[Main Quest: Reach the end of the labyrinth]
"For those of you already trembling at the thought, there is the door."
"Walk through it now, and you will save yourself the pain and humiliation of failure."
"For those who stay, know this: the labyrinth will not favor the strong or the talented. It will favor the determined."
"Prove that you are more than a name."
"The path forward is brutal, but so is the world beyond these walls."
"Step forward and claim your place, or step aside and be forgotten."
Immediately, the golden vortex above them lit up with brilliant light, as a sigil appeared on it and began flaring brightly.
Less than ten seconds later, a golden archway at the end of the vortex shimmered with life, its intricate designs glowing with pulsing energy.
The air thrummed with power, and the labyrinth seemed to echo within them, alive with a quiet, ominous hum.
All the various geniuses stood frozen, tension thick in the air.
The grand archway seemed so majestic, so powerful, yet so ominous.
It radiated an aura that made them feel unworthy to even approach its surface, and at the same time, an energy that instilled fear deep within their hearts.
Slowly, they looked at one another for answers, but quickly, a young Fallen genius rose from among the top ten and stepped onto the golden steps, his face devoid of emotion as he disappeared.
It was like a motion set in place; all of the top ten also rose and disappeared down the archway.
Quickly, all the students began rising to their feet and disappearing down the hall.
Ryuk's hands clenched into fists. He knew well this was his moment.
Finally, it was beginning. What had made him unable to sleep well for days. What had been at the forefront of his mind for so long.
Finally, it was starting.
Immediately, he rose to his feet and stepped forward.
The last words he heard were:
"May the Worthy Prevail."
Immediately, Ryuk stepped through the golden vortex.
All he felt was a sensation that seemed to last less than a tenth of a second. In the next instant, his eyes flashed open, and he looked below him. Right then, Ryuk felt the gaping maw of an abyss right beneath his feet.
Right now, he was soaring downward freely into the abyss.
Immediately, he forcefully twisted his body as he soared towards the side of abyss he could barely see a wall, his hands scratching into the surface.
Immediately, he felt his fingers' flesh burst, with blood gushing out but he didn;t pay it the lsighest attention.
In the next instant, his feet crashed into the wall.
Sparks of flames flashed through the air as friction erupted between Ryuk's legs and the hard mountainous wall.
Instantly, his motion drastically slowed down.
Yet, he still surged downward with speed, the light from the friction allowing him to see deeper into the abyss.
Quickly, Ryuk's eyes flashed downward, and he saw what lay below.
In the next instant, he pushed himself off the wall, diving downward with speed.
Roughly, he smashed onto a rocky hard surface, rolling across the ground for two meters before he fell deeper for five seconds, finally smashing into the ground.
But Ryuk didn't wait for a single moment before he instantly faded away from where he was formerly, appearing ten meters away, both hands raised and prepared for battle.
Feeling no motion around him for a minute straight, Ryuk finally settled his beating chest as he looked around him.
Just a few meters away, there was a pool of lava.
That was what Ryuk had barely seen from the light of his friction and the reason he had hurriedly jumped away in the last seconds.
Slowly raising his fingers to his face, Ryuk noticed his flesh had been burned off so much that he could see his "bone" hands.
But of course, it wasn't actually bone but durable white nanorobots. Quickly, he watched as veins began climbing up from his severed flesh, followed by blood and new flesh.
In less than a few seconds, his fingers had fully healed.
'Even if familiar, the possibility of this still amazes me every time...'
"Now, just where am I?" Ryuk couldn't help but muse silently as his eyes regulated to the darkness, the red flowing lava finally giving him some light.
Right in front of him was a dead end, with lava covering up its edges.
Calmly, he turned to his front where he found a long lane of a river of lava.
There were barely protruding rocks on some parts of the lava, and the scene before him extended into the far distance beyond Ryuk's gaze.
"Guess I'll have to move forward for now," Ryuk mused. Instantly, he began moving.
He didn't know if there was a time limit to this, but the last thing he would want to happen was to fail at the preliminary stage, and for something as stupid as him being to slow or taking too much time.
Immediately, Ryuk raced forward, jumping from one platform to another and erupting forth with speed.
The lava seemed to go on forever, but with suspended platforms, Ryuk was able to easily continue moving forward.
He had learned to walk on thin ropes with bubbling lava below. It was no problem to move on rocky stones above lava.
At least, that was until he was about to jump onto another stone.
Suddenly, he came to a stop before shooting backward towards the stone he had previously stepped on.
The ground below erupted upward, revealing a gigantic crocodile that lunged after Ryuk's retreating figure with an incredible leap.
Still, it was a bit too slow, as Ryuk managed to land on a previous stone.
The crocodile, missing its projectile mark, landed back into the lava, sending splashes of lava racing towards Ryuk with terrifying speed.
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In and Out_SnowySmoos.