(I went back and re-wrote like every chapter, so there are definitely some discrepancies.)
By the time we stopped, my arms ached and the cold stone beneath us was slick with blue blood. The maze stretched on endlessly, shadows twisting and curling between the towering shelves, and the faint stench of iron hung heavy in the air.
We'd cut down more goblins along the way—not enough to count, but enough that my knuckles were raw beneath the bloodstains and my breaths came fast and shallow. The notifications had blurred together, a dizzying cascade of text I barely registered.
{ Shard: 2/10 } flickered faintly in the corner of my vision, but I ignored it, too focused on the dull ache in my wrists and the slick warmth clinging to my fingers. We hadn't leveled up, but some of my skills had.
{ [Stealth] has leveled up to 3 }
{ [Evasion Techniques] has leveled up to 3 }
{ [Acrobatics] has leveled up to 3 }
{ [Dual Wielding] has leveled up to 2 }
{ [Short Blade Arts] has leveled up to 2 }
Frey leaned back against a shelf, flexing her fingers with a soft grunt. Her forearms were splattered with blue blood, and fresh bruises were already darkening beneath her sleeves."Ugh," she groaned, rolling her shoulders with a wince. "How many of these creeps are there? Feels like we've been at this for hours."
Geomi sank down beside her, breathing fast and shallow. She swiped at the blue stains on her cheek but only managed to smear them further."T-Too many," she muttered, voice thin. Her eyes darted to the corner of her vision, lips pressing into a tight line. "Did… did you guys get that skill notification too?"
Frey blinked, brow furrowing."Huh? Skill?"
I hesitated, glancing to the corner of my vision where the notification still lingered next to two health bars that I hadn't noticed before.
{ Party member Frey has acquired [Weak Poison Resistance] }
{ Party member Geomi has acquired [Weak Poison Resistance] }
My breath hitched, eyes going wide."W-Wait, I can see your health and when you get skills?!" I blurted, voice rising an octave.
Frey and Geomi exchanged confused glances."Uh… yeah?" Frey snorted, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't know? We've been watching your health since we got here. We can even see when your skills level up."
Geomi's cheeks flushed faintly as she fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve."W-We thought you knew," she mumbled, eyes darting to the floor.
Heat flared under my skin, embarrassment prickling at the back of my neck."O-Of course I knew," I lied quickly, voice cracking slightly. "I-I was just… making sure you guys knew too!"
Frey snorted, lips twitching with barely restrained laughter."Riiight," she drawled, rolling her eyes. "Sure, Rika."
I huffed, cheeks burning, and looked away quickly, pretending to focus on the notifications instead. The health bars lingered at the edge of my vision, faint but steady, and my fingers twitched uneasily around the hilts of the knives.
I forced a shaky breath, wiping the blue from my blade with jerky, uneven motions. The weight of the two knives was starting to feel less awkward in my grip, but the tremors in my hands refused to fade. The [Rusty Dagger] glinted dully, dark streaks trailing from the chipped edge.
"We need to keep moving," I rasped, voice low and strained. "Staying here's just gonna get us ambushed."
Frey groaned but pushed herself up with a huff, knuckles cracking."Yeah, yeah, don't gotta tell me twice," she muttered, eyes flickering warily to the darkened hall beyond.
Geomi managed a shaky nod, fingers flexing uneasily around her dagger's hilt."Right… let's just… not die," she murmured weakly.
I forced my feet forward, eyes fixed on the shadow-choked paths ahead. The chill of the maze seemed to seep deeper into my bones with every step, heavy and suffocating, but I grit my teeth, fingers clenching tighter around the blades.
We still had a long way to go.
We pressed on, the shadows thickening with every step, the chill seeping deeper into my bones. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the shuffle of boots and the occasional ragged breath. The maze stretched endlessly, twisting paths of towering shelves that seemed to shift when I wasn't looking.
Most of the shards weren't even guarded. We found them buried beneath piles of rotting paper or wedged into cracks in the stone, faintly pulsing with dim light. The ones that were guarded only had goblins—dull-eyed, glassy, and desperate.
{ Shard: 4/10 }
{ Shard: 5/10 }
Frey snorted as she kicked aside a crumpled scroll, eyes narrowed with annoyance."Who the hell leaves this junk just lying around?" she grumbled, wiping blue blood from her knuckles with a grimace. "This place is a mess."
Geomi made a small noise of agreement, though her eyes kept darting nervously to the shadow-choked paths ahead."A-At least we're making progress," she mumbled, fingers flexing uneasily around her dagger. "Just… gotta keep going."
I forced a breath, wiping the slick blue from my blade."Right," I rasped, voice tight. "Can't stop now."
The goblins came in small clusters—never more than two or three at a time, but enough to keep us moving. The fights blurred together, claws glinting in the dark, blue blood splattering the stone in thick, sticky arcs.
My hands ached with every swing, knuckles raw beneath the blue stains, but the notifications came steadily, one after another.
{ Shard: 6/10 }
{ Shard: 7/10 }
{ [Stealth] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Evasion Techniques] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Acrobatics] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Dual Wielding] has leveled up to 3 }
{ [Short Blade Arts] has leveled up to 3 }
Frey grinned, eyes glinting with something wild and sharp, knuckles cracked and bruised."You think they'd get the message by now," she snorted, wiping blood from her cheek. "But hey, free EXP."
Geomi managed a shaky smile, though her fingers still trembled faintly around the hilt of her dagger.
The last shards were deeper in the maze, wedged into the backs of empty shelves or buried beneath layers of dust. They pulsed faintly, cool to the touch, disappearing into my inventory with soft chimes.
{ Shard: 8/10 }
{ Shard: 9/10 }
{ Shard: 10/10 }
{ All monsters on floor one have been disposed of. }
{ Level Up! }
{ Level 5/5 reached. Please select a class to advance. }
{ [Stealth] has leveled up to 5 }
{ [Evasion Techniques] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Acrobatics] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Pain Resistance] has leveled up to 3 }
{ [Dual Wielding] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Short Blade Arts] has leveled up to 4 }
{ [Basic Martial Arts] has leveled up to 4] }
Frey whooped, fist pumping with a grin."Hell yeah! Finally, some progress!" she laughed, eyes glinting with relief.
Geomi managed a breathless giggle, fingers pressed to her lips, eyes wide and glinting with something like hope.
I exhaled shakily, hands still trembling faintly around the hilts of my knives. The health bars at the edge of my vision were full, the faint glow of the notifications slowly fading.
We walked for a while trying to find the exit, or honestly anything else. While we walked I checked my status.
_______________
[Name]: Rika Nagayoshi
[Race]: TBD
[Level]:5/5 (Class Selection Pending)
[XP]:0/??
[Stats]
[HP]:330/330 ↑
[MP]: 220/220 (locked)
[Str]:23 ↑
[End]:23 ↑
[Dex]:28 ↑
[Wis]:22 ↑
[Ins]:23 ↑
[Luk]:38 ↑
[Titles]
[Lucky Lineage]
[Fast Learner]
[Jack of All Trades]
[Sadist]
[Split] (Locked)
[Sponge]
[Adaptable]: Partial Skills
[Fear Resistance] (Maxed) ↑
[Pain Resistance] (Lvl:3) ↑
[Poison Resistance] (Lvl:3) ↑
[Skills]
[Basic Martial Arts] (Lvl:4) ↑
[Short Blade Arts] (Lvl:4) ↑
[Dual Wielding] (Lvl:4) ↑
[Stealth] (Lvl:5) ↑
[Evasion Techniques] (Lvl:4) ↑
[Acrobatics] (Lvl:4) ↑
[9th Sense] (Lvl: Weakened)
[Appraisal] ([INS] Passive)
[Mind's Castle] (Partial activation)
[Perfect Affinity] (Lvl:1)
_______________
I frowned at the numbers, eyes narrowing slightly. My [Poison Resistance] had reached level 3, but… I didn't remember getting hit with any poisoned weapons. I hadn't been cut, and no goblins had landed a direct attack on me.
"Why is my Poison Resistance level 3?" I muttered under my breath, scanning my status again. "I don't remember getting cut by a poisoned dagger or anything..."
Geomi blinked, then gave me a flat look."Uh… Rika," she said slowly, tilting her head. "You don't remember getting goblin blood in your mouth?"
I froze.
"What?"
Frey's eyebrows shot up. "Ohhh right—" she started, lips twitching.
"W-Wait, no, I—" I cut in quickly, shaking my head. "That wasn't— I mean, I was just grossed out!"
Geomi sighed, rubbing her temple. "Rika. You threw up for almost five minutes. Your nose was bleeding. You looked like you were dying."
I crossed my arms, huffing. "I was just disgusted! I mean—who wouldn't be? Goblin blood is nasty!"
Geomi only raised an eyebrow, unimpressed."Uh-huh. And yet your Poison Resistance is now level 3."
I opened my mouth to argue but quickly shut it, my face heating up.
Frey, unable to hold it in, snickered. "Damn, so goblin blood almost killed you? That's kinda tragic, Rika."
I glared at her. "Shut up, Frey."
Geomi just sighed again, shaking her head as she turned back to the path ahead.
We walked for a while, the silence heavy between us. The battles had left their marks—on our bodies, our minds, and the blue-streaked stone beneath our feet. My fingers flexed around the hilts of my knives, stiff with dried blood, the weight of exhaustion settling into my limbs.
Somewhere in the distance, the maze shifted. A deep, grating noise echoed through the halls, stone grinding against stone. I stiffened, heart pounding as the sound rumbled from beyond the towering shelves.
"That's… new," Frey muttered, fists clenching instinctively.
Geomi swallowed hard, stepping closer. "Do you think it's the exit?" she asked, voice hushed.
I wasn't sure. My fingers twitched at my sides, unease crawling up my spine. The last notification still flickered at the edge of my vision, reminding me of the choice ahead.
{ Level 5/5 reached. Please open class menu for more information. }
The words felt heavy. Too big. Too final.
"Let's find out," I said, pushing forward.
We moved carefully, each step lighter than the last. The air shifted—less stagnant, less suffocating. The towering shelves thinned ahead, revealing a massive circular chamber carved into the stone. At its center, a pedestal stood waiting, something carved into its surface.
A faint pulse of light flickered across the room. The very air hummed with quiet energy.
Frey whistled low. "Well… this looks important."
I exhaled, forcing my fingers to steady. This was it. The next step. Whatever was beyond this, we had no choice but to face it.
No turning back now.