ve been staring at since we’ve been here. A large pit that was the same length as a football field was stretched out before us. Inside the pit was an unsurmountable number of green snakes slithering around. The sounds of hissing were so loud that I was on the verge of covering my ears.

“Joel, look. At the far end of this pit of death.”

I turned my head to see where he was pointing, and at the far end was a set of stone doors with runes etched at the edges. While I can see the words clearly, I have no idea what they say. I recognize its origins though as it’s Greek. The problem isn’t understanding the words, but…

“How the hell are we going to get past this pit,” I mumbled absentmindedly. Chen Ling stood in the corner, patiently waiting for me to make a move.

Obviously killing all of these snakes on our own is a fool's errand. There are also no ledges or ladders in sight. No signs of any levers or anything of the sort…

“Hey, Chen Ling. Got any ideas?” I asked the man. Chen Ling scanned the surrounding area one more time and set his eyes on his sword last.

“I got one idea… but you probably won’t like it.” He smirked.

I don’t know why… but I have a bad feeling about this…

****

“Oh my god, that actually worked?”

I hopped off the flying sword Chen Ling had used earlier in our encounter. Chen Ling, while laughing, jumped off his weapon.

“Ha! That wasn’t so bad, Joel! I wasn’t going to drop you! My control of the sword is not subpar!”

Chen Ling proposed that we glide across the pit of snakes using his swords. Apparently, he’s able to control any blade that he wields as if it's an extension of his own body. What a terrifying power indeed. Note to self, never ride those things ever again.

“Now that we are across…” Chen Ling placed his palm on the cold stone door, lightly giving it a shove.

While opening, the stone doors scrapped against the ground as small rocks tumbled to the floor. Behind these doors was a big room that was dimly lit with braziers hung on columns. As I stepped foot into the area, I could feel something sinister watching me in the dark recess of the shadows. I felt as if an ancient but powerful monster was lurking- slithering- eying the prey before it like they were a once-in-a-lifetime delicacy. I could feel Its pent-up frustrations and rage slowly building up, seeping into my very pores. What accompanied this monster was the stench of death, like a small cloud hovering around the skies.