After several weeks of exhausting, relentless training, Kuro could feel the burn in his muscles and the strain in his mind. Each day had been a battle to improve, to prove himself—both to the others and to himself. The knight captain had pushed them to their limits, but today was different. The captain had informed them that they would rest for the day. Tomorrow, however, they would be heading into a labyrinth to explore and gather intelligence. Kuro's body ached, but he was ready for whatever challenge came next.
As night fell, the group gathered for a final meeting before their expedition. The king's voice echoed in Kuro's mind, the weight of his earlier orders still fresh. The king had quietly given a certain individual a dark and ominous command. "If anything happens to the group, you must eliminate Kuro. Do not fail me."
It had been a quiet command, barely more than a whisper, but it was enough to send a chill down Kuro's spine. The person who hated him, the one who had always looked at him with disdain—he knew who the king was talking about. The tension in the air grew thick with the unspoken threat, and Kuro couldn't help but wonder what the king truly had planned for him.
The next morning, the heroes gathered at the gates of the labyrinth. The labyrinth they were about to enter wasn't as dangerous as some of the others they'd explored before, but it still held its own risks. The labyrinth was said to be one of the weakest, but Kuro knew better than to underestimate it. Every labyrinth held its own secrets, its own dangers, and every step forward was a step into the unknown.
They entered, and immediately, the oppressive air of the labyrinth gripped them. The walls were made of dark stone, slick with moisture, and the distant sound of shifting rocks echoed through the narrow passages. They moved cautiously, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. Kuro's senses were on high alert, every sound amplified in the eerie silence that surrounded them. The labyrinth had a sense of foreboding to it, as though it was watching them, waiting for them to make a mistake.
For hours, they explored the winding corridors, only encountering a few small monsters that posed little threat. The knights made sure to clear the path, while the heroes stayed in formation. Despite the relative calm, there was a tension in the air—something didn't feel right. Kuro couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, but every time he glanced around, there was nothing.
It wasn't until they ventured deeper into the labyrinth that everything went wrong.
The trap was sudden and brutal. A flickering shadow in the corner of Kuro's vision was the first warning. Before he could react, the floor beneath them shifted, and a dark, pulsating magic enveloped the group. In an instant, they were all pulled from the labyrinth's surface and thrust down, down, down, until everything around them blurred into an inky blackness. When the world stopped spinning, Kuro found himself in an entirely new place.
The walls here were different—darker, more jagged—and the air felt heavier, thicker. It was suffocating. The labyrinth had just become far more dangerous.
The captain of the knights was the first to recover, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. "Everyone, stay close. This is not part of the labyrinth we've mapped. We need to find a way back—now."
But there was no way back. Not without danger. Not without facing whatever threat lay ahead.
The captain quickly assessed the situation, his mind working fast. "This is bad. We've been teleported to an unknown level of the labyrinth—one that's not even recorded. We're on our own here."
Kuro's heart pounded in his chest as he surveyed the darkened corridor. Something had gone terribly wrong. They were no longer in the familiar territory of the explored labyrinth—they were in the depths, somewhere even the captain of the knights didn't know about.
And that's when the monsters attacked.
They came in waves, massive beasts that moved with terrifying speed and strength. Their eyes glowed with malevolent intent, and their fangs and claws seemed sharp enough to tear through steel. The heroes drew their weapons, ready to fight, but it quickly became apparent that these were no ordinary monsters. They were stronger, faster, and much more vicious than anything they'd encountered before.
The captain gave the order. "Heroes with elemental abilities, fall back! Use ranged attacks to cover us. We need to thin their numbers before we get surrounded!"
Kuro and the others with close-combat skills charged forward, but the monsters were relentless. Claws slashed through the air, and monstrous roars filled the labyrinth as the battle raged on. Kuro fought with all his strength, his sword clashing against the monstrous beasts. His movements were sharp and precise, but there was something unsettling about the monsters they were facing. They were different—more powerful.
Then, without warning, the floor beneath them began to shake.
"Move!" the captain shouted. "Fall back! The floor's collapsing!"
But it was too late. The ground gave way with a deafening crack, and before Kuro could react, he felt himself pushed backward. His vision blurred as he stumbled, trying to regain his footing. In the chaos, he caught a glimpse of someone—a hero, one of the others—pushing him back toward the crumbling floor. It was over in an instant, and before Kuro could even comprehend what had happened, the floor beneath him gave way completely, sending him plummeting into the darkness below.
---
Above, the heroes continued to fight valiantly, unaware of what had transpired. They were too distracted by the monsters to notice that Kuro had fallen. It was only when the sounds of battle died down, and the dust settled, that Airi realized something was terribly wrong.
She had been in the thick of the battle, fighting alongside the others, but now, her heart skipped a beat. She turned, searching the battlefield, her eyes scanning the area.
"Kuro?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Her gaze flickered back and forth, but there was no sign of him. Her chest tightened, and a chill ran down her spine.
Her heart raced, her thoughts clouded with fear. She hadn't seen Kuro fall, but she felt it—an instinctive, gnawing sensation that told her something was wrong. The feeling was overwhelming, a sinking weight in her chest.
And then, without thinking, Airi fell to her knees.
"Kuro!" she cried out, her voice breaking. "Kuro, where are you?!"
Her eyes welled with tears as the hopelessness of the situation began to settle in. The others were still fighting, unaware of her pain, but Airi felt a deep, gut-wrenching emptiness inside. She hadn't seen Kuro fall, but somehow, she knew. She knew that something had happened to him.
---
Meanwhile, in the depths below, Kuro struggled to regain his senses. The fall had been brutal, and the darkness around him was suffocating. He was bruised and battered, every inch of his body aching from the impact. But there was no time to rest. The monsters were coming, and Kuro knew he had to keep moving.
His feet stumbled as he tried to push himself upright, his breath shallow and ragged. The labyrinth was different down here—far darker, more twisted. The monsters that lurked in the shadows were stronger, more terrifying. Kuro's heart pounded in his chest as he ran, fear clawing at his every step.
He had no idea where he was or how to get back. All he could do was run, hoping to escape the horrors that chased him.
But no matter how fast he ran, the monsters were always there—always right behind him.
A massive, grotesque creature emerged from the ground, its claws slashing through the air. Kuro didn't have time to react. The creature's fist slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into the stone wall. His bones shattered from the impact, and he cried out in agony.
Everything went black.
---
Just as the world seemed to end, a voice echoed in Kuro's mind, sharp and clear: Skill condition met. Skill awakened.
---
The pain, the darkness, and the fear all seemed to fade away as Kuro's world shifted. This was only the beginning of his journey—the moment when everything changed.