Beta Request - Chapters 7 - 9

Chapter 7 - You owe me.

Before I could say anything, Max shoved my arm away and strode toward the devil. His steps were quick and spaced. I followed him closely, quickening my pace when I saw his warrior’s blade materialize in his hand.  

“Wait!” I called, grabbing his arm and making him spin on his heels to face me.  

Max’s teeth were gritted, and his blue eyes were wide.  

“What?” His voice, heavy with his European accent, tore through the air between us, and I could see his skin flushing red with anger.  

Mila, following close behind, stopped as soon as her eyes locked with Max’s. She recognized that look.  

“We don’t know him. We don’t need to do this.” I released his arm, even though he hadn’t resisted. He was boiling inside, but he kept his composure.  

“I’m not saying we should be friends with him. If you don’t want him to join us, that’s fine. It was just a possibility, but you don’t need to kill him.” I argued.

“Why shouldn’t I kill it?” Max tilted his head slightly, as if trying to make sense of my words.  

“Because he clearly isn’t a threat to us.”  

“But it can be in the future. You heard the messages, and you told us one of these creatures tried to attack you.”  

“Don’t people get robbed where you live? Murdered? Should I be punished for what someone else from our species did?” A part of me felt ridiculous saying these things out loud—they seemed so obvious to me, but not to Max.  

I saw something soften in his eyes, but then the anger returned to his face. That’s when I realized the problem: he simply didn’t recognize the creature’s humanity. To him, they were only devils we needed to fight.  

It was hard to judge him. They were indeed our competition, and their appearance resembled the worst nightmares of a catholic priest. But I had seen the devilman’s eyes when he fought and when he surrendered. He looked like a demon, but he wasn’t only that.  

“Let’s at least try to talk to him.” I patted Max on the shoulder. When he didn’t respond, I took it as a resigned agreement. Maybe a conversation with the devilman would smooth things over.  

“Hello. Are you okay?” I moved slowly toward the creature, raising both hands in the air.  

With each step, more of its features became apparent. Its face was bony and elongated, its skin a deeper crimson than the first devil I’d encountered, his horns were pointed and tiny at the top of his forehead, no bigger than a rose’s thorn. Its eyes were sunken into its skull and it looked completely malnourished.

If the first devil I’d met looked like a bodybuilder, this one could win a weight-loss competition against Christian Bale preparing for a role.  

“Believe it or not,” the devil began, coughing blood. Its voice was raspy but deep. “I’ve had worse.”  

“Yeah?” Max asked from behind my shoulder.  

“Yeah.” The devil didn’t elaborate. 

I wasn’t sure it could. I saw it slowly stretch out a hand, as if trying to summon something from its inventory.  

Before I could react, Max was already on the creature, snatching whatever it had before it could use it.  

I only needed a glimpse to realize it was a health potion.  

“Hey, man. Relax. He needs it.”  

“How do you know that? We have no idea what these creatures are. He could be deceiving us, like he did with the goblins.” Max’s eyes were fixed on me, almost pleading for me to agree with him, as if I were blind to see and I just needed to open my eyes.  

You are being watched.

You are being watched by a deity.

You are being watched.

You are being watched.

The messages kept popping off on the corner of my vision, but I ignored them, concentrating on the task ahead.

“Do you plan to kill us after you drink it?” I asked.  

Before the devil could respond, Max interjected.  

“C’mon, man! Of course, he’ll say no. Don’t be naive.”  

The impatience on Max’s face turned into a grimace of anguish. It was hard to tell exactly what he was feeling, but trust issues were clearly at play.  

I pulled him to the side and locked eyes with him while gripping his shoulder.  

“Trust me, Max. I’m anything but naive. I was raised among liars, and I can spot one. I need him to talk if I’m going to judge him—the same way I needed you to talk so I’d know you’re not telling me the whole truth.”  

“What?” Max tried to step back, but I held his shoulder firmly.  

“I know you didn’t tell me everything. Maybe it’s about the murderer title or the fight with the elves. I don’t know. But I chose to give you the benefit of the doubt. Can you please do the same?”  

He swallowed hard, his expression softening just the slightest.  

“Besides, he was almost overwhelmed by two goblins. If he’s a problem, I bet the three of us can handle him just fine.” I patted his shoulder again, harder this time. Max blinked as if seeing me for the first time, then nodded.  

“Now, give me the potion.”  

I gently took it from his hand and turned toward the devil, crouching before it.  

“So, what do you say? Are you going to attack us?” I smiled at the wounded devil. He shook his head weakly, both eyes losing focus and its arms falling limp.  

I opened the potion and poured it over its lips. It had already used some of it, so I wasn’t sure if it would completely heal, but all I could do was wait.  

“Is he going to live?” Mila asked from behind, her voice sounded strained.  

“Yes. Look.” I pointed to a hole in its tunic and watched as the wound beneath it began to close, though not entirely.  

After a few seconds, the devil’s eyes lit up again, revealing black irises remarkably similar to human ones.  

“Thank you,” he said, his voice filling the tunnels. After clearing his throat, he adjusted his posture and remained seated, breathing slowly.  

“Are you really humans?” He looked at me, his gaze unreadable.  

“We are,” I replied, unsure why he was asking. There was an edge to his voice, a note of anticipation I couldn’t grasp. 

“Then I advise you to start moving. I’m not going to attack you, but my brothers and sisters will skin you alive if they get the chance.”  

The devil rose to its feet, leaning against the wall. The movement put Max on high alert.  

The Russian man stepped toward the devil, sword raised, and I saw fear in the devil’s eyes.  

“What? Is that a threat, you piece of shit?” Max spat, saliva flying as he spoke. His sword hovered an inch from the devil’s neck.  

“No! It’s nothing like that. It’s just that my people—”  

“Are a bunch of murderous devils!”  

“Max, stop!” I pulled him back, freeing the creature from near death. Max locked eyes with me again, rage simmering in the blue depths of his gaze.  

“C’mon, man. I saved your life. You owe me. Let me talk to him—he clearly has information we can use.” I shoved Max, hearing his back hit the wall. I was done with this nonsense. Max was acting like a rabid dog while our lives hung in the balance, and we could learn a thing or two about the other competitors.  

“What were you saying?” I turned back to the devil, who looked relieved.  

Before he could speak, his eyes widened, and I heard Mila’s voice.  

“Stop!”  

Then, a bright yellow light exploded in the corridor.

The devil’s hand grabbed my shirt with a strong grip. A part of me seemed to be removed from my body and as I lost my balance I caught a glimpse of myself and the devil running to the other side of the corridor. Max’s had a grimace of anger on his face when I fell to the ground, a rectangular shape glowing on the wall alongside a bright light behind me.

My instincts worked for me, my dagger summoned in a flash of a second and intercept a blade coming for my neck, but it wasn’t aiming at me, it was aiming at the strange image that mimicked myself. I was pulled again. 

I crashed face-first.

Chapter 8 - A (Not So) Safe Room.

My body reacted instantly. My hands searched for the ground but found only air.  

“Oh shit!” It was all I had time to say. I was already unconsciously expecting a free fall and regretting my decision to try to reach the ground with my hands. However, before desperation could catch me, my palms touched something solid.  

Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold on.  

Turns out that even in a sick intergalactic game, inertia remains one of the laws of physics. As soon as my hand slipped from the ground, I turned my body, trying to protect myself, only to discover I was actually falling down a set of stairs.  

I heard the devilman grunting with each crash of his body against the steps, and I was quick to follow, trying desperately to stop my fall as the edges of the rocky stairs slammed into my arms, ribs, and legs.  

I gritted my teeth, bracing myself for a whole new world of pain. Thankfully, my back hit what seemed to be solid ground. I opened my eyes but couldn’t see an inch in front of my nose.  

Where am I? It was the first question my mind whispered, and, not surprisingly, the second was: Is this place tight? How can I get out of it? Damn, stupid brain always asking the wrong questions.  

I started feeling my breath shorten when lights lit up on the ceiling. These weren’t like the medieval lamps in the tunnels we were in; they were modern, just like the ones back home.  

My hopes that this was just a stupid dream and I had woken up in my bedroom went to shit a second after my eyes adjusted to the light.  

The demon’s skinny face slowly but surely appeared before my eyes.  

His eyes were filled with curiosity.  

“Are you alive? Sorry, it was the only way,” his voice was apologetic, and his eyes scanned my face, trying to find something only he knew.  

He was getting uncomfortably close to my face.  

“I think I’m fine. Can you give me a little space?” I asked, moving my body away from him as fast as my sore limbs would allow.  

“Your blood is red, right? I don’t see any, so you’re probably fine.” The demonkin sighed deeply as he slowly got up.  

“What is this place?” I grunted, my voice raspy with thirst and annoyance at the subtle change in scenery.  

“The Safe Room, of course!” The devilman’s voice was now uppity, almost playful, and when I turned my head to him, I found the devil sitting in a lavish, round red sofa. His body sunk into the cushion, and he let out another sigh, one of long-awaited peace.  

We were indeed in a place that seemed safe enough. On my left were the stairs that led to a wall with no door, and to my right was the sofa, a big black screen that I assumed was a TV, a table with various types of food and drinks carefully arranged, and a few chairs surrounding it.  

The room was cold but cozy and didn’t seem to have any apparent entrance.  

Welcome to the Safe Room.

Everyone deserves a break from time to time. Just don’t overstay your welcome. Monsters are alerted to your presence, and their numbers increase with each minute. You can only remain here for thirty minutes.

Health and Mana regeneration are active during your stay in the Safe Room. 

I let the words sink in as I scanned the room once more. My eyes locked onto the banquet, and my mouth watered. I heard the growls of my stomach, both internally and externally, and my desire for answers was quickly overcome by the realization that I was freaking starving.  

Two-thirds of the table were completely alien to me, and I could only assume they came from the planets of both the devilman and the elves. I focused on the Earth food, grabbing a roasted chicken thigh and eating it voraciously. There was grape juice on the side, and I gulped it down eagerly, readying myself to chew on a piece of buttered bread lying in one corner.  

“Damn, there’s no food on your planet?”  

I eyed the devil, who was watching me eat with a grin on his face.  

“What happened?” I pointed the chicken thigh toward the staircase, just in case he hadn’t understood my mouthful words.  

“That yellow friend of yours was ready to strike you right on the neck. I cast an illusion and brought you inside. He probably thinks we disappeared.”  

“That bastard,” I muttered between chews. I had never trusted Max, and it wasn’t my first rodeo, but it still hurt to be betrayed. If anything, I had been open and honest with that piece of shit.  

“And Mila?”  

“The female? She seemed as surprised as me.”  

I had indeed heard her calling for him to stop. Damn, is she in danger? I pondered but decided not to overthink it. She was the reason I had my doubts about Max in the first place—the look she gave him sometimes, as if she was afraid of him, as if she knew something I didn’t. However, she hadn’t spoken to me a single time; instead, we joked and slayed monsters together.  

She knew what she had gotten herself into and chose to stay quiet. She probably felt safe around Max, and I couldn’t blame her—only wish her luck.  

“I think I’d better move before more monsters appear. The message said they’re attracted to the entrance.” I got up, wiping my hands on the table’s towel and thinking the aliens would probably not mind.  

“They are, human. I was exhausted when I found this room and slept more than I intended. The goblins you saw were the ones I couldn’t handle, but there were more. Way more.” He was more serious now and had moved to the edge of the sofa. “Which god do you think is watching us?”  

“None that I know. Why?” I raised my eyebrows, surprised at the sudden change of subject.  

“Oh, you didn’t notice it? Check your story.”  

“My story?” I was even more puzzled now.  

“The words in your eyes. You can see them, right?”  

“Yes, I can see the notifications.”  

“Look at them, human.”  

“My name is Zach, by the way. You don’t need to keep calling me human.” I couldn’t hide the edge of annoyance in my voice, but the alien seemed oblivious to it. I sat back on the chair and checked my notifications.  

“Zach.” The alien repeated the word. “That’s a strange name for a human.”  

My eyes moved toward him at the oddity of his phrase, but then I noticed the message he was referring to.  

You are being watched by a deity.

“Damn,” I mouthed, looking at the words intently, as if I could extract extra meaning from them.  

“Indeed.” The devil cleared his throat and snapped me back to reality. “So, who do you think is watching us? Maybe it’s Zalaphir, the god of Illusions. What is the god related to your abilities on your planet?” The alien clicked his forked tongue and snapped his knee nonchalantly, as if he had cracked a simple code. “It’s probably the same as us.”  

“I never heard of any Zalaphir. And why would your gods be the same as the ones from Earth? Does that have something to do with the fact that your people want to skin us alive?” I leaned toward the alien, curiosity taking over me.  

“Because humanity enslaved my people for millennia, until they fled from our planet and left us to deal with the rest.”  

“Humans never left Earth.”  

“I don’t know what the ground has to do with the slavery of my people, Zach. But you can rest assured that humans were on my home planet, and you are the devil to my people.”  

I couldn’t ignore the sheer irony of a devil telling me I was the face of evil to his culture, but I suppressed my desire to chuckle.  

“It was probably another type of human, from another planet. Damn, I didn’t know aliens existed until today. If there are people from your race and elves, there are probably more humans in the universe.”  

“My people will not care about it.”  

“You seem reasonable enough.” I tried to ease the conversation, and I wasn’t lying.  

“My reasonability only brought me ostracism and violence. Besides humans, I’m probably the second most hated being to the Arahaktar.”  

“What did you do?” The question slipped from my mouth, only for me to regret it the following second.  

The demon’s expression darkened, and he stated plainly, “I don’t talk about it.”  

“No problem, man.” I raised my hands apologetically. “I mean no offense, but I know you guys can be quite dangerous. One tried to kill me and said something I can only imagine the meaning of.”  

“Oh yeah?” The devil asked, his expression softening again. “What did they say?”  

“Something like trash car?”  

“Thrak'shar?” The devil raised his eyebrows, and I noticed his eyes staring at me with a different light.  

“I think so.” I shrugged.  

“‘Thrak'shar tilen, dor'vaxis.’ Is that what they said?”  

“Yes, exactly that! What does it mean?” I asked, curiosity gnawing at me. I had to drink another gulp of juice to placate it, but when he spoke again, I spilled it all over in surprise.  

“It means you’re fucked. He challenged you to a duel to the death.”

Chapter 9 - A New Alliance.

“Just like that?!”

“I told you, my people hate humans, and your appearance is particularly…” He raised his eyes to the ceiling, thoughtful. “How can I say this? Disgusting! That’s the word.”

“What the fuck do you mean?” I was surprisingly more annoyed by his comment than I thought I’d be. Damn, I knew I wasn’t an Instagram model, but I had a lean build and had been praised for my looks more than once. I wasn’t ugly, let alone disgusting.

“Hey, calm down. We have a very strict way of measuring if someone is pleasing to the eye. If you aren’t as strong as a dragon and as muscular as an ogre, you’re probably never breeding.”

“There are dragons on your planet?”

“Of course. They are mighty creatures and also our makers.”

Every word that exited the devil’s mouth was more absurd than the last, but I couldn’t let myself get carried away. I shook my head, shoved my questions aside, and returned to the topic.

“So, one of you challenged me to a duel to the death, but I can just deny it, can’t I?”

I wasn’t particularly afraid of fighting, but I had learnt the hard way that the wisest choice was always to avoid conflict if possible—especially a freaking duel to the death.

“No, you can’t. Once the words are spoken, your fate is tied to your opponent’s. We take the duel tradition very seriously.”

“And the outcome is always death?” I regained my calm, grabbed another cup of juice, and started drinking it slowly, ideas flooding my mind.

“You can always spare your foe’s life. That grants you a request, and the defeated can either accept it and live or deny it and die.”

“You seem like very nice folks to be around.”

“Is that irony?” The demon smirked. “That’s very funny, Zach. We don’t do that much back home.”

“I can see that,” I commented, getting up and moving to the stairs. “I guess if I don’t find him, I’ll never have to duel, right?”

“Right. Do you mind if I join you?”

I turned to face him just as I reached the first step. The demon had risen, and for the first time, I noticed how tall he was. His wounds had closed, and his tunic was pristine again.

“Are you sure? I’ve had my fair share of betrayals already. Besides, you wouldn’t want to hang around with someone as ‘disgusting’ as me.”

“Nonsense. My friends are all horrific like you.” He pointed it out nonchalantly, moving toward me with quick steps. “I have a high affinity for magical illusions and fire magic, and I guess you have some close-combat skills since you dealt with that flying goblin so easily. It would be wise for us to stick together.”

“Yeah, I think so.” I let my shoulders drop, releasing all the tension from the past hours. Strangely enough, I felt far safer around this demon than I ever did with Max and Mila. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” He smiled and moved one step closer. Placing a hand over his heart, he closed it into a fist and spoke solemnly. “My heart opens to you. My soul tightens the noose of our alliance. The dragons in the sky testify to the truth of my words as I, Elk’Marir, vow to a nonviolent alliance with Zach, the human.”

He extended his closed fist toward me, and I stared at it, unsure what to do.

“Okay…” I began. He raised his eyebrows and pointed at his fist. I mimicked his gesture, letting my fist touch his. “What do I say?”

“Repeat after me. I, Zach, the human.”

“I, Zach.”

He waited for me to add ‘the human’, and when I didn’t, he continued—slightly annoyed but still serious.

“I, Zach, accept and vow to a nonviolent alliance with Elk’Marir. The dragons in the sky seal this deal in truth and respect.”

I repeated the words exactly as he said them, and the devil smiled widely.

“Now, you can rest assured that unless you explicitly say you want to part ways, we are friends to the death.”

“I just hope there’s no duel involved in this.”

“Nonsense!” Elk’Marir patted my shoulder—with more strength than I expected—and walked past me, climbing the stairs toward the wall. When he touched the rock, a rectangle of light appeared and slowly opened, revealing the tunnels beyond.

The devil turned back to me and waved for me to follow.

“C’mon, Zach. The tunnel is clear.”

A smile crept onto my face as I watched Elk’Marir and thought of Leo back home. He’d laugh his ass off seeing me make friends with a devil and swearing an oath like this.

I hope you’re well, Leo. And if you’re not, I’ll make sure you will be after I win this, I promised as I climbed the stairs.

“Elk! Wait!” I called as he disappeared into the corridor.

“I’m here.” His voice came from my right, and when I crossed the doorway, I realized we were back in the exact spot where we had found him earlier.

“See anything?” I asked, scanning both ends of the corridor. A part of me suspected Max and Mila were lurking in a corner, but there was nowhere to hide.

“It looks clear. Come.” He waved again, summoning his magical staff and heading in the opposite direction from where I had come—the same way the goblins had fled and the only path Max and Mila could have taken.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Yes, Zach. We’re going to the entrance to the second floor. It’s not far.” He smiled over his shoulder and resumed his walk. He didn’t seem to be trying to outpace me; it was just his physiology that made him naturally faster.

I quickened my steps and caught up with him.

“Are you sure?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder to ease his rhythm. He seemed to notice the difference in our pace and slowed down.

“Yeah. I found it, but there were too many goblins chasing me. I had to flee back to the Safe Room, but before I could enter… you know what happened.”

“I see. Lead the way, then.” I nodded, and Elk started walking again, this time slower. Even so, I still had to push myself to keep up. If we traveled together longer, I’d need to put some points into speed.

“This way,” he muttered more to himself than to me and kept walking.

I kept my eyes and ears open as we moved through the tunnels, but I heard nothing. If monsters were being drawn to the Safe Room, they had probably found other enemies along the way.

Elk kept one hand on the right wall the entire time, as if searching for something with his palm. After a few minutes of silent, tense walking, he finally stopped.  

“Here.”  

I followed his gaze and watched his hand sink into the wall. Upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn’t a wall at all—it was one of Elk’s illusions. It was as if I were looking at a strange, ethereal curtain made of rock. He pressed his hand down on the fake wall, and it vanished like steam on a hot pan.  

“Be careful. I made this to hide from three—”  

His words died on his tongue as three pairs of red eyes shot toward us with immense speed. The sound of their boots stomping against the ground froze Elk in place. I heard something cutting through the air and shoved Elk violently to the side.  

A dagger flew past where the demon had been a second ago, and the silhouettes of the creatures finally became clear.  

They were goblins, but something was different about them. There was a glint of intelligence I hadn’t noticed before. Besides that, they were bigger—not as tall as me and certainly not as as Elk, but the size of a human teenager. They were also far better armored than the previous goblins.  

When I summoned my weapons, they stopped in their tracks. The middle one was unarmed, though its chest, legs, and arms were heavily armored. The other two carried daggers and wore lighter armor.  

I raised my wand, summoning a lightning strike from deep within my bones, and the crystal at its tip glowed in response. A second later, a bolt of light erupted from the wand, flying fast toward the middle goblin.  

They were expecting it. As soon as my hand outstretched to conjure the spell, they rolled out of its path.  

Thunder echoed through the corridors as the creatures picked themselves up, grinning smugly. They seemed proud of their ability to dodge the spell.  

However, they didn’t see the fireball coming.  

Elk’s magic struck the goblin on the left square in the face, burning off its eyebrows and sparse hair. It let out a desperate shriek, dropping its dagger to the ground, while the other two moved away from it.  

I seized the moment, taking advantage of the distraction. I used the silent steps of my basic stealth skill and dashed toward the middle goblin—the strongest of the three.  

My dagger found its mark on the creature’s neck. I held it firmly as its eyes bulged with surprise and fear.  

The air rippled beside me, and I realized the third goblin was attacking. I spun around, using the weight of the second goblin as a shield, and when the dagger descended, it struck the wounded goblin instead.  

As the assailant struggled to free its blade from the thick armor, I raised my wand again and fired a lightning strike directly at its face.  

The spell discharged from my weapon with such force that I was hurled against the opposite wall. The resulting thunderclap was so loud that my ears rang.  

I didn’t need to look to know I had just activated a critical strike.  

Ding! 

Congratulations! You have slain Hobgoblin level F9.

Congratulations! You have slain Hobgoblin level F9.

Where’s the notification for the third one? As I slowly got up, my question was answered.  

The stronger goblin, which should have been dead, rose with fury in its eyes. It had entered the same murderous trance I had encountered before. Its burning gaze was fixated on me.  

“Bring it on…” I muttered, gripping my wand and dagger tightly.  

The creature lunged at me, and my vision blurred.  

I felt something leave my body—almost as if a piece of me had been torn away. It didn’t hurt, but it felt bizarre. Smoke filled my vision, and a second later, the creature was inches away from me.  

Then I understood.  

An illusion had just been created from my body’s mold.  

The illusion stepped forward, and the hobgoblin leaped to tackle it. Its body passed through the illusion, like a cartoon character hitting a painted tunnel, and it fell face-first onto the ground in front of me.  

I wasted no time.  

My dagger plunged into the creature’s neck again, and this time I slit from one side to the other. It never got up.  

Ding! 

Congratulations! You have slain Hobgoblin level F6.

Congratulations! You have earned a new Shard. Common - Fire Serpent.

Congratulations! Zach Walker, you earned the title "Bring it On," the first to kill an overleveled creature.

Upon facing a creature with at least one level above yours, or your party’s level, you’ll receive a boost of +1 in all stats.  

Congratulations! Elk’Marir, you earned the title "Bring it On," the first to kill an overleveled creature.

Upon facing a creature with at least one level above yours, or the mean level of your party, you’ll receive a boost of +1 in all stats.

Congratulations! Your Soul Core upgraded.

Calculating…

General Rank upgraded.

Constitution upgraded.

Magic upgraded.

Mana upgraded.

Speed upgraded.

Strength Upgraded.

New stats:

Subject: Zach Walker.

Race: Human (Earth)

Class: Mage, Rogue.

Merged Class: Undergoing calculations.

General Rank: F7

Constitution F8

Magic F5

Mana F6

Speed F4

Strength F6

Damn, those were a lot of new stats. The fact that the creature was over my level had granted me an immense bonus of stats and I could only imagine that Elk had just read a similar message.

I caught my breath as Elk slowly approached me.  

“Sorry about the illusion. I thought it was the wisest choice.”  

“You made a good call. Were there more of them?” I asked. Seeing the relief in his eyes, I already knew the answer.  

“Just those three. The entrance is near. Let’s go.” He started moving, eager to leave the corridors and the prospect of more hobgoblins behind, but I grabbed his arm.  

“I have something for you.” I summoned the shard and handed it to him. “You have a fire affinity, don’t you? You’ll make better use of this.”  

“Are you sure? I think you can still use it with your magic weapon.”  

“I’m sure. If you find something I can use, you can hand it to me. Sound fair?”  

“That’s fair.” Elk stretched out his hand toward me. I reached for his palm, but he grabbed my forearm near the elbow and shook it.  

Okay, that’s different, but at least it’s not awkward, I thought as we continued through the tunnels.  

It didn’t take long for him to point to a staircase leading to another blank wall, similar to the one in the Safe Room.  

He started climbing, and I followed close behind. There was nothing remarkable about the place—just a narrow corridor leading upward. I was thankful my claustrophobia was under control at that moment.  

As soon as we reached the top of the stairs, the rectangular door appeared again, and a flood of messages filled my vision.  

Names from Earth, demonkind, and elves appeared in a stream, accompanied by different congratulatory messages. They all said something similar: the players had reached the second floor.  

Part of me had hoped we were the first, but it became clear the  thatthose who arrived first earned a knowledge advantage.  

Elk glanced over his shoulder, worry etched on his face, but he kept walking until he passed through the doorway.  

The tunnels on this floor looked just like those on the first—nothing noteworthy.  

Until the club slammed into the back of Elk’s head.  

Massive red arms emerged from the shadows, wielding the crude weapon that instantly dropped him. I scanned my surroundings and saw a second club flying toward my face.  

I was quick enough to dodge and roll to the ground, but as I rose, two strong hands grabbed my arms and held me in a crushing embrace.  

“Human…” A voice called from the shadows ahead, and I didn’t need to see the speaker to know it was one of the demons. “My ancestors will rejoice in the heavens when I’m done with you.”  

From the shadows emerged a massive devilman. He wasn’t as enormous as the one who had tried to kill me in the briefing room, but he was at least twice as strong as me.  

Before panic could take over, an idea flashed in my mind, and I spoke the words before I could think twice.