Free Web NovelChapter 64: Second Death.
Luca shifted his attention to his interface.
’Quickly... my synchrony!’
He couldn’t reach out to the screen, but he could do something else– will it.
Immediately, his synchrony numbers sped up until they struck their initial score.
100%
Ego exploded out of his body in torrents.
It formed a wave. A powerful blast struck the ceiling of the cave.
Gold with black streaks around its edges danced like a living flame.
It burned furiously. Enveloping Luca and the creatures atop him.
Strength pooled into his system like never before.
’Yes! This is it!’
He groaned as the energy wave blasted the creature on top of him while he staggered to his feet.
He leaned forward, ready to lunge when something bit viciously into his flesh.
Bones cracked. Flesh tore.
And Luca fell.
The pain and realisation were recorded all at once.
"AAAARGHHH!"
Behind him, two of the rodents– no, a hundred of them rushed back in place pressed him firmly to the ground.
’Fuck! Why isn’t it working?! I should be far stronger than usual!’
Luca clawed.
He stretched his arms across the cold tiles and clawed towards the exit but it was like swimming in a pool of tar.
Unfortunately, that single sharp pain was fleeting.
It was a confirmation that Luca had a feeling that would lead to something unrefutable.
His mind was in disarray.
His vision was blocked.
His body was pressed against the ground by rodents that crawled around him as if investigating a crime scene.
Then it began.
The feast.
Another sharp pain pierced through Luca’s being.
He wanted to scream, but another pain followed.
The sensation clouded his mind.
A powerful wave of nostalgia struck him.
But before he could even figure out what was going on... the pain spread.
The Rodents became restless.
Their bodies pressed against one another as their heads darted towards his body with open maws and sharpened teeth.
One after the other, they bite into him.
Thousands of three-foot rats feasted upon his body like holy bread.
The air was filled with the sounds of bones snapping. Flesh cutting.
And the unconceivable sounds of agitated squeaks.
It was a fight.
A fight for the rare medium meat.
And that meat... was Luca.
His mouth stuck wide as the pain groans escaped his jaws.
Tears streamed down his face.
But a fraction of a second passed and something bit into the side of his face and tore it off.
The darkness spread... blood oozed slowly into everything.
His face was torn into pieces.
Multiple chunks of flesh and bones were missing from their usual spot.
The pain was insurmountable.
He could do nothing but convulse on the same spot. Choking on his own blood, his neck was not spared.
Unable to resist. Unable to fight.
His mind was clouded by the realisation and thoughts.
Everything simply faded... excruciatingly slowly.
Until finally, through the festered, bloody opening on his back with bones protruding out... multiple bites tore through his heart.
Luca didn’t realise it, but his last breath came when his head collapsed onto the floor, detached from its body.
And the Rodents licked the rest, clean.
*
*
*
Eyes snapped open once more.
And an ear-wrenching scream tore out from his throat.
"AAAARRRGHHHHH!!!" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Luca was alive. Perhaps, too much.
He jerked profusely.
His body coiled around itself.
It lifted upwards from the floor with his eyes white and foam dripping from the corner of his mouth.
His mind was far from being stitched back together.
And the pain returned, more visceral than ever.
Time eluded him.
In fact, it felt like eternity.
Luca rolled across the floor, banging his limbs sporadically around while his chest heaved upwards and downwards like a living pump.
For him, the multitude of sensations that overwhelmed him was just that much.
And he continued to wallow. To cry. To beg.
For a time that neither counted...nor began.
He simply rolled on the ground, tears falling down his face while the pain washed over him like a cold bath.
Until finally, he began to breathe.
Colour returned to his face as he lay with his back to the floor while staring at the ceiling.
His thoughts finally clicked in and his golden pupils constricted ever so slightly.
A sigh escaped his lips.
’I was eaten alive.’
The list of death experiences was beginning to pile up. Unbelievable situations, if he could describe them.
’Who am I even going to tell? Caed? Taren?’
He cleaned the dried streaks away from his face and cheeks.
’Screw that. I’ll need to even get to them... ALIVE.’
The thought brought a wash of relief over his body.
It was like a cleansing effect.
Slowly, he began to sit up.
’Those two paths are a burst... one leads to an Inrowraith and the other... a swarm of Moderate rank.’
When he thought of the second option, anyone would willingly take that path.
’But they would be a fool.’
He held up his chin.
’Even if they had a large-scale talent... those things would simply fill in the gaps of the dead.
There are too many. So even if you kill a hundred... a thousand more await.’
He narrowed his eyes.
’Unless, of course... that talent is at an impossibly high mastery.’
Immediately, he turned to his interface.
Specifically, the list of Talents.
Talents; Identification Talent[Dormant-Mastery (46%)], Sword Talent[Dormant-Mastery (30%)], Core Talent[Dormant-Mastery (10%)], Bond Talent[Dormant-Mastery (0%)], Fist Talent[Dormant-Mastery (8%)], Focus Talent[Dormant-Mastery (0%)], Harmonize Talent[Dormant-Mastery (1%)], Stealth Talent[Dormant-Mastery (7%)]Beam Talent[Dormant-Mastery(0%)], Shield Talent[Dormant-Mastery(0%)].
’Beam Talent... that would have been useful, but how well would a Dormant mastery work?’
He raised his right palm and willed his talent.
It was an innate connection with an active talent which would bring out the desired effect.
A surge of golden black energy concentrated over his palm until finally... it shot out in a straight line.
A sharp, whistling sound ensued as it travelled through the air before striking the wall.
The golden light swirled into a moderately sized ball before detonating in an explosion of light and wind.
The wall shook, but held.
While particles fell onto the floor.
His gaze lingered on the effect.
’Awesome... why haven’t I used this?’
He tilted his head.
’... never had a reason to.’
He turned to his interface, specifically, to the beam talent.
Beam Talent[Dormant-Mastery(1%)]
’Weird. Was one attack capable of creating this growth?’
He held his chin in deep contemplation.
Talent mastery growth was excruciatingly difficult.
People say it takes them seven years to raise their mastery from Dormant to Awakened.
Thus, Sword masters were rare– often taking a Knight years before reaching the Awakened mastery which is the first step into Sword Mastery.
Luca, on the other hand, was beginning to observe a change he had not realised until now.
’My mastery of the sword rose by an absurd amount when we only swung a sword around... and now, my beam increased when I only used it once.’
He shifted his gaze to his titles.
’Seven Sins... don’t tell me seven times stronger includes seven times faster growth in mastery?’
He rose to his feet and walked towards the narrow pathway.
’I should try it out... but now isn’t the time.’
The end goal was the same no matter how he thought about it.
’My mastery development has opened a new path for me... I would need to develop them to an extent...’
He stopped by the entrance of the pathway and rested his palm on the green moss.
His thoughts rushed in, while he stared blankly into space.
’Also... I’ve died twice now. What does that entail?’
He raised his right arm and inspected the weird tattoo.
A slight frown formed on his face.
’Three.’
He chuckled.
’These lines represent lives... and I’ve been granted five of them.’
He tilted his head back, towards the ceiling.
’Five paths... five lives... I don’t believe the Abyss has something like this.
Null Creatures usually exist within the normal flora of the domain.
Meaning, the moment I arrived, I should have been surrounded by one of the few hundreds of climatic changes which the Abyss possesses... and slowly find my way to the Base while defeating Null Creatures.’
That was the natural line of events for any Explorer venturing into the Abyss for the first time.
Only after a Soul Anchor within a base are they able to spawn within a much better, controlled environment.
’But this is different. It’s a labyrinth... there’s never been a game like setting within the Abyss...’
Something clicked.
’This isn’t part of the Abyss... It’s a separate test, perhaps? Something of the sort.’
Nothing else seemed to come to mind, but a conclusive decision had already been made.
’I’ll have to increase my mastery. Raise it to at least late nascent or awakened. Then we venture into the paths.
Whoever created this setting didn’t intend on letting me go alive... or wanted something that involves me dying?’
He gulped at the thought.
’The 21st god?’
A sigh escaped his lips.
’Alright, let’s just focus on getting out.’
Just when he was about to lift himself off the wall, a sudden change caught his attention.
From the corner of his eye, he saw something more.
Not the tangible or living kind. Or the one that makes you think you weren’t alone.
Instead, it was the kind that made you awe.
Luca took a few steps back before turning in the direction of the cause.
On the walls, the living mosses began to move.
A subtle shift like rough scales that coiled with such intent.
As they moved... images formed. Diagrams.
Symbols that Luca failed to fully understand.
This continued for a prolonged time, until finally, it forged something that breathed a new meaning into the pathways of the Labyrinth.
Luca gasped at the sight.
’A mural?’
