The second sludge hissed as it oozed from the underbrush, a gelatinous blob of shimmering violet-black muck dragging itself forward with an acidic squelch. Each movement left behind a trail of sizzling rot, melting the mossy stone beneath it.
I didn't flinch.
[ Vile Sludges Defeated: 1/100 ]
Ninety-nine more. Piece of cake.
I darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the spray of corrosive bile it spat in a wide arc. It hissed as it missed, the puddle sizzling where it struck the bark of a tree, the wood curling and blackening instantly.
I grabbed a fallen branch, swung it low, and swept the thing from its base. It screeched — a horrible, wet gurgling noise — and I followed up by slamming my foot down on its core. A satisfying crunch echoed through the quiet forest as the sludge ruptured into a burst of steaming ichor.
[ Vile Sludges Defeated: 2/100 ]
I kept moving.
A group of three waited near a pool of glowing green water. I approached from the high ground, climbed a low ridge of rotting tree roots, and dropped in behind them. Before they noticed, I crushed the first with a heel drop.
The second turned too slow.
I grabbed a jagged branch, plunged it through its core, then used the same branch to swat the third into the acid pool.
Sizzle. Gone.
[Vile Sludges Defeated: 5/100]
I didn't let up.
Every step I took, I mapped the area. Every encounter, I picked up more patterns. They were slow, but they reacted to motion. They couldn't hear well, but they could feel vibration. And if you touched their outer membrane, they'd spray a cloud of acid in defense.
But the membrane only responded if touched for too long.
So I didn't give them time.
I found a broken ruin nearby, an old stone watchtower crumbling under the weight of moss and age. But it still stood tall enough to give me a view of the area.
I climbed it quickly, ignoring the cuts on my hands.
From up top, I spotted the densest cluster of sludges.
Twenty. Maybe more.
They gathered near the remains of a shattered statue, probably drawn by leftover mana traces.
'Perfect. These guys are making this floor even easier compared before'
I scouted for materials like loose bricks, old bones, chunks of rusted iron. I made a crude sling, wrapped some cloth around a stick, dipped it in glowing sludge water, and lit it with friction and heat from rubbing it against stone.
The flame sparked — green and eerie, but it burned.
I hurled it into the middle of the sludge pit.
BOOMF—
The fireball exploded with a wet pop. Flames didn't kill them outright, but it made them panic. As they scattered, I leapt from the tower, landing hard between them with a sharpened metal rod in each hand.
Thrust. Twist. Pull. Slam.
One sludge tried to flank me. I kicked it into a spiked root.
Another tried to blindside me with a burst of bile, but I rolled, grabbed a stone, and shoved it straight into its mouth.
Crack!
[Vile Sludges Defeated: 26/100]
I was being watched. I could feel it — the same pressure I'd felt on the battlefield when gods stared down from their thrones.
As I fought, I started improvising, setting small traps, baiting sludges toward sharp rocks, using their acid against each other. Sludges were dumb, but acidic enough to dissolve anything.
I baited one into charging me. I sidestepped, letting it slam into another. They tangled. I kicked them both into a pit.
Double kill.
[Vile Sludges Defeated: 49/100]
I kept the rhythm. Kept the pace.
By the time I hit seventy, my body screamed in protest. But the mist had cleared in patches, and my steps had carved trails through the muck.
One by one, they fell.
Eighty-four.
Ninety-two.
Ninety-nine…
The last one rose from beneath a shattered altar, larger than the others. Glowing red from within, a mutated sludge, a variant.
'I wanted them to see this again. This guy really is bigger compared to other's, huh?'
It screamed, a horrid, bubbling cry, and lunged, faster than the others.
I jumped, grabbed the broken pillar, spun mid-air, and came down with a double stomp right into its core.
KRSSSSHHH!
It exploded.
The ground hissed. I rolled away, covered in grime, chest heaving. And finally, I have completed the quest.
[Vile Sludges Defeated: 100/100]
[Quest Complete.]
[You have cleared the 1st Floor of the Labyrinth.]
*****
At the moment Nile Santos stepped into the Labyrinth, a single message echoed across the world.
-
[A challenger has entered the 1st Floor of the Labyrinth.]
[The countdown to Annihilation has begun.]
[Time Remaining: 29 Days, 23 Hours, 58 Minutes, 06 Seconds]
-
└Did anyone else see that message just now?
└Yeah, I saw it. Did someone actually enter the Labyrinth already?
└Who the hell's bold enough to go in this early?
└Maybe it's one of those Vassals or something.
└Did someone already get chosen by an Astral Patron and jump in?
└Wait—what are you all talking about? I'm completely lost here.
-
Most people hadn't been chosen by Astral Patrons yet, so at first, their reactions were pretty mild.
But after a little while, the internet exploded.
-
└It says I was chosen by an Astral Patron called Grave Harvester… What does this mean?
└My Astral Patron is the Chained Prophet.
└I'm getting a weird message asking if I want to become a Vassal of the Hollow Monarch. This isn't just happening to me, right?
└How did you guys get picked by Astral Patrons?
└What's so good about becoming a Vassal? Can somebody explain?
└Has anyone accepted one of the offers yet? Give us the rundown.
└Is today April Fools? What's wrong with y'all? I'm not getting any messages.
-
The Astral Patrons started sending messages, and people slowly began to understand how serious things really were.
The witness messages made it clear—this wasn't a dream. It was real.
-
└Let me share what happened after I became a Vassal. I got a status window, leveled up, and unlocked some exclusive skills. It honestly feels like I've evolved.
└So basically, it's like getting a class in a video game?
└Wait—are you saying you can actually use skills in real life?
└No joke, my friend became a Vassal. I saw him use a skill. I'm mad jealous.
└Whose Vassal did he become? Got proof or nah?
└How do you even become a Vassal? Someone drop a guide pls ;c
└Yo, all you Vassals out here flexing—maybe go help clear the damn Labyrinth? Humanity's kinda on the line.
└I am a Vassal, but this dude's attitude makes me wanna sit this whole thing out. Later.
└Cap. No way an Astral Patron picked that clown.
└I got an offer from one of the Astral Patrons too, but I turned it down.
└Why though?
└It's terrifying. What if I die in there...?
└Bro, we might all be toast in 30 days anyway. Might as well fight back.
-
People started accepting the new reality and began talking about how to deal with it.
-
└ If you've already become a Vassal, hurry up and clear the 1st floor!
└ And just throw myself into a Crimson Rift? That's basically suicide.
└ They said the Crimson Rifts lead straight into the Labyrinth. It's not instant death—probably.
└ Anyone know how many Vassals have gone in so far? Have they even made progress?
└ Y'all are pathetic. If I had an Astral Patron backing me, I'd be in there already—for humanity.
└ Yeah, right. You'd be cowering under your bed.
└ Why are we even arguing? If no one clears the Labyrinth, we're all done for.
└ We need to be buying time. Clearing each floor ASAP is the only way.
└ Has anyone else gone in since that first guy? Do we even know what the inside looks like?
└ I'm not a Vassal, so I have zero info.
└ Should we be setting up cameras at every Crimson Rift? Just to track who's going in?
-
Thirty days wasn't a lot of time, so people started openly expressing their anxiety.
But then—
-
[Someone has cleared the 1st Floor of the Labyrinth!]
[The 2nd Floor of the Labyrinth is now open.]
[20 days have been added to the Annihilation Countdown.]
[Time Remaining Until Annihilation: 39 Days, 23 Hours, 10 Minutes, 19 Seconds]
-
└ ?????
└ Huh?
└ What just happened?
└ Did everyone see that message?
└ Someone cleared the 1st floor already?
└ No way, it hasn't even been an hour.
└ Was it the first person who entered?
└ Holy crap, that's insane.
└ Let's gooo~
└ We just bought ourselves 20 more days!
└ Thank god… that's a bit of breathing room.
└ Still, it's only 20 days. Barely anything.
*****
[You are the First to Clear the 1st Floor.]
[You are the Fastest to Clear the 1st Floor: 27 minutes, 19 seconds]
[Rewarding Bonus Experience…]
-
'Here it is. I really wanted to complete the quests faster than anyone else and get the rewards. It really pays off.'
-
[Rewards Calculated.]
▸ Unique Title Acquired: 『Pioneer of the Depths』
The first to carve a path through the unknown. You walk ahead where others hesitate, bleed where others fear to step.
+10% Experience Gain in unexplored zones
+5% Resistance to Environmental Hazards (Toxic, Heat, Void)
You can mark one location per floor as a [Safe Zone]
You permanently gain the trait: [Labyrinthal Intuition]
(Sense subtle anomalies, hidden passages, and false walls within dungeon environments)
—
▸ Reward Received: 『Skill Book – Flamebrand: Emberfang Style』 [Rare, Rank B+]
A legacy combat style of the Ashen Pyre monks. Blends elemental fire manipulation with close-quarters technique. Brutal. Swift. Beautiful in destruction.
Learn the skill: [Flamebrand – Ember Fang Style Lv.1]
– Grants access to a fire-based martial technique tree
– Allows ignition of melee attacks with mana-fueled flame
– Generates stacking [Burn] status on consecutive strikes
– Scales with STR and INT
-
[Obtained items will be stored in the inventory.]
It was in my inventory now, but as a regular human, I couldn't open it yet.
Only after awakening as a Vassal could someone access their status window and inventory.
'I don't need it right now. I can still clear without becoming a Vassal'
-
[All Astral Patrons are now aware of your existence.]
[Some Astral Patrons are watching you with interest.]
[Some Astral Patrons are concerned by your refusal.]
[Some Astral Patrons are impressed by your independence.]
-
[System Alert – First Clear Recognition]
Your achievement shall be recorded in the Hall of Firsts.
A name is required for the inscription. This name will be eternal, visible to all challengers who follow. Choose wisely.
Please input the name to be etched into the Hall of Firsts:
(....)
The name didn't matter. It was just for show, something to impress the ones watching from above.
Any name would do because in the end, what truly mattered was strength. And to gain it, you had to use everything the system gave you.
"Blank"
[The name 'Blank' has been registered.]
[Labyrinth – 1st Floor: Cleared]
[Cleared By: Blank ]
[Completion Time: 27 minutes, 19 seconds]
[You are being returned to Earth.]
[Please stand by.]