Inside the Temple Maze
Unbeknownst to those scheming against his life, Zane remained deep within the shifting maze of the Temple.
After stepping inside, he had expected the worst. Anything associated with the Temple of Assassin was bound to be insane. Twisted. Brutal. He’d prepared himself for hell.
"System," he called calmly.
No response. It was as if the system had never existed in him to begin with.
Zane paused, but didn’t panic.
He shrugged. "Fine. I already have what I need."
After all, Shelby had made it through this maze. Why couldn’t he?
"I still have Divine Radiance. Three solid skills came with it. I can train them here... adapt, fight, maneuver." His eyes sharpened. "This place is perfect."
Still, he reminded himself not to rely too much on those skills. Something inside him burned each time he used them—like a fuel source being consumed. In the Academy, they called it mana. Too much use, and he’d burn out.
Three corridors in, he arrived at a chamber.
The moment he stepped inside, the door behind him slammed shut.
[Sensing: Three Corrupted Wild Boars]
Zane’s posture shifted instantly.
From the shadows emerged three hulking creatures. Their eyes glowed an ominous red. Their bodies were twisted mockeries of nature—bulging muscle, matted fur, and long jagged tusks that gleamed like forged steel.
They glared at him, snorting hot air like charging bulls.
He recognized the signs immediately.
Back at the Pre-Academy, he’d studied the Awakening Age—the era that began after the mysterious giant tree grew in the heart of Africa. That tree changed the world. It awakened everything.
Humans evolved. So did beasts. So did trees. Even blades of grass developed quirks.
But not everything evolved properly.
The less intelligent a creature, the more likely it was to lose control.
That was corruption—when evolution outpaced the brain’s capacity to manage power.
That explained the animals. That explained the plants. Trees didn’t even have brains, after all.
Humans? Corruption in humans was rare. But it happened. And it was always ugly.
These three boars were classic examples.
Corrupted beasts gained immense strength and magical resistance. Their bodies mutated—like these ones, now the size of adolescent elephants. Their tusks were longer, thicker, serrated like swords.
"Big boys, huh," Zane muttered, cracking his knuckles.
A grin tugged at his lips.
Boar 1: Strength/Physical: 3 | Agility/Speed: 1 | Intelligence/Magic: 0
Boar 2: Strength/Physical: 2 | Agility/Speed: 1 | Intelligence/Magic: 0
Boar 3: Strength/Physical: 2 | Agility/Speed: 1 | Intelligence/Magic: 0
Strength/Physical: 6 (Base) | +5 (Divine Radiance) | +10 (Radiant Strike Skill) = 21
Agility/Speed : 5 (Base) | +5 (Divine Radiance) | +10 (Luminous Step Skill) = 20
Magic/Intelligence: 9 (Base Mana) | +5 (Radiance) | +10 (Sacred Barrier Skill) = 24 Mana
"Nice," Zane muttered, eyes flickering with battle-lust.
But inwardly, he was calculating.
How strong is 1 point of Strength? How fast is 1 Agility? And how much mana does each of my three skills consume?
He decided to hold back on activating Divine Radiance. No need to burn fuel. If the system’s numbers were accurate, his base strength alone was enough to mop the floor with these beasts.
The first boar charged.
As it barreled toward him, a set of game-like stats hovered above its head. A green bar—its health. A yellow bar—empty, clearly its mana. And beside it, the Strength stat: 3.
"Sick," Zane grinned. "It really is like a video game."
He kept running, baiting the beasts. He watched how their feet pounded the floor, how fast their eyes tracked him. After a few loops around the chamber, he nodded to himself.
Alright. So this is what Agility 1 looks like in action. Not impressive.
He planted his feet, turned, and let the first boar slam into him head-on.
The force pushed him back an inch. Nothing more.
So that’s Strength 3... Not bad, but not enough.
He grabbed the boar’s tusks and held it in place like a playground bully catching a runaway toy.
But while he was assessing it, the other two boars flanked him from opposite sides—tusks gleaming, aimed directly for his throat.
Too bad for them, he was already aware.
He leapt into the air with effortless grace, dragging the first boar with him.
In midair, he twisted and hurled the boar downward—right into the path where he had stood a moment ago.
The second and third boars crashed into their brother-in-flesh—tusks slashing through thick hide.
Blood erupted in a hot spray.
The first boar wailed, a grotesque sound, half-roar, half-whimper—then fell still.
Zane landed with a soft thud and glanced at the corpse, his hands still glowing faintly from the contact.
He cracked his knuckles and smiled coldly.
He just gave a slap each to the two and they were thrown in the air and death.
Just after their death, the a door opened up.
Zane walked out of the room.