“Don’t worry, the doctors from the Petropolus mansion will tend to you soon,” said the maid in a calm tone, though her gaze betrayed more impatience than compassion.
In her arms, she carried a girl with multiple wounds. The most painful of them all was an arrow that had pierced through her Achilles tendon. The arrow was laced with a venom that caused a burning sensation.
“Sniff… sniff… Why does the labyrinth have to be so dangerous?” the girl sobbed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
‘The master was clear about the risks, and everyone signed the contract…’ thought the woman, though she said nothing.
“You’ll be good as new soon. There’s even a reward for everyone, depending on how long you stayed in the labyrinth,” the woman added, trying to lift the girl’s spirits.
Though the Petropolus family was a centuries-old lineage of gorgons, as a mere servant, she couldn’t afford to offend any of these teenagers. She didn’t know all their backgrounds.
‘This generation… weaker and weaker. In our society, there’s no room for so much sensitivity. It’s the result of getting too close to normies. This would never have happened in the past,’ she thought, shaking her head internally.
However, not all was lost. Among the teenagers, there were a few standouts who had caught her attention that night. The most remarkable included Wednesday Addams, Enid Sinclair, and of course Luke Poe, with his “little prank” that had gone too far.
The latter was the strangest of all, having spent thirteen years of his life in a normie orphanage. Even so, he possessed a fierceness and ruthlessness that surpassed that of other outcasts his age.
The maid walked carefully, carrying the girl with great care and caution, though she tried to move as quickly as possible. The labyrinth had a shifting and deceptive design; traps could appear in unexpected places, and the paths could reconfigure themselves at any moment.
The girl continued to sob. The maid pressed her lips together, holding back the words she wanted to say. Her only priority was to reach the exit of the labyrinth without triggering another trap and ensure that this whiny child could be healed.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling roar echoed through the darkness, a powerful sound that made the ground tremble beneath the maid’s feet.
A figure burst out of the shadows with alarming speed.
“What!?” the maid murmured, her pulse racing as she instinctively stepped back. She couldn’t clearly see what was rushing toward them, but her instincts screamed danger. All she could make out was a pair of glowing red eyes piercing through the darkness.
Thanks to her reflexes, she managed to move in time, stepping aside just before the spot where she had been standing was obliterated with devastating force.
The unidentified creature crashed into the ground, creating a crater at the point of impact. Fragments of stone and earth flew into the air.
‘That was close…’ thought the maid, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. If she hadn’t moved in time, she would have been crushed-a painful death for sure.
“GROOOOOAR!” the creature roared, making the ground tremble beneath her feet.
‘A Hyde? No…’ the maid thought, stepping back again and narrowly dodging another collision that would have been fatal.
The creature charged again. Its speed was incredible. Facing this third attack, the maid had no choice but to hurl the injured girl as far as possible from the monster. Otherwise, both of them would die.
“Run!” the maid shouted, her hair suddenly transforming into snake-like shapes that hissed menacingly, their eyes fixed on the charging beast.
The girl, trembling with fear, rolled on the ground and tried to get up as quickly as she could. Her foot was completely useless, and every movement was agony.
As she limped away, her gaze shifted to the fierce battle between the maid and the monster. This wasn’t part of the game. The creature’s bloodlust made her shiver, even though she wasn’t its target.
The maid managed to turn the creature’s muscular right forearm to stone. However, frustration was clear on her face. It wasn’t enough. She needed to petrify the entire arm to neutralize it, but the petrification stopped and refused to spread further.
The creature let out a deafening roar that made the air around them vibrate. The sound wave struck both the maid and the girl, causing their ears to erupt in sharp, searing pain.
Both of them clutched their heads, but it was useless. The girl, still stumbling as she fled, felt a warm trickle of blood running from her ears, just like the maid, who was momentarily stunned.
The monster seized the opportunity. It raised its massive arm and slammed it down hard on the gorgon maid’s arm.
A sharp crack echoed through the air, and the maid was sent flying several meters back, colliding with one of the labyrinth’s walls, her left arm hanging limp and useless.
“Damn it, this isn’t good…” the maid growled through gritted teeth. She couldn’t match the monster in either strength or speed.
Moreover, she watched in horror as the monster abruptly flexed its muscular, petrified arm. The stone coating its skin was no more than a superficial layer.
Applying force, the petrification began to crack with a dry sound, like shattering glass. The monster moved its arm, and shards of the stone layer flew through the air, falling to the ground in harmless fragments. Within seconds, the arm was completely free.
‘I’m going to die here… At least I need to buy that brat some time,’ thought the maid, bracing herself for the next round against the monster, which was already leaping at her with brutal
force.
Her only hope was that her companions from the Petropolus mansion would locate and rescue her. However, she knew that possibility was slim.
The labyrinth’s ever-changing design made it nearly impossible to find her quickly, even with Ajax monitoring everything through the cameras.
The battle was becoming increasingly one-sided. The exchanges between the maid and the creature only highlighted the monster’s growing superiority. Its speed and strength were overwhelming, and the maid was barely managing to dodge its attacks.
One of her arms was completely useless, hanging lifelessly at her side, while the other was beginning to falter due to deep cuts and the constant flow of blood. Her vision was starting to
blur.
At least she had managed to buy a few minutes for the injured girl, who was now out of sight. The labyrinth’s unpredictable design was her only advantage; in an open space, the creature, once it finished her off, would easily catch up to the girl with its speed.
Suddenly, the monster roared and raised its arm, ready to deliver the final blow. The maid could barely stand, and for a moment, she accepted her fate.
But just as the attack seemed imminent, a sharp sound like crackling lightning tore through
the air.
Before the monster’s strike could land, a figure appeared at astonishing speed, leaving a trail of bluish light in its wake.
It was an Asian girl about 16 years old. Her hair was straight and long, divided into two tones: jet black dominated most of it, with vibrant purple streaks standing out.
Her hairstyle was tied into a sleek high ponytail, with straight bangs covering her forehead.
It was Nao Tomori, the champion of the fighting tournament.
Nao’s leg landed squarely on the monster’s face. The impact forced the creature to stumble back several meters-a less impressive effect than Nao had anticipated.
The monster slowly raised its head, its gaze locking onto Nao. Its glowing red eyes burned brighter, and a low, guttural growl filled the air.
“Great… I just made it angrier,” Nao muttered, her tone a mix of sarcasm and concern.
“Are you alright?” asked a pale girl with long black hair and sunglasses. It was Yoko, who
looked at the maid with a hint of worry upon seeing her injuries.
“When did you get here?” the maid asked, a mix of confusion and relief in her voice.
Besides Yoko, there were two other boys. They were the ones Luke had overtaken the first time he began flying at high speed, with one of them mocking his method.
“We heard the sounds of battle. Though it’s incredible that despite how close we were to each other, the labyrinth managed to bring us together at this point. I guess, for once, we got lucky with this cursed shifting design,” Yoko replied.
“Did you come across the injured girl?” the maid asked, but before anyone could respond, several roars identical to the monster in front of them echoed near their position.
“What the hell…?” one of the boys murmured, swallowing hard as his expression shifted from
confidence to nervousness.
Facing a single monster in a four-against-one scenario was one thing. But taking on several
of these creatures was highly dangerous-almost suicidal.
The roars grew louder and more frequent. The ground began to vibrate slightly, as if the creatures were drawing closer. It was clear they weren’t dealing with just one monster but
several, all seemingly aware of their presence.
“Run!” Nao shouted, raising both hands toward the monster.
Without hesitation, she unleashed a large-scale electric discharge. A deafening crack tore
through the air as the lightning struck the monster head-on, engulfing it in a storm of
sparking bolts that spread across the area.
The creature let out a roar of pain, its body momentarily immobilized as the electricity
coursed through every fiber of its musculature.
Nao and the others took the opportunity to start running.
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