The eerie glow of two full moons enveloped the forest. Their silver light filtered through the dense canopy, casting long, twisted shadows on the ground.
In a clearing near the floor gate, a group of seven Olympian guards had set up camp. They were waiting for anyone who might erge from the second level, specifically hoping to catch Adrian before he could slip past them.
It had been over a week since Adrian had entered the maze of the second floor. The guards, confident that no one could survive that long in such a perilous environnt, had grown complacent and thought they were wasting their ti waiting for a dead man.
The officer on night duty, a burly man nad Hector, leaned against a tree on top of a branch, struggling to keep his eyes open. His companions were similarly relaxed, so chatting quietly, others dozing by the fire.
"He’s definitely dead by now," one guard muttered, poking at the fire with a stick. "No one lasts that long in the maze."
"Yeah," another agreed. "But orders are orders. We stay until we get the call to move. You know how lord Bellerophon can be-"
"Oi! Not so loud! Do you want to die?"
While the others bickered, the officer yawned and finally fell asleep, his head drooping sideways. The surrounding forest was silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl or so other beast.
Suddenly, Hector’s eyes snapped open. The next thing he saw was a figure charged out of the floor gate. It was Adrian. He moved with the speed and ferocity of a beast, his new horns shining in the moonlight.
In a single, devastating move, Adrian unleashed his true damage charge attack. The energy crackled around him, and within monts, six Olympian guards lay dead around the campfire. Adrian’s attack had been so quick and lethal that they hadn’t even had a chance to draw their weapons.
The officer tried to get away and report it to the superiors. However, the rustling of leaves gave him away.
"I missed soone?" Adrian mumbled, looking up at the tree.
His eyes widened in horror, but he had no ti to scream. The following mont, Adrian’s hand wrapped around his throat, and with a swift motion, the officer’s neck snapped.
Adrian stood amidst the fallen guards, puffing. He looked around, ensuring there were no survivors, and then piled up the corpses.
Once he was confident no other remained, Adrian activated his [Gluttony] ability. The corpses turned into stats as Adrian consud them, leaving nothing behind. The forest was once again silent, as if nothing had happened.
Satisfied that he had left no evidence, Adrian turned and headed towards the forest city. The centre of the third floor.
"This is troubleso..." Adrian mumbled.
As he approached, he noticed the city was heavily guarded by elves. He cursed his luck, knowing that elves had always been a troubleso enemy, especially after he had killed Rowan and turned Vincent into mashed potatoes.
Adrian hadn’t expected to encounter the elves so soon. He knew the elves would be sowhere in the tower, but the third floor was way too early for him to even think about going up against them.
Unfortunately, since the next trial would probably take place within the city, Adrian had to get inside the city. But it was easier said than done. Even so, Adrian decided to try his luck.
Using his [Mimic] ability, Adrian assud an unfamiliar face, hoping to slip into the city unnoticed. However, he couldn’t hide the horns no matter how hard he tried. As he reached the gate, two Elven guards stopped him.
"Show your face," one elf demanded as the other pointed her spear at him.
Adrian complied, revealing his altered appearance. His horns, however, gave him away as sothing other than human.
"A beastman," the elf sneered in disgust. "Use the side entrance. We don’t want a half-bred monster polluting the main pathway for the elves."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Getting into fights there was unnecessary. Swallowing his non-existent pride, he walked to the side entrance, which turned out to be nothing more than a sewer grate. As he stood before the grate, Adrian could hear the elves smiling.
’And I thought racism was a problem on earth.’
’Gently remind them they are not in Alfvania anymore.’
A wry smile crossed Adrian’s face as he opened the grate. But instead of going inside, he turned back and approached the elf guard who had insulted him.
"Is that the entrance you ntioned, sir?" Adrian asked politely.
"Yes-"
Without warning, Adrian punched the guard square in the face, before grabbing him by the nape and throwing him inside the sewer. The other elf gasped in shock, but before she could react, Adrian glared at her.
"Do you want to explore the hidden entrance?" he mocked the elf as she raised the alarm.
Soon, many elves erged from the city, weapons in hand, and surrounded Adrian. He sighed and shook his head. Killing them all without revealing his identity would be difficult. But who said violence was the answer for everything?
Instead of talking to the elves, Adrian looked up at the sky and said, "Is this how you treat a new player on your floor? I’m disappointed."
Silence followed, and the elves thought the beastman had gone mad from the horrors of the maze. It would make sense if that was the case, as no sane person would want to fight the elves.
But then there was a cackle in the sky and a male fey appeared before them, looking annoyed.
"What’s the aning of this?" the fey demanded, his voice cold and authoritative. "Why have I been called to sort out such a trivial matter?"
The elves imdiately stepped back, lowering their weapons. They hadn’t expected the admin to appear like that, especially because a beastman called him.
"Floor admin," one of them stamred, "this... this beastman attacked us!"
The fey turned his sharp gaze to Adrian, his eyes narrowing. "Is this true?"
Adrian, still in his beastman guise, shrugged. "They insulted and tried to force into the sewers. I defended myself."
The fey sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Elves and their pride... always causing trouble for ... Very well," He waved his hand dismissively at the elves. "Let him pass. He is under my protection."
The elves grumbled but obeyed, clearing a path for Adrian.
The fey turned to him with a warning look. "Don’t cause any more trouble. The next ti, I might not be so lenient."
"Understood," Adrian nodded, handing off ten thousand points to the admin’s fee.
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