The black void was… alive.
It pulsed like a heartbeat—silent, rhythmic, and uncomfortably warm. SeTa stood barefoot on what felt like glass, though it shimmered with shifting patterns beneath him.
Then the voice returned, no longer universal. It spoke directly to him.
> "Tutorial Floor 0: Personalized Trial Initiated.
Challenge: Survive the Labyrinth of Thought.
Note: Due to anomaly [∞], challenge scaling has been adjusted. Good luck, SeTa."
A ripple ran through the floor.
The world blinked, and the void was gone.
---
Now he stood in a familiar hallway—too familiar.
Peeling wallpaper. Broken light bulb flickering above. The smell of unwashed blankets and old sorrow.
His childhood home.
SeTa's breath hitched. Not because he missed it—but because he didn't.
> "Complete the maze. Face what you buried."
The hallway stretched endlessly. A door appeared every five meters, each painted with symbols—some he recognized (a crying eye, a shattered hourglass), some utterly alien.
He moved forward, cautiously.
[STAT INTERFACE ENABLED]
> Intelligence: ∞
Dexterity: 1
Endurance: 1
Stamina: 1
Strength: 1
Mana: 0
Available Stat Points: 10
Skill Slots: Locked
Unique Class: [Not yet Awakened]
SeTa stared at the numbers.
"A video game," he said dully. "Of course."
But that ∞ glowed differently. It pulsed like a heartbeat. Or maybe… a storm?
He placed his hand on the wall and focused. A thought formed: Show me the path of least pain.
The wall vibrated. A faint blue trail lit up across the floor, turning sharply toward a door with a broken mirror carved into it.
"…That shouldn't work," he muttered. "But it did."
He grinned weakly.
For the first time in a long time, something made sense.
---
Room One: The Forgotten Cry
Inside was his mother.
Not the real one. But the memory of her.
She was screaming—at him. Calling him a curse. A stain. A reason she was alone.
It wasn't new. But here… it hurt more.
The air thickened. Words turned into blades, slicing at his skin. The door behind him vanished. No escape.
[MENTALITY WARNING: Stability 4%]
> "Run," his younger self whispered.
"Break the mirror," another voice said.
"Accept it," came a third.
SeTa closed his eyes.
Then he whispered, "You were afraid… weren't you?"
The memory froze.
The scream turned into a sob.
The blades became feathers, then dust.
The door reappeared.
[Challenge Progress: 1/5]
---
He stumbled out, breathing hard. Sweat drenched his thin clothes. His hands trembled.
But something inside had… cleared.
And the system noticed.
+1 Stat Point Gained
New Trait Unlocked: [Emotional Conversion] – Gain stat points based on conquered trauma.
"…Huh."
SeTa laughed, dry and humorless. "Guess I'm gonna be max level before Floor 1, then."
And for the first time—he stepped forward.
Not because he wanted to live.
But because something deep inside whispered:
You were made for this.