Ethan's boots crunched on rubble as he advanced into the next corridor of the labyrinth. The city had twisted further, buildings contorted into impossible angles, staircases leading nowhere, and streets splitting into labyrinthine alleys.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: FLOOR 3 – CHALLENGE ESCALATION]
[SYSTEM ALERT: MINI-BOSS DETECTED – SOLO RECOMMENDED]
[MISSION UPDATED: SURVIVE FIRST TRIAL]
"Solo recommended?" Ethan muttered, smirking. "Sounds perfect. No party? No problem. I wrote the script, remember?"
A low growl reverberated from the shadows. From the wreckage, a hulking figure emerged a monstrous Minotaur with twisted horns and eyes that gleamed red. Its presence made the air thrum with danger.
Ethan checked his katana. The "Twilight Seraph" hummed faintly, still weak, still untested.
[SYSTEM ALERT: KATANA POWER LEVEL – MINOR]
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: META-ABILITY SCRIPT PREDICTION – ACTIVE]
He stepped back, observing. The Minotaur swung its massive axe, shattering concrete. Ethan ducked instinctively, noting the exact timing of the attack.
"Lucky timing," he muttered, half to himself, half to the skeletons littering the ground. "I think I'll call this… floor combat choreography."
NPCs watched from the shadows. A Murim swordsman whispered, "Who is that? Why does he move… like he already knows the attacks?"
"Probably a weakling trying to bluff his way," another replied. Yet they took small steps back, their instincts warning them that Ethan wasn't ordinary.
Ethan's script-prediction ability gave him a slight advantage. He could sense the Minotaur's momentum, its next step, its swing angle. Still, his katana barely left a scratch. It would take cleverness over strength.
He dodged, rolled, and tapped debris to collapse on the monster, forcing it to stumble. "See? Even the environment is on my side. You guys didn't think of that in the script, huh?"
The Minotaur roared, swinging again. Ethan leapt, cutting at a leg joint just enough to distract it. Sparks of energy flared on his katana, a faint aura forming.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: MINI-BOSS WEAK POINT DETECTED]
[OPTIONAL MISSION: EXPLOIT ENVIRONMENT – REWARD EXPERIENCE]
He smiled. "Ah, the joy of being the author. You didn't think I'd let you walk the story like you were the main character, did you?"
Using rubble, timing, and his new-found Script Prediction, Ethan carefully maneuvered the Minotaur into a crumbling wall. One final strike from his katana more precise than powerful sent it crashing into the debris, defeated but not destroyed.
NPCs gasped. "He… he did it alone?"
A Greek hoplite approached slowly. "That was… clever. But it's not over. The floors are alive. You can't predict everything."
Ethan chuckled, brushing dust off his coat. "I didn't predict everything, just the parts that matter. And hey, improvisation is part of writing, right?"
Above, faint whispers echoed something ancient and intelligent, perhaps a god, taking notice of this fledgling "author" navigating their labyrinth.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: TITLE PROGRESS – THE LONE QUILL (STRENGTHENING)]
[SYSTEM ALERT: META-ABILITY ENHANCED – SCRIPT PREDICTION UPGRADE]
[MISSION COMPLETE: FIRST TRIAL SURVIVED]
As night fell, Ethan found a ruined shrine combining Greek and Japanese motifs. Candles floated in the air, illuminating symbols that pulsed faintly. He realized that the labyrinth had secrets beyond monsters ,gods were watching, mysteries waiting.
"Next floor," he muttered, gripping his katana. "Time to see who else thinks they can play the hero in my story."