The notifications were fantastic. Well, almost all of them at least. One of them was unnerving and distracted him from the dwarf who was actively complaining about how tight his binds were. Lucky for him, Grim went to his rescue. Unlucky for him, Farah followed just behind. More than likely to ensure that the kidnapping went well. Being the good Samaritan he was, Cyrus chose to ignore and be an instant bystander. The excuse of checking the System seemed like a good start.

* Skeleton Grand Master – Level 102[Incursion Leader]. Experience awarded*

*Level up to 58! – Free points awarded*

…

*Level up to 61! – Free points awarded*

*Title: Incursion – Close an incursion by slaying the leader. +30 Strength, +30 Constitution*

The stat gains were incredible. With 28 points to play with on the side, he knew just what to do with them. 6 points went into Charisma, raising it to an uneven 51. While he had never really divulged much into Luck, it felt wrong not having every stat over 50. In order to make himself feel better, and this was probably a waste, 13 points went into Luck and brought it to 51 as well. The last 10 points all went into Dexterity. While he probably should invest more in Intelligence for his magic, the previous fight left yet another profound impression on him.

Regardless of how much stronger he was than the skeleton physically, none of it mattered if he couldn’t hit his opponent. The Grand Master had been faster than his body could keep up with, even if his mind was registering what he wanted the body to do.

Unfortunately, not all of the notifications the System gave were ideal.

*System Update: Quest – The incursion leader is dead; the realm King will be unhappy. Kill the incursion leader to disarray the army (1/1). OPTIONAL – Kill the realm King (0/1). Rewards: Unknown. Consequences: Dungeon Outbreak/Unknown*

*System Update – The dungeon Lord notices your actions again. Twice its leaders were killed by your hand. It has decided that you would make good sustenance for the realm King before building the army again*

Son of a gun. Or was it sword now since there were no guns? Didn’t matter, Cyrus was already through on hurdle and this dungeon Lord saw fit to throw another one. No doubt the realm King would be stronger than the incursion leader was, there was zero chance of him beating that monster. The way he figured, they had to leave before the King decided to turn him into sustenance.

When Cyrus turned his attention back to the group, he half expected the dwarf to be over Grim’s shoulder or to have a knife against his neck. Lo and behold, they were all walking side by side already. The beauty of friendship.

“That doesn’t look very kidnapped to me.” Cyrus joked as soon as they got within hearing range.

The dwarf, to his credit took it in stride and smiled one of those “I know what you want” smiles. “You don’t have to kidnap me, I’m willing to come along for free if you’ll have me. Big guy here gave me the ole’ run down of what you intend to do with your lives, long as we don’t die down here. Best I figure, if your party can get me out, you’ll be good enough to protect me as well.”

Well damn, that doesn’t happen very often. “You being willing is much better than having to tie you up everywhere we go. Glad do have you on board. Do you have a name, or just dwarf?” Cyrus answered him with a smile as well, finally something good had come from all their hard work.

If the dwarf was insulted, he didn’t showcase it in the slightest. “Name’s Sven, call me as you like as long as you keep me alive.”

“Not to ruin the mood or anything, but maybe we could have this conversation on the surface? I’m not trying to fight the realm King after that nightmare.” Grim butt in. While no one seemed panicked anymore, there was a tense anxiety in the air.

Cyrus had to admit, he wasn’t sure how to handle this. However, the first part was easy since he knew there was zero chance of them fighting the so-called realm King. At the very least, they could start by hauling ass.

Cyrus motioned towards the exit. “I’d love for us to stick around and explore more, and I’m glad that y’all looted the bodies already but we should just leave for now. I don’t have any more tricks up my sleeve and we could use some rest.”

His assessment was met with instant mutters of agreement from all parties. If not even Farah put up an argument, that normally meant the situation was dire. The group did the first sensible thing and began retracing their steps and hauling towards the exit from the skeleton part of the dungeon. Now that there was no more incursion leader, it looked as if all the patrols vanished as if they had retreated or never been there.

The quiet was unsettling, the only sounds to be heard were the rumbled of their parties footsteps as the jogged. It was as if life had been sucked out of the very air, emitting an everlasting stillness. There was a presence that could be felt, it wasn’t there physically but existed all around them nonetheless. As interesting as it was, Cyrus didn’t want to stop and find out what it was. Glancing to his right, he could tell that Farah felt the same thing and her eyes were wavering with every step. It may have been the first real hint of fear he had ever seen in the assassin.

The connecting passage was only about a mile ahead and it seemed as if they would make it. There was nothing behind them, nothing in front, and no enemy in sight. Yet his instincts were screaming in his head, telling him there was danger with every step. Just before Farah reached the entrance, being at the front, she suddenly cried out in shock as she slammed into a magical barrier. It hadn’t been visible until the aura of the barrier fluttered when she made contact and the rest of the group stopped.

Was there really no other way? Then, as if it had been waiting for their despair, the System responded as if the presence could use it as a voice.

*System Update – Spell: [Space Lock] in effect. Barrier disallows for passage or teleportation past. Cast by dungeon Lord*

Could things actually get any worse?

The rumbling of the ground beneath them indicated yes.

Cyrus was no stranger to watching videos online, between that and the things he had seen in movies, he doubted there was much in this world that would be truly horrifying.

That notion was gone.

A mouth opened up in the ground, it was a gaping hole about 100 feet in front of the group. Out of the hole emerged a rotting centipede. It was comparable to the Great Worms that he had seen Albus kill, except this thing was much longer and was excavating through the walls and floor as if the rock were paper. Inside the mouth of the worm looked to be thousands of teeth and an abyss of darkness. The outside of the rotting flesh was rigid with scales.

*Krill – Level ??? [Realm Ruler]*

“Now… would be the time for someone to come up with a grand plan.” Cyrus absently mentioned to his group.

“That’s supposed to be your job! Who’s going to kill that thing?” Grim shouted from the side, his eyes were wide as his eyes glossed over the creature.

“Not us… I can’t even see its level.”

If they were hoping for him to assuage their fears, they were dead wrong. There was only so much he could do, and he was running out of cards to play. Krill, as it turned out was not so kind as to wait for them to make up their minds. With a loud crashing noise, the monster dove underground in their direction and likely began barreling towards their position.

The earth beneath them was shaking, it was like having a constant seismic earthquake that never ended. There was really only one thing to do at the moment. “Split up and RUN!” Cyrus yelled at his group.

No one needed to be told twice, staying still was no different then signing your death warrant. Cyrus took off in the direction the monster had been before it dove underground, with his speed he thought he should be able to at least steer the thing away from the group. But with everyone running in their own direction, Krill must’ve chosen randomly and targeted Grim first.

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Being a stocky demon, he wasn’t exactly the spitting image of speed. Without wearing all his armor like usual, it seemed that he was at least a little faster than usual. Not that it was going to help much in this case, the ground erupted under Grim’s feet and he dove away just in time. The length of Krill’s body shot out of the ground, flowing out like a geyser of water.

Deciding it might be his only chance to test a fight, Cyrus put every bit of strength he had into his legs and shot himself towards Krill. He put every ounce of magic he could manage into his rapier, filling the weapon until he was sure it would burst if he kept going. With all of his might, he swung his weapon straight at the main body, hoping to pierce the rotting scales.

He did not.

Though that may have been expected, Cyrus couldn’t help being disappointed. If Albus were here, they may have stood a chance. Instead of cutting Krill, his rapier bounced off the scales without so much of a scratch on the surface. To be honest, even his own weapon looked to be worse for the wear even being coated with aura.

There’s only so much you can do without the proper stats and materials. He was lacking in both areas when faced with such an unimaginable terror. Krill must’ve taken the attempt to harm its body as an insult because it soon turned its sights on him.

Even with its body still flowing out of the ground, the front of the monster turned while high up in the air and sped down towards him like a bullet train. Except this one could change directions.

Cyrus ran.

Zigzagged.

Even tried to crisscross to make Krill lose his tail. But there was little point.

The mouth was gaining on him no matter how quickly he ran in a straight line and soon enough he’d be chewed up into a million little Cyrus pieces. If only there were a way to kill the thing from the inside out, but he couldn’t go through the mouth without dying. His weapons were useless and the shouts from behind where his companions tried to lure Krill away were fading.

Krill was on his ass, while it seemed like there were no options, Luck may have favored him for just a moment. That, or the System decided he didn’t need to die at this very second.

*Class Upgrade Trial becomes available: Pass the trial to receive upgrade (0/1 Pass) Attempts left 3/3*

It was like the System was reminding him of an opportunity, and damn he may as well try and take it. There was a brief reminder in his head that while in the trial only a couple of seconds would pass in the real world, so he NEEDED to pass if he were to survive. Without wasting any more thoughts, he made his choice and accepted.

Everything went dark.

Everything was still dark. There was little in the way of light but he could make do. Cyrus noticed that all of his weapons and gear was gone, he was wearing just a shirt and normal pair of pants as he would back on earth. On his body, there was no trace of any effect the other world had on him.

In front of him, was the entrance to what looked to be a massive labyrinth, if the walls surrounding him in an enclosed area were anything to go by. The walls were tall, so much that he couldn’t even measure how high they went with his eyes. As if the space was meant for nothing else except to contain this. The labyrinth walls were dusty, broken, and dry like they existed for a millennia.

Oddly, Cyrus could feel himself being drawn to the entrance. Like he was SUPPOSED to be there. It was unnerving that he would feel that way, but he couldn’t understand it. He wished his trial would be like others he had heard about and just fight a monster, something simple like that.

With no other options, he walked. He took a right turn, a left turn, he went straight. Cyrus didn’t even bother counting how many times he twisted and turned but one thing was for certain, he never reached a dead end a single time. Not only was there no dead ends, but he continued to aim his direction forward from his starting point, mainly to see how far the edge of the maze would be.

But there was no end.

The walls all looked the same, there was no rhyme or reason to the directions he took as long as he was able to keep walking. He even checked behind to see if something changed.

But there were no changes.

Cyrus did not grow hungry; he did not grow tired. He only grew numb. Cyrus wasn’t sure how much time had passed, he could have been walking for hours, days and he would not have been able to tell.

But time did not exist here.

After some time he stopped walking, choosing to sit and wait and see if anything were to occur.

But nothing happened.

What was the purpose of such a challenge? It would be useful to have his party here in order to give advice, at least Farah might know something since she passed her challenge. Though she might not, she didn’t mention there could be this kind of challenge. Then again, she had also mentioned that she didn’t know about Epic evolution challenges in the first place.

Was he not a high enough level? Did he miss something back at the start of the maze? There were all too many questions but no way to answer them. They sky was empty, the ground didn’t exist, the walls trapped him inside. All his stats and equipment were gone, it was like the System had abandoned him.

Without stats, he was nothing. He had no extra power and wasn’t stronger than the typical human. As far as he could tell, there was no way to fail the challenge even purposely if he wanted to. The maze was a prison.

What action could he take to end the trial? There would have to be something he was missing. If only he had the help of the System or his friends… then maybe. He grit his teeth then Cyrus turned and punched the wall in frustration as hard as he could muster.

But there was no pain.

Like everything else, there was nothing. The wall didn’t crack, there was no pain in his hand. He punched again, again, again, there was no point in stopping.

He didn’t bleed.

He didn’t cry.

Then his fist hit nothing.

The wall was gone, not just the one he had been punching but all of them. There was no trace of any maze in any direction around him. Like it had vanished into thin air, or as if it had never existed in the first place. Reaching to his cheek, Cyrus pinched himself.

He felt pain.

The walls had not been real, but he was. The space around him was real, the other world was real, this space or trial was not. That is, what he was led to believe until he heard the voices. The one’s of his party.

“Cyrus! Please save us!” Peluna wailed from the side.

He whirled around to face the voices. There, inside a massive cage were all his companions. All 4 of them, even Sven who he had just met. They were all chained and battered from what must’ve been a beating. Was this real? Were they really here because of his trial?

The large demon, his head had been facing the floor until he lifted it. A bandage covered his eyes. “Cyrus is here? I thought he had abandoned us to that monster. He wasn’t there when we needed him.”

“I thought you were someone worth following… I’ve been wrong before.” Farah said with little emotion, like she was devoid of all feeling. The playful and humored expressions she normally wore were gone.

The words struck him like critical strike, each one stabbing at his heart. What had happened while he had been gone? It didn’t matter, the only thing that did was he had to free them. Real or not, the decision was easy.

Except it never is.

“Why did you leave?” An angry voice asked from behind. It was strong and confident, just like he remembered.

It was hard to turn his head, but he did. In a different cage, Trinity was standing in a similar manner to his otherworldly companions. The words were silent on his lips, his mouth ran dry. He never truly believed they would see each other again. That didn’t matter, he would break them all out.

*Fu, fu, fu. Little Outsider, you can’t save everyone. Make a choice.*

Cyrus faced the bearer of the voice, except the one who spoke was anything but humanoid. It was nothing more than a black cloud, it used an absolute voice that also rendered with the System. Was this black cloud apart of the System? Not that he would be able to find out, the aura coming off it was… death. Pure, unfiltered, death.

“What do you mean, make a choice?” Cyrus asked, knowing he didn’t want the answer.

*Choose a cage, the inhabitants will live. The other cage, the inhabitants will die. You may not choose both*

If the cloud had a face, he was sure there would be a smile. The cloud simply floated, as if the only thing that mattered was who would live and who would die.

How was he supposed to choose? Cyrus felt his heart panicking, how could he turn his back on the only people he trusted in his life? Off to his side, his mind tried to shut out the pleas coming from his companions. While Trinity, having asked her question, remained silent as she bore into him.

Cyrus couldn’t bear to look at anyone, how was he supposed to tell people that they would have to die in order to save someone else. On one side, stood strangers from another world that he had come to know in such a short time. Even with that short time, they fought together, bled together, spent nights looking after one another. It was like a family.

On the other side, stood his childhood friend. Someone whom he entrusted every part of himself to. There was nothing they hadn’t shared together; all his years of life experiences were accompanied by her. Until he suddenly disappeared from her life. While it wasn’t his fault, it didn’t bring him any solace knowing that. Would he be able to watch his friends die? Was there even a choice?

*It seems you are indecisive. Allow me to help move your mind along. Choose in 5 minutes or the trial will end. (4:59)*

This was the worst-case scenario. If only he had just let Krill kill him than he wouldn’t be in this situation. He looked back towards his companions, all of them had expectant looks on their faces. As if there was no other obvious choice except for them. They trusted him, put their lives in his hands. That only made his heart hurt that much more.

He turned to Trinity. If he chose, would he get a second chance back on earth? Could everything go back to normal like he had been so desperately holding on for? He had never even told his companions the truth, but they may not find out anyways.

“I’ll save Trinity.” Cyrus answered the cloud. His voice was small, little more than a whisper. Because he didn’t want the others to hear.

He didn’t turn, he couldn’t. The silence was deafening, painful even without a single word. He could already imagine the looks on their faces as he said those words. Even if he could, he refused to look. That didn’t stop them from voicing their despair at his decision.

“Again? We followed you into a nightmare just to be left behind!” ~Grim.

“I regret ever placing my trust in you.” ~Farah.

“I hate you.” ~Peluna.

*The choice has been made. Await Judgement*

Whatever judgement was, Cyrus didn’t want to see it. He resolved to himself to let the world he didn’t belong in go. Not that it helped sever the guilt welling up inside of him. Not even Trinity, who was smiling at him from afar was helping to repair what he felt inside.

He chose correctly, didn’t he? There was no other choice beside the one he had to make. He would have to live with his decision because the choice was already made.

“Thank you for saving me Cyrus. I knew you’d come back.” Trinity said to him. He hadn’t realized truly how much he had missed her until now.

*Judgement made*

From the side, Cyrus closed his eyes as he heard the anguished screams from whatever fate befell his companions at his own betrayal. Betrayed, just like he had been.