Chapter 2: The Labyrinth

  Although the trip in the small vessel was not long, it felt like a lifetime to Corin, who kept his eyes shut during the voyage and gripped the vessel tightly. The material that composed the vessel, quinium, was a unique material crafted by the sirens. A dark wood-like material, it was extremely durable and malleable, which made it ideal when crafting seafaring vessels. They zealously guarded this secret material, for fear of the leviathans learning of their technological advance.

  Livia, unlike Corin, enjoyed the trip very much. It was a new opportunity that she wanted to enjoy.

  “Corin, it’s so amazing. You should look at this. Wow!”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” he muttered.

  Upon arriving at Aubea, Corin was eager to jump out and land on solid ground. Both Nishandra and Gavlin got a good laugh at Corin’s reaction. Livia was much more graceful in her landing.

  “Once your trip in the dungeon is over, call for us again. We shall take you back to your home island,” Nishandra said and dove underwater along with Gavlin and the vessel.

  Now it was only Corin and Livia on the small island.

  “I can’t believe we are actually here,” Livia said.

  They had both seen Aubea many times during their lifetimes but had never stepped foot on it. In fact, this was the first time in either Corin or Livia’s three decades of life that they had left Trinixo. They came here for one reason only, the gargantuan fragment of the dragon temple that now loomed large before them.

  “By Jokasta,” Corin uttered as he stared at it.

  “It is even more amazing up close,” Livia breathed.

  Standing so close to the structure was very different from seeing it from a distance in Trinixo. From where he stood, it was hard for him to see the top of it. On the small island of Aubea, the structure was perched so perfectly in the middle that it seemed as if it was made specifically for it.

  Corin hesitated as he stared at the structure and grabbed his pendant. “Weather the storm.”

  Livia looked at him, grabbed his hand, and echoed, “Weather the storm.”

  Corin pulled out the weapon that Livia had fashioned for him from his bag, as well as the holster, which he wrapped around his waist. He had some practice with the weapon, a pistol, but had never used it in combat. Livia had a different kind of weapon. Hers was longer and could shoot at longer distances. He also took out his trusty dagger and sheathed it as they made their way to the structure.

  Along the base of the dragon temple they found a small crack in the wall. It served as their entrance. Inside, they saw familiar shapes. The walls were adorned with carvings and architectural designs similar to other dragon temples they had seen. The wall carvings depicted dragons being worshiped, weird repeating shapes, smooth stone walls, and intricate mechanical apparatuses that would operate doors. In the ceiling they saw stones that provided light. They had seen this in other temples but could never understand how they provided steady dim light.

  The pair approached a strange-looking door at the end of a hallway. It had a depression on it with a curious shape. Corin tried pushing on the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

  “Well, this is odd,” he muttered.

  “Wait here. I think I know what we need to do,” Livia said as she walked off without him.

  Several minutes later, she returned with various stone pieces.

  “What are those?” Corin asked.

  “Hopefully, our way through.” Livia went up to the door and started placing the stone fragments against the surface. As she slid them in, they would lock in place, held by some mysterious force.

  “How did you—” Corin started to ask.

  “I saw the reliefs on our way in on a pedestal a short way back. Something told me they might be of use. I didn’t think it would be so soon.” Livia smiled and continued placing the pieces.

  Once completed, the depression on the door created an image of a roaring dragon. In an instant, the door slid open.

  “Do my eyes deceive me?” Corin muttered aloud.

  “Incredible,” Livia gasped.

  Beyond them was a large great hall featuring a shimmering and finely detailed carved stone dragon. The chamber and the statue were several stories tall, much larger than anything Corin had ever seen from a dragon temple.

  At the very top of the chamber was a pristine glass dome through which the sunlight poured. The sunlight dispersed in such a way that it bathed the dragon statue in a beautiful glow. Beyond that, it also highlighted the various carvings along the wall.

  Behind the large statue, a set of stairs went up and split, leading to another floor in the chamber. Corin’s curiosity and admiration compelled him to go up and continue exploring the temple.

  On the second level, the wall was covered with glass reliefs. This time, they seemed to be humanoid creatures completely covered in armor, making it impossible for Corin to tell what exactly they were supposed to be. He spotted a relief of an armored being but without its face covered. Corin was surprised by what he saw.

  “Is this a human?” Corin asked.

  Livia studied the relief as well. “I… I think so.”

  There was no mistaking it. There were various furtive creatures in the world, but this one was definitely a human. Corin knew of humans and other types of furtives that lived amongst dragons. Simeon the ape-man had lived amongst dragons in the past. But never in a dragon temple had he seen anything but images of dragons. To see a human presented in such a way was a surprise to Corin.

  Corin took his attention away from the relief, and turned to look down at the first level. He was awestruck. Never had he seen anything like it. He could not comprehend that another civilization was able to construct something so beautiful. He could spend several lifetimes in this room admiring the works of masters. But he knew that they had to keep going.

  “Let’s keep going,” Corin said as he urged Livia who was looking at the walls.

  She turned to look at him and then around the room. “Where to?”

  This chamber had numerous hallways leading into it. Corin counted four on the first level, and three on the second.

  “Well…” Corin said as he looked around. “Maybe that one?”

  He pointed to a hallway straight across from them.

  Livia looked at the hallway and studied it. It seemed exactly like every other hallway in the room.

  “I have no better ideas,” she said as he let Corin take the lead.

  This hallway did not differ from the ones they had already traversed, but Corin did spot something that Livia was looking for. He quickly drew her attention to it.

  “Let’s see if it is here!” Livia ran to the object. Beneath a stone carving on the wall was a raised dais with a dragon figurine perched on top of it.

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  Livia went behind the dais and from underneath pulled out several bags.

  “There is so much of it!” Livia shouted with enthusiasm, taking more small bags out.

  Corin started grabbing the small bags, putting them into his pack. The bags were filled with a fine black powder, which they called dragon powder. Dragon powder had the unique property of creating small explosions when exposed to fire or anything hot. The dragon powder was a key ingredient in the ammunition Livia made for Corin’s pistol and her rifle.

  “Amazing!” Livia laughed as she kept grabbing more of the bags.

  They had never found so much dragon powder in a single location.

  Corin struggled to keep up with the bags his wife was handing him.

  “Is it too much already?” she asked with a tinge of sadness.

  Corin lifted his pack and realized how much heavier it felt with the dragon powder added. “I would say so.”

  “Well, we can always come back on another trip in the future and grab more,” Livia replied happily.

  Corin’s heart sank. The thought of having to brave the trip across the sea again filled him with dread. “Yes, a wonderful suggestion.”

  Corin and Livia moved on. The hallways continued winding. They came across various small rooms but found only more dragon powder and other items they had no use for. Eventually, they stood at the entrance to a large room.

  This one was different from the previous large chamber. Instead of a large room with several stories, it was one large circular room with domed walls that went up to the ceiling. At the very top was a small gap through which the sunlight entered.

  There was only one thing of note in the room. A glistening object in the middle, floating as if in midair. Livia and Corin surveyed the chamber from the outside.

  Corin cautiously entered the large chamber, but nothing happened.

  Livia followed close behind him.

  Curious about the floating object, Corin moved toward it. As he neared it, he gasped in amazement. In front of him was the finest short sword he had ever laid eyes on. The sword was so meticulously crafted that the shine from it was almost blinding. Corin had seen many metalworks from dragon temples before, but none in such pristine condition.

  The blade pointed down, the handle held by a metal hook hanging from the ceiling.

  Corin placed a hand on the metal; it felt cool to the touch. He passed a finger over the edge of the blade, instantly feeling how sharp the object was.

  “Corin,” Livia said in a concerned tone. He looked back at her and smiled.

  “I am merely observing,” he replied.

  “You observe with your eyes, not your hands,” Livia said, but Corin did not stop.

  He pushed on the blade, but nothing happened, so he carefully grabbed the blade and picked it up, holding it by the hilt. As he studied the blade, a soft slinking sound could be heard as the hook retracted into the air.

  The next thing Corin heard was the door slam shut. He looked back. Their way in had disappeared.

  That is not good!

  “Corin!” Livia shouted.

  As he looked around trying to find a way out, another noise echoed around the room, the quick swish of stone moving. On the floor in front of Corin was now a large opening. A snarl came from the pit.

  “Get back!” Corin shouted at Livia.

  A massive clawed limb reached out of the pit. The limb was covered in golden scales, they were reminiscent of the beast Corin had seen flying years earlier. Corin dropped everything he held as he stared at it.

  In the blink of an eye, another limb reached out, holding onto the edge of the floor. The limb’s owner roared in anger, voicing its displeasure at whomever had dared walk into its lair and disturb it.

  It finally pulled itself out of the pit and looked around, searching for the trespassers. Corin was paralyzed with fear, unsure of what he was staring at. It looked like a dragon but was only a bit larger than Corin and it had no wings. The lizard scanned the room and caught Corin in its furious gaze. Once it spotted him, it roared and began a mad charge at him.

  “Corin!” Livia shouted.

  As the creature approached, Corin froze.

  “Move!” a familiar voice shouted in his mind, rousing him to move.

  Corin jumped out of the way at the very last instant. Missing Corin, the creature dashed headfirst into the wall. While temporarily stunned, Corin reached for his dagger and prepared to face the creature.

  “Stay back!” Corin shouted as he eyed the creature.

  Corin could see Livia in his peripheral vision but could not tell what she was trying to do.

  As the lizard spun around, it lunged at Corin, who was barely able to avoid its wild swing. The creature hunched back and snapped at him, biting toward him and barely missing.

  BANG!

  Part of the wall behind the creature exploded. Livia had missed the shot from her rifle. But the creature was distracted by the shot, and Corin seized the opening. He lunged with his dagger, plunging it into the creature’s scales. But the weapon snapped in half, and Corin’s heart sank when he saw the remains in his hand.

  “Damn!” Corin shouted.

  With the creature unscathed, Corin pulled out the pistol, but not quick enough.

  The creature whipped its tail, hitting Corin directly in his chest and knocking him back. The pistol was knocked out of his hands.

  As Corin collapsed on the floor, gasping for air, the creature prepared to pounce. Corin felt a cold touch on the back of his neck.

  “The blade,” he grunted.

  As he reached back to grab the blade, the reptile jumped. Coming down on him, Corin thrust his blade into the creature’s neck, piercing the creature’s scales easily.

  It roared in pain, hatred burning in its eyes.

  Damn! It’s not dead yet!

  The enraged creature bit into Corin’s shoulder.

  “Argh!” he yelled in excruciating pain.

  It lifted Corin with ease. Corin, still holding onto the blade, twisted it inside the beast’s body. Screaming in pain, the creature threw Corin across the room but was unable to extract the blade.

  The creature began to charge at Corin again.

  BANG!

  This time, Livia shot it in the torso. The creature roared in pain and turned toward Livia. It ran at her at full speed. She managed to shoot again but only grazed it. The creature rammed into her and launched her across the room. She landed on the wall and crumpled on the floor.

  “Livia! NO!” Corin screamed.

  With Livia incapacitated, the creature turned its attention back to Corin, dashing toward him. In the middle of the room he saw no options for escape. He looked up and saw the hook that had held the blade.

  He jumped and grabbed onto it.

  The creature missed Corin by the thinnest of margins. The opening to the creature’s pit closed, and the door to the room opened. But Corin’s respite was short-lived. The creature turned around, prepared to attack again.

  As the creature charged, Corin let go of the hook, opening the pit, into which the creature fell. In mere seconds, it already had its two clawed hands on the perch of the pit, ready to escape and finish Corin once and for all.

  When its upper body rose above the pit, Corin jumped onto the hook again, and the floor closed as quickly as it had earlier, as if nothing was in its way.

  The upper half of the creature was cleanly removed from its bottom half, and where the center of the floor met now, all that could be seen where the bloody entrails of the creature.

  The lizard, despite the fatal state it found itself in, still writhed in anger, dragging itself toward Corin. But each passing moment reduced its ability to resist the inevitable. The creature weakly clawed over to where Corin hung and stopped, having finally succumbed to its injuries.

  He quickly dropped and ran over to Livia.

  “Livia, please, please be okay,” Corin said as he held his wife’s hand.

  “I told you not to touch that stupid blade, you idiot!” she replied angrily.

  Upon hearing his wife’s voice, Corin took her hands into his face. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. Are you hurt?”

  “I don’t think I’m hurt. I didn’t get mauled like you did,” Livia replied. “Help me get up.”

  As he did, she immediately winced in pain.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s my leg. I don’t think it’s broken, but I’m not going to be able to move a lot,” she replied. “Get me the medicine.”

  He obliged her and quickly got her the small box of tonics she had prepared.

  “Let’s take care of you first,” Livia said as she began to look over Corin’s wounds.

  He took off his leather shirt. Livia took one look at the wounded shoulder and recoiled. Corin looked down.

  “Oh, that does not look very good,” Corin gagged at the sight of his own flesh.

  The bite marks were not deep, but they were many. Livia grabbed one of the salves that she had prepared. They had only expected that they might slip and scrape themselves on some stone. They never expected anything like the creature. She applied a salve to him.

  He let out a loud cry. It hurt almost as bad as when it was bitten into.

  “Are you hurt?” Livia asked.

  Corin could only shake his head.

  “Well, this is your fault anyway,” she said as she continued applying the salves.

  “I know, I know,” Corin said, taking deep breaths to distract himself from the pain.

  When she finished, Corin carefully put on his tattered shirt.

  “Get me a cloth and two of the supports we brought,” Livia said, and Corin obliged.

  She quickly wrapped them around her leg and was able to stand. “I’m not going to be able to move fast.”

  “It’s fine. We’ll take our time leaving.” Corin tried his best to reassure her.

  “Leave? Are you serious? After we went through all that to come here? Because I can’t walk well? You can walk, right?” Livia asked.

  “Yes, I guess,” Corin replied.

  “Then you continue exploring. We’ve barely started and are not going to leave now. You have to be more careful about what shiny things you decide to pick up.” Livia said.

  Although Corin did not feel that was the best course action, he also knew Livia was right. There was still much to see.

  “Fine, I’ll keep looking to see if I find anything of use,” Corin agreed.

  “Good, now how do we get out of here?” She asked him.

  “Leave it to me,” Corin replied.

  He moved up to the dead creature, grasped the blade still stuck to it, pulled it out, and cleaned the gore off it. After doing so, the blade looked as it had when Corin first laid eyes on it.

  “You don’t mind if I bring you along now, do you?” Corin whispered and turned toward the deceased creature. “I don’t think you will be needing this anymore.” He raised one of its arms and sliced it off. Corin placed the arm on the hook, and the door opened.

  “That was revolting.” Livia shouted at Corin, who simply shrugged.

  He was glad to be leaving this room and to continue exploring, but something kept bothering him. The voice he heard, Cyril’s, how was it possible? It felt so real.

  This place must be playing with my mind.

  I thought transmigrators were supposed to start with a cheat skill after getting isekai'd - so why do I get a countdown timer instead?!

  I was enjoying the NEET life, filling most of my days with gaming, anime, mangas and novels.

  One day, some asshole on an internet forum convinced me to try reading books in real life. Little did I know that this decision would end up costing me more than I could imagine.

  [Soul Contamination] - Your soul shall be corroded in 1047 days.

  Now, thrown into an unknown world filled with gods, monsters and magic, where hidden danger could await behind every corner, I must fight for my survival.

  Through blood, sweat and tears, sparing not a shred of effort, taking any risk necessary, I will crawl and claw my way through this world.

  I will get stronger; I will find a way to remove my curses;

  No matter what it takes...

  I will survive this terminal fantasy world!

  What to expect:

  ★ 2.5-3.5k Words / Chapter

  ★ Weak to Strong MC.

  ★ Grim fantasy

  ★ RPG-lite System

  ★ A living, breathing, deep, intricate world full of secrets, wonders, and countless factions and powers that don't care about the MC

  ★ A smart MC (but not Sherlock-TV-show smart, no asspulls out of thin air).

  ★ Consistency over 'what the plot needs right now', or 'what I'd have hoped to see next', for better or worse. I do strive to find balance between pacing and consistent event progression.

  ★ Definitely NO HAREM lmao

  ★ Content Warning: Everything. The world won't be purposely cruel to the MC, but it is a cruel world. Scenes may 'fade to black' or be simply alluded to, but they'll still be right behind the corner.

  ? Updates Daily at 18:00 CET ?