“Shut your mouth. Once that attitude starts it doesn’t quit.” Growled Jesus, voice slashing through fear’s throat. “Jamal and I have cleared B gates, this isn’t a death sentence. We can and will clear this gate. But…”

He dangled the word, turning to see each of their faces and lingering on Nox’s.

“We need to bring our A game. Nox’s right, use any weapon you find, give it your all. Monsters are going to be faster and stronger than most of you are familiar with, do not hesitate to use your talents. Even a longshot might be worth your life. Therapy hunters, check your kits and double your doses if you can. A normal dosage won’t keep you from getting mana sickness, so don’t run dry. But…” Said Jesus, matching his earlier inflection. “When we clear this gate you’ll have finished next month’s quota.” That got some strangled laughter from a couple of the girls, Ashley and Nora included, who were holding hands with Mary-sue to soothe their terror.

“Mages, I’m going to elect a point man, give him all the durability you can spare. He will be taking hits.” Said Jesus, enunciating his last sentence carefully.

Nox pushed his way into the corridor. “Weakest hunter is bait. So that’s me.” He said, convincing no one, despite them understanding the unwritten code to dungeons. Gene therapy could be given to anyone, and so it was Corps policy to send the least valuable hunter in first, that way the more experienced hunters could drag their mutilated corpse out of any traps or monsters. A logistical victory if not a moral one.

“I’m point point man. This dungeon’s theme is a labyrinth, so we should expect a lot of traps. You all have armor and swords that we don’t want getting broken or lost. Let me dodge traps and no one has to take a hit.” Said Nox, hoping to convince the kill team and avoid being stuffed into a rucksack.

Ashley’s gaze snapped onto Nox, brow furrowing with rage at his proposal. She opened her mouth to shout at him, order his E rank butt into the rear where it belonged, but Jamal beat her to the punch.

“Point man? You? Cuuuuz, don’t make me laugh, you’re the weakest weed in this kill team. I saw you slam that vial like a gene junky, sit down and enjoy your high.” Sneered Jamal, resting his bloody spear over his shoulder.

“Maybe I am the weakest here–” Began Nox,

“Weakest anywhere” Injected Taylor.

Nox let the jab go unanswered, not wanting to consider if this was how they honestly viewed him.

“Okay, I am the worst fighter here, doesn’t that make me the best man for the job? If I don’t go first, who will? Jamal, Jon, maybe even Taylor? What happens if a trap breaks their shield or worse? We’ll all suffer, but if I take a hit… Well, everyone else can still fight. It’s better for the team if I’m the one in front.”

Jesus’ face dipped into a scowl, hating the suggestion and knowing a C gate would not grant second chances. Sacrificing Nox was the easy choice, sensible too. Since it protected the more valuable hunters. Nox gave him a sad smile, in their past life he had let Nox ‘guard the rear’. A decision they had all paid for. I won’t waste this life, we are stronger together, they may not think much of me, but my feelings don’t matter. I’ll drag them all to the minotaur and find a way to skin that laughing cow.

“Nox, take up the– Hey! Get back here!” Jesus shouted.

Without answering him, Nox held up a glowstone and walked four paces into the labyrinth. Reciprocating Jamal’s sneer with a grin he threw himself onto the floor, triggering the spear trap that had killed Taylor in their past life. Dozens of spears thrust into the stone corridor, piercing empty air behind Nox’s ear.

“To be totally honest with you guys, I’m not sure if I activated, or if this batch of therapy is so rotten I'm tripping balls. But I can sense these traps. Let’s use my talent while we still can.” Responded Nox, lying to them all.

A chuckle escaped Jesus’ lips, and he nodded a moment later, orchestrating new orders. Reserve kits were opened and used, with Nox passing out all the prepackaged 1 ml doses he had. Yet keeping two unused syringes and three 10 ml vials for later. Save 10ml for the minotaur, and space the other two out as needed. Unexpired kits last for a week, with the power-high only lasting for a day. That’s because the gene therapy begins to break down after the first twenty four hours. Which is fine in an E gate, but we’ll need that peak mana conversion just to prevent mana sickness, meaning… The Therapy hunters have two days at a maximum.

Jamal and Taylor took up the rear, sandwiching the seven ladies between the five men. Due to some twist of genetics, women were twice as likely to awaken as hunters, with certain talents apparently coded onto the Y chromosome. At least, that’s what the sapien doctors said, they’d called it “another aspect of human sexual dimorphism.”

Basic buffs were cast on Nox, spells like guidance which gave him a miniscule general increase to all stats, speed, and then three layers of protection spells from Nora, Ashley, and Mary-sue. Lala and Zoe would add their own magic into the rotation at Mary-sue’s direction, but for now they were on standby, keeping their mana in reserve for healing or fighting.

We didn’t bring any offensive casters… Aw fuuuuuccckkkk. Some fireballs or lightning bolts would have been perfect in here. But no, it just had to be the leftovers raid that found a labyrinth. He flexed, unable to feel any difference in ability, these buffs are useless, like myself. That minotaur will kill us all and laugh. Thought Nox, shivering as he recalled the minotaur pulling off his arms off like a schoolgirl might pluck rose petals. His world faded as an echo of pain burned through his brainstem, incomprehensibly feeling trauma it had never experienced.

‘Careful now, if your mind’s eye focuses on the past, it might become your future.’ Said the Miasma demon.

“Hey guys, there’s no ceiling! Give us a few moments to scry.” Said Nora, still clutching Ashley’s hand.

Not that Nox could blame her, Nora had always been a soft girl. Even after being drafted and coerced into violence, she still carried a bit extra squish. Which combined with her thick glasses to give her a broad appeal. Odd that, since activating as a homo venatorus generally removed the need for corrective lenses. Maybe her vision was just super bad before… Or she’s just used to the glasses and can’t get rid of them for sentimental or psychosomatic reasons. Thought Nox.

Mana flowed between their interlaced fingers, combining their divination powers to prod the labyrinth. With their mind’s outside of their bodies, they were exposed, making Nora’s use of the ungainly composite armor somewhat justified. It was a blend of ceramic disks embedded in kevlar sheets to protect the vital areas of the torso, neck, and groin. Fully NIJ rated to stop bullets and also completely worthless against any creature above E rank. Even the goblin shortsword he held could tear through those ceramic disks in a single strike. Nox’s own set of armor was riddled with holes from past dungeons, and had long since stopped protecting anything, let alone his vitals. While he could’ve bought another set, Ashley was a healer, meaning any injury that didn’t cripple or kill him could be healed before the next raid. And entry level armor wouldn’t stop a killing blow. What he really needed was a breastplate and gorget.

“The walls are about thirty feet tall, we might be able to get someone on top of them. Then they could see ahead of us and find the way out!” Exclaimed Nora, her brimming smile infecting the kill team with the most terminal of diseases; hope.

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“You mean they could find the boss.” Corrected Jamal automatically, swallowing a lump of regret when everyone turned to him with eyes the size of cantaloupes.

“Bad idea.” Nox said.

Eleven pairs of eyes turned to him, confounded by his immediate rejection of a higher ranker’s idea. Hunters had no official hierarchy, but strength was simple enough for a rock to understand. And unrelenting enough to coerce the overly agreeable.

Nox felt their judging gazes and wished he could turn invisible like Bilbo Baggins. Disappear from the limelight, or just agree with them, like he had previously. But that was exactly why he knew better. Zoe, Nora, and Ruby had all carried glow stones above the labyrinth’s corridors, making them lighthouses for the wyverns to hone in on. The first two had been plucked from the wall’s crown, while the latter were chased into traps. Then carried off into the darkness above the labyrinth.

Their lives depended on Nox’s nonexistent charisma. On his ability to convince the others not to tempt fate, and found exactly what he needed at the top of the stone walls with his therapy enhanced eyes. Borrowing Jamal’s spear, he pointed out deep gouges along the stone wall’s lip.

“Those are claw marks, from something really freaking huge that flies and can see through total darkness. Over there,” Nox raised the tip towards the darkness of the labyrinth's far wall, “I can see silver snakes with black wings flying in the darkness. Looks like dragons or wyverns, but they’re really far off. Let's keep it that way. Keep your lights dimmed and don’t even think about climbing the walls. Nothing would get us killed faster than a glowstone lit road to their next mealtime.”

Nora squeaked in alarm, covering her mouth and stuffing her glowstone deeper into a modified grenade pouch on her combat belt. Terror watered her eyes. Mirrored by Jamal and Jesus exchanging glances. Other hunters covered their own glow stones, dungeon rocks that emitted light when exposed to mana. Since high mana concentration distorted light, flashlights were oftentimes useless. Even the special super-military grade surefire lights fizzled or danced inside of dungeons. Fortunately for them all, the sapiens could at least sew, and had created multilayered pouches with multiple stages of opening. So a glow stone could be held securely and then covered or exposed with a single adjustment of velcroed fabric.

“It was a good idea Nora.” Said Jesus, squeezing her shoulder.

“And a great eye Nox, it’s been a hot minute since I killed a wyvern, but as I recall they were awkward on the ground.” He walked towards the nearest wall, and knocked on the edge with his knuckles, eventually breaking off a chunk of polished marble as only a C ranked hunter could. “Walls are solid enough, if any wyverns land they’ll be a rhino in the pantry, awkward, and hitting everything. We’ll have the advantage. Jamal’s got a talent for killing them, buff him with speed and anything armor piercing or strength based if those lizards show up. Hopefully we can avoid them…” Jesus said, pausing to stroke his stubble.

One glance around the group reminded him that they had no serious supporting magic. Or offensive spells. This wasn’t like his previous wyvern encounters where they had a team of C ranked support. But those thoughts he kept to himself.

“Hmmm… Maybe not, C rank dungeons are in a lukewarm position, they usually have a lot of lower ranked creatures rather than a few big ones. For example, insect swarms are common, so avoiding a fight is the same as winning the next fight.” Said Jesus.

Parroting the speech Nox had heard barely an hour before. Wait… Does he have that memorized? Oh… Oh no. Crap! Jesus is just as frazzled as we are! He has no idea how we’re going to beat the boss and get out of here! Thought Nox, sparking an unwelcome voice in his mind.

‘Absolutely no idea! That’s what makes this all so fun! Everyone knows they are about to die, except for the little birdy who failed to fly. Petite Nox Hawke, weakest of all fake hunters, who refuses to stay dead.’ Whispered the voice of Miasma.

Ya know, if you had said ‘die’ instead of ‘stay dead’ you would have had a nice little poem going. Thought Nox, trying to needle the demon as much as he was needling Nox.

Nox pinched his ear, trying to block out the miasma demon’s voice. No use, the words entered his mind directly, via some method other than his ears. However, Miasma’s words reminded Nox of his mission, of the doubt he held since the beginning. Whether or not he had gone back in time was immaterial, he needed to kill the boss and escape this dungeon. Everything else, from the pain to his memories of death, could be an illusion. One that would crumble alongside the boss.

“Jesus is right, kill the boss and we all get to go home. Whatever roared when we first arrived, is probably the boss we are looking for. Since this is a maze… My guess is a minotaur.” Said Nox.

Jamal’s jaw clenched shut. Etching sharp lines across his face. Jesus licked his teeth to avoid copying him, and their uncharacteristic silence drove the legend of Theseus into the minds of all present. No one knew what created the dungeon gates, or why they started appearing, but the entire world was certain of one fact. Myths coincided with dungeons at an alarming frequency, turning courses on classic literature into an applied science. Much to the chagrin of many classical college professors.

“Minotaurs are B ranked, sometimes A ranked if they are–” Nora began, clapping a hand over her mouth when Jesus glared at her.

Too late. They all knew what she was going to say. ‘A ranked if they are the boss.’

The weight of their lives crashed into Nox, pile driving his heart into the cold stone floor. An A ranked boss. I have to kill an A rank ten times in a row–

‘AHAHAHAAHA! Surely a clever boy like yourself knew that? Right? No?’ Mocked the voice. ‘Hilarious isn’t it! You can’t comprehend what you promised! Mount Everest is your starting point! And you’ll do it ten times in a row? Bawahahahaha!’ Whispered Miasma man.

Inhaling deeply, Nox stepped into the Labyrinth, arranging priorities as he walked. I need a weapon to kill the minotaur, but I'm not a great fighter, and this batch of gene therapy is a sensory boost even with a 10 ml dose. Okay, keep everyone alive, clear the adds, and find a weapon to kill the boss.

‘Easy.’ Said Miasma.

If you’re sticking around, tell me where to find a weapon. Thought Nox.

Silence.

“Great, the schitzo cloud only talks when they have nothing to say.” Grumbled Nox.

Ashley rested a hand on his shoulder, eyes speaking to his soul. Fear, concern.

“I’m alright, did you find anything?” Nox prompted.

She looked like she wanted to whisper something, but haunted eyes bit her tongue, making her turn to the group.

“We can’t sense the other side of the Labyrinth, it’s bigger than Malibu and the walls look like they’re moving. We found goblins, a manticore, some really gross bone snake things, and two locations that were shielded from our divination.”

Nine frowns greeted her words.

“There is something moving around the labyrinth with enough mana to blind the sun. Then there is the center, it kinda looks like a pyramid, but its surrounded with mana… uhm- falls? I’m not sure what to call it. The mana flows up towards the ceiling, like a reverse waterfall or a geyser.” Said Ashley.

Jesus raised one eyebrow, catching Jamal’s gaze. Speechless communication passed between the talent holders. While they weren’t unique in holding talents, Jamal’s spear throw was something special, supposedly able to send a broomstick through an M11A4 Abrams main battle tank. None of this information was new to Nox, nor had the impressive talent been enough in their previous life. Jamal’s spear had broken against an armored wyvern, forcing him to throw trash at the minotaur, wounding the boss instead of killing it. Wyverns had prevented them from reaching the central structure, and if Nox knew anything about dungeons, that would be the best place for a weapon.

“We have to reach the center.” Muttered Nox.

He unslung his backpack to retrieve an extendable aluminum rod. Without mana reinforcement the rod was weaker than wet toilet paper in a fight, but it was great for poking things that might bite your dick off, or your hand. A surprisingly common occurrence. Extending the fancy stick to its maximum ten foot length Nox pressed on each stone in front of him until he felt one click. Faux stone vanished, falling away to reveal the fifth goblin, raspily drawing breath.

“Ugly toad.” Said Nox, exchanging his ten foot rod for a girthy XXL paint pen, Nox marked the pit’s edge. A trivial task made suddenly difficult by the half dead goblin trying to stab him.

“You little– green turd!” Nox growled, ducking once before catching the spear and yanking backwards.

Had the goblin been a second faster, it would have wrestled Nox into the pit alongside it. As it was –impaled and bleeding out– the goblin overestimated his own strength, feebly giving up the spear. Like a bitch.

Nox gave the weapon a once over, frowning at the bowed shaft, as if a fat goblin had used it as a pole vault. To add injury to insult the tip was nothing more than a pointy rock. Disposable goods.

“Trash, maybe Jamal can do something with it.” Said Nox, passing the spear back and hoping.

A stick and stone. Thought Nox.

‘Won’t break the minotaur’s bone.’ Answered Miasma man.

You allergic to lithium? Thought Nox, wondering if a prescription could slay this particular annoyance.

‘Oh ho ho! I’m not Superman or a figment of your imagination, but if it makes you feel better, then go ahead and swallow an entire bottle of lithium.’ Said Miasma.

Trying to forget the goading Nox immersed himself in trap diffusing, using the ball end of his aluminum pole to hook the faux floor and pulling hard to lift and resetting the trapdoor with an audible click. Safely diffusing and resetting the way forward. He drew a red circle around the trigger stone, and outlined the edges of the pitfall in red to form a red frowny face. In case people couldn’t figure out where to step.

Great, one trap down, only 999,999 to go.