Free Web NovelChapter 29: Death Maze (1)
Ding!
「 〔FLOOR QUEST〕
Destroy Signal Tower (3 / 3)
Alert Level (1 / 3) 」
「 Congratulations! Floor Quest Cleared! 」
A floating window flashed into view the instant Gerbaut’s spear punched through the glowing crystal suspended at the peak of the tower.
Misha lowered her arm and stared at the notification hanging in the air before her.
Dust drifted around the shattered remains of the crystal, catching the pale light in glittering streaks.
"I guess we’re the last ones."
Another window appeared.
「 〔CONTRIBUTION RANKING〕
1. Yara Borealis
2. Elyes Faust
3. Nyxie
4. Gentle Giant Jules
5. Misha Apocalypse
6. Gerbaut 」
Misha blinked a few times when she saw the ranking. Then slowly, she looked at Gerbaut.
The man stood beside the ruined crystal with his spear resting on one shoulder, as calm as ever, as if the Tower had not just shoved him into last place after he had practically carried the mission on his back.
"Gerbaut..." Misha hesitated, then tightened her grip on her cloak’s sleeve. "I’m sorry..."
He barely glanced at the ranking. "There’s nothing to be sorry about. It is what it is."
Misha stared at him in disbelief. How was someone this indifferent?
He had broken through enemies, led the operation, smashed the final crystal, and somehow the Tower still dumped him at the bottom. Meanwhile, she ended up above him when the only thing she had done, thanks to Olivia was kill the guards.
Before she could protest on his behalf, another notification slid into view.
「 〔 FLOOR CLEAR REWARDS〕
EXP +180
Tower Coins +85
<Items Obtained>
Corrupted Insignia ×5
Mana Shard ×1
Minor Healing Potion ×2
<Contribution Bonus>
EXP Bonus: +54
Tower Coins: +28 」
「 〔LEVEL UP〕
Lv. 5 —> Lv. 6
—
Current EXP: 129/700 」
「 〔ATTRIBUTE GROWTH〕
Agility..... +1
Vitality..... +3
—
Current Attribute:
Strength ..... 8
Agility ... 12
Vitality ..... 10
Perception .... 12 」
「 〔TRAIT PROGRESS〕
Analytical Thinking (Lv. 3)
91% —> 98%
Steady Hands (Lv. 2)
98% —> 100%
—
Passive Trait: Steady Hands have leveled up!
Lv. 2 —> Lv. 3 」
Misha’s eyes lit up at once. There was only one thing that captured her attention. Coins. Her precious, beautiful, hard-earned coins.
Not bad, not bad at all. If she kept this up, then maybe she could finally stop feeling like the Tower wanted to ruin her life for free–
The floor beneath them suddenly shook. Small chunks of stone broke away from the tower walls and dust rained from above.
Misha’s smile vanished instantly. "W-What’s happening?"
"The tower is collapsing."
Gerbaut answered so calmly that Misha almost thought he was commenting on the weather.
Another violent tremor ripped through the structure.
Crack!
A massive fracture spread across the ceiling like a jagged scar. Pebbles hit Misha’s shoulder, then a large chunk smashed into the floor beside her boot.
"W-we have to go!"
Gerbaut didn’t move.
Misha stared at him, horrified. "Gerbaut?"
The ceiling groaned ominously and the walls shed more debris. Another crack snapped through the room.
"Gerbaut!"
The moment she shouted, a circular portal formed nearby.
Gerbaut turned and walked toward it at once. "Let’s go."
Misha opened her mouth then closed it. She had many questions and no time for any of them. "H-How about the others?"
"We’ll meet them on the 7th floor."
"The seventh?"
Gerbaut gave a short nod. "I’ll explain later."
The tower shook again, hard enough to rattle her teeth.
Misha decided explanations could wait. She scrambled after him and jumped through the portal just as another section of ceiling gave way behind them.
===
Light swallowed everything. The sensation twisted around her body for one nauseating second, then it vanished.
Misha stumbled forward and caught herself before she crashed face-first onto the floor. Cold stone met her hands.
They were finally on the 5th floor...
She pushed herself up, blinking hard, and looked around.
Tall walls rose around her from every direction. Passages stretched out ahead in a maze of narrow corridors. Every turn looked the same, and every wall looked the same.
Her stomach immediately sank. "I... I don’t like this."
Ding!
「〔FLOOR QUEST〕
Escape the Maze
Time Limit: 01:00:00
Failure: Death 」
A deep rumbling rolled through the maze behind them and the ground vibrated beneath her boots.
Gerbaut turned immediately, his eyes sharpened. "Run."
That single word snapped through her nerves like a whip. Misha didn’t need convincing. The next second, she sprinted after him.
At first, she only heard the grinding roar of a stone crushing stone. Then she looked back and nearly screamed.
「 Elevated stress and fear levels detected. Emotional interference reduced. 」
A gigantic sphere covered entirely in black thorns rolled into view from behind them. The thing was enormous, at least ten meters wide, and every inch of it bristled with vicious spikes. Walls cracked and burst apart under its weight. Broken stone exploded as it tore through the maze like some sadistic architect’s final joke.
Misha’s soul nearly left her body.
"WHY IS THERE A GIANT DEATH BALL?!"
"It kills people."
"THAT DOESN’T ANSWER ANYTHING!"
The thorn sphere slammed through a corner behind them. Chunks of rock blasted through the air.
Misha ran faster, her lungs burned, and her boots pounded against the stone.
Gerbaut took the lead without wasting a glance backward, and she chased him through one twisting corridor after another.
Left. Right. Straight, then another right.
The maze seemed endless. The death ball stayed close enough to hear and close enough to remind them what would happen if they slowed down even for a second.
Her heartbeat thundered inside her ears as fear crawled up her spine.
「 Trait in Effect: Calm Under Pressure 」
「 Fear and panic suppressed. 」 ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The panic gradually dulled as her thoughts slowed into something manageable.
The giant murder ball still terrified her yet she simply had enough brainpower left to process the terror properly.
Several minutes later, they tore around another corner.
Misha skidded to a halt. A wall blocked the path... a dead end.
"No no no–"
Gerbaut drove his spear forward.
BOOM!
Stone burst inward and a jagged hole opened through the wall.
Before Misha could even gasp, Gerbaut grabbed her by the collar and hauled her through. "Move."
"I’m moving!"
The instant they cleared the broken wall, the thorn sphere demolished the dead end behind them. The impact thundered through the maze so violently that Misha felt it in her ribs. Her heart nearly stopped.
They kept running.
At this point, Misha had given up dignity, grace, and coherent thoughts. Survival had taken over the entire operation. Her breathing turned ragged and her legs screamed as sweat clung to her back.
Then a familiar voice rang through the corridor.
"HEY!"
Misha blinked a few times. That sounded suspiciously familiar.
