20 Back to Dyrroth

(Your favorite author here. Before reading this chapter, I must warn you that this is a DARK novel and I won't refrain from any taboo if it serves my narrative. Please note that Frederick is a villain. So this chapter may not suit everyone's taste. You've been warned. Enjoy! )

Finding himself at the start of the maze once again, Frederick walked in silence through what seemed to be an infinite corridor of cold stone. Without uttering a word, he started to move with precision, as if he knew exactly where to go. Intersection after Intersection, he continued uninterruptedly, walking straight toward his goal.

Suddenly, an illusion wall trap activated, unleashing a barrage of arrows toward Frederick. With no regard whatsoever towards these projectiles, he dodged them as if he had predicted the trap. Without even slowing down, he continued on his path unharmed. 

Shortly after, he reached another intersection and confidently chose one of the exits. As he moved forward, the wall ahead swiftly started closing in, accompanied by the unsettling sound of spiders rushing all around.

Activating sanguine infusion, he swiftly ran and crossed the space between the walls just in time, barely managing to pass through the small gap left between them. Halting his sanguine infusion, he did not bother looking behind before continuing his way. 

Compared to two years ago, Frederick's body didn't shake after the usage of his authority. This was due to his improved control over Blood Dominion, which allowed him to focus sanguine infusion on specific body parts. By directing it toward the lower parts of his body he could reduce the overall effect but also the drawbacks.

Navigating the corridors, Frederick encountered another intersection where the enclosing walls started to lock in. Without hesitation, he once again activated his authority and accelerated before leaping to the other side, narrowly going through the closing walls yet again.

This was how his journey progressed for the next few hours as he made his way through the maze, avoiding traps and other obstacles with extreme efficiency, without a hint of hesitation or doubt.

Somehow, the maze looked increasingly desperate to stop Frederick. It was as if it was trying desperately not to lose track of someone who knows their moves like clockwork. It was as if Frederick could see the future.

In reality, he had been practicing the same course over and over again until he became this good. He didn't possess the ability to see the future but simply acted according to the information he gathered beforehand through the use of forgotten time. After 2 years, most of this labyrinth's structure and behavior were no mystery to Frederick anymore. 

As he reached the final corridor leading to the guardian room, Frederick decided to take a short rest before the battle. Even if he had better control of his authority and body, he still felt some fatigue and didn't want to rush things. He even decided to take a short nap without a care of the world.

Frederick understood that this maze had to respect certain rules. While not entirely clear on all of them, he recognized a few. The most significant rule was that the maze couldn't entirely block your access to the guardian's room, a crucial limitation preventing easy confinement. 

This rule prevented a scenario where Frederick or the guardian's room could be entirely cut off, which meant a guaranteed fatal outcome. Simply put, the maze cannot block all your paths toward the guardian's room.

 Another rule was the maze couldn't directly create traps near you. This meant that the labyrinth had to predict your movements way ahead of you. This also implies that the more you stay in the maze, the harder it will become as the number of traps increases. 

Honestly, Frederick was extremely lucky to have found the guardian's room on his first try and without even that many traps on his way. He probably made a detour that the labyrinth was not expecting so it could not prepare good traps in advance.

His first attempt even gave him a general direction of where to look. Otherwise, he would've taken much more time.

There were a few more rules but overall, this place seemed to be meant to be hard but feasible. 

Waking up from his nap, Frederick consumed some food and decided it was time to resume. With a flask containing an unknown deep red substance retrieved from his bag, he confidently entered the vacant room.

 As the only exit disappeared, the familiar monster covered in dark fur and horns materialized from a dark smoke in the middle of the room. 

Releasing a roar, it swiftly charged in its berserk state at Frederick. However, Frederick was not surprised by these new developments. He calmly spilled the liquid of his flask on the cold floor in front of him and observed as the creature approached while maintaining a stoic and expressionless demeanor.

As Frederick calmly spilled the flask in front of him, the liquid formed a slick crimson puddle on the floor. The creature rapidly approached Frederick but suddenly lost control of its movements the moment it stepped onto the slippery liquid. 

Frederick swiftly leaped to the side, avoiding the incoming beast as it collided heavily with the wall behind him. He then casually observed the creature struggling in vain to regain its balance on the slippery surface, looking completely helpless.

Recognizing the unsustainable nature of the current situation, Frederick quickly approached the monster, wielding his dagger. Just as the creature attempted to rise, Frederick lunged at it, effortlessly evading the guardian's attempt to collide with him and attacked it.

With a precise strike, he promptly plunged his dagger deep into the creature's eye, just enough to reach the brain. With a last roar, it suddenly stopped struggling as it collapsed face forward without moving any other part except two legs kicking feebly against the ground.

Receiving his usual level-up window, Frederick took back his dagger and started to chop the guardian's body while carefully dodging the liquid that was now all over the floor.

From the beginning of the battle until now, Frederick refrained from utilizing Blood Dominion, despite its potential to hasten the fight. He was confident in his ability to secure victory through skill and some prior preparation. 

Talking about preparation, the liquid he used was an authority relic that he obtained in the main hub world. However, contrary to what one could believe, authority relics were incredibly common in the main hub world. Everything that falls under the category of "product of an authority's influence" was considered an authority relic.

For example, the liquid Frederick used was randomly obtained when he searched for more easy prey inside the city. After searching the city, he identified a very young boy whom he lured out of the city's safety using some bread.

However, Frederick soon noticed that this child had an interesting authority. His whole body and even his blood were exceptionally slippery. This was truly a surprise to Frederick because authorities that are constantly activated or more commonly called "passive authorities" were truly uncommon.

 After acquiring the boy's authority, he realized that the curse associated with it significantly diminished its potential, rendering it less valuable than he initially thought. Instead, Frederick just decided to keep the boy's blood for future use and that was at this moment that he thought of the first guardian. As it is absolutely stupid, he could perhaps use it to his advantage.

After a few attempts, Frederick successfully made the guardian lose control of its mobility using the slippery blood before killing it with ease. He could of course kill it himself, but it would take much more time and energy than he needed for the second stage of this place.

Frederick harbored no scruples about taking someone's life and was indifferent to factors like age, gender, or even race. What mattered to him was the potential benefits he could gain. 

It might sound quite cruel but it is not. In the wilderness, a lion doesn't spare an antelope if the antelope is "cute" "pitiful" or "young". Survival dictates their actions, and easy targets are their preference.

Only humans, perched atop the food chain, could afford sentiments like pity. Why bother killing something that is not threatening their survival?

 However, what if humans were no longer at the apex? What if they had to kill to survive? Would anyone starve rather than consume an animal?

Frederick found himself in a similar predicament. However, for him, killing wasn't just about survival; it was a path to strength. Strength equaled power, and power equaled happiness. In a way, his happiness was tied to killing.

Going back to reality, Frederick only took a few hours to loot the guardian's meat, blood, and fur and even had the time to make a whole set of clothes. Contrary to his first time making them, he now has the experience to make something a bit more suited for him. Although it was still roughly made, it was still much better. He had no use for organs and bones so he paid no attention to it

Advancing toward the new opening that appeared after he defeated the guardian, he traveled in another corridor. Ignoring the runes, he kept walking until he reached the ever-familiar dark veil that served as a transition between the first stage and the second.