Kaito and Quroe are flying above, near the gigantic pitch-black dome.
“This dome is roughly 5km in diameter from its sheer size. There may be thousands or even tens of thousands of people who got caught inside.” said Quroe.
*WWWSSSSSHHHHHHHH*
Kaito swings his long sword towards the giant pitch-black dome, but nothing happens.
“Tch! This isn’t an attack! I can’t ‘clash’ with it.”
“Is that how your Faith power works?”
“Yeah! It doesn’t matter how strong and powerful something is, as long as it clashes with either my sword or shield, it will be neutralized!”
“I see! Mine can cut through anything; maybe we can cut open this dome!”
Quroe extends the red and black aura on his right hand to 2 meters in length. He lifts up his hand and swings it down at the giant pitch-black dome.
*SLASH*
*!*
“It works!”
“Great! Let’s go!”
Both Kaito and Quroe proceed to enter through the tear in the pitch-black dome.
*!!!*
Once inside, they see an entirely empty area where the floor is just pitch black everywhere. They both landed on the pitch-black ground.
*Thud thud*
“What the hell is this?”
Quroe taps the pitch-black floor multiple times to identify it, but he has no idea what he’s standing on.
“It feels solid, just like any other ground.”
“The more important thing is, where is everyone?”
Kaito and Quroe look to their left and right and see no one. The buildings that were swallowed were also nowhere to be seen. It’s just a giant pitch black, empty flat open space for as far away as the eye can see.
*SLASH*
Quroe uses his invisible slashes to cut the pitch-black ground multiple times.
*!*
The pitch-black ground was cut open and revealed a soft brown soil underneath. But after a few seconds, the pitch-black ground closes its own tear by itself.
“I was expecting that whatever this pitch-black thing is was simply covering the floor underneath, but it seems that the floor itself was also gone.”
“What should we do, Quroe-san?”
“. . .I’m afraid nothing. We have no way to identify anything by ourselves.”
“Let’s at least keep moving! There’s a chance that we might find anything or anyone! I have no basis for saying this, though.”
“No, that’s better than just sitting around doing nothing. Let’s go!”
Kaito and Quroe proceed to walk and look for any clues about what this gigantic pitch-black dome is.
.
.
.
“OOOPPSIIIEEESSSS!!! EVERYONEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I FORGOT SOMETHING!!!”
*!!*
Inside the endless maze, the male voice reverberates through the entire maze once again.
“SILLY OLD ME!! I FORGOT TO ESTABLISH SOME RULES REGARDING THIS KILLING GAME!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! I APOLOGIZE, EVERYONE!! THIS IS MY FIRST TIME DOING THIS, SO PLEASE EXCUSE ME!!”
. . . . .
Everyone inside the maze couldn’t care less about his nonchalant attitude since the first time he spoke.
“CURRENTLY, THERE ARE ABOUT 24,000 PEOPLE INSIDE THIS MAZE! AND IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHY YOU HAVEN’T MET ANYONE DESPITE RUNNING THROUGH THIS ENDLESS MAZE FOR A WHILE, THAT’S BECAUSE THIS MAZE IS TRULY ENDLESS!!! I’VE CREATED THIS GIGANTIC SPACE JUST FOR THIS GAME! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”
*!!!*
“24,000 people trapped here? This guy’s Faith power is insane!!” said Hana as she ran through the mazes with the man.
“What is up with those ridiculous numbers?” said Kasumi as she ran and carried the old woman on her back.
“SO THEN, LET’S LIST ALL THE RULES NOW!! RULE NUMBER ONE!! AS I HAVE TOLD YOU, YOU HAVE TO KILL AT LEAST TWO OTHER PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF THIS MAZE!! I WILL PERSONALLY GET YOU OUT OF THE MAZE MYSELF!! I’LL PICK YOU UP LIKE A PROPER GENTLEMAN THAT I AM, DON’T WORRY!!!”
“Ah! By the way, I know everything that happened inside this maze! I can see everyone and what they’re all doing! Yes! ALL 24,000 OF YOU!! I AM THE GOD OF THIS WORLD AFTER ALL, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”
“WELL THEN, RULE NUMBER TWO!! THERE IS NO LIMIT ON HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU KILL!! YOU ARE ALL FREE REGARDING THIS TOPIC!! IF YOU ALREADY KILLED TWO PEOPLE, AND YOU WANT TO GET OUT, THEN PLEASE JUST TELL ME OR SHOUT AND I CAN HEAR YOU!!”
“THIRD RULE!! THIS ONE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE!! THIS IS AN ADDED MOTIVATION! NOT ONLY DO YOU GET TO GET OUT OF THIS MAZE, YOU ALSO GET TO BE REUNITED WITH YOUR LOVED ONES!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!! ISN’T THAT A GREAT MOTIVATION?”
“LIKE, SAY FOR AN EXAMPLE, A FATHER MANAGED TO KILL TWO PEOPLE, AND THEN HE EARNED THE RIGHT TO LEAVE!! SO, I WILL TRANSPORT THEM TO MY THRONE FIRST, AND THEN THAT FATHER HAS THE RIGHT TO BRING ALL OF THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS THAT WERE CAUGHT INSIDE BEFORE HIS FAMILY MEMBERS, EITHER GOT KILLED OR KILLED ANYONE!!!”
*!!!!!!*
Everyone was panicking the moment they all heard about the third rule.
“AH! THIS SPACE WE’RE IN HAS A DIFFERENT FLOW OF TIME THAN THE ONE OUTSIDE, SO THIS GAME HAS NO TIME LIMIT! WE CAN SPEND AS MUCH TIME INSIDE AND IT WON’T MATTER TO THE WORLD OUTSIDE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
“THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT IS WHETHER YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE BEEN KILLED OR KILLED SOMEONE ELSE BECAUSE YOU HESITATED TO DO SO!! YOU DON’T WANNA DIRTY YOUR HANDS FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR LOVED ONES, SO THEY SHALL PAY THE PRICE FOR THAT!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“What a sick bastard!” said Hana with a clear, angry tone in her voice.
“AAAAANNNNDDD!!! THAT IS ALL FOR THE RULES!!! I DON’T CARE HOW YOU KILL SOMEONE!! WHATEVER FORM THAT TAKES IS A-OKAY!!”
“AH! I ALSO FORGOT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF!! JUST CALL ME, ‘THE GAME MASTER’!! WELL THEN, LET US ALL ENJOY THIS EXCITING KILLING GAME, EVERYONE!!! HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!! I’LL UPDATE AND ANNOUNCE THE WINNER’S NAME EVERY TIME THEY GET OUT!!”
. . . . .
And then, there was complete silence throughout the entire endless maze.
*GRABS*
“URGH!!”
The 36-year-old man grabs Luna’s wrists really hard.
“H-Hey, young miss. . . I apologize! I have zero grudge against you, BUT PLEASE!! YOU HAVE TO DIE!! GIVE ME THIS ONE KILL SO I CAN FINALLY MEET MY DAUGHTER!!”
*!!*
“PLEASE!! DON’T STRUGGLE!! LET ME KILL YOU!! I’LL MAKE IT AS PAINLESSLY AS POSSIBLE!! AND PLEASE ANSWER ME HURRY!! I CAN’T WASTE A SINGLE SECOND KNOWING THAT MY DAUGHTER MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT AS YOU!! PLEASE!!”
“HRGGHH!!”
Luna struggles to break free from the man’s strong grip.
“LET GO OF ME, MISTER!!”
“PLEASE!!! DON’T STRUGGLE!!! LET’S NOT MAKE THIS MORE DIFFICULT FOR US BOTH!!”
“I AM NOT DYING HERE, MISTER!! I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT IN MY LIFE!!”
“SHUT UP!! MY DAUGHTER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE!!”
“SIR!! I HAVE A LIFE TOO!! I AM A LIFE TOO!! AM I NOT IMPORTANT AS WELL?”
“I RUINED MY LIFE 20 YEARS AGO!! I WAS THROWN INTO PRISON BECAUSE OF THAT!! BUT THEN I FOUND OUT MY GIRLFRIEND WAS PREGNANT AND SHE GAVE BIRTH TO OUR CHILD!! BUT I WAS BEHIND BARS FOR 20 YEARS!! I HAVEN’T MET MY WIFE OR CHILDREN FOR ALL THAT TIME!! I CAN’T DIE, NOR WILL I LET SOMEONE KILL MY DAUGHTER BEFORE I COULD EVEN MEET HER!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING, MISS?? THE WEIGHT WE CARRY IS DIFFERENT!! PLEASE LET ME KILL YOU SO I CAN MEET MY DAUGHTER!!!”
“YOU’RE NOT MAKING SENSE!! I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER THE SAME WAY YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT MY LIFE SINCE IT’S SO EASY FOR YOU TO DECIDE TO KILL ME JUST LIKE THAT!! LET GO OF ME!!”
“PLEASE, DON’T MAKE THIS MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT ALREADY IS, YOUNG MISS!! I BEG YOU!!”
“SHUT UP!! LET GO OF ME!!!”
The entire time Luna and the man are shouting at each other, Luna kept struggling to break free, while the man kept struggling to keep her in place.
“YOU LEAVE ME NO CHOICE, MISS!!”
*GRAAHKKK*
“KYAARRGGHHH!!”
The man pushed Luna towards a wall with all of his might. Luna’s back and the back of her head hit the wall so hard that she almost instantly passed out.
*THUD*
Luna falls to the floor while her back slides down the wall. She’s struggling to keep her head high as her consciousness feels like it’s fading away and coming back every millisecond.
*GRABS*
The man grabs Luna’s neck with both of his hands and starts hardening his grip, strangling her.
“AAAKKHHH---!!!”
The immediate pain from suffocation immediately brought Luna’s consciousness back to her in full force.
“AAKKHH!!!”
She grips the man’s fingers to try to pull them out of her neck, but to no avail. There’s just no possible way a thin and slender 15-year-old girl could ever hope to overpower a 36-year-old man who was just released from prison.
“AAKKKHH!!”
Luna’s neck became redder and redder. She almost passed out due to the lack of oxygen. The 36-year-old man is staring at Luna’s eyes with a conflicting gaze. He felt insanely guilty for hurting such a young girl, but at the same time, her daughter will be in Luna’s place if he doesn’t do this.
“M-Mister. . . Please at least. . . Look at my eyes. . . And tell me that. . . you’ll definitely. . .meet your daughter. . .”
The man respected her last word.
“Don’t worry! I swear on your life! You will not die in vain! I am sorry once again! I have zero grudge against you! Please believe me that I do not want to do this if there were any other choices. . .”
“I. . .understand. . .”
The man strengthens his grip so much that Luna can no longer speak.
“Goodbye, young miss! I wish there were other ways. . .”
“Mister. . . As my final wish. . . Could you stare directly. . . into my eyes?”
“Of course, young girl.”
The man focuses his gaze on Luna’s eyes as per her request.
*!!!*
All of a sudden, Luna’s eyes change color and shape, and she stares deeply into his eyes.
. . . .
Luna was finally freed from the man’s strong grip as her body slid down the wall onto the floor.
*Pant pant pant pant*
She’s struggling to regain her breathing on the floor.
*COUGH COUGH COUGH*
She’s also coughing as she tries to desperately gasp for air. Her face and her neck looked so red after being strangled strongly for a few seconds.
*pant pant pant*
“OHOK!! OHOK!!”
Luna tries to stand up with all of her might despite not regaining her full breathing or strength.
*thud thud thud*
*pant pant pant*
She runs away from the man limply while still trying to catch her breath.
The man was frozen in place due to the way her Faith power works. He is currently fighting his own fear inside his head.
“(If I remember right, there should be doors across the maze that contained either food, drinks, or weapons! I have to get away from him and get some kinda weapon for self-defense in case I run into another person like him!)”
Luna takes a turn at an intersection and sees a yellow door on the right side of the wall about 10 meters ahead.
“That’s it!”
*pant pant pant*
Luna hastens her own pace as she still tries to regain her breathing and strength to reach the door.
After two minutes of walking, she finally reached the door. She grabs the doorknob and opens the door.
*!!!*
“What the heck is this?”
What Luna saw only brought confusion to her mind. Behind the obviously out-of-place yellow door, there was a small room with a heavy Japanese styled design living room. There is a small wooden table in the center of the room with four sitting pillows on each side of the table. The floor was a tatami, which is a rush-covered straw mat forming a traditional Japanese floor covering. There is an open window on the back of the room with a beautiful view of the ocean. There’s a TV on top of a shelf on the right side of the room. There is a big light with a string to turn it off and on at the center of the room, above the wooden ceiling.
This whole scenery was so random that Luna had a problem processing all of these.
*!*
But then her mind quickly snapped at the fact that there is an open window towards the ocean outside. She quickly ran to the open window to jump out of the room.
*THUD*
“AAWWW!!”
But her face crashed into some kinda invisible wall when she lunged forward to the open window, and she fell to the floor.
“AWWWW!! MY NOOOSSSEEEEE!!!”
Her nose became red from the impact against the invisible wall. She slowly gets up to try and observe the invisible wall.
“. . .”
Luna put her hand against the open window and felt that her hand touched something solid. She pulls back her hand and swings it to punch the invisible wall.
*BAM*
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”
Luna punched the invisible wall, and it only resulted in a bruise on her tiny fist. She holds her fist with her other hand as tears come out of her eyes from the pain.
“I guess it’s really impossible to get out of this maze.”
*?!*
“Wait, that guy said there should be food, drinks, or weapons inside the doors. Where are they?”
Luna looks to her left and right, and she walks towards the shelf where the TV is placed. She crouches and sees that there is a glass door on the bottom shelf.
*!*
And there she saw a taser behind the glass door. She opens it and quickly grabs it.
“Phew! With this, I can at least win in a physical confrontation!”
.
.
.
*Thud thud thud thud*
“Young girl! Aren’t you tired? You’ve been carrying me on your back for about 30 minutes now! Wanna get a quick rest?”
“Nah, I’m fine, Grandma! I’m using Vein Armor, so I am completely fine!”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah! Don’t worry! If you wanna take a break instead, Grandma, let’s stop at the next door we find!”
“I’d love to! The three doors we went into all have food! Let’s eat together later, young lady!”
“Yes, madam!!”
Kasumi takes a turn at an intersection.
*!!*
She stops herself as she sees a muscular man, standing at 180cm height, with his back facing her, holding a fire axe in his right hand. He’s dark skinned and bald. He’s wearing a green camo tank top, a pair of dark navy-blue long jeans, a pair of black socks, and a pair of black boots.
The man turns around and sees Kasumi and the grandma.
“Mister! Are you okay? Have you met anyone?”
“Ahh, young lady and her grandma!! Are you two okay? I found this fire axe inside one of the doors for self-defense purposes!”
“Ohoho! Young lad! Wanna come with us?”
“I’ll gladly join you two! May I know both of your names?”
“. . . .”
“Sure, sure! My name is---!!”
“Grandma! Wait! Something’s not right!”
“What’s wrong, young lady?”
“I sense a hostile killing intent coming from him!”
*!!*
“O-Oh my. . .”
“*SIGH* Why do you have to be so sharp, lady? I COULD’VE KILLED YOU AND THAT GRANDMA OF YOURS WHEN YOU TURNED YOUR BACK ON ME!! SUCH A WASTE!!”
The man threatens with a giant grin on his face.
“W-What should we do, young lady?”
“Don’t worry, Grandma! I won’t let him harm you!”
*!*
All of a sudden, the man swings his fire axe with his two giant, muscular hands.
*BRAAKK*
The fire axe hit the floor below. Kasumi simply steps back away from his swing and dodges it completely.
“Grandma! Let’s run the other way! And if we find a door, I want you to stay inside the door until I deal with this guy!”
“I-I understand! But be careful, young lady!!”
“But of course!!”
*BWOOOSSHHH*
Kasumi immediately dashes away in the opposite direction from the man.
“RUNNING AWAY, ARE WE?”
*BWOOOSSHHH*
“TOO BAD!! THIS MAZE IS INSANELY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE!! I CAN’T RISK LOSING TIME WHEN I JUST FOUND TWO EASY PREYS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! I’LL CATCH UP TO YOU RIGHT AWAY AND INSTANTLY WIN AND GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!!”
*!*
“(He’s fast even though I’m using Vein Armor!! He’s probably in the army or something along those lines!)”
Kasumi carries the grandma and keeps running away, but the muscular man is chasing after them with all of his might, closing the distance between them ever so slightly, even against Kasumi’s Vein Armor.
