Alexia

Entire weeks pass by as I go through the endless maze of magical doors, slaughtering the monsters over and over again. And the only thing I manage to do in the end is raise my level all the way up to eight hundred due to the massive number of monsters I kill in the process of finding my way through the maze. A maze that once again leads me to another part of it.

One with much larger rooms and more doors in each room. And more than one monster in them.

The moment I enter the first room of this type, I feel myself practically dying inside. With a large urge to leave this dungeon entirely just from the mere sight of this.

What’s happening here?

I just stand here staring while completely ignoring the strange plant creatures stretching their mouths over to me at the ends of vines, biting me to no effect. Simply staring with a blank and partially dead look in my eyes.

It’s not enough to make me regret coming into this hidden area, simply because I’d have died if I didn’t. But still. I hate this place.

Why, oh why? Who made this place?

Whoever they are should be dropped off a mountain while tied to a log and a teddy bear before they’re eaten by a mountain snake and then eaten again by a large dog.

I continue staring blankly for several seconds before eventually just sighing and killing the monsters trying and failing to nibble on me in an instant. Then I proceed through the first door. And end up back in that room again.

Right. This place is hell. It has to be.

And thus begins my next trek through the hell called a haven. A trek that – this time around – takes me an entire month before I finally find the end.

I have to question my eyes first after I enter the room though. Because I was starting to wonder if this place even had an ending. But now I’m standing in a room with a large altar at the center and a large gate at the back of it.

It takes me several seconds of staring to finally convince myself that this is the end of the place. And immediately after that, I feel all of the strength in my body leaving me as I fall to my knees.

Finally… I’m finally done… no more… hell…

I’ve been in this place for months now.

Months.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Please just give me back the piranhas. I would much rather have those over a maze like that.

I stare at the altar for a while before slowly climbing to my feet.

This thing better be worth all the trouble and trauma I just went through.

I walk over to the altar before stopping in front of it. The altar itself has a large wolf at the top of it with what looks like a place to put offerings in the wolf’s open mouth. Meanwhile there are more wolves surrounding the large one. Each smaller than the center one.

When I identify the thing, it reminds me of another altar I’ve found in a previous dungeon. But much higher Tier than that one.

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Altar of the Wolf

Description: An altar located within the Wolf’s Tree Haven. Anyone who makes an offering of magical energy to the altar shall be granted a gift.

Stats Bonus: N/A

Requirements: None.

Item Tier: 5

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The description also doesn’t mention anything about my affinity affecting the gift. Nor does it mention the thing about the gift being randomized, likely meaning that there’s a single gift that’s set in stone or something.

Hmm.

Well, whatever.

I step up to it before placing my hand in front of the main wolf’s mouth. Then I inject some soul into the thing, making the eyes of each and every wolf statue glow with a glitchy purple light. Just like my quantum energy.

The light slowly glows brighter and brighter until I’m forced to cover my eyes, the light having grown so bright that it’s almost like a damned sun. But all at once, the light vanishes.

And immediately after that, a System Message flashes in my eyes. One that has me blinking in surprise.

Pleasant surprise, but surprise, nonetheless.

{Congratulations! You have accomplished the Feat, Honorary Wolf, for using the Altar of the Wolf! As a reward you have now been given one extra Passive and one extra Active Skill Slot!}

I stare at the message for several seconds, briefly wondering if I’ve lost it or if I’m actually seeing this. Then I eventually just open my mouth and mutter out loud, “Oh.”

Nice.

This… is real… right?

It better be.

After staring for several more seconds, I find myself truly smiling.

Right. So, as I was saying before, this place is a nice place. Yep.

Wonderful. And whoever made it should be praised to the moon and back for gifting me this wonderful Feat.

I love this place.

And with that thought, I give a firm nod of my head and begin walking around the altar towards the gate. Briefly wondering if it could be possible to bring Astrid here as well.

Actually, I stop on the other side of the altar before trying to put the thing into my storage ring. But that doesn’t work.

It just gives me some warning message about how the altar can’t enter storage devices or be moved at all.

Well, there goes that idea. A shame.

I would teleport Luna here, but she can’t use items like this. Nor can she get Feats.

Also a shame.

But it’s fine. I’m just happy that I got something out of this place.

A very nice something at that.

Now my skill set can expand.

I begin thinking about which possible new skills I can put in the slots I just got as I near the gate no doubt leading to the main part of the dungeon.