CHAPTER 49

With all the ponds erupting with water like a volcano, the Labyrinth turned into a water maze in no time. Like an old labyrinth submerged in water after years had passed by, forgotten, and turned into a lair for water creatures.

Monsters and players alike ran for their lives, but to no avail; they ended up getting swept by the surge of water. There's simply no way to go where they won't get washed and eventually drown with how crazy the waves went.

The audience watched in awe as things unfolded. The exciting game they were watching suddenly turned into a disaster movie, and all the players were in a similar distressing position. All of which ended up getting swept by water and reaching the outer parts of the Labyrinth with higher ground.

Unlike the map that showed nothing more aside from the cave walls, statues, and ponds, the labyrinth itself was structured in an upturned dome. It doesn't have a particular shape, but the outer parts are higher, and it gets lower the closer it is to the middle. The slope was indistinct, so no one noticed, even the brightest of the players.

Few luckily survived and were able to quit before crashing into the waves, but a number of unlucky ones ended up drowning and dead. It would be great luck if their bodies remained unscathed until the game ends, but once a monster that could breathe underwater finds the lifeless body, the only fate they have is to be food for such creatures, a cruel fate for children who were only trying to survive in the games.

Two of the lucky ones who won't receive the same tragic fate are Hirang and Hirayon.

With Hirayon expertly treading in the currents, avoiding the crashing debris and rubble, they eventually ended up on the far-end corner of the labyrinth where the ground was slightly higher. It is filled with cave rocks and mud, creating a mountain safe from the waters. The area was vast, spacious, and a complete dead end. It is lighted with numerous torches, blazing with fire, wildly dancing with the air gushing from the crashing of waves. The only path was where they came from, now covered with water to the brim, looking more like a canal with the muddy water disturbed by the crashing waves.

Hirayon dazedly looked at the place full of rocks. The landscape made him realize that this area had become a dumping ground and that the eruption of waters was a constant disaster and not a one-time event.

Tired of towing Hirang and ensuring they don't crash on anything, Hirayon pulled the still unconscious child onto a smooth rock and dropped beside him, breathing hard. Even though he was effortlessly breathing underwater, he had to exert much strength to hold Hirang and not let the crazy currents separate them.

"I want to sleep," he murmured, his chest going up and down in a quick motion.

He was feeling so exhausted to the point of considering whether to continue with the game or not. But Hirayon knew better than to waste an excellent opportunity to gain award points. Especially now that he needs it more for his training in the Core Space.

'I don't really have a choice, do I?'

With that in mind, Hirayon pushed his body to move and sat up. He stared at Hirang, looking dead and pale, and put one of his fingers on his nose to confirm if he was still breathing and alive.

Once he confirmed that Hirang was still alive, Hirayon dazedly looked around and noticed unmoving monsters on the foot of the rocky mountain, washed by the waters and received the same destiny as they did.

With his enhanced sight, he saw some twitch and move a little but was too injured to notice their presence. Or the monsters did, but they no longer had the ability to strike them nor defend themselves once attacked.

Taking advantage of the situation, Hirayon advanced toward the monsters and threw Water Orbs, quickly killing them in their weakened state.

'They're weak. Must be Type 1."

Once the bodies dissipated, Hirayon slowly collected the Monster Cores and scrolls. And with his map on the verge of completion, the finished version of the labyrinth map finally revealed itself.

All the white spaces became filled, and Hirayon could finally see the exit marked with a red X. They had been so near it earlier, but because of the explosions, they were now on the corner of the labyrinth, a distance that would take them more than 6 hours to cross, just looking at how many turns they need to make to reach the X mark. But that's not the main problem. The issue now is the water.

Though Hirayon could easily swim and reach the exit in over an hour, Hirang won't last five minutes underwater.

Hirayon was scouring his mind for a solution when a cough broke him out of his thought. When he looked back at the flat rock where Hirang was, he saw him moving and coughing on his side.

Stopping after a minute, he raised his pale head and glanced around. Looking lost and confused, Hirang sat up while scanning his surroundings and searching for a particular child. When his black orbs met Hirayon's, he let out a shaky breath. Feeling glad that Hirayon was with him, he weakly stood up and walked where Hirayon was.

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"What happened?" he asked, his voice raspy with all his coughing.

Without answering, he opened his inventory and showed Hirang the map.

"I can't see the red dot," Hirang remarked after seconds passed, and he still couldn't figure out where they were.

Sighing, Hirayon pointed to the northwest far-end corner where a tiny red dot was, and Hirang's breath stopped.

His face contorted in a frown but immediately returned to his usual cold, emotionless look. The only difference was he looked more pale and tired than he usually was.

"I see."

Hirang looked down and combed his white hair. He tried hard to conceal his face; that's why Hirayon missed the furious look he had. His eyes were slightly red, brows in a deep frown, and lips quivering in complete anger.

He's utterly pissed, and he doesn't even realize the reason why. It was the darkness within him that was slowly eating his mind, wanting him to lose control just because they were washed away from the exit.

To Hirang, it was a stupid thing to be mad about, especially since anything could happen during the games. But the darkness element seems to have a mind of its own, and if it has a clear form and life, it's clear that it will be a short-tempered human who gets mad at every little thing.

"I want to check if there's a way out. I'll be quick," Hirayon said, his voice tinged with exhaustion that he was trying to ignore.

Although Hirang detected the weary voice, he nodded without looking at Hirayon, still busy containing the outraged darkness raging to go out. The last thing he wanted to do was show his dark side.

Hirayon climbed down the rubble, and when the water level was about to reach his feet, he dived and went inside the more transparent water.

Unlike earlier, when he had trouble seeing things because of dirt and stones, the water cleared up a little, allowing him visibility despite the dark cave.

Hirayon swam straight while looking around. He only planned on swimming for a few meters, not wanting to lose his way. But the few meters he had in mind were cut shorter once the canal-like cave became too dark to navigate precisely. He also tried to check if there was a space above where there was air, but the caves were filled to the brim.

Going back, Hirayon turned around only to see a slimy blue monster advancing toward him while making a squeaky, high-pitched, irritating roar. The creature wasn't even swimming but straight up, releasing air onto his feet, causing bubbles to form behind it. If his guess was correct, it probably used another ability to breathe underwater.

Moving fluidly like a fish in the water, the monster was long, fast, and spiky. Its body was covered in spikes, covered with a slimy blue substance that water could not wash. The head, shaped like a squid's, has no mouth or nose but has several fish eyes moving altogether in different directions.

If any other child was in Hirayon's position, they would surely panic and freeze in a nightmare-inducing sight, but not him. He even sees it as an excellent opportunity to finally test the abilities he had trained above and underwater. He momentarily forgot about his fatigue and was motivated to fight while surrounded by the element he finds most the most confident about.

Without hesitation, Hirayon pierced his right palm with a sharp fingernail from his left pointing finger. In the open wound, blood came out, but instead of dispersing in the water, it came out in the form of a dancing thin string.

Quickly, the strings emerged out of the palm, coiling around but now getting entangled. They weaved on each other and, in a blink, turned into a weapon akin to a whip. But unlike the flexible weapon that could bind and hit enemies in the distance, Hirayon's red-blood whip could do more.

Once the whip formed and got to the length that he desired, Hirayon coiled it on his hand and threw it toward the monster. Instead of binding it, the whip's tip straightly hit the creature's head, hitting two fish eyes at once. And on his will, the red blood hardened and sharply pierced the monster's head with soft flesh unlike its hard-looking spiked body.

"Bullseye!"

The audience erupted into loud cheers; most got carried away and stood up with the exciting result of the game that could pass as an action-adventure movie.

"OWS59 never disappoints!" Tedie yelled. He was so happy with the events that he forgot to compose himself and grinned widely. His eyes shone in strange hunger as if starved of exciting games that could rouse his wild side.

"And there he is again! What a fantastic second element!" He lauded. He was sure that Hirayon would not leave the water unscathed with a monster speeding on the water like that, but he was proven wrong.

When Hirayon's hardened whip turned back to a string, leaving an evident hole in the creature's head, the monster loudly squeaked and quivered before becoming still. Void of life, the creature dispersed into particles, leaving a monster core and scroll.

Even though Hirayon had no use of the scroll as he had already completed the map, Hirayon decided to keep it along with the monster's spiky core orb.

Once Hirayon returned to the mountain, he told the now-calm Hirang what he had discovered and pointed out that it was impossible to swim their way toward the exit. Not only there's no air for Hirang to breathe, but it can also get so dark that even Hirayon's enhanced sight rendered no use.

"I also met a monster, so we would end up fighting them while swimming in the dark."

The two got quiet. They realized they were in a dire and frustrating situation. Even the map they tried so hard to complete has become useless, as they can't swim on the dark waters brimming with monsters that could detect and attack them anytime.

"So what's the plan?" Hirayon asked.

"If there's no way out, I have no choice but to wait for the time to finish. I'll just hunt monsters, then collect the Monster Cores for points."

Without hesitation, Hirang added, "Go ahead and go to the exit."

Shocked, Hirayon raised a brow. "Why would I?"

"You can breathe underwater and even fight the monsters. Even if it's completely dark, you can just follow the map. You'll also know if there's a monster around as you can feel their auras. It'll be challenging, but you can reach the exit," Hirang reasoned. He believed Hirayon could reach the exit as he was strong and capable.

Hirayon shook his head. "No, let's find another way to get to the exit."

"Don't be stubborn. I'll be fine. I can collect Monster Cores and get the most cores quickly."

Hirayon gave Hirang a quick glare. "I'm not being stubborn. We decided to team up, so I'm just keeping my word."

Hirang looked taken aback. He never expected Hirayon to be unknowingly selfless. He wanted to point it out and push him to go on his way but decided not to when Hirayon gave him a stern look. "Then what now?"

Hirayon looked around and pointed at a stone that looked like the head of a horned animal. There were three curvy horns on its head, and its face was carved in a blank expression.

"I saw on the map that there are some animal statues around. Let's inspect it. It's strange for it to be inside a labyrinth."

"It could be for the interior design," Hirang answered but immediately regretted when he realized the stupid thing he said.

"Forget it."

R E H I L I Y A