Arthur dragged himself off the mirrored floor.
His left shoulder was a mangled, bleeding ss. His left forearm was still black from the caustic poison. But the heavy stone door at the end of the glass room was open.
He didn’t have the strength to walk. He practically crawled through the doorway.
The environnt changed instantly.
The harsh, infinite reflections were gone. He was in a massive, serene cavern bathed in soft, natural sunlight streaming through a crack in the high ceiling. The air slled of fresh pine and ancient earth.
In the exact center of the room grew a magnificent, ancient white tree. Its roots curled around a massive stone slab.
Sitting on the slab were the skeletal remains of an Elf. The bones were draped in rotted, regal green robes.
"Finally," Arthur wheezed, using his good right arm to push himself upright. "The loot room."
He took a step toward the tree.
SLAM.
An invisible, crushing spiritual pressure dropped directly onto his shoulders. It wasn’t physical gravity like the chasm. It was pure, suffocating ntal weight. It pressed against his sanity, screaming at him to kneel, to submit, to turn back.
Of course, Arthur thought, grinding his teeth. The final boss isn’t a monster. It’s a literal vibe check.
Sylas was testing his fortitude. Checking if the human who had bled his way through the labyrinth actually had the sheer willpower to carry an Elven legacy.
"I didn’t get stabbed... poisoned... and face-fucked by a mirror... just to quit now," Arthur snarled.
He took another step. His knees buckled, but he refused to fall.
He forced his mangled body forward, step by agonizing step. The pressure tried to crush his mind, flashing images of his death, of his failures, of his old pathetic life. Arthur just shoved it all down with pure, spiteful gar rage.
He reached the stone slab.
He slamd his bloody right hand down onto the altar.
Instantly, the suffocating pressure vanished. The air cleared.
The skeletal remains of the Elven Sniper seed to sigh. Then, the bones and rotted robes crumbled entirely into fine white dust, blowing away in a sudden, gentle breeze.
Left behind on the stone slab were three items.
Arthur slumped against the altar, panting heavily. He looked down at the absolute jackpot.
[Item: Whisperwind Longbow (Unique / Growth-Type)]
It was a beautiful weapon, carved from living, pale elven wood. But there was no bowstring. Arthur reached out and grabbed the grip. The mont his skin touched the wood, a string made of pure, glowing blue mana materialized, humming with lethal tension.
Arthur smirked. He dropped his basic ashwood bow onto the floor.
He picked up the second item. A glowing, leather-bound book.
[Skill Book: Phantom Shots (Lv.1 - Passive)] Effect: Arrows fired have a 10% chance to beco intangible during flight, completely bypassing physical armor or magical shields to strike the flesh beneath.
Ten percent chance for a guaranteed critical hit through armor? Arthur’s eyes widened. I am going to absolutely break the combat exams.
He touched the book. It dissolved into light and shot directly into his chest.
Finally, he looked at the main prize.
Resting in the center of the altar was a pristine, glowing green stone.
[Class Awakening Rune: Phantom Sniper (Unique Tier)]
This was the hidden piece. The multi-million credit item that arrogant nobles fought wars over.
Arthur didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the green rune with his bloody right hand and crushed it.
The stone shattered.
It wasn’t agonizingly painful like the Troll Blood. Instead, an intense, freezing wind rushed directly into his veins. His vision expanded outward. His hearing sharpened until he could hear the dew dropping off the leaves of the ancient tree. His mind felt terrifyingly clear.
The blue system text cascaded down his vision.
[Condition t. Class Awakened: Phantom Sniper (Lv. 1)]
[Class Trait Acquired: Ghost in the Woods] The user’s presence naturally blends with the environnt. Moving, breathing, and drawing a bow no longer generate physical sound.
[Massive Stat Surge Detected.] [Dexterity 20] [Perception 15]
[New Active Skill: Mirage Shot] Creates a perfect visual and auditory illusion of a fired arrow to deceive enemies.
[New Passive Skill: Mana Quiver] The user can passively convert raw mana into physical arrows. Arrows dissipate ten seconds after impact.
Arthur stared at that last skill and actually laughed out loud, coughing up a little blood in the process.
"Infinite ammo," Arthur chuckled, leaning heavily on the Whisperwind Longbow. "Thank god. I was getting real tired of digging wood out of goblin ribs."
He pulled up his scroll to check his overall status.
Ti: Sunday, 6:15 PM.
Arthur blinked. He had entered the labyrinth on Saturday morning. The sheer exhaustion, combined with the four-hour coma in the illusion room, had completely warped his sense of ti. He had been inside the Trial of Sylas for almost two full days.
He needed dical attention. He needed sleep. And he was definitely going to be late for Monday morning classes.
A heavy grinding sound echoed through the chamber.
Behind the ancient tree, a hidden stone wall slid open, revealing a short tunnel leading up toward the surface. The warm, orange light of the evening sun spilled into the dungeon.
Arthur strapped his new daggers to his belt. He was bloodied, heavily bandaged, poisoned, and limping on a bad leg.
But as he leaned on his new, legendary bow and hobbled out of the labyrinth into the fading sunlight, he wasn’t a victim anymore.
He was the Phantom Sniper.
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