“The stars once walked the earth.“

Rimi and I stopped at Evans' strange words.

“Again with that story?“ Rimi sighed. She ran a hand through her hair. “We'll see things for ourselves eventually. There's no way that's true. Hey, Ian, tell him.“

“I have to agree with Rimi here. It's just a myth.“

Evans laughed. “It's a famous saying with the adventurers. Everyone who has seen a labyrinth agrees.“

“Tsk, tsk. That's where you're wrong. What you really mean is you've only heard from those who agree.“

“It must be true!“ Evans said. “The labyrinths are all mystical. That's the only way to explain how mana changes those places… the labyrinths must be a tomb.“

***

“The tomb of the stars.“

Chirps of birds above me—chirps unlike any I had ever heard—snapped me out of the pain.

Vines and branches were wrapped around me while leaves stuck out of my head. I had fallen from the skies and straight to the ground.

Only to end up in a forest.

I dusted my clothes and tapped my sides. The ax was still here. I unwrapped the cloth and stood up.

The chirps of the birds continued from a distance. It felt wrong to describe it as a chirp, it was more reminiscent of a low growl, like a painful curse. Yet I could distinctly call it a chirp.

Woods surrounded me from all directions as the rich scent of oxygen drifted around. Sweat was forming on my forehead.

Humid.

I reached into my pockets. The stranger this place was the better it was for me.

I had two reasons to turn to the labyrinths for strength. One was the fact that no one knew what was within them.

The labyrinths were as mystical as magic. The threats here were completely different than those outside, at least usually. Moreover, labyrinths were places even strong adventurers and explorers avoided. The baseline here was high.

It was perfect for someone like me who could risk their life.

I held the divine window in hand and nicked my thumb with the ax. The drop of blood dripped on the divine window as a strong glow emanated from it.

Characters started scribbling and engraving themselves on the stone and as the glow subsided they became clearer.

> [Name: Ian Meyer

> Status: Alive

>

> Stats:

> Strength: 20 (Lowest-Low)

> Intelligence: 34 (Intermediate-Low)

> Mana: 33 (Lowest-Low)

> Endurance: 40 (Intermediate-Low)

> Control: 19 (Intermediate-Low)

>

> Skills:

> (UNDYING) (|||||||)

> (Reanimation {Basic})

> (Elemental Magic {Basic})

> (Dark Magic {Basic})

>

> Status:

> (Severe Mental Instability)

> (Applied Labyrinth Bonus)

> ]

I could see why people preferred the Divine Window over a simple status check at the adventurer's guild. The sheer difference in information was shocking.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The skills were exactly as I thought. Including the field still blurred. I was curious about what it could be since I had seen it after escaping the coffin, but there was nothing I could do except wait. If it was another curse, that wouldn't change much. I was going after the gods anyway.

It was a shame that my stats had decreased twice in Magen, but it seemed the training on the way here had negated at least one death.

My stats were still on the lowest run of the low grade. At this stage, I was barely worth an E-Ranked adventurer.

Surely, coming to such a place must be suicide. Yet I couldn't help but laugh at my decision.

There was clear proof. The Labyrinth Bonus. Being rich in mana, these places were sure to be useful for growth. Though I doubted it would be anywhere close to the growth speed the heroes experienced, for someone at my level it would be considerable growth.

I gripped the ax tight and placed it on my shoulder. What was left to do, except kill?

***

I whistled out loud as I waded through the forest. The tall trees around me formed a big cover that blocked sight beyond a few meters. It made it harder for me to look at things, but also easier for me to run. I wasn't planning to only die here, I wanted to use all my skills to their utmost limit and fight.

I didn't have to look for long.

The chirps around me grew rapidly as something clearly disturbed the birds. My eyes went up at the flying birds—

'What the hell?'

Fleshy amalgamations of bones, fur, and muscles flew above my head. The birds that I had been listening to all this time were not normal, but beings created from the flesh of the dead. A stark, rotting stench reached all the way down here. I couldn't stand and look at the birds for long, though, as a cloud of dust rose from the direction they had flown away from. I quickly gripped my axe and dashed to the side, taking cover of the trees as I circled to the source of the disturbance.

There it stood. Another monster made of flesh. A giant scorpion as tall as the trees around stood, pushing the fauna away with its body. Bones had made its carapace while raw flesh that should have been inside the skin was stuck outward. It was a sight similar to the artwork that the lich used to make back in the cave. Except, mouths, eyes, and ears littered the scorpion's body.

Human mouths and eyes.

The Scorpion's many eyes danced around as it gripped two similar rabbits in its claws. The scorpion slowly brought the rabbits to the largest mouth on its back and started chewing them. Even its teeth were human.

I felt a strange sense of familiarity, and that made me disgusted. Seriously now? Was the lich making me this all the time? I used to think that was a good workplace, but maybe it was abusive. Definitely wouldn't fly in the modern world. I should have made a complaint to the labor rights association as soon as I reached Scarlet.

Fucking hell. Stockholm syndrome was quite the bitch.

'Now then... how do I kill you?' I tried to kill my presence as much as possible as I walked behind the trees. Gently making my way around the scorpion. The carapace made of bones would be difficult to break through, but I just needed to stab between the carapaces to deal some damage. As I made my way back, I noticed the eyes on the stinger all looking to the sides.

It wasn't looking behind itself but to the sides. This small space where the scorpion had come through was the only spot that was not going to give me cover through the trees, yet the scorpion's eyes did not look toward it.

A chill ran down my spine.

This fucking thing.

Knew I was here.

I was sure I had made no sound. There was no breaking twig, no dry leaf I crunched over nor any silly slip or fall or stomach growl. The scorpion was simply strong.

How then, was I supposed to defeat something strong? My employer may have been a bitch, but he gave me good advice.

Violence.

I simply had to strike it over and over until it died.

I adjusted my distance from the scorpion, going further back, and then, stepped ahead. I walked stealthily into the clearing, the gap between the trees that the scorpion's mad charge had created.

In the blink of an eye, a glint flashed. The carapace-clad stinger of the scorpion shot out from the back and came straight to me. I tilted to my side, barely dodging the stinger which passed from my side.

Blood slowly dripped down my cheek as my eyes went to the side, the tail of the Scorpion was right there.

"HAAAAAH!"

"GRAAAAAW!"

I twisted my body and swung my axe, I had aimed to be as close to the end where the carapace grew thinner, as possible. The ax struck the thinner and smaller carapace and stabbed into the flesh of the scorpion. At the same time, the Scorpion moved its giant tail toward me. The carapace struck my stomach and swept me off my feet. The tail ran through trees, smashing my back into them as it raised the stinger to the air.

I didn't let go.

I didn't let go for a second.

Pain couldn't make me drop an ax. Pain was nothing.

My eyes scanned down the scorpion's body, at the many eyes littered through its form, all of them stared at me.

"It's on, you bastard."