The Ascension : A New Beginning (Solo Leveling x Tower of God) [ON A HIATUS]

Chapter 25 : An Unpleasant Reunion

'Well, this is quite ominous…'

Upon being teleported inside the Labyrinth, Sam observed his surroundings. Just as he had suspected, it wasn't something as simple as an ordinary maze. Instead of a closed corridor of some sort as he had imagined, he instead found himself in what looked like the outskirts of a city from the late-medieval times. The surrounding buildings and structures were reminiscent of Victorian Gothic architecture. He could easily sense the dark and heavy atmosphere all around him and the only source of light he had was the full moon in the sky, which illuminated his surroundings. A thin layer of mist floated close to the ground, reaching only up to his heels.

'Not what I imagined from the word 'labyrinth'... Did they make this from scratch? Or did they only modify what was already there?' He thought to himself as he ran his fingers across a nearby wall. 'Well, not that it matters to me…'

Taking a few leaps, he landed on top of a nearby building in order to get a better vantage point. But what he saw from up there made him let out a whistle - The city was spread out for as long as he could see. But his vision was obscured in the distance by a thick fog. He also saw someone else in the distance - Someone who seemed to be a participant, parkouring across the rooftops. A smart decision, admittedly. But …

'There is no way they would make it that simple, right?'

His question was answered when one roof the person stepped on collapsed without any warning, sending him plummeting downwards with a scream.

'Guessed as much...' He inwardly sighed, jumping down to the ground. With slow but steady steps, he began walking forward while resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, completely oblivious to the fact that a pair of eyes had been observing him from the start.

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"Really? This is it?" Sam asked mockingly, leaping away just in time as a huge fist crashed on his earlier spot. Dusting himself off, he shot an unimpressed glance at his adversity - A ten feet tall robot which he assumed to be one of the golems patrolling the labyrinth. Sparks occasionally flashed from the various cuts visible on its body, indicating the damage it has received. The bodies of three other golems laid on the ground, unmoving. On the other hand, Sam looked as good as new, not even having a single scratch on his body.

It was only half an hour since the test started, when Sam ran into the first two golems. And while the logical part of him wanted to avoid them and move forward, the battle maniac part of him wanted to see how he would fare against them.

And in the end, it was the battle maniac part of him that won. But as it turned out, he overestimated them. And two new golems joining the fight did not change anything.

"I guess I expected too much from a tin can." Sam shook his head, sheathing his katana and preparing to end it with the next strike. But almost immediately, purely by instinct, he tilted his head to the side as what looked like a spear went past him at breakneck speed and pierced the golem. Not wishing to take any chances, Sam quickly dashed away from it - A decision that was proven to be wise as it detonated in an explosion.

"Who's there?" Turning to the direction the projectile came from, Sam got into a fighting stance readying his sword. The sound of light footsteps entered his ears as a woman wearing hooded black robes stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself. A half-mask hid most of her features, except for her purple eyes which were focused entirely on him.

'Hmm… Judging from her choice of clothes and body language… An assassin?' Sam wondered to himself, not taking his eyes off her. He remembered catching a glimpse of her, conversing with Zeiros - The Khun family guy whom Nocturne warned about, signifying she was his teammate.