He moved towards the gate, crossing it with confidence, heading into the labyrinth.
In a dark apartment, Ti Jon, the lightning sorcerer of knight rank, sat staring at a picture of his beloved. His hands were trembling, and his eyes swollen from tears.
"If Joseph hadn't been there… if he hadn't survived… she would still be alive."
He gripped the picture tightly, then picked up his phone and called someone he knew could help him.
The phone rang several times before a calm voice came from the other end:
"Ti Jon, I didn't expect your call. What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry about what happened to your beloved," came the reply.
Ti Jon responded: "I can't sleep because of what happened. I can't think of anything but her. I want to take revenge for her. I want to kill that damned Joseph who caused this."
There was a moment of silence before the voice of Lee Sogun, Vice President of the Seven Seas Corporation, came in a calm tone but tinged with curiosity:
"Joseph? Who is that?"
"A weak guard… but he's the reason she's dead."
Lee Sogun let out a short laugh and said sarcastically: "If he's as weak as you say, why all this anger?"
"It doesn't matter if he's weak… I want him to suffer before he dies."
Lee Sogun sighed and spoke in a more serious tone: "Well, you seem really serious about this. Alright, I'll help you… and I'll bring him to our company, but tell me, how weak is he?"
"He's just a worthless pawn."
At this, Lee Sogun began searching for Joseph's name on the Korean Guards Surveillance website.
After a few moments, the data appeared before him:
• Name: Joseph
• Foreign mother and Korean father
• Classification: Pawn
Lee Sogun smiled with disdain as he read the details, then said mockingly:
"A weak guard at this level? This will be fun… just a bug I can crush whenever I want."
He opened the inbox, where the join requests appeared. When he saw Joseph's request to join their company, he couldn't help but laugh.
"You've come to your doom on your own, you scoundrel."
He pressed the accept button, his eyes gleaming with malice.
________________
In the white labyrinth, when Joseph entered, he found himself surrounded by trees and mountains. In front of him was a cave from which a poisonous scent emanated.
It wasn't long before the first scorpions appeared. They were small but fast, attacking without hesitation.
With a single strike of his dagger, he sliced one in half, then skillfully dodged the sting of another and crushed it underfoot.
He continued advancing deeper into the cave, where he encountered medium-sized scorpions, more aggressive than the first. But he began to notice something strange…
"My movements are faster… I don't feel the fatigue like I used to."
The more scorpions he killed, the more he realized his agility had increased, his speed had improved, and the fighting had become easier.
But he didn't stop. He continued to move deeper into the cave… until he finally reached the real monster.
Joseph stood before the massive monster, the scorpion with three tails.
It was larger than all the scorpions he had faced so far, and its tails moved slowly, as if waiting for the right moment to strike.
"This isn't like any ordinary scorpion… I can feel the danger."
Suddenly, without any warning, the scorpion lunged with astonishing speed!
Joseph dodged the first tail, then the second, but the third struck his left thigh, leaving a deep wound.
"Damn…!"
He felt a strange heat spreading through his body. The venom was quickly coursing through his veins with terrifying speed!
He tried to strike the scorpion with his sword, but its hard shell prevented the dagger from penetrating!
The scorpion let out an angry scream and began attacking with its massive claws, forcing Joseph to step back several paces.
"If I don't finish this quickly… my body won't take it!"
But the venom was starting to take its toll. His vision became blurry, his limbs felt heavier than usual, and breathing became difficult.
Damn… my body… I can't move properly!"
The scorpion took advantage of his moment of weakness and struck Joseph with a powerful blow, sending him crashing into the cave wall!
"Ahh!!"
He felt a sharp pain in his back, but forced himself to rise. The venom was burning his body from the inside, but he couldn't afford to give up now.
The scorpion advanced toward him, its tails shaking violently, before it attacked once more.
With the last of his strength, Joseph barely dodged the attack, jumped onto the scorpion's back, grabbed one of its tails, and with a swift strike, cut off the first tail!
"Screeeech!!"
The scorpion thrashed in every direction, trying to shake him off, but Joseph didn't give it a chance!
Even though his body was collapsing, he landed successive blows to the scorpion's head, until he finally pierced a weak point and killed it once and for all.
But he didn't fall victorious.
As soon as the fight ended, Joseph collapsed to his knees, clutching his wounded thigh.
The poison… is spreading quickly…!"
His vision began to fade to black, and the heat in his body was rising terrifyingly.
"No… I can't… breathe…"
He felt an overwhelming pressure on his chest, as if his heart was about to explode.
Before he lost consciousness, three reward cards appeared before him:
1. Immunity to poison.
2. Increased sharpness of instincts.
3. Increased speed.
As soon as they appeared, he felt an excruciating pain in his body, as though every cell was burning!
"Ahhh!!!"
A sharp scream filled the air, before his body collapsed entirely…
But his heart didn't stop.
Slowly, his body began to adapt to the poison, breaking it down little by little, until the pain started to subside gradually.
When he regained consciousness after a few minutes, he was lying on the ground, his body covered in sweat, but he was alive.
"I survived…"
He struggled to stand, took a deep breath, then grabbed the core of the three-tailed scorpion.
He felt new strength flowing through his body.
But there was something else… something had changed within him.
He looked at his hand and felt that his senses had become sharper, as if the world had slowed down in front of him.
"This… is not normal."
But he didn't care now. He had to get out of here.
After exiting the cave, Joseph felt extremely exhausted, and all he wanted was to return home and lie down for a while. But before that, he headed to the guards' gear and weapons shop to sell the scorpion core he had obtained. Upon entering, he noticed some curious glances directed at him, but he ignored them and went directly to the vendor, where he presented the core.
The vendor carefully examined the core, then raised his eyebrows in surprise and said:
"This is a good core."
The vendor began to haggle over the price. In the end, Joseph received a good amount, and he left the shop, ignoring the whispers of some guards who watched him warily.
Once he arrived home, he was surprised to see his sister rush toward him and hug him tightly, saying with a worried voice:
"I've been worried about you! Why didn't you tell me you were going out? And why didn't you answer your phone?"
Joseph stood silently for a moment, searching for an appropriate answer, then he smiled faintly and said:
"I was at a job interview with one of the guards' companies."
His sister stared at him expectantly and asked eagerly:
"Did they accept you?"
He hesitated a bit but quickly recovered and answered:
"They haven't given me an answer yet."
But her eyes quickly widened when she noticed his bloodstained and torn jacket in some places. She took a step back, stared at him with concern, and then said firmly:
"I'm your sister, why won't you tell me the truth? These aren't the signs of a job interview! Why is your jacket torn and covered in blood? And why do you look so exhausted?"
Joseph sighed, realizing he didn't have a convincing answer. But he smiled gently and said:
"I'm tired, please… let me rest for a bit, and I promise I have a surprise for you tomorrow."
She paused for a moment, then her eyes sparkled with joy as she said excitedly:
"A surprise?! What is it? Tell me now!"
She tried to coax him with repeated questions, but he smiled and said:
"We'll go shopping together, and we'll have a good time."
She jumped up happily, then playfully pushed him, saying:
"You're tired, you need to sleep for a bit!"
Joseph laughed and joked:
"You're quite the girl…"
Then he headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Afterward, he stretched out on his bed, looking at his hand, which had become more flexible and stronger after his fight in the maze. He could feel clear changes in his body, as if his strength was completely different from what it had been before.
He grabbed his phone and started browsing the job applications he had sent to the guards' companies. He only found rejection, rejection, rejection… until a feeling of despair began to creep in. But suddenly, he spotted a new notification.
"Your application has been accepted by Seven Seas Company."
He stared at the screen for several moments before a slight smile appeared on his face. Finally, he got an opportunity!
He fell asleep thinking about the company, completely unaware of what awaited him there.
The next morning, he woke up early, ready for the job interview. He told his sister, and she smiled at him saying:
"Good luck, brother!"
She left for school, while he headed towards the company's headquarters.
When he entered the building, the place looked different from all the other companies he had visited. A blend of luxury and mystery, with armed guards standing in the corners. He proceeded to the reception, filled out his details, then sat in the waiting room until his turn came.
Finally, he entered the vice manager's office, where he met Lee Sogun. He studied him carefully before saying with a slight smile:
"So, you're Joseph? You look different from your picture in the file… it seems you've been training well, there's a noticeable difference between your once skinny body and what you are now. This is very good."
Joseph remained silent, cautious in his responses. When Lee Sogun asked about his skills, he didn't reveal anything about his newfound power. Instead, he merely mentioned that he was from the pawn class and had survived the Black Maze.
During their conversation, the secretary entered carrying two cups of coffee, placing them on the table in front of them. Lee Sogun relaxed in his chair, took one of the cups, while Joseph took the other without hesitation and drank it.
At that moment, he felt something strange creeping into his body. A faint sense of numbness, but it didn't affect him too much. He continued to look at Lee Sogun, who simply smiled and said calmly:
"Congratulations… you've been accepted."
Joseph felt happiness, but at the same time, there was something uncomfortable about this company. Why was he accepted here, while all other companies in South Korea had rejected him?
He had a strange feeling, but he decided not to dwell on it too much. He thanked Lee Soojin and left the office, heading home.
However, as soon as he stepped out, Lee Soojin grabbed his phone and called one of his men, saying in a cold voice:
"Follow him, never let your guard down."
After leaving the Seven Seas Company, Joseph felt happy to have been accepted for the job, but inside, there was a strange feeling he couldn't explain. This company was different from the others, and something about it didn't feel normal.
When he got home, he sat for a while, waiting for his sister to return from school. As soon as she opened the door and saw him, she rushed toward him with joy and eagerly asked:
"How was the interview?! Were you accepted?!"
Joseph smiled and said, "Yes, I was accepted."
His sister jumped with joy and said, "Awesome! I knew you would succeed!"
Joseph laughed as he watched her excitement, then told her, "Take a rest, because we're going shopping today, just like I promised."
In the evening, they went out together. The weather was nice, and his sister was very excited for the day, while Joseph felt happy seeing her enjoy herself. He was happy that he had managed to save enough money to make her happy, even if just a little.
They wandered through a large market, trying on clothes and buying what she liked. Then, they went to an arcade, where his sister was filled with joy as she played, while Joseph stood watching her with a warm smile.
Night fell, and they decided to have dinner at a restaurant. They sat, talking and laughing, as the dishes were served to them. But suddenly, Joseph felt something strange… an instinctive sense that someone was watching him. He didn't turn immediately, but he scanned the area with his sharp eyes, finding a man sitting at a table not far from them.
The man was behaving normally, but from time to time, he would steal a glance at Joseph. Joseph didn't want to show any reaction, but he kept his instincts alert.
On the other side, that person had made a brief call to Lee Sogun, updating him on the situation:
Lee Sogun was stunned.
"He ingested the poison and wasn't affected by it."
A silence lingered for a moment before Lee Sogun replied in a calm yet commanding tone:
"Follow them. And if you get the chance to kill him without anyone noticing, do it."
"What about the girl? Should I kill her too?"
"No, your mission is only Joseph."
After dinner, Joseph and his sister decided to return home. But as they approached the building, that unsettling feeling returned to him… Something was wrong.
When they reached the apartment door, he suddenly stopped and said to his sister:
"It seems I left my wallet at the restaurant. You go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a minute."
His sister looked at him in surprise, but she didn't object: "Alright, don't be late."
She watched him until she entered, then he turned toward a dark side alley, where he stood still, sensing what was about to happen.
Suddenly, a person lunged at him from the shadows!
But Joseph moved with lightning speed, turning and grabbing the attacker by the neck with force, then slamming him into the wall. The man was stunned, not expecting to be exposed so easily.
"How… how did you avoid me?! You're just a second-level pawn!"
Joseph's eyes narrowed as he replied in a cold voice, "It seems you know me well."
The man fell silent, unwilling to answer.
"Who sent you?"
There was no response.
Joseph sighed, then drew his sword and placed it on the man's neck. "Were you planning to kill my sister too?"
The man violently shook his head, pleading, "Please, forgive me. I didn't mean to harm you."
But that wasn't enough to calm Joseph. His blood was boiling in his veins, and his eyes glowed with a terrifying intensity in the darkness. Without hesitation, he drove his sword into the man's heart, ending him quickly.
Then… something strange happened.
His body began to tremble slightly… He felt a strange coldness spreading through him. He stared at his bloodstained hands, then whispered in a trembling voice:
"I… did I just kill a person?"
His breath faltered, and he felt as if something was breaking inside him. He was a little scared of what he had just done, but it was strange… it wasn't a feeling he was familiar with.
He tried to ignore it and returned home. He entered his apartment silently, his mind confused. He threw himself onto the bed, but he couldn't sleep.
At his desk, Lee Sogun was watching his phone, waiting for his subordinate to respond to his calls. But he hadn't received any answer.
"Why isn't that bastard answering?"
He felt uneasy. It shouldn't have taken this long.
But the next morning, he received a shocking report:
"The killer's body was found in an alley."
Shock spread across Lee Sogun's face. He hadn't expected this. He had his doubts about Joseph, but he had dismissed him as just a weak pawn who couldn't kill a first-level pawn.
But now, doubts began to creep in.
"How… how did he not get affected by the poison?
For the first time, Lee Sogun began to see Joseph as more than just a "weak pawn."
Something… he still didn't understand.