I will be the Strongest

Chapter 25

[Complete the Level Two mission to proceed]

The appearance of the message left everyone surprised, especially Hye, who had experienced the entire previous level's mission firsthand. His eyes scanned the surroundings but found nothing but stones.

Unlike the previous level, the air here was much drier, and without the creatures, there was no putrid smell that the other tunnel carried.

Carefully, his feet slid over the small stones scattered on the floor, and then the first step was taken.

The stones beneath his feet glowed, and a line of fire emerged from the walls, extending across the path ahead.

"Watch out!"

Grabbing his clothes, Samantha pulled him back, causing both of them to slam against what seemed to be an invisible barrier, the divide between the levels. After that, it became clear that there was no turning back.

"Are you okay?!" Her eyebrows shot up as she turned him around, her wide eyes scanning his body. "It didn’t hit you, did it?!"

"No, but it was close." Hye patted the sleeve of his shirt to extinguish the small fire. "And now we know why there are no creatures here. It’s a trap corridor."

"Yes, looking at it from this angle, it would have been better to take the other path since we have your ability..."

Time continued to pass, but no one took another step. Despite being able to easily pass through the flames, none of them could predict what would come next. However, Hye looked at the flame ahead, lying on the ground and illuminating part of the path, and remembered that, unlike the previous ones, this flame hadn’t been created directly in this spot.

Hye put away his dagger. Crouching, he picked up some medium-sized stones scattered on the ground. His eyes examined the path ahead, searching for the spot where he had stepped before that triggered the trap.

His hand moved, and a stone was thrown, hitting the ground a little further ahead. Nothing happened.

"What are you doing? Seeing if it's possible to trigger the traps without stepping on them?" frowning, Samantha analyzed the ground. "...No, it wasn’t there... You stepped a bit further back."

She crouched, picked up some stones, and after reassessing the area, threw one. A glow appeared, illuminating a small circle, and then the flames reappeared, extending from the left wall.

"...So, how about... here..?"

The stone fell, spun for a few moments, and after a quick flash, blades shot out from the ceiling rapidly. With no chance for reactions, their sharp tips struck the ground, easily passing through the stones.

A sort of silent agreement was reached, and picking up nearby stones, everyone began throwing them on the path to detect more traps.

Hye was the first to move forward, leaping and balancing on one foot. Balance was essential for completing this stage.

His eyes raced over the ground, analyzing and searching for the spot of the next step. A stone was thrown. Nothing happened. Then the next step was taken.

Samantha followed him, and then the man, illuminating the path with his flames, came next, each one staying a step behind the other. Soon they had moved so far from the entrance that there was no going back; moving forward was the only option.

A stone and then a step, repeating this process countless times as the distance increased and the path extended. The entrance to the tunnel was no longer visible from where they were.

The stone was thrown, and the trap was triggered, but a glow appeared in the darkness and began approaching, forcing Hye to dodge. His body moved slightly, just enough for the closest blade to pass by his side, cutting his arm superficially.

[Warning]

[You have been poisoned]

"Dodge!"

[The Poison Resistance ability has been activated]

[Your body has been detoxified]

Samantha threw her head to the side and turned her body, allowing the blades to pass by her without issues. However, yielding to instinct, her reddened eyes widened as cold sweat continued to drip from her face. With the persistent approach of the glow, the man pressed his lips together and stepped to the side.

The blades passed over all of them, but the glow on the ground remained.

"Watch out!"

Dozens of arrows appeared overhead and, in an instant, pierced the ground completely.

Immediately followed by the other two, Hye ran, avoiding being hit. As the flames continued to be created in the chaos, everyone’s eyes raced along with their feet, tracking each light born on the ground. Some did this better than others.

The stones lit up, the ground disappeared, causing everyone to change their movement. Taking a leap, and maintaining the pace, the walls became their new floor.

"So there are traps on the walls too..." Hye thought, as the dagger appeared in his hands.

Jumping, he switched walls, and moving his dagger, cut through the shining blades that crossed the tunnel from side to side.

The blades fell to the ground, activating all the traps in the area. Blades from the sides, arrows from above, and flames below.

The blades were cut, but a small piece remained, just enough for everyone to get a boost and escape. Hye was the first. The arrows flashed, his eyes rose, and with his feet firmly planted, a leap carried him to the end of the tunnel as the opposite wall approached rapidly.

Samantha followed closely. Her hand moved, and with the wind generated, destroyed each arrow falling toward the flames. A jump was made, switching walls, and with a push from her feet on the blades embedded in the wall, she reached the end of the tunnel as well.

Her breathing was heavy, and her heart raced, each step seemed to demand more from her body. It was clear that they wouldn’t try to help him; after all, especially for Hye, to their eyes, his only use was as a walking lantern, and he knew it.

The arrows had been destroyed, and the blades were no longer an obstacle; on the contrary, now they were his best chance of escape. However, with each step, his feet lost speed, and his body came closer and closer to the flames that now covered what used to be the ground.

For a moment, his vision blurred, and his feet weakened, causing him to stumble. The flames illuminated and the heat burned his face. Yet, clarity hit him, with his heart racing abruptly, his fear reached its peak along with the adrenaline that, with an apparent snap of his knees, propelled him to the other side of the tunnel. Acting quickly, he repeated the process, striving to reach the exit before his eyes.

The wall came closer like an automatic press, but half of his body still needed to pass through the exit.

"No, it’s not going to work..." his eyes widened, and his lips pressed together as blood trickled from his mouth, the momentum he had gained was already fading. "It’s not going to... Damn...!"