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Chapter 18 - Portal to Hell

Immediately, as the portal appeared, a rush of people shot forth and into the reflection of the abyss.

It's not like it entirely mattered, but there were some advantages for those who entered first.

Peace wasn't really in a position to take advantage of those nuances, so he just hung near the end of the crowd, clutching the straps of the backpack he'd bought with the loaned money.

Peace wasn't an idiot; he knew that even if he could survive the hellish conditions of the labyrinth, he still needed to eat and drink, as well as carry whatever he earned. So, with whatever was left over from the loan, about a whole silver and some, was put toward a backpack, canteens of water, and food for the week.

He would have loved to invest in a better weapon than the shoddy dagger and maybe some armor, but feeding himself and staying hydrated were imperative. Besides, even if the drops weren't good, weapon drops were common on the first floor. 

Not to mention, higher-ranked Divers often left a trail of unclaimed items in their wake as they ascended to the higher floors. 

'Or was it descending?'

'Who knows… That doesn't really matter.'

What mattered was that once he entered, it was impossible to exit for at least a week. He'd be stuck there with no way of returning until the labyrinth closed and he was spat out…

The labyrinth was weird with time… It moved 'slower.' One could spend a week in the labyrinth, yet only an hour passed in the real world. 

Peace was curious about how that phenomenon would be explained, if it had an explanation... Was it a relativistic phenomenon caused by gravity? Or something else in the works?

Peace could ponder that when he had business to. For now, all he needed to concern himself with was surviving and beating whatever challenge presented itself in front of him.

Still, he would have loved to form a party with… anyone.

When he saw the other Night Elves in the Diver's Guild, he got hope he could team up with them, but they seemed to have more prejudice against him than anyone else.

And every other race seemed predisposed to distrust him, except the Barbarians and maybe the Lizardpeople…

The Barbarians were just too dumb and naive to see him as whatever threat the others perceived him as, then the Lizarpeople, because they were in a similar sort of boat…

Peace wasn't exactly sure of why, but the Lizardpeople were a tribe that had been ostracized from the beastmen coalition; their species used to be recognized alongside them, but for some reason, that wasn't the case anymore. 

The few Lizardpeople he'd come across hadn't really seemed spooked, but it was hard to tell with their almost serpentine, scaly faces. However, Lizardpeople usually didn't team up with those outside their own race, so Peace didn't feel he'd have much luck on that end.

Then there were the Barbarians, but there weren't too many, and they all seemed to have their own groups. Not to mention they were… dumb. It wasn't unforeseen that a Barbarian, if left unchecked, could get an entire cohort killed.

Sometimes the greatest danger wasn't a traitor or a beast, but an incompetent ally.

While Peace didn't have an issue with Barbarians, he felt he had a better chance alone than if he was partnered up with one…

That came from his own experience in the game. Of the few times he played solo when his sister was especially sick or doing other things, there were two different cases where his character had died in their sleep while a Barbarian was supposed to be on lookout duty…

Moving forward… 

There was a bigger issue other than appearance.

The true essence of the problem was his visible lack of equipment and experience. He looked like dead weight, so it was no wonder nobody wanted anything to do with him. After all, the same reason he didn't want to be left alone with a Barbarian teammate applied…

Nothing was more dangerous in the labyrinth than an incompetent ally.

Peace didn't really blame them, because that sentiment was entirely true… he had no idea how to wield a blade and was the weakest of the weak… His knowledge should help him scrape by, but it really boils down to the practical application — even Peace himself wasn't quite sure of how he'd fare on that front. 

In an ironic twist, the only thing giving Peace a semblance of confidence was the short stints he'd spent as a monster. The harrowing moments had, in a way, forced his adjustment to this cruel world. 

While Peace hadn't even entered the portal yet, though he was now drawing close, he was sure that having encountered those grotesque, corrupted abominations would serve to help him regulate his nerves when actually facing a beast.

Peace stared at the portal, which seemed to grow in size as he got closer… no, it was actually growing, but only a little. The edge of the circle was stretching to the right, forming a more oblique, warped shape. 

Peace gripped the straps of his backpack as he stepped closer and closer, as more of the crowd shuffled in. 

A weird frigid sensation enveloped him as he got even closer — it felt as if the cold hands of death were slowly working their way around his body, touching every pore and crease.

Closer… closer…

Then… 

'Here goes nothing.'

Peace took a cautious, yet brave step, and soon the cold chill that was starting to drown him was replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling… almost like he was drunk.

His vision grew blurry and was covered in a gray film. His body felt as if it had been lifted off the ground, and he was now falling into an endless chasm. 

Then, color quickly returned, and Peace found himself standing alone… atop a mountain of bones.

The portal to the labyrinth had consumed him and spit him out into the Maw of Hell.

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