The scorpion whipped its tail around as I clung to the ax. Stuck deep in between its bony carapace, there was no way the ax would loosen up.

'I have to attack!'

I ignored the searing pain in my back and hung on the ax with one hand. The whipping tail raised up high.

That was my chance.

When the tail reached a straight line, I kicked back and yanked the ax out.

My body slid down the scorpion's tail, heading straight for its back.

“Graaaaww!!!“

The scorpion screamed and swung its tail downward. I immediately jumped off my back and started running down its enormous tail to the back. Mana surged from my chest and gathered at my hands as a magic circle formed.

{Flame Magic - Fire Arrow}

An arrow of flames shot out of my palm and straight into one of the eyes of the scorpion.

Without wasting a second, I pulled the ax up and clutched it in my teeth. More mana gathered in both my hands.

“{Flame Arrow}! {Flame Arrow}! {Flame Arrow}!!!“

Mana exhaustion? Backlash? That was just pain too. Nothing I couldn't bear.

The arrows seared through the exposed flesh of the scorpion as I steadily made my way up its back, shooting magic after magic into its organs. The scent of its eyes drying up and flesh burning reached my nose.

Blood was seeping out of my mouth, my body shook from the core.

But!

This. All of this.

It was to get stronger. No matter who it is. No matter what came in my way. So that nothing could take anything away—

“Graaaa!“

Two giant, curled-up, fleshy projectiles came flying my way from the sky. The scorpion twisted its claws backward and tossed its prey—some of the fleshy birds it had caught from the commotion—at me.

One of them smashed into my side, knocking me slightly off balance. I quickly slammed my foot down and grabbed my ax again.

The other mound of flesh came straight for my head.

“Haaaaaah!“

The ax cut through the fleshy boulder with a single slice. I stabbed the ax downward, kicked off the ground, and charged ahead again.

With each leap, I crossed over the large bony shells of its outer body and finally found the giant mouth at the center of its back.

Spell. Spell. How should I kill it?

The ax wouldn't work. Neither would a simple flame arrow. I was already on the verge of mana exhaustion, but pushing myself to my limits was what would let me grow.

Extreme limits. So that even if my stats were consumed, my technique and skills wouldn't be.

My eyes widened. The calculations running through my head came to a grating halt. I jumped right above the mouth of the giant scorpion and stretched my hand ahead.

It was a freefall from here, right into the scorpion's mouth. But surely, doing that would kill me before I could reap the benefits of the fight.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

I had to survive now and grow my stats before halving them.

There was one spell. One spell I knew better than any other. A wide smile spread on my lips as mana gathered at my palm, forming a magical circle that distinctly resembled a constellation.

Right above the mouth of the mouth of the scorpion, I used the spell.

“{Return To Hell}”

The magic circle whirred as a gleam spread. Just as gravity started pulling me down again, a bone hand stretched out of the magic circle.

Then another. Another, another, and another. A mountain of skeletons emerged from the magic circle falling straight into the mouth of the scorpion.

The sheer number of skeletons fell straight in. They covered the entirety of the giant mouth in the blink of an eye.

“Graaaaaaa!!!“

It screamed and tried to shut its teeth, but the undead, the many times I had died were blocking the entire orifice.

I gently fell on the mountain of the undead. My sight started to dwindle as I rolled down and fell to the ground.

Moments later, a terrifying rip followed by a blood-curdling scream echoed through the air.

And the enormous scorpion fell limp on the ground.

I had won.

***

Something was nibbling on my neck. I slapped it with my hand as I opened my eyes. It was a small mosquito, that looked to be made up of flesh. A deep disgust spread through my entire body as I turned over on my back. There were probably a few broken bones on my spine and my rib cage, as well as a giant bruise on my shoulder. After this ordeal, it was perhaps safe to proclaim that experts (me) have concluded that broken bones did not make a good pillow.

Night fell inside the dungeon before I woke up. I had avoided death, but not fainting it seemed. The humidity was nowhere gone, and sweat stuck to my entire body, making my clothes stick. I must have slept for a day if not two judging by the hour. Thankfully, the giant scorpion's corpse was still next to me. I could tell from its presence alone even though I did not have the strength to sit up.

"How did I even pull that off?" A chuckle left me. If I had the guts and the strength to do this sooner, would I have been able to stop things?

Now that everything was gone, the thrill of a fight was all I had left—Hah. Who am I kidding?

It didn't feel good to fight at all. The people I wanted around me were already gone, and for all I knew this life would never end. There was no thrill, only a stark feeling of emptiness. Before the thoughts could consume me, I summoned all my courage and pushed myself off the ground. The pain wasn't stopping me, but every muscle in my body refused to cooperate.

I looked back at the giant scorpion. I had fallen straight into the labyrinth half out of bravado, and half because I thought I could eat the monsters in there. But no matter how much of a sick freak I was, there was no way I could consume raw flesh of god knows what.

It would be fine to leave it as emergency stock if there was nothing else. I made my way to the clearing the scorpion had found me in. The Divine Window was still kept safely in the soil. With a hand on my chest, I dug the Divine Window out and swiped the dust away.

> [Name: Ian Meyer

> Status: Alive

>

> Stats:

> Strength: 21 (Lowest-Low) {Impaired}

> Intelligence: 35 (Intermediate-Low) {Impaired}

> Mana: 53 (Intermediate-Low) {Impaired} {Exhausted}

> Endurance: 41 (Intermediate-Low) {Impaired}

> Control: 25 (Lowest-Low) {Impaired}

>

> Skills:

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

> (Reanimation {Basic})

> (Elemental Magic {Basic})

> (Dark Magic {Basic})

>

> Status:

> (Severe Mental Instability)

> (Severe Mana Exhaustion)

> (Severe Physical Injuries)

> (Applied Labyrinth Bonus)]

"Oh?" My eyes widened at the sight of the changed stats. A smile slowly spread on my lips. Even though it said impaired right now, this meant my physique had shown signs of growth from a single fight.

I remembered the lectures we had received back in the Crimson King's Palace very well. There weren't things like 'stat points' or 'skill points,' or a system that made it easier to grow. The principles of growth here were similar to how they were in our old world, except with the influence of mana.

To grow stronger, one couldn't hit the gym only once and return with biceps that could put a kangaroo to shame. Constant workouts, rest, and nutrition were important. The one place this fact didn't seem to carry over was Mana and its ultimate control. Both of which grew based on realizations, skills, exhaustion, and your body's constitution.

Exhausting myself this much had shown me a good way to use my mana more efficiently, negligible as it was. And the lack of mana had made my body and constitution absorb more of it. The fight had also helped push my muscles to the limit, they would grow when I recovered. If a single battle had helped me this much, consistent efforts would make a large difference.

And way more important than the stats was the way I fought. If I died, the stats would decrease but my knowledge wouldn't.

The path to power was within my grasp.

I clenched my fists and looked around. Unfortunately, I would need to find some food. But I was prepared for this too.

There were two reasons I had come to the labyrinth. One was to fight against the monsters that would grow here, situations I wouldn't easily experience outside, especially not as frequently.

And the other was to learn more skills. It was easily possible in labyrinths.

By raiding corpses.