~~~
o__________________________________________o
[DUNGEON ENTRANCE: THE LABYRINTH OF SHIFTING STONES]
[DANGER LEVEL: D#@# ???—ANALYZING... FAILED APPRAISAL LEVEL NOT HIGH ENOUGH]
[ARCHITECTURAL NOTES: WALLS RECONFIGURE EVERY 47 MINUTES | MAGICAL TRAP DENSITY: HIGH | RECOMMENDED PARTY SIZE: 3-4 MEMBERS]
O__________________________________________o
"Okay, what the actual fuck?" Jin stared at the glitching display, his stomach doing uncomfortable backflips. "I swear this thing said the danger level was moderate like five minutes ago,"
He tried [Appraisal] again—same result—garbled text that made his eyes water just looking at it.
[DANGER LEVEL: ANALYZING... FAILED APPRAISAL LEVEL NOT HIGH ENOUGH]
A chill ran down Jin's spine as he probed deeper with his skill. For just a moment, it felt like something was watching him back—something vast and ancient and definitely not friendly.
"What's wrong?" Rudy wiped stone dust from his eyes. "You look spooked."
"No idea… just stay close," Jin whispered, one hand instinctively resting on Iron Howl's grip. "Something's weird here. Better keep our guard up."
"Weird how?" Rudy asked, purple eyes scanning the corridor ahead with newfound wariness. "You mentioned the maze shifting earlier, is that the reason?... How long do we have?"
[ARCHITECTURAL NOTES: WALLS RECONFIGURE EVERY 47 MINUTES]
Jin checked his watch, "About thirty-five minutes since we arrived."
If I were the protagonist, I'd have rushed in and triggered every single trap and still be fine. Fuck them and their plot armor.
The initial corridor stretched ahead—straight stone walls carved with geometric patterns that seemed to shift and writhe when Jin wasn't looking directly at them.
They crept forward for about five minutes, checking every shadow, every crack, every suspicious-looking decoration. Jin's paranoia was cranked up to eleven, and he could see Rudy getting increasingly twitchy beside him.
"This is ridiculous," Jin finally announced, straightening up from examining his fifteenth potentially-trapped floor tile. "We'll be here until the walls shift if we keep this up, and then we'll be completely screwed."
"So what's the plan?" Rudy asked.
"Magic. Obviously." Jin closed his eyes, centering himself as he reached for the knowledge from the chapters he had read hundreds of times. "There's a navigation spell that should guide us through maze-type dungeons..."
The incantation felt natural on his tongue, like words he'd spoken a thousand times before:
« O Wind that knows no barriers, show me the path that leads to my destination. »
A cool breeze manifested around them, invisible threads of air current that tugged gently forward and to the left. Jin felt the sorcery settle into his consciousness like a compass needle finding magnetic north.
"This way," he said, following the ethereal guidance with confident steps.
Rudy fell into step behind him, purple eyes darting to every shadow and alcove. "That's incredibly convenient magic. How many of these sorceries do you actually know?"
"Probably a lot of them. This was one of the most basic sorceries," Jin replied, navigating a turn to the right as the wind directed. "It only shows us the correct path through the maze. It won't reveal any traps that are hidden—those are woven deeper into the dungeon's magic, beyond what I can currently detect."
I hope I'm not leading us into something worse. The last thing I want is to get Rudy—no us killed because of my overconfidence.
They navigated through the labyrinth's twisting passages, passing empty alcoves and decorative archways that led nowhere. The maze felt alive around them, with subtle movements and shifts that made Jin's shoulders tense with anticipation.
"So you're saying there could be death traps anywhere and your magic won't warn us?" Rudy asked, his tone didn't quite hide his growing nervousness. "Great. Really inspiring confidence here, bro."
Jin's laugh came out shorter than intended, weighed down by guilt that had been building since they'd entered the dungeon.
"Well, look at it this way," he said, trying to inject some of his usual cockiness into his voice, "it's perfect training for developing our combat instincts! Nothing sharpens the senses quite like mortal peril, right?"
"Gosh, you are impossible."
The silence stretched between them until Jin couldn't bear it anymore.
"Rudy?…"
"Hmm? What is it?"
I gotta do this…Phew, here goes nothing.
Jin's steps slowed, and he found himself staring at the floor instead of meeting his friend's eyes. "When I first got those visions... I wasn't in the right headspace, Rudy. To me, it felt like I'd spent years living through those futures, watching everyone I cared about die over and over again. Suddenly being back as regular Jin caused a serious disconnect with reality."
Jin's expression grew pained, vulnerable in a way Rudy had never seen before. His voice dropped to barely above a whisper.
"I still feel like I'm not Jin but a different person in Jin's body…"
Rudy stopped walking entirely, purple eyes studying Jin's face with growing concern.
"In my rush and confusion…" Jin forced himself to continue, hating every word he spoke. He knew he was manipulating Rudy's feelings, but it was a necessary evil.
I hope you'll forgive me one day.
"I have to admit something that's been eating at me. Before I ran into you at the mall, I wasn't even thinking of reaching out—not to you, not to Uncle Marcus, not to anyone. I was planning to face this nightmare alone."
This is my new life as Jin. I failed everyone as Ren, but I'll never lose any of you this time. Not if I can help it.
The silence stretched between them like a physical thing. When Jin finally looked up, Rudy's expression was cycling through hurt, disbelief, and something that might have been anger.
"I'm sorry for that, Rudy. You deserve better from me." Jin forced himself to meet his friend's gaze. "But now that we're here, we have time to build our foundation properly. Using my knowledge, we can set ourselves up to reach real power. Maybe not easily, but it's possible."
"I'll show you exactly what I mean as we go deeper into this place. Right now, I just need to sort through all these tangled memories and figure out which ones are actually useful."
Rudy was quiet for a long moment, purple eyes studying Jin's face like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Then he reached out and smacked Jin upside the head.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"That's for being an idiot." But Rudy was grinning that familiar, cocky grin that meant everything was going to be okay. "And this is for telling me about it."
"Brothers don't abandon brothers, even when said brother is being a self-sacrificing moron."
Jin felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. "Deal. Consider yourself officially enrolled in Jin's Academy of Advanced Survival."
"Worst school name ever."
"I'll work on the branding. Maybe add some elvish to make it sound more prestigious."
"Oh god, please don't. You'll make it sound even worse."
They navigated three more turns, the ethereal wind guiding them deeper into the labyrinth's heart. The oppressive atmosphere began to feel less threatening and more like anticipation building toward something significant.
"You know," Rudy said conversationally, "for a guy who was planning to face certain doom alone, you're doing a pretty good job of not getting us killed so far."
"The day is young," Jin replied dryly, channeling Neo's sardonic wit. "Give me time to thoroughly screw things up in spectacular fashion."
"That's the spirit! Confidence is key to—"
Rudy's joke died in his throat as the corridor opened into a vast circular chamber that made both boys stop in their tracks.
Seven identical archways arranged around the perimeter like spokes of a wheel, each one carved with intricate runes that pulsed with their own inner light. Above each entrance, glowing inscriptions spelled out riddles in ancient script that Jin's enhanced [Appraisal] automatically translated into readable text.
Of course, it's riddles. Because nothing in this world can ever be straightforward.
Why have simple locked doors when you can have elaborate puzzle traps?
"Seven doors," Rudy observed, counting them off with obvious excitement mixed with caution. "Let me guess—we need to solve all seven to proceed?"
Jin activated his [Appraisal] skill, scanning the chamber for additional tactical information:
o__________________________________________o
[DUNGEON TRIAL #1: THE SEVEN GATES OF UNDERSTANDING]
[TYPE: PUZZLE TRIAL]
[FAILURE CONSEQUENCES: MAGICAL TRAP ACTIVATION, ????, ???—ANALYZING... FAILED APPRAISAL LEVEL NOT HIGH ENOUGH]
[SUCCESS REQUIREMENTS: MINIMUM ONE CORRECT ANSWER TO PROCEED]
[WARNING: INCORRECT ANSWERS TRIGGER ESCALATING DEFENSIVE MEASURES, MAY SUMMON???—ANALYZING... FAILED APPRAISAL LEVEL NOT HIGH ENOUGH]]
o__________________________________________o
"Actually," Jin said slowly, processing the information with growing unease, "we only need to get one right to move forward. But..." He grimaced. "Wrong answers trigger traps. And knowing our luck, they're probably not pleasant traps."
"How bad could the traps be?" Rudy asked with the casual optimism of someone who'd never been skewered by ancient magical defenses. "I mean, we just took down a giant stone guardian. How much worse could some dusty old puzzle traps possibly be?"
Famous last words if I've ever heard them. Rule number one of dungeon exploration: never ask 'How bad could it be?' because the dungeon will always show you.
Jin approached the first archway, his mind already working through possibilities as he read the glowing inscription aloud:
o__________________________________________o
« I am born in darkness, yet I banish the night. I consume myself to give others sight. What am I? »
o__________________________________________o
"That's easy!" Rudy said immediately, puffing up with the kind of confidence that made Jin's blood run cold. "It's obviously the sun! Born in darkness—space—and it banishes night by creating day!"
Oh no. Oh fuck no. That's completely wrong.
Jin opened his mouth to object, but Rudy was already striding toward the archway with absolute certainty, that familiar purple-eyed gleam of someone who was completely sure he was right.
"Wait, Rudy, I don't think—"
"Trust me, bro! Dad used to tell me riddles like this all the time during combat training!" Rudy called back cheerfully, reaching toward the glowing runes with unwavering confidence. "The sun totally makes sense! What else could be born in darkness but give light to everyone?"
A candle, you muscle-brain idiot!
A candle that's made in darkness and burns itself to give light! The sun isn't born in darkness, it IS the light!
"RUDY, STOP!"
But Jin's warning came a split second too late.
Rudy's fingers touched the inscribed stone with a soft click that seemed to echo through the chamber like a death knell.
The runes flared crimson for a split second, then died completely.
The silence that followed was absolutely deafening.
Then the walls began to move.
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK
The sound echoed from every direction at once—mechanical, precise, and absolutely terrifying. Stone panels slid open along the circular chamber's walls, revealing dark slits that seemed to swallow the amber light.
"Rudy," Jin said very quietly, his voice barely above a whisper as cold dread flooded his veins like ice water. "Don't. Move. A. Muscle."
But it was already too late.
Jin could see the first arrow nocking itself in the darkness of the hidden alcoves, followed by another, and another, and dozens more. The mechanical clicking continued as the dungeon's defense systems activated with the inexorable precision of a clockwork nightmare.
This is about to get very, very bad.
The first arrow whistled through the air, aimed directly at Rudy's chest.
~~~