SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: Key to the Labyrinth
[One Week Later]
Ping!
[You have completed your Daily Quest for 7 consecutive days.]
[Bonus Quest Reward Unlocked!]
[You have received: E-Rank Dungeon Key – 'Failed Edge of the Labyrinth']
Percy flopped against the wall like a rag doll, his shirt drenched in sweat from that morning's marathon of sit-ups.
"Finally," he muttered, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. "Was starting to think this system was just a fancy step counter."
The past week had become its own brutal routine. Wake up. Check the system. Do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and the dreaded half-kilometre run. Then—because apparently it's important—meditate by the sink or bathtub with the faucet running until his SP and MP ticked back up. Only then could he practice casting his powers: [Hydrokinesis], [Summon Storm], and the headache-inducing [Create Earthquake], which the system was always quick to remind him caused minor structural damage and to "proceed with caution." Yeah, thanks for that.
He pulled up his Inventory.
———————————————————-
[Inventory]
[Tide-Forged Leather Gloves] – Common
[Wave-Woven Bracers] – Uncommon
[Swift Current Sandals] – Common
[Tidecaller Pendant] – Uncommon
[Polished Mana Crystal] – Common
[Basic Spellbook – Tide Surge] – Uncommon
[E-Rank Dungeon Key – 'Failed Edge of the Labyrinth'] – Uncommon
————————————————————
"Huh…" Percy blinked, eyes scanning the list. "Okay, now this looks like loot."
He tapped each item, inspecting the stats carefully.
[Tide-Forged Leather Gloves]
Rank: Common
• +3 Strength
• +2 Vitality
• +1 Agility
Description: A practical pair of battle-worn gloves, reinforced with sea-hardened leather. Still smells faintly of salt.
[Wave-Woven Bracers]
Rank: Uncommon
• +5% Water Skill Power
• +2 Intelligence
Description: Woven from threads soaked in enchanted ocean currents. Enhances the clarity of aquatic magic.
[Swift Current Sandals]
Ranked: Common
• +3 Agility
• Minor movement noise suppression
Description: Light as water and quick as a stream. Treads almost noiselessly on wet ground.
[Tidecaller Pendant]
Rank: Uncommon
• +7% Water Skill Power while touching water
• +1 Intelligence
Description: A pendant carved from a deep-sea shell, still humming with Poseidon's breath.
[Polished Mana Crystal]
Ranked: Common
• Restores 100 MP over 10 seconds if dissolved in the mouth.
• Restores Half instantly if swallowed
Description: A smooth, mana-infused crystal. Standard adventurer-grade recovery tool.
————————————————————
"These are actually kinda badass," Percy said, holding up the bracers with a crooked grin. "Guess the system does know how to treat a guy."
His gaze shifted to the last item: a slim spellbook with a shimmering blue cover. When he tapped it, a soft ripple spread across his fingers like water breaking still stone.
Ping!
[You have learned a new skill: Tide Surge]
[Tide Surge] – Uncommon
• Type: Active – Self Buff
• Cost: 30 MP
• Effect: +15% Agility and Water Skill Power for 30 seconds
• Description: The flow of the ocean empowers your stride. Water magic channels faster, and your body moves like a tide unhindered.
"Oh, now that's more like it," Percy said with a smirk. "Finally, something that makes me faster and stronger."
He opened his Skill List just to admire the new addition. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. The week of grinding wasn't just making him stronger—it was starting to feel real.
And now… he had a dungeon key.
"'Failed Edge of the Labyrinth,' huh?" Percy read aloud, eyes narrowing. "Sounds like a side quest from some tragic indie game." He tapped the key.
[E-Rank Dungeon Key – 'Failed Edge of the Labyrinth']
Rank: Uncommon
• Description: A jagged bronze key broken from the heart of a once-infinite Labyrinth. This fragment leads to a sealed-off edge where time and space can no longer reach, a dungeon locked in stasis and decay.
• Use: Can be activated at a designated area.
• Location: Central Park – Sewer Maintenance Access Point A13.
"Sewer dungeon. Of course." Percy groaned, nose wrinkling. "Thanks for the ambiance, system. Nothing like a whiff of old rat soup to get me pumped."
Still, he straightened his back. This was his first real dungeon. And judging by the past week, there was only one way through this: forward.
————————————————————
The sewer access point wasn't exactly the kind of place you'd add to your vacation itinerary.
Central Park in the morning buzzed with joggers, whispering trees, and families feeding ducks—but the system had no interest in nature's charm. It led Percy straight to a rusted maintenance hatch half-hidden behind a locked gate, flanked by overgrown bushes.
A flickering notification hovered over the hatch like a hologram only he could see.
[Designated Dungeon Access Point Detected.]
[Use Dungeon Key – 'Failed Edge of the Labyrinth'?]
[Y/N]
Percy double-checked the map. "Sewer Maintenance Access Point A13." He looked at the corroded metal hatch with peeling paint. Yep, and yep—smelled like sewer too.
With a sigh, he tapped [Y].
The bronze key shimmered in his hand, then dissolved into motes of light. The metal hatch groaned, its mechanisms grinding and shifting. Stone beneath his feet vibrated faintly.
Ping!
[You have entered the Dungeon: Failed Edge of the Labyrinth]
[Recommended Level: 5+]
[Difficulty: E-Rank]
A faint blue glow crept from the cracks in the open hatch, revealing a narrow spiral staircase descending into darkness. The air smelled of moss and something else. Something old, like time itself was gathering dust down there.
Percy clenched his fists, feeling the familiar snug fit of his gear: gloves creaking, sandals silent, the Tidecaller Pendant humming gently at his chest.
He stepped forward.
"Alright… Let's see what the edge of a broken Labyrinth looks like."
And with that, he descended into his first dungeon.
————————————————————
[Name]: Perseus 'Percy' Jackson
[Level]: 5 [EXP]: 187 / 506
[Title]: Son of Poseidon
[Class]: —
[Sacred Gear]: Locked
[HP]: 380 / 340
[SP]: 380 / 340
[MP]: 400 / 340
[STR]: 20 (17+3)
[AGI]: 21 ( 17+4)
[VIT]: 19 (17+2)
[INT]: 20 (17+3)
[CHA]: 17
[LUC]: 9
————————————————————
The silence hit him first. Not the kind that calms you. The kind that presses so hard on your ears you want to scream just to hear something.
The spiral staircase went deeper than it had any right to. Stone bricks lined the narrow shaft, slick with moisture, carved with faint spirals and ancient etchings that twisted the longer he stared. By the time he reached the bottom, it felt less like an underground tunnel and more like a place between places.
Ping.
[Zone: Failed Edge of the Labyrinth]
[Spatial Stability: 48% — Map Incomplete]
[Hazards: Arcane Pressure, Unbound Constructs, Fragmented Pathways]
The corridor ahead flickered, reality fraying like an old sweater. Stones jutted at impossible angles. The floor cracked, not broken but misaligned—like someone tried to recreate Daedalus's maze and completely botched the blueprint. Moss glowed pale blue between the stones, pulsing softly. Shattered tiles floated midair before snapping back with mechanical clicks.
Above him, faded words shimmered across a stone archway:
"When the Labyrinth shatters, even the path forgets where it leads."
"…Great," Percy muttered, rubbing his temple. "A maze with memory issues. Just what I needed."
The temperature dropped as he moved deeper. The air hummed with barely-contained magic. Up ahead, the path split into three—none of them safe-looking. One was half-submerged in slow-flowing water. Another twisted up the wall, as if gravity decided to quit. The last was filled with flickering runes sparking when he drew near.
Still… no enemies.
Yet.
————————————————————
He definitely spoke too soon.
The flickering blue light barely pierced the stale, damp air as he moved cautiously through the Failed Edge. Every step echoed against cracked stone walls carved with ancient patterns that twisted when he blinked. The corridor warped unpredictably—classic broken fragment behavior. Moss pulsed faintly under his boots, casting ghostly light. The stale smell of earth and old magic pressed in like a heavy blanket.
Ahead, a shape slumped against the wall: a distorted silhouette of a Minotaur, fragmented like a cracked statue, shimmering with unstable purple veins of magic that pulsed erratically.
Percy's heart kicked up.
[Observe Activated]
Ping!
[Glitched Sentinel – Fragmented Minotaur]
Type: Aberrant Construct
Rank: D
Level: 8
HP: 720
MP: 40
STR: 45
VIT: 36
AGI: 40
INT: 2
LCK: 2
Skills:
[Savage Axe Toss] – Hurls a massive rusted axe at high speed. Deals heavy physical damage if not dodged.
[Stomp] – A brutal ground-pound that knocks back nearby enemies.
[Berserk Charge] – When below 50% HP, gains +20% movement speed and damage for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.
The sentinel twitched. Then, with a grinding mechanical snarl, it lunged upright and snatched a jagged axe from its broken arm.
Without warning, the axe sliced through the stale air, spinning toward Percy.
His vision blurred.
[Instinct Activated]
Before the axe was fully in focus, Percy dove to the side. The axe slammed into the cracked wall, sending stone shards flying.
He pushed off the ground, heart pounding. Locking eyes with the sentinel, he muttered, "Okay, that's gonna hurt if it hits."
The sentinel charged again, limbs jerking unnaturally fast. Its axe swung wide, sending debris scattering.
Percy rolled back, barely dodging, then sprung to his feet.
Clenching his fists, he charged.
[Create Earthquake Activated]
[Minotaur has taken 486 Damage]
His punch slammed against the sentinel's metal arm with a sharp crack echoing through the corridor. The sentinel staggered but kept coming.
Percy ducked under a wild swing, punching at the sentinel's leg, sending a ripple of tremors through the cracked floor.
The construct stumbled, recalibrated, and charged again.
Percy backed off, panting, then called his mana.
[Hydrokinesis Activated]
Water from moss and humidity swirled around his fists, coalescing into a whip-like torrent.
He lashed it at the sentinel's face.
[Minotaur has taken 60 Damage]
The watery strike crackled with energy, widening cracks in its fragile form.
The sentinel howled and charged faster.
Percy barely dodged, grinning despite his pounding heart.
"Tide Surge!"
[Tide Surge Activated: +15% Agility and Water Skill Power for 30 seconds]
Water flowed through him like tide; his body felt smoother, faster.
Using the boost, he twisted past a wild swing and smashed his fist into the sentinel's shoulder.
[Minotaur has taken 486 Damage]
The construct shattered in pieces, but it still stood.
The labyrinth groaned, walls creaking in protest.
Finally, the sentinel's chest split open with a grinding metallic groan and collapsed into rubble.
Dust settled. Percy lowered his fists, chest heaving.
Ping!
[Enemy Defeated: E-Rank Minotaur Sentinel]
[+135 Exp]
[EXP: 322 / 506]
[Item Drop Acquired: Fragmented Minotaur Horn – Uncommon]
Amid the rubble, a jagged chunk of curved horn pulsed faintly with magic.
Percy picked it up.
[Fragmented Minotaur Horn]
Rank: Uncommon
Description: A piece of a corrupted Minotaur Sentinel's horn. Dense with violent magic and labyrinth essence. "The rage of the maze lingers in the splinters."
Usage: Can be used in crafting or as a magical catalyst.
Percy whistled low. "Well… that's metal. Literally."
He stored it away and glanced down the corridor.
The air felt tighter.
He pressed on.
A stone cracked beneath his feet. Walls trembled. The whole place seemed to resent him—or maybe mourn its broken design. Runes flickered and died like ghosts fading.
Then came the noise.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Dry bone scraping stone.
Five figures emerged from shadows—their eyes glowing blue in hollow sockets, armor cracked and rusty. Each wielded weapons: sword, axe, flail dripping spectral ichor.
[Observe Activated]
[Skeleton Warrior ]
Rank: E
Level: 6
HP: 260 / 260
MP: 60 / 60
STR: 14
VIT: 13
AGI:15
INT: 3
LCK: 6
Skills:
[Rusty Slash] – A quick horizontal weapon strike. 10% chance to cause "Minor Bleed."
[Shield Rattle] – Briefly raises defense for 5 seconds when outnumbered or surrounded.
[Bone Lunge] – Dashing stab with brittle precision. Gains +10% Critical Hit chance.
[Enemies Detected: Skeleton Warriors x5 ]
"…Seriously?" Percy muttered. "Dead guys now?"
The first skeleton shrieked and lunged.
Percy summoned mana to his palms.
They charged, a wall of rusted weapons and rattling bone.
He clenched his fists and slammed them down.
[Create Earthquake Activated]
Cracks spiderwebbed out in a wide radius. The skeletons staggered—two flew backward, one dropped its sword, the rest stumbled.
Before they could recover—
[Create Water Construct Activated]
[Instinct Activated]
Without hesitation, Percy thrust his hand forward.
Water surged from the damp air and stone cracks, shaping instantly into a spear—sleek, barbed, ice-like, pulsing with power.
The system chimed:
[Water Construct: Spear Created] – Duration: 60s or until destroyed.
[Damage scales with Mana Input. × Intelligence. Enhanced by Water Skill Power.]
[Piercing Damage: Moderate]
[Special: May cause Splash + Knockback on hit.]
He charged, spear glowing like frozen lightning.
The first skeleton swung an axe—Percy ducked, rolled low, and drove the spear clean through its chest. Water exploded out like a geyser.
[Skeleton has taken 442 Damage]
Bones rattled and collapsed.
He twisted to the next, blocking a sword swing with the spear's haft, then bashed its skull. The weapon surged power, sending the undead flying into the wall.
[Skeleton has taken 452 Damage]
"That's two," he muttered, breath sharp, eyes locked forward.
The remaining skeletons circled cautiously, no longer charging blindly. One had a rusted glaive, the others short, chipped swords.
Percy narrowed his eyes. The system buzzed faintly.
[Instinct Activated]
A shift on the right. He spun.
CLANG!
Steel met water-haft. The glaive struck.
Percy slid with the impact, then lashed upward in a wide arc.
Splash!
A curved blade of water burst from the spear's tip, slicing the skeleton's chest. It shattered in a shower of brittle bones and water.
Two left. They tried to flank him.
"Not happening."
He feinted, swept a leg low, dropping one skeleton to a knee. No hesitation. He slammed the spear down like a harpoon.
CRACK.
Water and bone exploded.
The last one jumped from behind.
His spear was still stuck in the other skeleton.
No time.
He released it, spun, and thrust his hands out.
[Hydrokinesis Activated]
A jet of water slammed into the skeleton, lifting it off its feet and slamming it into the ceiling.
It didn't get up.
[Skeleton has taken 280 Damage]
Silence returned. Only water dripped and Percy's heavy breaths.
The spear shimmered and dissolved.
He brushed a scrape on his arm and smirked.
Ping!
[You have defeated: Skeleton x5]
[+250 EXP]
[DING! 🎉]
[LEVEL UP!]
[HP/SP/MP Full]
[You have reached Level 6]
[All Stats have increased]
[Current EXP: 71 / 759]
He crouched near the bones, fingers brushing aside rubble. Something solid—not bone—caught his touch. Cold, smooth, glowing faintly.
He pulled out a pair of dark, bleached bracers—twisted bone shackles etched with unknown runes. Wisps of green smoke curled off them.
Ping!
[Item Acquired: Wraithbone Shackles – Uncommon]
[Wraithbone Shackles]
Rank: Uncommon
• Type: Wrist Accessory
• Effect: +2 Intelligence, +3% Water Skill Power
• Passive – Grip of the Dead: 10% chance to slow an enemy's movement by 30% for 2 seconds when hit with a skill.
• Description: Shackles forged from spectral bone and soaked in underworld waters. Once used to restrain rogue spirits, now repurposed to empower your will.
He raised a brow. "Skeleton soul shackles? Seriously? What were you guys into down here—ghost parties?"
Sliding them on, he felt the cold pulse ripple up his arms.
The system chimed.
[Wraithbone Shackles Equipped]
[INT +2 | Water Skill Power +3%]
"Guess being weird and creepy has its perks," he muttered, letting the water around his fingers settle.
With loot secured, he pressed onward.
The walls groaned softly behind him as if watching, waiting.
————————————————————
The hallway suddenly widened.
Percy stepped into a warped hexagonal chamber. The cracked ceiling opened to black stone. Rusted chains dangled from broken beams. Ancient sigils—half Greek, half mechanical—glowed faintly beneath soot on the stone floor.
In the center lay a half-buried bronze colossus.
It wasn't breathing.
But it was waiting.
[Observe Activated]
The system pinged in the corner of his vision.
[Boss Room Detected – Initiating Final Encounter]
[Bronze Talos Fragment]
[Level: 11]
[Type: Construct, Fire-Affinity]
[HP: 2,500]
[MP: 120
STR: 100
AGI: 20
VIT: 125
INT: 6
CHA: 4
LUK: 7
Abilities:
[Infernal Core Overload] – When HP < 40%, leaks molten bronze in flaming trails. Standing in them causes
[Runic Slam] – A ground-pound that sends a seismic shockwave. Stuns if Percy is too close.
[Magnet Pulse] – Emits a magnetic wave that pulls in anything metal (including loose weapons or objects), and briefly slows Percy if he's too close.
The golem's core flared red.
Then it moved.
Bronze plates snapped together with grinding fury. Sparks danced across the floor as its arm—no, cannon—locked into place. One glowing red eye ignited beneath a cracked helmet-shaped head.
Percy grinned. "Figures. Hephaestus's trash fights back. Couldn't have been too tough if it ended up in a dungeon."
The Talos roared a sound like burning engines and lunged.
Percy slid to the side, letting the monster's seismic punch slam into the ground beside him. Cracks split the tiles. Debris flew. Heat rolled off the construct in waves.
"Whoa. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the forge today."
He leapt back and thrust his hand forward.
[Summon Storm Activated]
[Water Affinity Activated]
[Hydrokinesis Activated]
Water surged from the moisture trapped in the ancient forge stone. It coiled around his arms like serpents, then lashed outward, striking the Talos's cracked flank.
HISSSSSS
[Telos Has taken 400 Damage]
[Telos Has taken 200 bonus Damage due to Elemental Advantage]
Steam burst from the impact, and the golem recoiled, molten bronze hissing as it cooled too fast.
"Not a fan of the waterworks, huh? Should've brought a bucket."
The golem charged again. Percy ducked low, feet skidding across the uneven stone, and brought both hands to the ground.
[Create Earthquake Activated]
[Telos has taken 250 Damage]
A pulse of force rippled outward from his fists—cracking tiles and disrupting the golem's footing. It staggered. Percy took the chance.
"Tide Surge!"
[Tide Surge Activated: +15% Agility and Water Skill Power for 30s]
[Hydrokinesis Activated]
[Instinct]
[Create water construct: Spear]
With enhanced speed, Percy dashed in a blur. His footwork was smooth now, fluid as the tide. Water spiraled into a spear in his hands—shaped by instinct.
He hurled it like a javelin.
CRACK—
[Telos Has taken 1000 Damage]
[Has taken 200 bonus Damage due to Elemental Advantage]
The water-spear struck the golem's exposed shoulder joint. Bronze bent inward. The Talos howled.
The forge itself groaned in response, as if unwilling to let this intruder win.
[Boss HP Below 40% – Core Overload Initiated]
The Talos's chest flared blinding red. Glowing runes across its body pulsed faster. Molten bronze began leaking from its seams, trailing flames wherever it walked.
Percy was already moving.
He sprinted to the side to avoid a burst of flame, then launched another wave of water—this time directly at the boss's core.
[Hydrokinesis Critical Hit – Super Effective]
The molten core sputtered.
The creature stumbled, letting out a low, warping screech.
Percy pushed forward. "End of the line, bronze junkyard."
[Create Water Construct]
[Insufficient mana detected]
[Skill Activation Failed]
"Shit!"
The Talos's molten chest was pulsing wildly now — bright as a dying star. The runes along its arms flashed, flared, and burned red-hot.
Steam hissed from Percy's skin as he sprinted in, dodging bursts of flame and chunks of falling debris. The heat was overwhelming, but he didn't stop.
Water spiraled around his arm, condensing from the very air, twisting tighter, sharper.
[Instinct Activated]
[Item Used: Polished Mana Crystal]
[Create Water Construct Activated]
[Hydrokinesis – Critical Effect]
His eyes locked onto the core, instincts burning in his veins.
He roared.
"YOUR HEART IS MINE!"
"GÁE BOLG!"
It became a spear impossibly dense, sharp, and spiraling like a drill. It shimmered with azure energy, the force of the ocean compressed into a killing point.
Percy hurled it with all his strength.
The javelin screamed through the air, trailing vapor behind it and struck the Talos directly in the core.
CRACK—BOOM.
[You have Destroyed a Fatal Point.Target Instantly Killed]
The spear didn't just pierce. It ripped through the molten center, spiraling inward, detonating from within.
The Talos arched backward with a final metallic groan, core shattered, runes dimming one by one like dying stars.
Then—
BOOM.
[Boss Defeated – Dungeon Cleared!]
[+3,600 EXP]
[DING! 🎉]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Hp/Sp/Mp Full]
[You have reached Level 9]
[All Stats have increased]
[Current EXP: 71 / 759]
[Loot Acquired]
• [Runed Core Fragment] – Uncommon
• [Molten Bronze Plate] – Common (x3)
• [Forged Sentinel Band] – Uncommon Accessory
Percy stood over the steaming ruin, chest heaving. The last shimmer of his conjured spear faded into mist.
He cracked his neck, wiped a drop of sweat from his brow, and smirked.
"Eat your heart out, Hound. This water boy's got more bite."
A golden-blue portal flickered to life across the broken chamber.
First E Rank Dungeon cleared.