Never in my life have I experienced falling from the floor to the ceiling literally because this can only happen in a furniture retail company’s sponsored trucks where a prototype room is maneuvered with high-tech gear spinning many 180° turns. That kind of gimmick is a nightmare for the remaining survivors of this raid team. Each of us express their groan or grumble once we get tumbled on the ceiling. I writhe in agony as my left arm’s wound has been reopened with my handmade bandage torn off during our unexpected falling down.
Then, another earthquake happens; this time, it's shaking this tomb more violently that every single painting is about to fall off from the walls. But what's shocking to us is that instead of crashing on the ceiling’s hard surface, the paintings begin to melt as if they were ice cream to begin with. Their melted states absorb into the ceiling we've just got back on our feet on it. It's still unbelievable that this tomb still has lots of mana energy to execute this many anthropomorphic-related abilities.
“Darn it! How much mana energy does this creepy room have to change its interior constantly?!”, the archer questions despairingly. Jang goes silent despite his shameless bragging of the decision making earlier on. Mrs Park picks back up her glasses with her trembling hand. Ms Han seems to stay calm as usual. As for Jung-han, he still looks afraid. I'm relieved that he's not hurt from the fall we just got through despite losing his armor set way earlier on.
Regardless, the danger is not over yet as the melted paintings have completely disappeared into the ceiling. Then, we witness the wall literally flipping to turn its other side, revealing a painted cyan color. It appears that there are some bold lines looking almost invisible on this side of the wall. I try to focus on what those lines are until we hear the rumbling once more. It's another strong earthquake and the sound is coming right beneath the pillars, where the mimic once stood waiting there right in the middle. Because of this earthquake, they start to lose their standing. One by one, they topple around us. That’s when all of us have to start running away as fast as we can from being crushed by the toppling pillars. I hear the words from the archer girl, desperately crying out words of determination of not wanting to die too soon.
“I’m not gonna die in a place like this!! I want to go on the blind date my parents set me up for this weekend! Heck! I saw their photo of a man who is as good-looking as Chun Sun-woo! There's no way I'm gonna lose my life like this!”
Somehow I'm able to watch her running while I too am running to stay alive. It's almost a miracle that I'm able to run in Ga-young's long dress right now, and it's probably why I'm able to watch others even though I'm still putting my focus on where I'm running at while I barely manage to avoid the oncoming pillars. Then, I happen to notice something moving within the cyan-painted wall. I can't help, but remember the bold lines right after the wall flipped to its other side. While I'm not that near running alongside the wall, I can clearly see the bold lines are made up as drawings on the wall. In my eyes, these drawings look like another group of humanoid figures, but they're not specters. Coincidentally, almost all of them are drawn with soldier-themed outfits akin to a medieval era’s clothes.
The drawings…and some are carrying…scabbards…It can't be…
“You there! Don't run near the wall!”
Despite myself shouting these words to her, it's too late for her to avoid a drawing of a soldier, which is slightly taller than her, suddenly unsheathes its sword and stabs the right side of her stomach at a precise moment; its materialized hand is literally out of the wall. The archer girl coughs out so much blood from receiving the shock of her deep wound as the soldier viciously pulls out its sword from her body. I'm certain the rest of the surviving members, including the cowardly rankist Jang, are seeing the gruesome stabbing.
As we watch the archer's hand pressing against her big wound while stumbling and coughing more blood from her mouth, we see another soldier drawing on the wall walking alongside her. Its hands are carrying a gigantic war hammer over its right shoulder. It stops and turns swiftly to its left so that it meets the archer face-to-face. The final gruesome scene involves the soldier swinging the war hammer over her; once again, the war hammer literally comes out of the wall. The sound of broken bones and blood splashes echoes through the room. The sight of her whole body disfigured until we are unable to recognise the young Slayer who dreamt to have her own love life. Nobody let out a scream this time for we know there's no point screaming at the top of your lungs when everyone here has their life constantly placed against their own will at death’s door.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Without realizing that all of the pillars have just finished collapsing around us, an arrow almost shoots me as it just passes through my face. I turn my head to see where it came from. Unsurprisingly, it's literally coming from within the wall. Five soldier drawings are aiming their bows and arrows at the final five members of this raid team: me, Jung-han, Jang, Ms Han, and Mrs Park. It's déjà vu since we barely survived from a rain of burning arrows moments ago. A few of the arrows graze me, leaving more open wounds on my arms and legs. Then, I hear someone trip over. It's Jung-han who barely manages to avoid the many arrows aimed at him. As he’s still able to get back on his feet, I spot one of the soldier drawings getting a clear shot on him. I'm too far away from him. I can't run that fast towards him…
“JUNG-HAN, RUN!!!”
I’m too late…
I can barely notice someone just ran past my left side. It's Ms Han whose subclass is a swashbuckler and who has the capability to run at full speed. She manages to get Jung-han to duck on time, but shockingly, the arrow that was meant for him, has shot Ms Han's face or to be precise, her left eye is badly wounded by it. The sight of such a scene has left me feeling horrified. It's more horrifying that she didn't let out a scream of agony when it happened. Both of them fall down on the hard ground. Coincidentally, I see the soldier drawings disappear from the wall as if they weren't there at all. Nevertheless, I start running towards Ms Han and Jung-han with all my might, gritting my teeth despite my open wounds almost taking a toll on my ability to endure the pain.
“Ms Han! Hang on!! How…how…wait! The healing potion!”
As I slump my body right next to her, I take out the healing potion she gave to me from earlier on from my sling bag which I unhook from my arm. As I use it on her, it seems to not be working as it should. I don't even know if a deep wound like this is able to be healed with just one bottle. Thus, I take out another healing potion from her pouch until Ms Han places her left hand to stop me from applying the potion on her wounded eye. She groans as she pulls the arrow from her eye, drops of blood coming out of her wound.
“Slayer Kang, I'm fine. Just…ouch…need a torn cloth to wrap my eye…”
“Ms Han…I'm…sorry…I should've run away on time…hic…”
“Jung-han, it's not your fault. I will never let anyone feel guilty of being saved on time. Promise me you won't cry right now.”
“Hic…okay, Ms Han. I'll stop.”
I too almost have myself nearly crying like what Jung-han did, but I manage to hold my tears back for the sake of Ms Han’s indirect request for the rest of us to still stay calm and think about what to do from now on. Once Ms Han sits up and bandages her wounded left eye with Jung-han's torn cloth from his shirt sleeve, we suddenly hear the sound of a clanging gong emitting an unpleasant vibe in this room’s atmosphere. We then see something bright glowing beneath us. It's the rune letters which I almost forgot that the ceiling we're standing on has yet to change its appearance or have another feature set up inside itself. As usual, the collapsed pillars sink into the ceiling-turned-floor area; the rune letters disappear in the form of swirl patterns as if we're seeing a baker mixing the ingredients of a type of confectionery. Then, the bright light stops glowing and out comes many hand-sized stones from the area we're at.
“What are these? Is this…another trap, Ms Han?”
“Mrs Park, calm down. Let's not give into the temptation of touching one. In fact, Slayer Kang, do you think… it's about the final rule?”
“‘But if you can't use your fear wisely, you must turn your fear into a weapon.’...it’s possible, Ms Han…that we’re given the final test to get out of here alive.”
I don't know if all inquisitors have the ability to know the future, but Slayer Ban was right. Almost everyone here regrets going into this unknown area of this Labyrinth that turns out to be the most difficult place to survive from within. And yet, my mind is filled with determination to come back home. I don't care if I lose an arm or a foot. I don't care if I’m forced to see another pool of blood once more. All I care about is having the will to live and that will of mine is giving me enough strength, regardless if there's a divine being urging me that doing something is proof that it's not over yet, to help me and the rest of the surviving members to pass this test once and for all.