Chapter 10: Merely the First Trial

With Xi Yan on his back, Qu Ya charged headlong toward the wall beside him. There were no side passages there, nor any doors.

Yet Qu Ya did not smash his head open—he and Xi Yan passed straight through the wall, emerging into a room that resembled a control center. Inside was a not entirely unfamiliar figure—the Warden.

The Warden sat cross-legged in his chair, a large crystal screen before him, displaying the entire labyrinth.

When the Warden saw the two of them, he was still a little surprised. He had just watched Qu Ya’s actions on the crystal screen, but assumed it was a coincidence.

After all, there were only three places in the maze where one could pass through the wall to arrive here. Even the Warden himself did not know these locations; it was forbidden.

Once inside, Qu Ya felt the chill in his body gradually dissipate, replaced by a warm flow of blood through his veins.

He set Xi Yan down by his side; out of the corner of his eye, he saw color returning to Xi Yan’s face and the frost melting from his brow.

Once Xi Yan was settled, Qu Ya turned to the Warden. “We’ve cleared the stage, haven’t we?”

The Warden smiled slightly. “You made it here—that’s impressive. I’ve never seen a survivor below level twenty reach this point alive.”

“Maybe we were just lucky,” Qu Ya replied coldly, eyeing the Warden. But the Warden paid no heed to Qu Ya’s tone, simply rose from his chair, and turned his back to him, gazing at the crystal screen.

“Do you see this crystal screen?” the Warden asked.

Qu Ya frowned, not understanding, but looked at the screen. The moment he glimpsed a certain corner, his face drained of color.

The Warden turned, saw Qu Ya’s reaction, and smiled gently. “This is only the first stage—the gentlest, simplest stage of all. Congratulations on clearing it.”

Qu Ya was speechless. He had seen, in the corner of the screen, a space that did not belong in the maze—more like a city than a labyrinth.

But it was no human city. It was a city built from enormous vegetables.

At that sight, Qu Ya understood at last what this instance really was.

This was the “Three-Layer Bottomless Labyrinth Instance”—the full title. It was a scenario with a staggering seventy percent mortality rate.

“What’s wrong? Stunned?” the Warden asked, amused. “You two have one hour to rest and recover. I’ll go deal with the failures. Wait here—I’ll return with your rewards for clearing the stage.”

With that, the Warden vanished.

Qu Ya slumped down beside Xi Yan in defeat. Moments ago, he had given up hope, but as he lay there, he’d glimpsed the way to clear the stage—through the wall.

Luck had been with them: they’d happened to collapse at one of the three exit points.

The first stage truly was simple. Survivors with higher levels and strength had more experience, so they observed everything around them, including the sky.

That made it easy for them to figure out how to clear the stage. The hard part was escaping the Lostkind—after all, no one could use abilities or cards in this place.

So, this first stage was as difficult as it was simple.

The second stage, by all accounts, was much harder—though Qu Ya had only heard of it, never seen it.

“Qu Ya…” Xi Yan’s hoarse voice reached his ears, slowly bringing Qu Ya back to himself.

He helped Xi Yan sit up. “How do you feel?” he asked.

Xi Yan coughed, rolled up his sleeve, and saw that the wound on his arm had healed. “My arm itches. How did the wound heal?”

Qu Ya briefly explained what had happened. Xi Yan could only laugh helplessly—what seemed like a narrow escape was, in truth, nothing at all.

“Qu Ya, look!” Xi Yan pointed at the crystal screen behind Qu Ya.

Qu Ya turned, puzzled, and saw only a single image: the screen was divided into several panes, like surveillance footage.

One of the panes was awash in red—as if blood had splattered across the camera.

“What happened?” Xi Yan asked.

Qu Ya swallowed. “That… must be Chen Xiao’s blood. The Warden killed him.”

“That’s right,” the Warden said, suddenly appearing behind Xi Yan and stepping before them.

Neither of them had recovered yet, so they remained slumped on the ground, the Warden towering over them.

“You may rest now—one hour. Six minutes have already passed, so treasure the time you have left.”

As he spoke, the Warden wiped his hands with a cloth, then tossed it aside. Xi Yan saw that the cloth was stained with fresh blood.

The Warden sat down in the chair—a boss’s chair, the kind that spins—turned to face them, and smiled.

He looked nothing like he had at first. Now, the Warden seemed oddly gentle, even friendly, regarding them as though they were old acquaintances.

Under the Warden’s gaze, Xi Yan’s scalp tingled. Without thinking, he blurted, “You’re not a survivor too, are you?”

He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. Qu Ya looked at him, worried. The Warden had said they could rest, but hadn’t said he wouldn’t kill them.

“Yes, I was,” the Warden replied with a smile.

Qu Ya turned to look at him, puzzled. Their eyes met, and the Warden said, “No need to worry. You’ve reached this place—I will not kill you.”

Qu Ya quickly averted his gaze, but Xi Yan was less cautious. “You used to be a survivor?”

“I did,” the Warden nodded.

“Then why are you an NPC now? What’s your name?” Xi Yan pressed further.

Qu Ya forced a wry smile, privately admiring Xi Yan’s boldness.

Though the Warden had said he wouldn’t kill them, this was an S-rank instance. Just because the Warden wouldn’t kill them didn’t mean there wasn’t something else in the room that would.

“NPC? That’s an odd way to put it. But yes, I was a survivor. I became an NPC because…” The Warden paused, a strange smile curling his lips. “Because I enjoy hunting prey. Hahaha!”

“Oh, my name—you asked. I’ve forgotten, but I vaguely remember that many once called me Hunter Ayn.”

At those words, Qu Ya’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the Warden.