Instead of making two chapters, one the regular upload and the other the 1100 PS Bonus, I decided to go ahead and combine them both because otherwise, one chapter would have ended in a cliff-hanger. Thank me later. This also gives me more time to relax since I can continue on with the flow of the previous chapter and you don't have to wait 12 hours for the bonus to drop.
It's a Win-win for all of us.
Anyways, I see 1500 PS has been reached. I don't know if I'll do more Bonus Chapters at least for this week. I've written too many chapters already and don't have the wish to write more, so I'll just stick to the normal schedule.
Enough about that. Enjoy the Chapter!
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The tunnel continued for hundreds of meters without a single turn. The roots and wines began to grow denser, grabbing onto them as they travelled. Eventually, the tangled mess got so thick that Nathan had to cut through them with his axe.
"Huff! This is getting annoying... and exhausting." He said, swinging his axe again to clear the way.
Ahead were more roots. It was good that the axe was so sharp, it cut through everything almost effortlessly. But at this point, he had needed to swing it so many times his arms were starting to get tired.
'I smell something.' Freddy's little nose twitched, his big round eyes darting between them and the darkness ahead. 'Something delicious.'
"Why don't you check where this leads?" Reuben proposed. He looked at Nathan's back and felt slightly guilty he was having his big bro do all the work. Alas, he could not help here in any way.
Freddy nodded at his words and ran ahead.
After a split second, he returned and squeaked once.
'The road splits off ahead. One area looks like a sewer line while the roots continue ahead.'
Nathan nodded. The brightness had shifted and now led ahead. Many paths in the Labyrinth could lead to the same place. Since the previous way was blocked, he had found a new way in this direction.
It was worth mentioning here that they were still trudging through complete darkness. The only real source of light was Nathan's axe but even its light had dimmed after it got edited. The only reason they hadn't gotten insane due to the constant ambient noises, the sound of their own footsteps, the paranoia and the darkness was because Nathan could naturally see because of his increased senses while Reuben had the Uncanny ability to 'navigate' the darkness. Nathan wasn't aware of the nature of his ability or how it functioned, but he was thankful for it.
As for Freddy... well, Ratatoskr's spawn were naturally adept to explore any and all regions. It didn't matter if they were pitch black or flooded with light.
After some more chopping, they finally came across the turn. And luckily, the brightness also went that way.
"Finally." Nathan huffed and took the path.
Behind him, Freddy lingered on the dirt hallway for a few heartbeats before following along.
'I really feel like there's something good that way.'
"Do you?" Nathan raised an eyebrow. "It'll take too long to even get to what you smell. Why don't you check it out first?"
"Yeah, Freddy! You're so fast too!" Reuben also chimed.
Hearing their words, Freddy sighed.
'The labyrinth is shifty. If I go ahead to take a look and the path is too long, I will undoubtedly lose you both. Who knows how long it'll take to find you again?'
"Weren't you able to find Reuben many times?"
'That was different. He was in a single hall that was stationary. You are not in a single room. Even if you do not move and stay put, the labyrinth itself may just move you around. Someone in a room and someone not in a room are two different things in a maze.'
"Fair enough."
It was not long before they found themselves in another room.
The first thing that hit them as they walked in was the smell. The entire room was more than 30 meters in length and width and reeked of death and decay.
All over the brown bricked floor were littered hundreds of decaying corpses. Blood had dried up on the walls to become black and cockroaches and worms ran around the corpses. Most of them were in the final stage of decay, some were only skeletons with many of their bones missing. But there were many fresh ones, as if recently killed and put to rot.
The lonesome light filtered from a large hole in the middle of the ceiling, something 3 meters in radius and provided just enough light to see the entire room.
Nathan looked at far wall, where a man was nailed to the wall. A metallic rod grew out from his hands, impaling the wall. The man himself was naked... well, his lower half was absent but the rest of him was naked.
Nathan felt bile build upwards from his gut and he clutched his stomach.
"What the hell..." He muttered, his voice shaky. He didn't know how he found the courage to not puke at the first sight of this.
Reuben was certainly puking in the corner, throwing up all the food he had eaten.
He steeled his heart and gulped loudly.
'I think we should keep moving. Best not to linger too long.' Freddy's voice broke him out of his reverie and he nodded. Reuben was retching now, all of his food already emptied out. The smell was overpowering enough, not to mention the sight of it all.
Which monster's lair is this? He wondered. Once again, he reminded himself of how dangerous monsters were. They regularly crawled out from Tartarus and could kill any random passerby without consequence. The only real defence against them was godly metals, something that was already very rare in the mystical world.
He eased his heart and called out to Reuben. The kid didn't seem to be doing too well. Tears were streaming down his face and some vomit still lingered on the side of his chin. He tried to appear brave but he was clearly not doing a good job at it.
Nathan sighed and moving outwards from the room into the tunnel, washed his face with some water from his inventory. Then, he had him rinse his mouth and prepare to head in and get out quickly.
And head inside they did.
But get out quickly... well... By the time Nathan, Reuben and Freddy passed by the big hole in the ceiling, Nathan felt a bad premonition.
Goosebumps flared across his skin and he scooped up Reuben in his hands and leaped ahead!
"Waa!" Reuben let out a scream.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Something big and heavy slammed into the ground behind them, sending a small tremor through the floor.
'What the fuck!' He heard Freddy yell somewhere behind him but had no time to care for it. Without wasting any time, Nathan stabalized himself and threw Reuben away!
Reuben landed on his butt, eliciting a yelp from the boy.
He turned around, brandishing his axe with his right hand and getting a good look at the monster.
The monster was gigantic, monstrous and a mass of solid walking on legs. It stood at a staggering 15 feet tall and its black hair was scattered wildly over his head. He wore nothing over his chest and a small loincloth covered his genitals. Its arms had more muscles than Nathan thought were possible and its back which was turned to them was bulging out like he had just hit the workout of his life.
Before Nathan could decide the next course of action, he heard a series of metallic jingles. His eyes widened as he looked towards the entrance and the exit of the room. Metal bars had somehow fell down from the arches, trapping them all inside.
Nathan felt an imminent sense of danger. He looked again towards the monster, who slowly turned around.
'It's a Cyclops!' Freddy's voice cut through the silence. A singular yellow eye hung openly on the monster's head. His teeth were gnarled and pointy, having gone black for whatever reasons. When it saw Nathan and Reuben behind him, a grin slowly spread over its face.
"Finally! More food! I knew I smelled a demigod before!" He bellowed in a deep voice.
Nathan's expression grew increasingly solemn as he realized what his words meant. This was the thing that had been chasing them. This was the one who had spoken in his mother's voice. And looking at the situation, he would not be getting out without a fight.
"Freddy, take Reuben and go." He instructed. The metal bars still blocked the exit, but they were wide enough for a kid to slip through with some difficulty. "Go, I'll find you."
Freddy didn't need to be told twice. He darted towards Reuben and pushed him off his butt.
The Cyclops who saw the exchange grew a frown on his one-eyed face.
"No!!" His hulking body stood tall, preparing to run at them. Suddenly, Nathan could not help but remember the Catoblepas when facing the Cyclops. But the difference was, the Catoblepas was slow and sluggish. This guy... was not.
Boom!
The floor below him seemed to crack from the sheer force of his charge, heading straight for Nathan!
Nathan felt the world slow down. His pupils dilated and adrenaline surged through his body. He knew Reuben and Freddy were still behind him. The monster cared little for a human like him. Reuben's scent had been lessened, not erased.
In that instant, the Cyclops reached him, holding his arm out as if to swat away a fly. Nathan's legs exploded with power, throwing him to the side!
As the Cyclops passed by, Nathan lunged forward and his axe bit into the Cyclops' heel!
Slice! Spurt!
Crash!
Blood and dust spurted out from the wound, instantly throwing the cyclops off balance and having him slam face-first into the ground! Reuben and Freddy took the opportunity to head right for the exit, both squeezing through the narrow gaps and heading further into the Labyrinth!
"Noo!!!!" The monster yelled, trying to get up. Nathan didn't waste any time. As soon as the Cyclops fell, he already rushed forward, his axe over his head, ready for a full power swing!
The Achilles Tendon that had been cut was the target. His axe bit into the monster's flesh like it was paper, instantly slicing through the Cyclops' foot entirely!
"Aargh!" The monster let out a pained yell, his hand raising into the air and slamming right into the ground near Nathan!
The shockwave nearly swept him off his feet. He stabalized himself and prepared to go on the offensive again. But before he could get the opportunity, the Cyclops swung himself around, his single, terribly yellow eye now bloodshot with rage.
"You!!! I'll rip off your legs and feed them to you!"
Nathan completely believed him.
And that was one of the reason he could NOT get caught into his hands.
He leapt back, putting some distance between them as the Cyclops swung his hand around. It tried to get up, but the foot that had almost been severed hung only by a thin strand of flesh. It made the Cyclops simply genuflect on the ground, face contorted in pain!
He swept the axe away into his inventory and held out his hand like he was holding a bow and arrow. He grabbed with box hands and a box and arrow then appeared!
The Cyclops's single eye widened and he covered his head with his hands. But Nathan's target wasn't its eye.
In a split second, he pulled back the bow string, and the arrow whistled ahead!
Whistle!
Aaaargh!!!
The Cyclops screamed, the arrow embedding itself right into the knee of his other leg!
Nathan grabbed back, wishing to get another arrow. Then, something strange happened.
The Cyclops suddenly screamed out in rage. It broke the arrow that was embedded into its knee, and its heel snapped back into place by some miracle.
Nathan's eyes widened. He threw himself to the side as the Cyclops picked up a corpse and threw it at him!
Boom!
The corpse exploded into a fountain of blood and viscera. Before Nathan could have any time to recover, the Cyclops was already on him!
He raised his big muscly arms above him head, eye contorted with unadulterated rage. With a single profound yell, he slammed them right into Nathan!
Nathan felt his life flash before his eyes. He briefly felt the impact of the corpse explosion behind him before the Cyclops appeared and attacked. He had only a split second to align his body. Barely, he stepped out of the range, the Cyclops' overhead attack missing him by a hair's breath!
He felt the wind slap him in the face, the faintest tingle over his skin as the attack passed ahead of him. But the shockwave itself was damaging enough.
Nathan was launched back, his grip on his bow loosening as it dropped to the ground.
He felt himself spin through the air, feeling a sense of weightlessness before an impact on his back sent a jolt of pain all throughout his body! He groaned. The world seemed to spin around in his eyes but then his focus snapped back into place.
He looked at the Cyclops who was getting up again. The ground below him was splintered and cracked like a spiderweb. The two wounds he had given the monster left behind only faint scars; though there still seemed to be a limp in his walk.
Nathan gritted his teeth and got up from the ground. The impact was bad, but his chest plate had saved him from the worst of it. At the very least, he could confidently say his organs were still in their place.
The Cyclops again picked up a corpse from the ground and pulled back his hand.
At that moment, Nathan felt the world slow down again. He crouched low and rushed right at the one-eyed giant! The Cyclops threw the corpse like a frisbee. Nathan who was already crouched low ducked and avoided the corpse cleanly and reached the Cyclops in the next moment. Watching him approach, the monster raised his hand once again, trying to grab him!
As the Cyclops grabbed for him, his hand reached into the air and pulled out an axe glowing with a baleful blue glow. A cruel light flashed, and two fingers fell onto the ground!
"Aargh! You bastard!!" The monster screamed, unconsciously flinching back.
That gave Nathan the opportunity he needed. His comparatively smaller figure flew into the air, the axe glinting in blue in the dimly lit room. In a single fluid motion, Nathan held the axe with both hands and slammed right into the middle of the Cyclops' chest!
The giant let out another scream and blood and dust sprayed out from his wound as Nathan pulled the axe out. Clenching his jaw, he jumped down and hit the Cyclops right above the knee, severing the muscle and having him buckle down onto the ground!
Nathan continued his assault as the monster clenched his chest, trying to stop the blood.
He was ferocious in his attacks. The Cyclops never seemed to have gotten into such a fight before, he was wildly thrashing around with his free arm, trying to do anything he could to get away. Most of his life had been spent on the street and no other monster had the courage to challenge a Cyclops, even when they were mere babies. If had always won all its battles by the virtue of being stronger.
It had never met another, much less a mortal that could be so fast and damage it in such a way.
"Get away!" He screamed one final time, raising his hands high and slamming the already cracked ground!
Boom!
Crumble!!
The ground gave way, the bricks crumbling down as the entire floor vanished down below. Nathan was caught off guard. His footing went unstable and he, alongside the Cyclops fell down the hole!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crash!
The entire floor, with all the bricks and corpses fell into a large tunnel, and two live figures emerged from the rubble. Nathan seemed mostly unharmed having avoided the crash to most extent and merely falling on top of the rubble, but he could feel his leg burning hot and stinging like never before. He looked down, realizing a large stone had landed atop it. It was very much possible a fracture had occurred. He still did not entirely feel pain since his body was so high on adrenaline, but he could still tell that the injury wasn't small.
"Aaaaaaaaaarghhhh!!!" But he had no time to think, for in the next moment, a scream echoed through the tunnel. He looked to the side, and with a large sound, the Cyclops burst out of the rubble.
"Oh, come on!" Nathan yelled, feeling indignant. He gripped his axe, which he had somehow managed not to drop in the crash, tighter. With a single motion, he pushed the rock off his leg and stood up atop the rubble!
The footing is uneven and the Cyclops doesn't seem to be the least bit injured from that. Most probably, my leg is broken and my bow is somewhere stuck between this rubble... Great. Nathan huffed and prepared himself.
The instant he crouched down to lunge at the Cyclops, his eyes met Nathan's.
"Human!" He yelled. He ran through the rubble like it was water, stones and rocks flying everywhere. Nathan felt like running away at the display of power, but then, he did something he couldn't explain.
His body suddenly sprang up into the air, leaping over the Cyclops and toward his back. His axe slashed back, cutting into his back muscles like a hot knife through butter. Without waiting, both his hands gripped the wooden handle and in that instant, he had already slashed multiple times!
More blood and dust rained out from his back and the Cyclops turned around. His eye contorted in rage and his arm sliced low through the rubble!
Boom!
Nathan who was standing right behind him was swept up into the air again!! Some rubble slammed into him at tremendous force.
Once again, he felt a profound sense of weightlessness. The world looked like it had been turned upside down. He flew all the way into the hall above and into the dark hole in the ceiling! His chest felt like it was on fire. Evidently, the chest plate had protected his vital organs, but the impact itself had done a lot.
His body instinctually spun around in the air, aligning itself face up and his hands travelled upwards, gripping the axe above his head. His eyes became focused and his mind cleared.
As gravity sent him earth-bound, he descended like a missile, axe swinging down. With a loud yell, the axe impacted the Cyclops' head, embedding right into its skull, slicing the singular eye in half along the way.
The monster didn't get to have a final scream. With a fountain of blood and dust erupting from its head, his gigantic body began to disintegrate into sand. Nathan who had landed atop its chest dropped down onto the rubble and saw as the body left behind a single loincloth as a trophy.
"...all that effort for a loincloth..." Nathan's disappointment was immeasurable and his day was officially ruined.
But then, a very very very pleasant sound rang into his ears.
[You have gained 480 Customization Points!]
"Holy fucking shit..." Nathan muttered, his adrenaline going down after that entire fight. He sat down onto the rubble, pain slowly creeping into his veins. His senses hadn't died down, which normally would have been a case for worry, but he knew that was just because he was in the Labyrinth.
"The rewards do increase exponentially. I'd take me hundreds of weaker monsters to get this much..."
He looked up towards the destroyed floor... or ceiling considering he was at a lower level.
"I should probably start looking for them." He said dryly, but as he started to get up, a jolt of pain shot through his body.
"Oh crap." He cursed, sitting back down. "Bad idea."
He gritted his teeth and looked at the trophy on the ground. Then, his eyes travelled to his chest plate.
"This really helped me this time. I would have gotten a lot more injuries if I didn't have this. In comparison, the loincloth really doesn't seems like a scam." Chuckling to himself, he extended his axe and used it to pick up his trophy. Without wait, he grabbed into the air and a cube appeared in his hand.
The trophy was thereby sacrificed and more points were gained.
[You have gained 210 Customization Points!]
"Again a drop of more than 50%. The Cyclops was strong enough to give 480 points but clearly a loincloth doesn't hold the same weight. If it had been the eye of the Cyclops, I would have gained a lot more since the eye is the main mythological focus of all Cyclopes."
Nathan shook his head, somewhat in regret, but he still felt good about the point reward he had received.
And so, without wasting any time, he opened up the Custom Order tab and began modelling.
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A/N: Tell me your thoughts. And be sure to leave a review!