"Chase after him!" The old commander shouted as Kealos rushed down the steps of the Spiral.
Kealos felt his heart pumping while he took one step after another, trying his best to go down as fast as possible. He didn't dare to glance behind him, only focusing on what was in front of him at the moment.
He could feel the thudding noises of the people chasing after him, along with the clanking noises of the armor as they rushed at Kealos without hesitation. As this kept on going, Kealos could feel his legs, which were already sore, burning in pain.
His lungs felt as though they were going to pop at any moment, but gritting his teeth, Kealos kept on running. Eventually they arrived near the bottom of the Spiral. The area was faintly lit up with torches and an ominous aura, just like what Kealos had experienced a while back.
Reaching the bottom first, Kealos glanced up and saw the countless soldiers rushing at him with swords and other weapons in their hands. Without hesitation, Kealos re-entered the door that he had once left a moment ago.
[System]
[Welcome to the first floor of the Spiral of Chaos.]
[Floor 1: Sanctuary of the Heavens]
…
"huff–huff–huff" The painting of multiple soldiers echoed through the walls in the Spiral of Chaos as they all gathered at the very bottom of the Spiral.
Everyone fell silent as they glanced at each other for a moment, each feeling a bit nervous but not showing it on their faces. Eventually a person finally spoke out loud, asking a question that nobody responded to.
"So what should we do now?"
"..."
As the soldiers looked at each other, they heard a slow walking sound down the steps of the Spiral behind them. Turning around, they saw their commander as everyone felt a small sense of fear.
"So where's the brat?"
The old commander asked in a low tone as he looked around, attempting to find that young boy that he had seen a moment ago. Everyone fell into science, as one person eventually said in a small voice.
"He went into the floor, sir; we weren't sure if we should go after him or not…"
The old commander's face darkened as he heard this news, eventually speaking out in a loud voice in an annoyed tone.
"Chase after him; we will interrogate him immediately after capturing him. As for your worries, don't ponder over them much; such a short time in the Spiral of Chaos will not develop Chaotic Energy Aberration."
The soldiers' hesitations slowly dissipated as they nodded at the words of their commander.
"Not only that, but whoever captures him first will receive a reward."
Further motivating them, the prospect of getting a reward made the soldiers blood boil. All of them daydreamed about what could be that reward, was it money? Perhaps a promotion in their status or something else?
Sometimes a person's imagination about something makes it more important or beautiful in their eyes. Not only did the soldiers feel extremely motivated and immediately chase after Kealos, but they also didn't stop to think about what type of reward the commander would give.
To simply capture a kid, a Kealos, the reward won't be great; some of the smarter soldiers that have been doing this kind of work for much longer than the others are aware of this and instead hesitated to enter the Spiral of Chaos.
What the commander said was true: Chaotic Energy Aberration only occurs when a person is exposed to Chaotic Energy that is found within the Spiral of Chaos, more specifically the floors in the Spiral of Chaos. But quick and fast exposures usually won't be affected often; only prolonged exposures would do such a thing.
But what if something unexpected were to occur? A mishap that got them stuck in the floor for longer than they had to be in there? Not because of Kealos, but because of the mysterious Spiral of Chaos, which left the older and more experienced soldiers more hesitant.
But seeing the other soldiers, the young and naive ones, rushing into the door and heading into the first floor, they couldn't stay behind and leave a bad impression on the commander; thus, they also hesitantly went with the crowd into the Spiral of Chaos.
The commander watched all of this with a calm gaze, watching the soldiers' expressions as countless thoughts appeared in his mind.
'They should be able to capture him, but time is getting more limited. I have to get more workers and make sure that this Spiral of Chaos is mine and report it to the noble family immediately!'
As these thoughts appeared in his mind, he heard small steps behind him as he turned around. Behind him, the person going down the steps was a young man. The second in command as well as the person that carried the mysterious device that could detect the Spiral of Chaos, which allowed them to snatch this great opportunity.
"Sir, our reinforcements have arrived and have begun setting up the base around the Spiral. In a couple more hours we can go back to the village and retrieve our workers and begin the extraction process."
The commander nodded at the sound of these words, showing a pleased expression on his face as he decided to leave the Spiral of Chaos to look at the situation for himself.
'Against trained soldiers, it's highly unlikely he'll somehow escape. after I capture him, I can figure out the schemes the other commanders have and make preparations…'
…
[System]
[Welcome to the first floor of the Spiral of Chaos.]
[Floor 1: Sanctuary of the Heavens]
'What should I do in this situation? In this grassy plain there's nowhere that I can hide, nor can I outrun them any longer.'
Kealos was in deep trouble as he entered the first floor of the Spiral of Chaos. Kealos knew that he didn't have enough stamina to keep running for much longer. He was already almost at his limit; he felt lightheaded while his lungs burned in agony, but he kept on persevering as he ran further and further away into the grassy plains.
Soon, behind Kealos, where the massive stone pillar was, came out numerous soldiers, eleven to be exact. Ranging from their early twenties to late thirties, all the soldiers came with prepared weapons and full-on armor. Kealos wouldn't even last a second against a single one of them, much less eleven of them.
Chasing after him, the soldiers quickly got closer and closer to Kealos, and even though some soldiers lacked experience, they had great physical strength and endurance, far surpassing Kealos. The only reason that Kealos managed to get so far ahead in the first place was due to the massive lead he already had and the soldiers hesitation at times to enter further into the Spiral of Chaos.
Kealos was able to build quite a good lead ahead of the soldiers; due to this, the soldiers felt a bit of a headache as one of them shouted over the cool breeze of the wind.
"Stop right there kid, if you let us capture you quickly, we can leave this place, and I promise you that we'll let you off after you tell us the information."
Kealos stopped as he couldn't push on any further but soon scoffed as he heard the faint shout from one of the soldiers. He knew d*mn well that they wouldn't let him off at all; after all, Kealos had already lived a life as a stray throughout the cities. Corruption and greed lived within the cracks of justice that soldiers or those who claim to be righteous withheld.
It wasn't an exaggeration for Kealos to say that a truly righteous person that helps others without benefits only exists in one in a million people.
Along with that, he also knew of the use of people like himself. They were trash, disposable, and thrown away without a second thought. For garbage to resist like what Kealos has done, torture or something equivalent would be done without a second thought. Not to mention that they suspected him of being a spy of some sort, Kealos knew that if he were to be captured, he would die without a doubt.
Turning around with great effort, Kealos felt the aura of death looming over him, ready to take his soul out of his body as he looked at the soldiers coming closer and closer to him, he knew he had around thirty seconds before they arrived.
"Is this the pathetic way I go out?"
Kealos laughed at himself in this situation, while everything felt ridiculous to him at this moment.
Everything that had happened in his life, from being alone and constantly in fear to a year of peace and quietness, couldn't amount to the excitement and love he felt in the past couple of hours.
Even if he were to die pathetically in his last moments, Kealos knew deep down that he wouldn't regret a shred of his decision. Surviving was something out of instinct, no, it was more accurate to say that he survived for one emotion.
Hope.
That pinnacle of all human emotions within this cruel world, the emotion that sparks light in the darkest abyss. Ambitions, goals, aspirations, love—what would all of it amount to if you didn't have hope in your life? You hope that it would all come true, because of hope you would sacrifice blood, you would sacrifice time and effort, and you would even sacrifice the lives of others if it came to be.
Evil or good, what did that matter? Holding on to your hope, holding on to what your heart wants, holding on to what truly makes you live another second in this world—that's what truly matters!
Twenty seconds left.
Kealos laughed louder as he looked up at the sky and spoke in a loud voice that even the soldiers heard.
"Even if I were to be tortured, my eyes burned, and my skin peeled inch by inch, I wouldn't have chosen another decision! This world is truly wonderful! Everything from emotions to the Spiral of Chaos, everything is breathtaking!"
The soldiers heard this as they unconsciously slowed down; whether it was fear or perhaps curiosity would only be known to themselves. But it was true that all eleven of the soldiers were listening to Kealos carefully, listening to the words of a young sixteen-year-old that hasn't even reached adulthood.
Kealos felt his heart pumping as, in this life-changing situation in front of him, his future lay right before him; everything rested right here, but instead of nervousness, Kealos felt a sense of joy. After so long of trying to understand his own self, Kealos finally made progress.
"Immortality that lies at the end of the Spiral! My heart's resolution! The one and only ambition and aspiration that I want to pursue in this life will be reaching the end of this Spiral. One hundred floors of chaos, one hundred floors of emotions, but also one hundred floors of excitement and joy!"
Ten seconds left
"As I pursue this, I will explore the wonders of this world, I will explore the breathtaking scene of this world, and I will explore the true essence of life!"
Kealo's smile appeared in the faces of the soldiers as his eyes carried clearness; a wave of complex emotions appeared in the soldiers minds as they looked at the boy in front of them, slowing down a noticeable amount.
Five seconds left
"..."
"But in order for me to begin, I'll have to take this gamble…"
Three seconds left.
[System]
[Quest: The Depths of Chaos]
[Description: Complete your first Chaotic Challenge.]
Two seconds left.
[1st Chaotic Challenge]
[Would you like to attempt? Yes/No]
One second left.
Kealos looked at the guard's hands that were right about to grab him as he tapped on the system screen in front of him.
[Yes]
…