"Well then Fuckers, What are you waiting for?"

The Vecirex responded as one and roared, or screeched in the case of the younger ones, before the other four adult monsters rushed him. Since he was trying to improve his hand-to-hand combat with weapons, he focused on using his shortswords to parry and attack.

Each of his first ten attacks, or parries, required 10 stamina and increased by 10 stamina. So, his first parry cost 10 stamina, his second 20 stamina, and so on. Once he made it the eleventh attack, it cost 200 stamina and increased by 100 per extra attack after that. By the time he'd parried all eight attacks from the four adult monsters, which included a parry and riposte attack, he'd taken 14 actions and spent 1,950 of his 16,824 Stamina.

The first Velcirex he'd attacked was on the ground, unconscious and bleeding out; it was no threat. With his Stamina Regeneration rate of 8,517 per turn, he could make six more attacks before…

Anton's thoughts were interrupted when the eight smaller monsters swarmed him. He was able to dodge and parry six of the attacks, but had to allow the last two to rake their claws across his armor, which they cut like a knife through butter.

The next two turns of combat were intense, as Anton concentrated on not exerting too much of his strength into the blades. He was sure that if he struck with his full strength, he'd shatter the blades. Instead, he utilized his agility and dexterity to compensate for his lack of skill, using the weapons with an appropriate level of strength. He arrested their attacks and reversed the direction of their blades when the opportunity arose. His focus on their weak points, such as the location of the femoral artery in a human, or disarming his opponents literally at the wrist, proved devastating.

Yes, he could have one shot at each monster, but that wasn't the point. His class perk, Jack-of-all-Trades, allowed him proficiency with all weapons and armor, so he was going to try to increase that proficiency and hopefully unlock some skills that would make those proficiencies even more deadly. As it was, it took six normal strikes, or two critical strikes, to take down the larger monsters, and four normal or one single critical hit on the small monsters to slay them.

Anton concentrated on parrying the first sixteen attacks and killed four of the small monsters by decapitating them in the first turn. The other monsters saw this and reacted by attacking and then trying to spring back. The last four smaller monsters died in the next turn. In thirty seconds, an overwhelming number of monsters had dropped to four adult monsters.

He parried the first attack, side-stepped to the right to close the distance to a second monster, which allowed him to turn his second parry into a combination parry with his left hand and sweeping attack with his right, which was aimed at the second monster's throat. The monster's head went flying, and then there were three. His agility and dexterity made it practically impossible for the monsters to pin him down.

By the end of the next turn, five adult and eight adolescent Velcirex lay dead among the scouting party that lay beneath them. He quickly checked his Notifications

Congratulations! You have defeated four Level 35 Valcirex.

Congratulations! You have defeated eight Level 3 Valcirex.

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 398 Copper

Experience Reward: 1,990

Twelve creatures earned more experience than would be required for someone to reach level one. If a party of five entered, that would be just short of 400 experience a piece. Not bad. Not great for him, but not bad.

Anton's attention was drawn to the bodies of the Valcirex and scouts from Galvin's forces as they began to evaporate into clouds that matched the color of the individual breaking apart before it dispersed and disappeared altogether. The Labyrinth was absorbing everything that had died within it quickly.

Anton moved out of the chamber and down the hall until he came into another cavern with six more Valcirex. All were adults. All six attacked that first one after the other. He was able to parry all twelve claw attacks and kill one on the first turn. He parried and killed two on the second turn. Two more died on the third turn, and the last one died on the fourth turn. Within a minute, the six monsters were dead and evaporating.

Congratulations! You have defeated six Level 40 Valcirex.

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 480 Copper

Experience Reward: 2,400

The third room was even larger, with one very large Valcirex in the middle of the chamber. As soon as he looked into the chamber, the creatures saw him and charged. That was lucky for him because the tunnel formed the perfect bottleneck. Only four monsters could attack him at a time, which allowed him to parry and riposte each creature's attack and also left him able to dispatch two of the monsters per turn. Doing so used up sixteen of his attacks and only allowed him to attack a single monster four more times each turn. This forced him to focus entirely on the movement of his shortswords, minimizing each adjustment while maximizing each counter thrust or swing.

The Valcirex, to make sure they could get to him, pulled their dead out of the tunnel so another could take a dead one's place. This went on turn after turn for a full six minutes. Anton maintained his focus throughout and didn't try to do more than his stamina regeneration could support. When the attacks stopped, he stepped over the last four corpses into the cavern and saw the largest Valcirex he had come across sitting in the middle of the room, looking at him with rage-filled eyes.

Even as big as the creature was, it could still only make two attacks per turn, which allowed Anton to strike it eighteen times for 216 points of damage. A quick check of his Notifications let him know that he'd killed thirty-six level 40 Valcirex and one level 75.

Congratulations! You have defeated thirty-six Level 40 Valcirex.

Congratulations! You have defeated one Level 75 Valcirex.

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 480 Copper

Experience Reward: 2,400

Congratulations, you have earned the Valcirex Slayer I Title for killing 100 Valcirex. Your natural aura will automatically cause Valcirex to become hesitant in your presence

1,000 XP granted

+5% to all Intimidation Challenges

+1 to any damage you cause to a Valcirex

Anton quickly checked his level and Experience to advance to the next level.

Common Rank Class: Mimiker

Level: 26

Total Experience: 2,175,225

XP to Next Level: 92,775

As he finished reviewing his current level and the experience required for the next level, it felt like his progress was moving forward slowly. A moment later, a new Notification appeared in his vision.

Congratulations!

Through dedication to your Class, Craft, Expertise, Capability, Skill, Spell, Ability, Talent, or Perk, you have unlocked access to new skills.

The Following Skills are now available.

Rapid Strike (Shortsword)

Rank: Common

Skill Slots: 1

When attacking, you may make one additional attack at no stamina cost per turn.

This Skill can be ranked up and will add one additional strike per rank.

Rank is limited to your current Primary Core Rank.

Riposte (Shortsword)

Rank: Common

Skill Slots: 1

You may automatically convert one Parry into a Riposte per turn

This Skill can be ranked up and will add one additional Riposte per rank.

Rank is limited to your current Primary Core Rank.

Dual Wielding (Shortswords)

Rank: Common

Skill Slots: 1

You may now dual-wield Shortswords and any other blades of equal or shorter length simultaneously. The Normal -50% to hit with your Primary Hand and -75% to hit with your off-hand are reduced by 5%

This Skill can be ranked up and will reduce the penalty by 5% to each attack per rank.

Rank is limited to your current Primary Core Rank.

Anton paused reading his notifications as he realized that his agility and dexterity modifiers were so high that he hadn't even noticed the negatives of wielding two weapons simultaneously. He would need to pick up this skill, though, because it might unlock access to another skill that would help him wield two blades more efficiently. Anton went back to his last notification.

Battle Focus

Rank: Common

Skill Slots: 1

Stamina Regeneration is increased by 10 at Common Rank

This Skill can be ranked up and will increase Stamina regeneration by an amount equal to the skill slots invested: 1 at Common, 3 at Uncommon Rank, 6 at Rare Rank, and so on.

Rank is limited to your current Primary Core Rank.

Anton purchased all four Skills. Battle Focus didn't add much in the way of Stamina Regeneration, but Anton had a feeling that the skill was a gateway to better skills. Rapid Strike and Riposte would effectively increase the number of attacks he could make per turn by one and allow him to parry and counterattack one attack. He could see a point when Riposte would enable him to make multiple counterattacks. With his high attributes, he'd be able to counter almost any attack and strike at the same time.

Anton headed out of the chamber into a winding tunnel that went deeper into the earth. When he'd traveled for about fifteen minutes, the air became a bit more humid, and he could hear the sound of running water. He hadn't bothered with Stealth up to this point. Still, with the addition of running water, he activated Stealth as he made his way to the entrance to the chamber in front of him.

At the top of the chamber, he noticed artificial light of some sort. It wasn't full daylight, but it wasn't dark either. That allowed him to determine that the cavern had to be at least half a mile in diameter. In front and below him was a crevice that dropped at least one hundred feet to a river that came from his left and flowed off into a pool off to his right, along each side of the crevasse, where small doorways dug into the stone that resembled the cliff dwellings the Indians in the Midwest American had built so long ago.

Anton could see Valcirex moving from one cliff dwelling to another, as well as going down to the river to retrieve water. There had to be over one hundred Valcirex in this chamber. Anton made his way carefully down into the ravine and then back up the other side while staying away from any of the Valcirex. Even so, as he started up the other side of the ravine, he noticed that some of the creatures had stopped and were starting to sniff the air.

Anton ignored them and continued up the other side of the ravine until he reached the exit, which led out of the cave on the other side. Soon, he heard a roar and then watched as a stream of creatures emerged from over the edge and began rushing toward the cave entrance where he stood. He was sure they couldn't see him, but they must have caught his scent and were following it.

Anton had a few moments, so he considered his course of action. He could drop a fireball and end it, or he could continue to work on his dual-wielding. He chose to work on his dual-wielding. He entered the passage that would lead away from this cavern and moved about twenty feet in before he drew his swords and ended his Stealth Skill.

When Valcirex saw him, they charged. Again, he was able to reduce the number that could attack him, but he soon found himself getting pushed back. That is, until he started focusing on destroying the bodies of the dead Valcirex he killed. He didn't even know it was possible until he tied the power of the void to his aura and put out a field.

As he scrambled backward down the tunnel, his aura began to destabilize the ground and walls. He refocused his efforts and had the void he was adding to his aura so that it would only break down dead bodies, and then pushed it out as far as he could maintain with his Psychic Energy. At a one-foot radius, his field would break down 46 pounds of dead biomass per second at a cost of 46 Psychic Energy per second. He extended his range out to three feet, which increased the cost in Psychic Energy to 138 per second. He could only break down 46 pounds per second, but that was 46 pounds of dead Valcirex per second or 460 pounds every turn, which turned out to be the perfect amount to ensure those monsters he killed were gone by the time the new creatures rushed in. Additionally, his Psychic Energy regenerated at a rate of 166 per second, so he didn't have to worry about running out of Stamina or Psychic Energy.

He was pretty sure he could have increased the number of creatures he was killing to three per turn, but he decided to ensure that his aura could dispose of the bodies so that he wouldn't be tripping over corpses. He'd parry the eight attacks from the four monsters and then concentrate on killing two of them.

For the next eleven minutes, Anton parried and killed 137 Valcirex. When the last monster died, Anton left the tunnel and searched the area, which only contained various raw fish and water troughs. While he searched, He checked his gains. He earned 68,500 experience and 13,700 copper.

If he were honest, he was disappointed with the rewards. He hadn't gained enough experience to reach level 27, and while he'd been awarded a lot of copper, there hadn't been any magical weapons or items. Still, he had to admit that the skills he'd unlocked and slotted seemed to be working out well. His agility and dexterity made dual welding almost worthless because his attribute bonuses countered any negative modifiers he received. Still, he could swear that it did feel a lot more natural to wield both weapons.

Once he was sure he hadn't missed any hidden treasure, he made his way back to the top of the ravine and left through the tunnel he'd made his stand in. As he made his way deeper into the earth, he came to a place where he could hear water on the other side of the wall that quickly receded away from the tunnel he was in.

The rough stone gave way to brick as the tunnel widened to twenty feet and the ceiling rose to thirty feet. At the end of the large corridor, giant wooden doors with giant iron hinges, locks, and bindings. When he came up to the door, he pulled open the door and was immediately attacked by the largest Valcirex he'd come across.

Anton was actually surprised and stood there flat-footed as the creature attacked him three times. Each attack was considered a critical strike and inflicted 35 points of damage, which shredded his clothes. His Physical Damage Resistance stopped all the damage from harming him, but he realized that if he kept wearing the armor he'd purchased, it would keep getting destroyed. He'd handle that after he was done with this creature, which turned out to be 10 seconds later.

Anton parried two of the attacks, used his new skill on the third attack, and then proceeded to slice and dice the creature until it was just lumps of flesh on the ground, which quickly disintegrated under the influence of his void aura.

Congratulations! You have defeated a Level 99 Valcirex.

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 198 Copper

Experience Reward: 990

Congratulations, you have defeated Labyrinth Scenario One.

Treasure: 100 Silver plus one Random Common Drop.

Experience Reward: 10,000

Common drop? Anton looked around and watched as the body of the Valcirex dispersed into a cloud, which coalesced into a solid chest. A single silver ring sat at the bottom of the chest. As he reached forward to pick it up, a Notification containing its information appeared.

Ring of Dual Wielding

The wearer of this ring gains the Common Rank of the Skill Dual Wielding.

Dual Wielding

Rank: Common

Skill Slots: 0 (Item Granted)

You may now dual-wield weapons simultaneously. The Normal -50% to hit with your Primary Hand and -75% to hit with your off-hand are reduced by 5%

Or,

If the skill, or a similar skill, is already known, attack penalties are reduced by an additional 5% to both the primary and off-hand attack.

Anton put the ring on. While his agility and dexterity offset the penalties to attack completely, this wasn't a bad ring, and it would help him out as he worked to improve his skill with the shortswords.

Once he picked up the ring, the chest vanished, and a portal appeared where the chest had been. Above the portal, a holographic sign read "Scenario 2." He stepped through the portal and appeared in a thirty-foot room with a node orb sitting on a stone pedestal at its center. The room contained a water fountain and was obviously a safe place to rest. From the room, one passage exited directly in front of him on the other side of the Node.

Anton reached out and touched the Node Orb.

You have discovered Secondary Labyrinth Node Terra-001-2.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

This Node allows you to return to Labyrinth Node Terra-001. Node Travel may not target this Node. It is placed here so that you may return to the initial node for this ten-scenario series.

Anton exited the node chamber and found himself in another cave room, which turned out to be a joke. The five kobolds inside rushed to attack with spears and were quickly parried and dispatched with a single strike each. That earned him 500 experience points and 100 copper coins.

The second encounter consisted of 15 kobolds, which attacked him in three waves of five. They died just as quickly. The third encounter had 41 kobolds, which included a shaman who had cast Mana Bolt at him. He'd absorbed the spell with his perk Spell Absorption and immediately cast it back at the shaman. It had been a weak spell that only inflicted six points of damage but had stunned the shaman just before he took off his head with a single strike.

The fourth encounter ended up taking a little longer, but Stealth and guerrilla tactics allowed him to make quick work of the 300 kobolds packed into a quarter-mile-wide cavern. The only thing that slowed him down was that the kobolds had stuck to tunnels, and he'd had to reduce his size with Malleable Body and switch to daggers so he could attack in the smaller tunnels and rooms. He parried multiple attacks each turn while killing at least three kobolds with a single targeted strike on a vital area. He'd earned the titles Kobold Slayer I and II when he'd cleared the cavern.

The final encounter had been a bit of a cluster fuck. There were over 1,000 kobolds. He hadn't used his fireball spell, but he had changed up how he attacked and killed the kobolds. A couple of times, he'd cast Adjust Weight to make him almost weightless and then activated Stealth to jump clear of a group of them that were coming in to surround him. They'd been armed with crude daggers, clubs, and spears with basic leather armor. He'd had to be a lot more careful as he moved around, killing the kobolds and allowing his aura to dispose of the bodies. He'd figured out that the Labyrinth didn't recover corpses and equipment until after the room was cleared. Additionally, he could drink water and eat anything he came across. Still, if he stored anything that wasn't designated as treasure by a notification, it disappeared as soon as it entered his Portable Exchange or Inventory.

When it was all said and done, he earned 146,000 experience for all five encounters, 27,200 copper, and 100 Silver. More importantly, he reached level 27. The one thing he missed was being able to allocate points to his various attributes. Now it was all automatic. There was no notable change between levels 26 and 27, and he was already more than halfway to level 28. One thing he noticed, though, was that no shards had been dropped for any of his kills. He'd only been awarded treasure.

As the final kobold died, a chest appeared, and he found a Ring of Strength within.

Ring of Strength

Rank: Common

The wearer of this ring gains +10 to their Strength Attribute.

It was only ten points, but every point counted, so he put the ring on and stepped through the portal that appeared as the chest vanished.

You have discovered Secondary Labyrinth Node Terra-001-3.

The tenth through the fifteenth encounters were a joke. It had been Goblins, to which he already had the "Goblin Slayer X" Title. The number of Goblins in the first cavern had been 100 and increased by an additional 100 in each room. When it was all said and done, He'd killed 1,500 Goblins, usually with a single strike because the +10-damage bonus was added before any critical modifier and did not affect the durability of the weapon he was wielding. He'd also earned 15,000 copper and 100 silver. Finally, he also reached level 28.

With the intimidation bonus and the bonus damage, the goblins eventually started running from him when they saw him. When he was done, the item in the chest ended up being a magical short sword. It was only a +1 weapon, but it was an enchanted weapon.

Shortsword +1

Rank: Common

Durability: 100

Magical Weapons add their bonus to attack and damage. Additionally, magical weapons can channel up to ten additional damage per bonus.

Base Damage: 7

Durability Damage Rating: 22 ((Base 6 x 2) + (1 x 10))

Damage that exceeds the Durability Damage Rating reduces the durability on a one-for-one basis.

When he stepped through the portal that appeared after he'd claimed his treasure, there were two exits out of the node room. One was on the other side of the node, and the new doorway was off to his left. Above the new exit was a sign with Labyrinth Exchange on it. in front of him and one off to the left. Anton added the fourth node to his Node Path and went to the exit on his side.

As he stepped through the doorway, a small chime sounded, and a gnome in a tan business suit with a monocle over his right eye appeared behind a counter sized for him, "Welcome to Exchange. How can I help you?

"What exactly do you exchange?" Anton asked as he looked down at the gnome.

"At random locations throughout the Labyrinth, access to the Exchange will be granted. The random creation of shards and cores is prevented within the Labyrinth. It is my understanding that this is intentional. Unfortunately, doing so has prevented shards and cores from dropping, so access to an exchange has been added."

"So, what do I trade for shards and cores?" Anton asked.

"You may trade any money that you have been awarded within the Labyrinth, specifically: Copper, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. We do not accept items or coins that were not created within the Labyrinth. Also, we do not accept SYSTEM credits. In your case, you currently have 227,610 copper: only 60,466, and the 300 silver you've earned since entering the labyrinth can be utilized.

"What's the cost ratio?

The gnome reached below the counter and pulled up a placard which Anton quickly read.

Generic Common Primary/evolutionary Shard: 100 Copper

Encountered Class-specific Common Primary Shard: 1,000 Copper

Encountered Race-specific Common Evolutionary Shard: 1,000 Copper

Generic Common Primary Core: 1,000 Copper

Common Evolutionary Core (Only Monsters you have encountered within the Labyrinth can be chosen.): 10,000 Copper

*****

Generic Uncommon Primary/evolutionary Shard: 1,000 Copper

Encountered Class-specific Uncommon Primary Shard: 10,000 Copper

Encountered Race-specific Uncommon Evolutionary Shard: 10,000 Copper

Generic Uncommon Primary Core: 10,000 Copper

Uncommon Evolutionary Core (Only Monsters you have encountered within the Labyrinth can be chosen.):100,000 Copper

*****

Generic Rare Primary/evolutionary Shard: 10,000 Copper

Encountered Class-specific Rare Primary Shard: 100,000 Copper

Encountered Race-specific Rare Evolutionary Shard: 100,000 Copper

Generic Rare Primary Core: 100,000 Copper

Rare Evolutionary Core (Only Monsters you have encountered within the Labyrinth can be chosen.):1,000,000 Copper

Anton looked over the prices and whistled. "That's expensive."

"It is, but you can pick and choose any creature you've encountered and pick up multiple shards for those creatures. For instance, you'll only ever have to confront and defeat a single red dragon once to be able to purchase as many red dragon evolutionary shards as you'd like or even a red dragon evolutionary core.

"I can't imagine a red dragon being Rare rank or lower," Anton pointed out.

"They're not, I just wanted to showcase that while it may seem expensive, you haven't even seen the Advanced or Master shard prices yet.

"Do I have to encounter the creatures before I can purchase a shard or core for them.

"Yes."

"So right now I can only purchase the generic shards and cores or the primary racial shards for Valcirex, Kobolds, and goblins," Anton asked.

The gnome's eyes went vacant for a moment as he reviewed something and then nodded, "That's correct."

"Okay, what about items. Why don't you trade for items and such?" Anton asked.

"The Labyrinth doesn't. But you may run into societies within the Labyrinth that do, or even in worlds connected to the Labyrinth with settlements near the entrance. Look for any exits from the Labyrinth or any Node designated with the name of a planet followed by "001".

"Wait, that makes no sense. If someone is in the Labyrinth and they've never been to Node 3, 2, or 1, there's no way for them to make it to Terra Node 001."

"To open a link between the Labyrinth and a world, the first ten scenarios must be completed from that world. Each scenario consists of five encounters. You've finished the first three scenarios so far. Once all ten are completed, a hallway leading from each Node chamber will open into the previous encounters. Of course, anyone traveling from the deeper Labyrinth will be working their way backward, as the first ten scenarios will not change. They'll encounter the boss scenario and then each weaker scenario until they unlock the node attached to your planet. In most cases, this is something you will have to do when you find a path to a world you want to take." The gnome explained.

"Do you know what I'll be encountering next?" Anton asked.

"Not a clue."

"Well, there isn't anything I've encountered yet, save the Valcirex, and I can wait on. Can anything in the encounters enter the node rooms?"

"Not normally. Once you step through the portal, you cannot reenter it until the chamber attached to it is clear. You either exit through the portal that appears once the final treasure is claimed, or you go back to the node room and rest. Of course, since each portal leads to a new Node Room which is safe, there's really no point in going back, is there?" The Gnome said.

"I guess there wouldn't be ,no." Anton agreed. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm going to continue fighting my way through the labyrinth," Anton said and started to turn away before he turned back and offered his hand," My name's Anton, it's been nice talking with you."

The gnome shook Anton's hand, "I'm Ba'ab, just Ba'ab. It's been nice to speak with you, too. Maybe next time I'll even be able to sell you something."

"Maybe," Anton agreed as he exited The Exchange and continued to the next scenario.

The following scenario held a jungle theme and was filled with large cats. There weren't over 100 in all five rooms, but they were all around level 50. He set the copper and experience aside and equipped the Common Belt of Holding.

Belt of Holding

You have been granted a dimensional storage area that may hold up to 10 slots worth of equipment.

Each slot may hold up to 5 pounds of a single hand-sized item. Multiple Slots may be required for larger items. The number of slots required for any specific item is based on its weight.

Items summoned from the Bag of Holding will appear either in your hand or on the ground in front of you, as you desire.

Regardless of the weight of the items you carry, they do not increase your weight.

The fifth set of encounters involved mages concerned with the four primary elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Anton allowed his Void core to shine and easily destroyed the magic users. That last room even had one Uncommon space mage in it. By all rights, he should have probably died. Instead, he earned 1,000 experience, 20 silver, and a short-range teleportation ring called a Ring of Blinking.

Ring of Blinking

Rank: Common

Range: 10 Feet

This ring allows the wearer to channel 100 mana into the ring, which will enable them to teleport up to 10 feet to any location they can see or sense.

The number of times the ring can be utilized is only limited by the mana of the wearer.

He could teleport up to ten feet in any direction. He did not doubt that an unprepared party would find it impossible to get past such a monster.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth scenarios contained Gnolls, Orcs, and Hobgoblins. All monsters were of common rank and averaged around level 50. Unfortunately, he didn't earn or rank up any slayer titles as he didn't kill more than 75 of each type of monster. But he did receive a Spear +1, Battleaxe +1, and Bow +1:

Spear +1

Rank: Common

Magical Weapons add their bonus to attack and damage. Additionally, magical weapons can channel up to ten additional points of damage per bonus.

Durability: 100

Base Damage: 7

Durability Damage Rating: 22 ((Base 6 x 2) + (1 x 10))

Damage that exceeds the Durability Damage Rating reduces the durability on a one-for-one basis.

Battleaxe +1

Rank: Common

Magical Weapons add their bonus to attack and damage. Additionally, magical weapons can channel up to ten additional points of damage per bonus.

Durability: 100

Base Damage: 9

Durability Damage Rating: 26 ((Base 8 x 2) + (1 x 10))

Damage that exceeds the Durability Damage Rating reduces the durability on a one-for-one basis.

Bow +1

Rank: Common

Ranged Magical Weapons add their bonus to attack and damage. Unlike melee weapons, damage cannot be added due to a strength bonus. Instead, the draw strength can be modified to add damage. The magical nature of this bow allows the wielder to alter the draw strength as desired between its minimum and maximum ratings.

Durability: 100

Base Damage: 7

Minimum Draw Strength: 7 (6 + Magical Bonus +1)

Maximum Draw Strength: 22 ((Base 6 x 2) + (1 x 10))

If Strength in excess of the Maximum Draw Strength is utilized, it will snap the bowstring immediately.

Another entrance to the Exchange appeared after the eighth scenario, but he skipped it. He had reached level 29, which was awesome. The fights were not strenuous, even as the encounters began to contain more sentient creatures and monsters, which fought with better tactics and weapons.

As he stepped into the ninth section, he found himself on a field where a battle had happened recently. It was littered with corpses of humans wearing two distinct colors of uniforms. As he appeared, a figure in a black robe was casting a spell. Anton's mind went into hyperdrive as he considered his surroundings.

Anton exploded into action and shot toward the mage as he continued casting his spell. As he reached the mage five seconds later, sheathed in transparent void energy, he broke through the mage's shield and shoulder-checked him with his full strength.

Unfortunately for Anton, the mage was able to get the spell off, and the death of the mage supercharged the spell because of the "Sacrifice" of the caster during the casting. Except for the three feet around Anton, every dead soldier as far as he could see began to stand and move toward him. Unfortunately for the undead, they were only pseudo-undead, animated by magic. As they came within three feet of him, the force animating them was negated, and they were converted to ash as his void-saturated aura disintegrated them. This wouldn't have worked on undead that still maintained their souls and were animated by a spirit, but for these spell-animated undead, his aura was more than enough to break the spell and then destroy the bodies.

Anton stood there and waited as the undead moved toward him, collapsed, and vanished. Five minutes later, the Scenario was clear, and a portal appeared. Unlike the previous sections, there were not multiple rooms; it was just this field of battle littered with the dead.

As he stepped through the portal and appeared in the node room, he checked his notifications.

Congratulations! You have defeated a Level 95 Common Necromancer.

Congratulations! You have defeated 1,363 Level 1 Common Zombies.

NOTE: Magically Animated Undead do not earn Slayer Titles

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 2,916 copper

Experience Reward: 14,580

As he read the notification, a chest appeared and opened. Within he found a Short Sword of Speed +1

Shortsword of Speed +1

Rank: Common

The Shortsword of Speed allows +1 allows the wielder to make one additional attack per Combat Turn at no additional stamina cost to the wielder.

Magical Weapons add their bonus to attack and damage. Additionally, magical weapons can channel up to ten additional points of damage per bonus.

Durability: 100

Base Damage: 7

Durability Damage Rating: 22 ((Base 6 x 2) + (1 x 10))

Damage that exceeds the Durability Damage Rating reduces the durability on a one-for-one basis.

Considering it hadn't been difficult, the encounter had been well worth it. With the skill Rapid Strike and the Sword of Speed, he could now make 22 attacks or parries in a single combat turn. If he struck a critical area, he could inflict up to 44 points of damage in a single strike, which would devastate most common Monsters.

When the portal appeared, Anton stepped through and then into the tenth scenario for this Node Path. Once he cleared this next challenge he would unlock a path for creatures to reach Terra and hopefully find another Node for his Node Path.

As he stepped through the portal, he found himself on a circular stone platform situated in a valley surrounded by snowcapped peaks under a crystal-clear, cold, blue sky. Three hundred feet in front of him, a nine-foot-tall creature covered in white fur roared, formed a spear of ice in its right hand, and threw it at Anton.

Anton reached out with his right hand, caught the spear of ice, swung around 180 degrees, and released it right back at the yeti-looking creature with his full strength, since he wasn't worried about its durability. The Monster's hand had just started to react to try to catch the spear when the spear passed through the creature's head with a loud "Crack!" As the spear disintegrated into water vapor with enough kinetic force to cause the creature's head to explode, Anton pulled up his Combat Log, which didn't give as much information as it had in the past, but it did let him know how much damage his attack had done.

Ice Spear Strikes target for 2,595 ((Base 6 + Strength Bonus 856) x 3 Critical Strike) points of damage.

"Damn," Anton exclaimed as a Notification filled his vision.

Congratulations! You have defeated a Level 100 Common Yeti.

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 200 copper

Experience Reward: 1,000

Anton walked up to the chest that formed as the Yeti's body dissolved into smoke and picked up a Necklace of Warmth.

Necklace of Warmth

Rank: Common

This necklace will keep the wearer at a comfortable 37 °C (98.6°F) so long as the ambient temperature is not below 27°C or above 47 °C. So long as the temperature remains between 27 °C and 47 °C, the ring will maintain the wearer's temperature indefinitely.

For every 10 degrees below 27 °C or above 47 °C, the wearer must spend one mana to keep the ring active; otherwise, it shuts down.

Anton put on the necklace and waited for the Portal to appear before he stepped through. This time, when he stepped into the thirty-foot square room, there was no corridor on the other side of the node at the center of the room. The node was there, but instead of a corridor, there were four portals, one in the center of each wall. Anton looked behind himself to see the room he'd just left through the portal he'd just stepped through, while the other three portals were all grayed out so that he couldn't see through them. Above the portal through which he'd stepped, the word "Terra" glowed brightly. Above each of the other portals, a single? Hovered.

Before he did anything else, Anton walked up to the Node and laid his hand on it.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the Node Path to Terra.

Congratulations! You have found Labyrinth Node Terra-002

Labyrinth Node Terra-002 has been added to your Node Path. Travel between Nodes Terra-001 and Terra-002 is now unlocked.

In the future, Sectional Nodes will be added to your Node Path.

Travel between Nodes added to your Node Path is allowed at will, provided you start in a Node room.

All secondary nodes between Section Terra-001 have been removed. Passages or portals between the ten sections are now available for use.

Warning: The Number of Party Members is below the recommended number for entrance into the Labyrinth.

Individual Review Warranted.

Individual Review Commencing

Error!

The adventurer exceeds the challenge level of all generated locations within the labyrinth.

Adventurer capabilities exceed All Common Scenarios and Encounters.

Adventurer capabilities exceed all Uncommon Scenarios and Encounters.

Adventurer capabilities exceed all Rare Scenarios and Encounters.

Advanced Scenarios and Encounters exceed 90.9% of current attributes

Scenario and Encounter Adjustment recommended to Rare Scenarios and Encounters.

Labyrinth Breach Detected

Adventurer meets the criteria to deal with the Labyrinth Breach.

Special Opportunity is now Available.

Adventurer. You qualify for advancement to Rare Scenarios and Encounters. Additionally, denizens of the Labyrinth are currently breaching into an attached world.

Labyrinth Walker, will you accept the following Quest:

Quest: "Close the Door."

Denizens of the Labyrinth have begun exiting the Labyrinth into a connected world. This is not acceptable. Destroy all escaped denizens and re-engage Node Barrier at Labyrinth Node Kalcifar-001.

Reward: 1,000 Gold

Experience: 100,000

Would you like to accept the quest, "Close the Door," Yes or No?

Better Experience and drops? It wasn't even a question. Anton chose "Yes"

The Portal behind Anton shifted, revealing a different node room with a corridor on the opposite side of the node from the portal. Anton stepped through and watched as the portal behind him vanished. A corridor was revealed that led out of the node room. About ten feet from the node room, the walls converted from brick to natural stone.

Anton walked over to the Node Orb and placed his hand on it.

Congratulations! You discovered Labyrinth Node Kalcifar-001, which has now been added to your Node Path.

Nodes Available to Fast Travel:

Terra-001

Terra-002

Kalcifar-001

Anton closed his notification and considered which direction to go. Before he could give it too much thought on the question, a kobold walked out of the corridor that had been behind the portal he'd stepped out of. The Kobold took one look at Anton and drew a dagger from its waist as it leaped to attack. Anton reacted by reflex as he pulled his +1 Shortsword and attempted to parry the attack. He was only partially successful as the dagger shattered his sword and punched through his Physical Damage Resistance before it plunged into his Left shoulder.

Dagger Strikes for 473 damage (Base 644 – 171 Physical Damage Resistance)

As he brought his attention back to the kobold, he realized that it was moving much more quickly than the previous kobolds he had fought, which forced him to parry or dodge the attacks that the kobold was making. The world slowed down as Anton focused entirely on the kobold and parried or dodged its subsequent 13 attacks within eight seconds before Anton retaliated with the six attacks he could still make. Since the kobold seemed powerful, Anton didn't hold back and struck with his full strength for 861 points of damage per strike. Even so, he didn't receive the notification stating that the kobold was dead until the sixth attack landed, which meant that it had over 4,305 hit points, but less than 5,166.

Congratulations! You have defeated a Rare Level 1 Kobold.

Labyrinth Walker Perk Noted. All treasures doubled.

Treasure: 4 Silver

Experience Reward: 1,000

Before it could disappear, Anton picked up the dagger and hit it with Analyze.

Rare Dagger

Durability 10,000

Base Damage: 400

Holy crap! If he could get his hands on a weapon that would allow him to utilize his actual strength. He quickly slid the dagger along his palm and was pleasantly surprised when it pierced his Physical Damage Resistance and drew blood from his palm.

If a single level one kobold could make 14 attacks per turn that would inflict over 400 points of damage each, his 20 attacks per turn were not going to stop more than one attacker at a time. Just then, the dagger and the body began to evaporate as he heard noise coming from the same corridor the kobold had stepped from.

Anton activated Stealth, though he wasn't sure if it would work. If it worked as a contest of willpower, he should be okay. If it worked based on rank, they might see right through it. Anton headed out of the node room down the corridor opposite where the kobold voices were coming from. He made the effort to move quietly and quickly as he headed up a corridor that transformed into a natural tunnel until he was almost to the surface of the planet.

After ten minutes making his way through the winding tunnel, he came to the last corner of the tunnel and looked around it to see a small encampment of kobolds around a cooking fire under the night sky. Moving as quickly as he could, Anton moved until he was just outside the entrance to the tunnel, cast Adjust Weight on himself to reduce his weight 99.9%, and then jumped up at a light angle toward the mountain that the cave sat in.

A kobold near the fire had seen him and was calling out as he shot up and away from the ground. He adjusted his weight to a net zero as he continued to rise and move away from the ground. He also adjusted his eyesight with Malleable Body to see in the dark and took in the surrounding area. He was rising into the sky over a primordial forest of trees and ferns.

While he weighed nothing, there was still air and resistance, and he began coasting to a stop and being drawn along with the wind after only rising about a thousand feet. To counter this, he adjusted his body again and grew wings out of his back as he flew over and landed on the mountain above and behind the entrance to the Labyrinth. Another adjustment to his eyes with Malleable Body, and he was looking down on the small encampment of Kobolds with the vision acuity of an Eagle.

Anton watched as they lost interest in the human who had flown up and away as they returned to cooking and setting up their camp. Anton looked around for airborne predators but saw nothing in the night sky. A quick look around his position also indicated that no creatures had been on the rock outcropping he'd landed on.

Anton quickly cast Create Item to create a generic cloak the same color as the rocky background he sat on and settled in to watch the kobolds for a bit. To finish the quest, he would need to get all the kobolds coming out of the Labyrinth, and to do that, he needed to make sure he knew where they all were. Handling the kobolds shouldn't be a problem; one-on-one or two would cause him a problem because no matter what, he only had 17,145 hit points. If each attack was doing 400 or more points of damage, that meant that after 42 attacks, he'd be done. If each kobold could attack 14 times each turn and he was jumped by five, he could parry or counter 22 attacks, and would have to soak the other 48 attacks, which he knew he couldn't do.

Well, if worse came to worst, he could always cast a Fireball.

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