108 A Temporary Solution
Everything became a lot harder for Aeon after he was forced a level deeper into the labyrinth.
The moment Aeon stepped foot on it, he was already surrounded. Another battle was inevitable. He noticed that there were various types of monsters there as opposed to the previous floor. In a single glance, he could already tell that the current floor was a lot more difficult.
Aeon was exhausted to the brim, but he had no choice. He had to keep moving. He had to keep fighting.
Thankfully, the creatures there weren't as tenacious as the lizardmen. He didn't need magic on most of them.
Attack!
….
The carnage lasted for thirty minutes, putting a ton of stress on Aeon's body. He didn't even notice that he passed out afterward. He only found out when he woke up the next day.
….
Moving forward was extremely difficult. Aeon would encounter dozens of monsters every few hundred meters. And since there were plenty of creatures in the mix, studying their strengths and weaknesses became quite hard. Although Aeon had an excellent memory, he couldn't pay attention to each and every single detail while fighting. He could only gather small pieces of information per battle that he would combine later on.
Needless to say, searching for the exit became close to impossible, and he started paying less attention to the distance that he covered. He didn't care if he needed to retreat and give up his progress anymore as long as he was safe. However, the more time Aeon spent on that floor, the more anxious he became.
First and foremost, it didn't take a genius to figure out that the labyrinth was getting harder and harder the lower he went. With this in mind, Aeon still persevered despite having insignificant progress.
Following that pattern, if he fails to exit the current floor before the time limit ends, he'll be subjected to a harder one. The monsters there were already terrifying. How much more are those ten floors down?
The worst part was that, on the current floor, there were those creatures who were able to use magic again.
Thinking about this, Aeon started to ponder. A few moments later, he fell into a daze.
At that moment, Aeon was enlightened. He realized that the previous two floors indeed served as a clue for him regarding what to expect on the floors to come. They were purposefully building up his knowledge about the labyrinth.
Was it meant for him to utilize to survive?
Aeon hoped so.
They were subtle clues, but if one thought hard about them, they were huge giveaways.
He got a heads up that he would be encountering beasts that could use magic from the first floor and that he would be fighting creatures, unlike anything he had seen before.
Does that also mean that there were also illusions hidden on the current floor like the metallic walls though?
Aeon didn't know just yet.
These pieces of information did little to appease Aeon's worries, but they greatly affected the decisions that he would be making in the future. He would now be more attentive, keeping an eye out for the clue that the current floor would give him.
….
Even during nighttime, Aeon continued to move as much as he could. He cut his sleeping time by a huge fraction just to make some more progress. He didn't expect, however, that the frequency of attacks would not reduce in the slightest even at night. In the mix of creatures, there were actually nocturnal ones that continued harassing him in the dark.
It became even more annoying when it was finally time for Aeon to rest.
Aeon was in no way a light sleeper. However, maybe because of how anxious and cautious he was at the moment, he became one on the spot. The slightest sound woke him up. A lot of times, he found himself surrounded by beasts the moment that he opened his eyes.
He would fight, kill them all, move, then sleep again.
Aeon suffered no grave wounds on such events, but it was taking a huge toll on his mental stability.
Just the thought of dying in his sleep kept haunting him.
Unfortunately, he still had to rest. It was something that he couldn't give up no matter what happened.
….
Aeon's eye bags were getting darker and darker. It was already his 5th day on the third floor, but he hadn't even moved 20 kilometers away from his starting point. At that rate, he was quite sure that he was going to fail this one, even if the time limit for that floor was 10 days.
It seems that reality hadn't punched Aeon hard enough on the gut because just when it was starting to get dark, the ground started trembling. A huge fissure opened up, devouring Aeon. He tried to avoid falling, but the walls of the fissure started crumbling, leaving him no foothold.
Five days, at the same hour, he was booted out of the floor.
Aeon fell deeper into the labyrinth once more.
As he plummeted, he concluded that the time limit for every floor was a fixed five days.
The same number of days and at the exact same hour… it should no longer be a coincidence.
Probably, the only reason why he only stayed on the first floor for two days was that he entered it on the third day.
The look on Aeon's eyes became rather exhausted.
Another floor, another challenge.
….
Aeon wanted to curse his luck. If he knew that the "Trial" was going to be so hard, he would've trained harder. He would've trained longer too.
Alas, he was already at this point.
Aeon's eyes were peeled and his swords were unsheathed. He stared back at the pairs of eyes that observed him from the darkness.
When the monsters started charging at him, he enchanted his weapons.
Lightning flickered on and off in the darkness.
Blood spurted and broken limbs filled the earth.
Aeon's swords danced mercilessly.
He was already numb to the sensation of his swords burying themselves in another creature's body. The burning stench of their carcasses didn't bother him as much anymore too.
The look of determination filled Aeon's eyes. Anyone that would see those pair of eyes could immediately tell what they were screaming.
I will not fall here!
At that moment, the figures of his father and friends began flooding his consciousness, reminding him that he still had people to go back to. And this told him a lot.
He could go all out, but he shouldn't be too reckless. He should also spare enough energy for him to escape whenever needed. It wasn't about pride anymore. Retreating was also a military strategy. Thinking about those people kept Aeon sane and rational.
With a steady resolve, Aeon made a decision.
He thought that if there was absolutely no way for him to leave the floor that he was currently in, then he'll just temporarily give up on searching for the exit!
Instead, he'll learn how to survive in such an environment!
He'll learn how to contend against the monsters there, regardless of their abilities.
Tenro!
Observe, observe, observe! Just observe!
Kill any monster that's near! Become stronger!
In his stay on the 4th floor, Aeon didn't seem like a human being. He resembled an animal even more. He would hold his ground, and whenever a creature tries to harm him, he would bury his fangs into their necks, killing them on the spot. If everything goes south, he would escape without having second thoughts. Although he suffered various types of injuries, he would always comfort himself that at least he was still alive.
Whenever Aeon could, he would stuff his mouth with a fruit or two. He was using tons of energy each day, and he had to recover just as much. As a consequence, his supply was being depleted at a much faster rate. The sack he had been carrying since the first day was significantly smaller now.
At that point, Aeon couldn't care less anymore.
As long as he survives and gets stronger, he can take his revenge in the future and exit the labyrinth.
Shadow of colossal beasts could be seen from afar from where Aeon was standing, but his eyes showed no fear.
Charge!
In a span of a few days, Aeon couldn't even tell how many magical beasts, and otherworldly creatures he had slain. If his swords, Verdure and Zephyr, were ordinary, they would've rusted to the point of being unusable by now due to the amount of blood that ran through them. Heck, they might've even snapped already.
Thankfully, they were forged using outstanding materials.
….
As Aeon dropped deeper and deeper, he began to adjust to the environment. He also got the knack for finding illusions amongst reality. A couple of times, it saved his life because it provided him with a safe place to stay. Also, the clues that the other floors provided were utilized by him extremely well. Before Aeon even fell to the next floor, he already had an initial assessment of it.
As the days passed, Aeon became stronger and stronger. His body was conditioned to fight against any types of beasts, his endurance was trained to last for an entire day of combat without stopping, and his magic reservoir was expanded to fuel his spells for at least three days!
All of this, Aeon was aware of. He didn't know, however, that the rune branded on his forehead played a huge role in his rapid improvement.
Hunting colossal beasts became part of Aeon's everyday life. Eating their meat, too.
….
After 60 days, Aeon fell to the 16th floor.
A floor where only gigantic beasts that could use magic roamed.
There were no more floors below it.
….
