Monstrous Ecosystem

Illuminated by the faint hue of luminous moss, the misty forest was awash in a colourful afterglow.

Rays of mellow light filtered through the leaves of verdurous shrubs, casting a ghostly green–yellow luminescence over the ground. The tall blackened tree trunks seemed ancient and timeless as they disappeared into the clouds of mist above, rough with age, yet this roughness was worn down by the soft greenness of lichen that transformed the trees overtime, slowly making it their home.

Twisted roots dipped in and out of the ground and smooth sinewy branches reached down from the clouds like fingers grasping at anything they could find. Wreathing the trees like vines of ivy, ever frozen in a twisted embrace.

I slithered over the ground that was dark and wet from little droplets of water, over curled brown leaves half-embedded in the soil, trampled further down by the occasional wandering beast.

The small foot prints of flitting creatures and birds were still crisp, remembered by its form in the soil. I observed each print as I passed by, adjusting my course accordingly as I avoided the distinctive paws of wolves and other predators that were currently out of my capability.

In the misty canopy, things twittered and chirped in ghastly tones, calling in distant melodies to their kin. Large rustlings from above could also be heard as enormous creatures scampered through the hidden foliage, though it was drowned out by the great rumblings of creatures on the ground.

Deep low growls, hisses and the scraping of claws were perceived in rebounding vibrations through the air. They seemed to come from every direction, assaulting my senses all at once with the constant noise.

Quickly as I could, I darted under the cover of leaves, continuing my journey undetected.

The forest air was as humid and dense as I remembered, the air filled my lungs once again with that strange lightheaded feeling, like being able to breathe underwater without any difficulty. As I breathed in, I saw my MP bar that had been depleted from using the heat sense sphere in the cave move up a point.

I had theories about this but since this was a foreign world I couldn't be sure.

Air was composed of many gases and water, yet the air I breathed felt thicker than I remembered, like it had an abundance of water molecules and something else mixed in. I would call it magic but that was too broad a term.

I remembered how quickly my wounds seemed to heal out here compared to the cave.

"The air of the Labyrinth has healing properties, am I correct?" I asked the ever present voice in my head.

«In a sense, yes. The composition of the air in this world is similar to that of earth. A mixture of gases coincide to form the atmosphere, one of which is Ether.

According to mortals, It is theorised to be the purest essence of life created by the gods, a breath of sorts filling the entirety of Aeon, equivalent to the air you breathe back on earth but with charged particles of energy.

It is the essential element for every living thing on Aeon, and what causes you to heal faster. The Labyrinth has a higher content of it than the surface does, so the feeling is more prominent here. The deeper into the Labyrinth you go, the more the amount of ether increases.»

Sensei's words caused me to ponder as I struggled to understand. If Ether was compared to something like oxygen back on earth. Could all creatures really withstand breathing it in at higher volumes?

Something as beneficial as oxygen became a poison that caused cell damage at higher concentrations, so wouldn't that make breathable air with a higher concentration of ether toxic? Was there no detriment to this, or condition caused by ether poisoning? Did every creature simply evolve to withstand this?

What about the plants and animals on the surface that had normal conditions? Would they survive if they were brought down into the Labyrinth?

Was this why I felt so lightheaded whenever I came out of the cave?

An overabundance of any gas in the atmosphere typically threw the harmony of lifeforms out of sync. It would explain the incredibly tall trees, and the larger than average bugs. But it failed to explain why I felt fine inside the cave, and not out here.

As I moved through the trees thinking of an answer, the only obvious sign pointed to the mist. It covered the top of the forest and parts of the forest floor but did not seep into the cave. Was it because of this?

"What exactly is this mist?" I questioned Sensei.

«It is a mixture of ether particles and water. The upper stratum has a varying concentration of ether. It has coalesced with all bodies of water within the Labyrinth.

There is a magma chamber in the warmer regions north of this place. The rocks there are heated which forms geysers from the groundwater. This heat is the source of the continuous torrent of mist you see here.»

The mystery behind the mist intrigued me. I was fascinated by a Labyrinth containing so much ether, it even affected areas with different climates. If I explored this area further would I reach the geyser?

I sighed helplessly. It was very difficult to get anywhere without a map.

Would I be able to find it?

The thought of wandering around aimlessly did not appeal to me at all.

Sensei's explanation made sense, but he failed to clarify something. He mentioned the Labyrinth had a higher quantity of ether than the surface. If ether was like a normal gas, its quantity should be constant all over the world, not more in certain places than others.

I doubted conditions here were the same as outside.

If the outside had less amounts of Ether, where did all the additional ether come from? There had to be something producing it here. Wouldn't it be dangerous if high levels here were the same as above the ground? Having too much of anything was no better than poison.

"What is the percentage of ether in the upper and inner stratum compared to outside?"

«It stabilises around 23% reaching upwards of 28%. Outside the Labyrinth conditions are balanced at 20%»

"Wouldn't that mean the air here is toxic? What about the creatures outside the Labyrinth, can they live in here? What about the plants growing here, are they safe to eat?"

«The air here can be breathed only by creatures above the ground that have mana within their bodies. But yes, it is indeed toxic. If you were to leave the upper stratum and go to the inner or lower stratum as you are, the air itself would kill you. The plants are only mildly toxic to some species and can be fatal to others if eaten unprocessed.»

How can he say that so casually?

My mana levels were low but so far I'd been able to breathe just fine. Aside from the lightheaded feeling which wasn't uncomfortable.

I thought back to the cliffside overlooking the mangrove forest I'd visited so easily right after birth and I shivered. Wasn't that part of the inner stratum? I never stayed longer than a few seconds, but did that mean I nearly died twice? What if I stayed longer on both visits!

"The mangrove forest, what layer of the Labyrinth is it?"

«It is still part of the upper stratum.»

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was astonishing that a forest that big was only part of the top layer. This made me wonder just how many layers there were exactly.

"How many levels are in the Labyrinth?"

«There are seven levels of the Great Ailith Labyrinth. You are on the very first. The first two layers class as the upper stratum, the next three are the inner stratum and the final two are the lower stratum.»

That meant, right now under the ground there were six more pockets of land to explore. How huge! The enormous scale of the labyrinth felt scary and inconceivable. I was doubtful of its actual size. How could such a thing still exist without getting crushed by gravity pulling it down. Did this world even have rules?

"How big is it exactly?"

«Ailith is a continent, the labyrinth covers the entirety of the underground space.»

What a monstrous ecosystem!

As I navigated the forest floor I kept thinking about it. A whole world under the ground like a hollow earth. I would find it cool if my mind wasn't racing at the idea. Just how long would it take to explore it all. Was that even possible? What sort of creatures lived down there?

Almost immediately I saw the glowing outline of two monsters amidst the trees through my [Heat Sense]. I activated [Silence] and [Stealth] as I warily approached the scene.

I moved closer, enough to see what was happening but far enough to stay undetected. Peering through the leaves of my concealed area I saw two monsters facing off against each other.

A slender feline monster with elongated sharp claws glared at its opponent - another monster with thick hardened fur resembling a wild boar. I watched the boar getting ready for a charge by digging its hooves into the ground. The vibrations ringing in the air because of the movements of their large bodies made me tremble.

Would I dare to stick around and explore such a terrifying Labyrinth?

The answer was no.

It was interesting but I refused! As soon as I was strong enough, I was breaking out from here to the surface. I wanted to see people, cities, taste different kinds of food, and hopefully find my classmates. I've had enough of these deadly, ravenous creatures.

A fragile gir-snake...a cute little snake like myself did not belong in this savage place.