Saviour

Frustration washed over Hae as he read the screen. "Why now? Something could have happened," he muttered to himself reading the screen.

Time: 5 minutes

Ignoring the dwindling time, the group continued their desperate sprint across the vast desert. The horizon was a blur of heat and sand, offering no respite or hope.

(In a glitch level, failure meant an inescapable loop. Any attempt to cheat the system could result in glitches in other levels, leading to a death penalty. It was a cruel, unforgiving rule that left no room for error.)

As the countdown reached its final seconds, everyone began to chant in unison, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1…" Suddenly, a screen materialized before them.

Time: 1 hour

The group came to a halt, gathering in a tight circle around the screen. The desert was eerily quiet, the only sound being their heavy breathing and the soft whirring of the screen.

"So, what now? We have time, but we don't know what to do with it. This stupid glitch level," Yesil voiced her frustration, her eyes never leaving the screen. The uncertainty hung in the air, a palpable tension that mirrored the harsh desert around them.

A sudden beam of light pierced the desert sky, illuminating the five warriors. As their vision blurred momentarily, a figure emerged from the light. When their sight cleared, they found themselves staring at a familiar face.

"Mingu? What are you doing here?" Hae-Yun asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"I'm not sure. There was a glitch in the other level, and I ended up here. I think I was the only one teleported," Mingyu explained, his gaze shifting to the horde of monsters approaching them. "You might want to look behind you," he added nonchalantly.

The group turned around to see the monsters closing in. "Run!" Annya's scream echoed across the desert. But Mingyu had other plans.

"What's the point of running?" he asked, lifting everyone into the air with a wave of his hand. The monsters continued their charge beneath them, oblivious to their escape. "Did you all just run away from them all this time?" Mingyu questioned, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Well, yes, we did keep running because everyone here is useless," Mae-Noi retorted, raising an eyebrow at an embarrassed Hae-Yun.

Mingyu couldn't help but smirk. "So, I'm the only talented one here," he murmured to himself, surveying the now-empty desert beneath them. He gently lowered everyone back to the ground.

"So, what now?" Haein asked, looking expectantly at Mingyu.

Mingyu's expression was a mix of curiosity and disdain. "So, you all wasted your time trying to fight these monsters when you could've just stepped aside and let them pass. And secondly, did you not notice the commotion happening underneath? You can literally feel the ground shaking," he lectured.

"We don't feel anything underneath and-" Everyone stopped mid-sentence.

"I sensed everything as soon as I was teleported here," Mingyu interjected, a hint of pride in his voice. 

Mingyu placed his hand on the ground, and a soft blue light emanated from his palm, scanning the sand beneath them. The grains of sand began to shimmer, transforming into tiny particles of white glitter that sparkled under the harsh desert sun. It was as if the desert had been dusted with a layer of frost, the glittering particles dancing in the sunlight.

Slowly, the ground beneath them began to change. The sand, once coarse and hot, turned smooth and cool, as if it had transformed into a sheet of transparent glass. It was a sight to behold, the desert landscape replaced by a clear, glass-like surface that offered a view into the world beneath.

As their eyes adjusted to the change, a complex maze came into view beneath the surface. It was a labyrinth of winding paths and dead ends, the walls made of the same transparent material as the surface. The maze stretched out in all directions, its complexity a testament to the challenges that lay ahead.

At the far end of the maze, a door came into view. It was identical to the one in the previous level, its familiar appearance a stark contrast to the alien landscape of the maze. The door stood tall and imposing, a silent sentinel guarding the secrets of the level.

With a newfound understanding, Hae-Yun approached the glass surface above the door. Gathering his strength, he focused his energy and struck the glass. The force of his blow cracked the surface, creating a hole directly above the door.

The complexity of the maze beneath was daunting, seemingly impossible to navigate. In a glitch level, any attempt to bypass the challenges could be considered cheating, but they had no other choice. The risk was worth taking.

One by one, they made their way to the hole and jumped in, landing in front of the imposing door. Upon closer inspection, they noticed slots in the door, seemingly designed to hold something.