Chapter 10

Though Lewis remained conscious throughout the entire exchange, his hearing and sight was dull and crippled. Ariadne's thread had descended and fell onto Lewis, immediately exiting everyone present in the Labyrinth, which was only three people. Pasiphae, Lewis, and one starved and weak unknown C-Team member that had been lost in the Labyrinth. The surrounding area around the gate was covered with people in suits and uniforms as well as reporters and guild representative teams. As soon as the three appeared randomly and the portal vanished, there was a rush of movement. None were faster than Ariel and Joshua as they rushed to Lewis's side and began inspecting him. His crimson stained body glinted dully with the blood he was painted in. His unfocused eyes dilating wildly attempted to focus on who was touching him.

"My God! What happened in there?" Ariel finally released the tears she had been holding for the past three days. The tears dropped down on Lewis, mixing with bits of blood and leaving trails as the droplets dripped down his body. Lewis attempted to speak but only garbling of incoherent sounds came out. His mind had suffered greatly, and was in the process of fixing the damaged nerves and motor functions that had been impaired both from the Labyrinth and the trap set by Janus.

"We need medical attention over here! Trauma, we have a severe trauma victim here!" Joshua turned and shouted. A team of medical personnel rushed to the scene with utmost urgency and began treating Lewis. Nothing made sense to Lewis, his mind still unable to process that the fighting was over. His vines instinctively activated and slammed the people away. His body reacted by standing itself up using known pathways to operate. The sword had remained grasped in his hand, its chipped and broken edge drenched in gore as well as his appearance gave off a chilling image to those that could see.

"Lewis! Calm down! We're alright now!" Pasiphae jumped in front of Lewis as he rushed forward with broken movements, the tainted blade plunged through her chest as she blocked it from piercing Ariel, who was caught off guard and in pure shock. Looks of confusion crossed Lewis's face as he tried to understand what he was doing. He felt like he heard Ariel and Joshua, but he felt the many hands of the demon hordes touching his body. His sword had hit something fleshy, so he twisted the blade and swung outwards and to the left, cleaving a path through Pasiphae's left side. The blood sprayed on the ground in the path the sword had taken.

"LEWIS!" Joshua lunged forward and attempted to grab Lewis, but Lewis's body reacted instinctively and grabbed Joshua's arm with the vines, throwing him off to the side and into a nearby news van. Joshua fell to the ground with a grunt and a broken arm. Ariel was still in shock, unable to process what Lewis was doing. It seemed as if he still thought he was in a fight for his life. But what really shook her, was how powerful he had gotten in only three days. Joshua stood up and grunted as he drew his own blade. A small sword barely any bigger than Lewis's.

"If that's how it's to be, then I'll retrieve you from whatever nightmare you're seeing by force!" Joshua launched himself forward, blocking the vines with the sword and using his broken arm to send Lewis flying with a well placed punch to his face. Though the blow was meant to send Lewis to the ground unconscious, Lewis did not do as planned. The vines kept him upright and continued to protect him. Ariel walked shakily up to Lewis and touched him on the arm. The vines, sensing no danger, remained at the ready.

"You've already won." Ariel trembled. For a moment, Lewis's eyes became clear, he saw perfectly for that one moment. His eyes locked with Ariel's, he saw the fear and concern in her eyes, reminding him of his mother when she would clean him up after a school fight.

"Mo- uh… huh?" Lewis mumbled before he finally allowed the fatigue to take him. His body collapsed into Ariel's arms, and she slowly lowered him to the ground. Pasiphae, having fully healed with no trace save for the fresh rip in her clothes and the still wet blood that decorated it, walked up to Lewis as well.

"What even happened in there? And who are you?" Ariel looked up and asked.

"He defeated the Labyrinth, challenged even a god and came out victorious." Pasiphae exaggerated with bits of truth. Ariel looked at the strange woman but ultimately decided to ignore her after the strange statement. Joshua, being the cautious one, walked over and took the sword from Lewis's hands and threw it a few feet away. With the threat seemingly taken care of, the medical team approached cautiously and began to treat Lewis with emergency first aid.

***

A week later, Lewis found himself waking up from his unconscious state, irritated once again by the fact that he was unconscious. But, a more welcome sight greeted him instead of the usual ceiling, it was the system's messages.

[You have 743 unopened messages.]

"Uh, can it be summed up instead?" Lewis asked the system, not feeling like opening each message individually.

[Processing request… affirmed. You have 8 unopened reports.]

"Significantly better. Alright let's see the reports." Lewis was now sitting up and looking through the reports made by the system.

[You have slain 356 Synthetica Monstra and The Minotaur, conquering the Labyrinth.]

[You have Leveled up 31 times.]

[The Rose and Brown Bear Blessings have been sacrificed for an emergency protocol situation.]

[You have earned the Titles; Slayer of Minotaur, Conqueror of The Labyrinth, Champion of Janus, and Inverted Fighter.]

[You have earned 20 additional SP and 4500 CP.]

[Jungle Vine has increased to the maximum Tier; Unique. Gray Wolf has increased to Epic Tier. House Centipede Temporarily entered Unique Tier, it is now Rare Tier. Black Ant has become Uncommon Tier. Gained Unique Tier Mythological Blessing; Minotaur.]

[You have gained (5) new skills.

Intimidate (Rank A) (Active)- User can use his aura to overwhelm an opponent or threaten if needed. Can be used without the activation of any Blessings.

Regeneration (Rank C) (Passive)- User's body will heal slowly at a rate of 27% HP per minute. Can be Ranked Up.

Novice Swordsman (Rank E) (Active)- User is a Novice with the sword. Can be Ranked up, will change name when ranked up.

Inversion (Rank S) (Active)- User can change Neural Pathways at will to remain in a fight, or to change the path of blood flow in allies with mortal wounds. Does not fully heal, but brings the state to serious.

Choice (Rank S) (Active)- Gifted by Janus to his chosen Champion, the user will be able to present 'Choices' to an opponent. Opponent will be unable to choose any choice other than what was presented. Use limited to 3 per day.]

[Stats have been increased permanently by;

STR- +12

DEX- +9

INT- +20

MAG- +5

CON- +17]

[Status

Name: Lewis Padova Age: 14

Titles: (7) Level: 63

Soul Rank: EX Health: 100% Mana: 100%

Strength: 96 Charisma: 83

Dexterity: 96 Magic: 90

Intelligence: 110 Constitution: 103

Free SP: 51

Skills: Soul Companions:

Infinite Compatibility (Passive): Rank EX Animal Soul Blessing: 2/?

Soul Sight (Active): Rank EX

Nature's Envoy (Passive): Rank EX Insect Soul Blessing: 3/?

Hellfire (Active): Rank B

Shadow Manipulation (Active): Rank A Plant Soul Blessing: 2/?

Touch of Anubis (Active): Rank S

Intimidate (Active): Rank A Mythological Soul Blessing: 5/?

Regeneration (Passive): Rank C

Novice Swordsman (Active): Rank E

Inversion (Active): Rank S

Choice (Active): Rank S

Companion Points (CP): 13,505]

"I see, I'm in the final few digits of D-Rank. Well, let's jump right into C-Rank." Lewis began distributing the SP based on what he felt was needed currently.

[STR: 96->101

DEX: 96->107

INT: 110-110

CHA: 83->100

MAG: 90->103

CON: 103->108]

Looking at all his stats being above or at a hundred gave Lewis an odd sense of relief. All of what he had been through during the summer, wasn't in vain or for naught. Though now he was more interested in how much he could do with his new stats and Blessings. After dismissing the status screen and removing the cords and tubes that were monitoring him, Lewis proceeded to find his way out of the hospital before someone came to check on him. It didn't fully work, as the systems monitoring him gave out the alerts and the doors flung open. Nurses and doctors flooded in to check the now empty bed and wide open window. The nurses and doctors ran to the window to look out, ignoring the figure that creeped out the now open doors. Lewis was dressed in a hospital gown and nothing else.

"I need clothes…" Lewis muttered as he walked leisurely through the hallways, as if he was meant to be out. His chance for clothes presented an opportunity when he noticed a placard that read 'Laundry'. He dipped inside and looked around. It was all white, a few simple washers and dryers, and only blankets, sheets and pillows could be seen.

"Right, hospital." Lewis sighed. He was so tired of being in hospitals, and he was almost certain that his discharge was going to be delayed for too long. He needed to test his capabilities now. Luckily, hidden in all of the blankets, was a pair of scrubs and converse shoes. Along with socks and under garments. The only problem was, they were women's clothes. The converse were unisex, but it was undeniably worn by a woman. Lewis sighed and still stole the clothes, minus the bra and panties, and proceeded to dress himself quickly.

"I'm too old for this shit." Lewis complained under his breath. Successfully dressed and seemingly disguised, he walked out of the laundry room, unaware of the rustling in the back corner linen closet. The door opened and a naked woman peeked out.

"Did they notice?" A man's voice asked from behind her. The woman looked down and turned white.

"Yeah, they stole my clothes… and left a hospital gown in its place." She began to cry. But Lewis was unaware of that, he was already in an elevator heading for the ground floor.

***

Lewis walked the roads and streets, looking for an unmonitored dungeon for his desire to try his new abilities out. Needless to say, unmonitored did not fit the description of any portal he came across.

"It would be too convenient to find something that easily." Lewis mumbled as he walked, fully dressed as a nurse, along the busy sidewalks. Convenience still managed to find him, as a portal opened up right across the street from him. The people who were walking screamed and ran away as the light green portal appeared with a static crackling sound.

"I was looking for one, sure, but I didn't mean to open one up in the middle of town… hah, beggars can't be choosers." Lewis sighed and sprinted for the portal. One of the bystanders noticed the mad dash and misinterpreted the motives. Thinking the young man was thinking of ending his life in a dungeon, the high schooler dove for Lewis and grabbed his waist, only to be dragged into the portal with him. The two hit the rocky ground and rolled, both grunting from the impact. Lewis stood up and looked at the wild red haired girl that threw his balance off.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lewis asked the girl heatedly.

"I saw you running for the portal. I was trying to save you." The girl stood up and dusted herself off while snapping back her reply.

"Save me from what?" Lewis looked at the girl with irritation in his steel blue eyes.

"Dying." The girl was now cross armed and staring at Lewis with a heated look in her similarly steel colored eyes. She wore her school uniform, which consisted of a white button up, again, a black long sleeve jacket embroidered on the edges with deep green. The Aaru symbol patched onto the left breast pocket. A black skirt that stopped at the knees, and the typical black thigh-highs and black shoes finished the look.

"Why would I die? I'm just raiding a dungeon, albeit illegally." Lewis admitted. The girl's face turned red as she realized she had misinterpreted the intentions of the boy.

"Okay, but why are you dressed in a nurse's outfit with no weapon if you were raiding a dungeon?" The girl changed the subject, trying to justify her mistake.

"Don't need the weapon, the outfit was… circumstances." Lewis turned away and muttered. He looked down the singular path typical of a low class dungeon, it seemed to be in a cave setting as he could see stalactites all over the path.

"Well, we should wait for Hera's guild teams to arrive. It would be illegal to clear this dungeon, since it opened in their jurisdiction- and he's gone." The girl started talking while looking back at the portal. Since it was on cooldown after the two entered, she could only wait. But, when she looked back to Lewis, he had already vanished into the dungeon.

***

Kiara was driving through the downtown area her guild was charged with protecting after she received a call from her Guild Master about a high D-Rank dungeon that broke out in the middle of the city. Since no one was available, Kiara was charged with solo clearing the dungeon.

"Fuck this inconvenient errand! Hah, I just got word that whatever the Hephaestus Guild has been hiding, was in the damn hospital. Obviously it would be beneficial to us to find out who that hidden card of theirs is, and if it's as worth the trouble as they are going through, it would be even more beneficial to steal it away to the 'Garden'. So, can you do me that favor?" Kiara was talking on the phone with Francis, trying to convince him to go to the hospital for her.

"No." Francis replied, his creepiness getting stronger. The mental image of his perverse smile popped into Kiara's head and she shivered.

"Why not?" Kiara inquired, shaking the image away.

"Kiara… I will not say this a second time. Pursue this path further, and you will find yourself on my blade. Leave Hephaestus's secret alone." Francis's voice became dark and murderous. The fear gripping power creeping through the sound system of the car gripped Kiara's heart in a vice that caught her breath in her throat.

"Now that we understand each other, have fun with the raid!" Francis stated chiperly and hung up. Just as sudden as the fear gripped her, it was gone, leaving Kiara agitated and pissed off as she punched a hole through the radio.

"As if I'd ever listen to you!" Kiara shouted angrily as she put the pedal to the floorboard.

***

Lewis found that the dungeon was inhabited by kobolds. Not just kobolds, but Blue Kobolds. Which Lewis assumed was a variant of the basic kobold. Their ratings, at Adolescent, was high nineties, so Lewis had some challenges, but nothing compared to the Labyrinth. Lewis was only using his basic strength, without a blessing or any skills. Each opponent was met with fists, and each opponent was quickly dispatched. But, despite the numerous enemies he had fought, he never leveled up. Seeing as there was no 'Next level' bar to fill with XP, Lewis had no choice but to beat each enemy he came across. The further he went into the dungeon, the stronger the enemies got, almost to the point where they were at Lewis's level.

"How deep is this dungeon?" Lewis finally asked himself, after slamming a kobold's face into the cave wall, embedding it there, where it hung limply. The kobolds that were watching the monster in front of them, trembled and ran away in fear. Lewis smiled in amusement. Who knew monsters could feel fear? Unbeknownst to Lewis, Kiara had just entered the dungeon and met with the red headed girl, who gave Lewis's description to her.

"Oh, now things are getting interesting." Kiara smiled, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy who decided to try and steal a gate from her guild. Lewis, meanwhile, continued on forward, killing every kobold he met along the way using the basic martial arts he knew. Eventually, the kobolds stopped appearing, and Lewis progressed quickly through the dungeon until he came across a village built inside a large cavern. The way into the village was being protected by hundreds of kobolds, armed to the monster.

"A welcome party? For me? You shouldn't have!... seriously." Lewis stated before becoming serious. He activated the Black Ant blessing and went into the fray of monsters. Each punch thrown was like cannon fire, blowing apart the kobolds with every attack. Sometimes a single hit would take two to five out at a time. The terror stricken kobolds began to run, their ranks falling into disarray as Lewis fought through their armada. From atop their little high rise platform, the King and Queen Kobolds watched in horror as their army fell to pieces. Their village streets ran red, thick with the blood of their people. Soldiers, civilians, men, women, children and even the elderly were slaughtered as they tried to run away. None could escape the invader as it progressed gleefully towards them. The king stepped down and ran towards the beast with his mighty lance, but with a single punch, the lance was knocked into the air as the king himself was blown into bloody bits.

"Hmm… is that the last of the fighters? Everything else is just running away without fighting." Lewis muttered to himself. The weapon that was used by the last kobold was stuck in the ground next to him. It had a red wooden shaft and a curved blue blade, adorned with blue leather-like grips and unknown orange and red feathers at the base of the blade.

[Kobold Guardian Lance (Class C)- Made by ancient kobolds through a process of filtered moonlight and the flames of a rebirthing phoenix, this weapon holds significant importance to the Blue Kobolds. Only the guardian and leader of the Blue Kobolds are able to wield this weapon. Adds +20 to Charisma and +12 to Dexterity. User can Lead Blue Kobolds. Would the User like to take in the Kobolds? User owns (1) Gate capable of housing them.]

Lewis read the description as he picked the lance up. To say the least, Lewis was impressed with its look and abilities. What caught him off guard was the second part of the message.

"I own a gate? I can own gates? Will it add to my strength?" Lewis began asking questions. Though he didn't have much time to ponder, as he was interrupted by a taller Kobold bowing at his feet.

[Queen Kobold

Age: 15

Rating: 105.1

STR: 90 CHA: 123

DEX: 103 MAG: 120

INT: 108 CON: 87]

"Queen Kobold? Damn that's high charisma and magic stats! So in a high D-Rank dungeon, the Boss Monsters are low C-Rank? Bowing, does that equal surrender? Will I even clear the dungeon if I accept?" Lewis once again began asking.

"Furah nauk don, seknet kascina harah dona joorahfah. Foo yunuma joo du kipyinoo, seknet kasip lipiyati." The kobold spoke in an unknown language.

[Non-Earth language detected. Prerequisite met. Unlocking EX Rank skill - Universal Tongue. Translating language; Kobold derivative- Koblu. "Dear Great one, please accept this one's surrender. On behalf of my people, please have mercy."]

"So the locked skills have prerequisites?" Lewis muttered.

"This one begs the Great One's pardon, but this one did not understand what the Great One means." The Queen Kobold replied to Lewis's comment.

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm just talking to myself." Lewis dismissed the reply, still lost in his thoughts. It wasn't until after he had replied that it registered that he understood the monster.

"This one apologizes for mistaking the direction of the statement." The Queen remained bowed.

"Uh, well, since you're responding, I have a question I'd like answered." Lewis knelt down and stated. The queen lifted her face but looked back down quickly upon seeing Lewis so close. She looked like a fox in her facial construction, but blue fur instead of either white, gray or orange. This thought caused Lewis to relax and he naturally began petting the kobolds head. The long fur that mimicked human styled hair threw Lewis off only briefly.

"Uhm, w-what is it that the Great One wishes to ask?" The queen replied shakily.

"Nevermind, I've already answered my question. I'll take you guys in for sure, don't worry. It's okay now." Lewis had a very contented look on his face. Afterall, he certainly loved animals, and though the kobold could speak, walk, and act like a human, the kobold he was talking to looked too much like a fox to be evil towards it, the fact that they looked like foxes caused him to feel guilty after simply obliterating them for fighting back.

"Does this mean that the Great One has accepted this one's surrender, and is offering mercy?" The queen looked up excitedly, but instead of the evil and gleeful smile she had previously seen on the monster's face as he massacred all in his path, she saw immense kindness and pure happiness as Lewis continued to stroke her head.

"Mmhmm, sure. Poor little foxes, I must have scared you, well scarred more like…" Lewis stated, and then returned back to his senses for a moment. He took his hand off of the kobolds head and stood up, his mind now elsewhere. After he had stated he would take them in, a portal had opened up, instinctively he knew this was his 'Owned' gate. The queen, sensing no hostility, pushed her luck and tried to stand, but began to fall shakily and weakly back to the ground. Lewis, noticing the struggle of the kobold, grabbed her by the arm, catching her before she could fall.

"Oops, can't have you hurting yourself little one." Lewis held onto her and stared at a message that had popped up.

[Beginning transfer of the Blue Kobold Tribe, Moon Phoenix. Transferring to The Labyrinth. Gate status: Undeveloped. Inhabitants: Moon Phoenix Tribe. Current Mood: Scared/Nervous/Angry/Sad. Population: 27 User is urged to change the mood of the inhabitants when time is available.]

The scattered kobolds vanished one by one as they were transferred to The Labyrinth. Lewis, being as curious as he was, watched in fascination and confusion as the number of inhabitants rose. Minus the exception of the queen he was holding onto, the population stopped rising after seventy-three.

"This one offers great gratitude to the Great One for the mercy he has given." The queen thanked Lewis.

"Uh, sure. You can call me Lewis by the way. You are?" Lewis, being tired of how he was being referred to, asked the kobold.

"This one is known as this one. This one has no name." The queen replied. Lewis stared at the kobold in disbelief and confusion.

"You speak, have civilization and organization, but you have no names? That is just confusing. Too confusing for me so I'll be calling you Eve. That way I at least can differentiate you from the other… probable female ones?" Lewis looked at the Kobold, though there was hardly much notable difference between the kobolds, he could see that she was slender and wore top and bottom leather rags with feathers for clothes, not to mention long blue fur/hair that flowed from her head to her back. Mostly, Lewis just remained confused about the biology of the kobolds. Eve finally bowed and then she too vanished into the Labyrinth.

"I have a lot to learn about this system." Lewis muttered to himself. He reached down and picked up the new lance he received and turned to leave, but what he met instead was the redhead and a well dressed older woman with her brown hair tied up in a bun. Both looked at the carnage in pure astonishment. Lewis was unsure of how long they had been standing there and hoped it wasn't long enough to see the interactions he just had.

"You did all of this?" The red head exclaimed incredulously.

"Astounding! Are you part of a guild? How about just coming with me anyway?" Kiara exclaimed as she rushed up to Lewis and grabbed his shoulders, she spoke in an excited manner.

"Uh, yes I did do this, and hell no. I'm… not ready to join a guild yet." Lewis answered the red head honestly, but lied to the older woman. Her eyes narrowed with hostility.

"Then by rights, that weapon you hold belongs to me and my guild." Kiara reached for the weapon, but Lewis dodged to the side and started walking. Kiara, already in a poor mood, drew out a handle that upon charging with magic, became a long thin blade.

"I suggest you listen to me young man, what happens in a dungeon, remains in a dungeon after all." Kiara threatened Lewis. Lewis, sensing the hostility and killing intent, chose to activate the house centipede. A light crackling of static took to shooting along his body, and streaks of white appeared in his hair.

"You're welcome to try and make me." Lewis sneered in reply. Kiara took off towards Lewis, but with a shockwave of air, Lewis vanished before Kiara could even touch him. The cave system shook with the exit and stalactites fell all around, echoing throughout the now desolate cavern from all directions. Both Kiara and the red haired girl stared in pure shock after the boy. Kiara was even more intent on getting that boy to join her guild, whatever Hephaestus was hiding could wait, an even better opportunity had appeared before her.