The narrow corridor filled with the high-pitched, frantic clicking of dozens of metal legs scrabbling for purchase on the iron floor. The swarm of Automaton Scrappers surged toward Kairo, a metallic tide of rust and ruin, their single red photoreceptors glowing with malevolent intent. The confined space, which would have been a deathtrap for the desperate Players he'd witnessed earlier, was, for him, the perfect killing field.
He met the charge head-on. His Runic Blade, already humming with its [Blade Aura], became a blur of motion. The first Scrapper lunged, its spindly legs aiming to pierce his flesh. Kairo didn't parry; he simply twisted his body, letting the attack slide past as his sword descended in a precise, cleaving arc. The mana-wreathed edge sliced through the automaton's weak chassis with ease, and its red eye flickered and died.
[You have slain an Automaton Scrapper.]
[+40 EXP]
He didn't pause. [Aether Step] activated, and he vanished from his spot, reappearing five feet deeper into the corridor, directly in the midst of the swarm. The automatons, their simple programming confused by his sudden teleportation, crashed into each other. It was the only opening he needed. He spun, his blade scything through the air in a 360-degree arc of destruction. Metal shrieked and sparked as he cut through legs, bodies, and photoreceptors. Four more Scrappers collapsed into heaps of twitching junk.
The remaining automatons recalibrated, their collective red gaze focusing on him. They attacked as one, a wall of sharp, metallic limbs. Kairo held his ground, his blade a flickering barrier. Parry, thrust, slice. His movements were brutally efficient, each strike aimed at a joint or the central red eye. He was a machine of combat, dismantling these lesser machines with contemptuous ease. The corridor became a scrapheap, littered with the twitching remains of the dozen automatons.
[You have gained a level!]
[You are now Level 5.]
Kairo stood for a moment, his breathing steady, and surveyed his handiwork. He knelt, retrieving the loot that had dropped from the destroyed creatures: several pieces of [Scrap Metal] and a handful of [Low-Grade Mana Cores]. In his past life, players had treated this kind of loot as vendor trash. Kairo knew better. The scrap could be refined into ingots for crafting, and the mana cores were a stable, if weak, power source for future runic devices. He stored them carefully in his pack. Every resource was a future advantage.
He proceeded deeper into the labyrinth. The dungeon lived up to its name. Corridors branched off in confusing directions, some leading to dead ends, others looping back on themselves. The air was hot and thick with the smell of ozone, and the constant, rhythmic grinding of distant gears was a deeply unsettling soundtrack. He passed over pressure plates that vented scalding steam from the walls, his high SEN stat allowing him to spot the subtle seams in the floor panels. He bypassed a corridor rigged with a collapsing floor trap by noticing the faint stress fractures in the ceiling above. This was a place designed to kill the unwary, rewarding not just strength, but perception.
After navigating what he remembered was a particularly tricky section, he came upon a large blast door blocking his path. A nearby terminal was dark, clearly unpowered. Kairo scanned the walls. Just as he recalled, veins of the blue Mana-Conductive Iron flowed across the wall, but a key section had been severed. He found the broken conduit, and using a piece of scrap metal from his inventory as a crude bridge, he rerouted the flow of energy. The terminal sparked to life, and with a deep groan, the massive blast door slid open.
The chamber beyond was larger, more open. In the center stood a new type of automaton. It was bipedal, standing a full eight feet tall, its body thick with heavy iron plating. It held a massive, slab-like sword in one hand and a crude tower shield in the other. It was a Golem Sentry.
As Kairo entered, its single blue photoreceptor swiveled to focus on him. [Scan] activated.
[Golem Sentry]
Level: 6
Class: Guardian
Abilities: [Power Slam], [Shield Block]
Description: A heavily armored automaton designed to guard key areas of the Labyrinth. Its frontal armor is extremely durable. Weak Point: Exposed power conduit on its upper back.
The Sentry took a heavy step forward, its metal foot ringing on the floor like a hammer on an anvil. It raised its massive sword for a downward [Power Slam]. Kairo didn't try to block. He used [Aether Step], vanishing just as the colossal blade crashed down where he had been standing, cracking the iron floor panels.
He appeared directly behind the golem, his Runic Blade already flashing towards the weak point his [Scan] had identified. The sword struck home, sinking into the cluster of glowing blue cables on the golem's back. The Sentry let out a burst of static, a mechanical roar of pain, and spun around, swinging its shield in a wide arc. Kairo was already gone, using another [Aether Step] to create distance.
This was a battle of attrition and tactics, not brute force. He couldn't break its front armor. The fight became a deadly dance. Kairo would bait out an attack, dodge with impossible speed, and then teleport in to land a single, precise strike on the power conduit before retreating. The golem grew increasingly frantic, its slams becoming wilder, its movements more predictable. After the fifth strike to its conduit, the light in its blue eye began to flicker.
With one final, desperate swing, it lunged forward. Kairo ducked under the attack, slid past its legs, and drove his sword into the damaged conduit one last time, pushing it to the hilt. The Golem Sentry froze, shuddered violently, and then collapsed forward with a deafening crash, its light extinguished for good.
Kairo retrieved his blade and continued on. The corridors beyond were clearer, the path more direct. He knew he was approaching the boss room of the first floor. He arrived at a massive, circular chamber, at least a hundred feet in diameter. The entire room was a disused, colossal forge. A giant, cold anvil sat in the center, and chains thick as a man's arm hung from the ceiling. On the far side of the room, a wide staircase spiraled down into darkness.
And guarding it, standing motionless before the stairs, was a creature that dwarfed the Sentry. It was ten feet tall, its body a fusion of black iron and glowing blue ore. It had no head, only a single, massive, pulsing blue crystal embedded in its chest. It wielded a two-handed warhammer that looked like it had been carved from the anvil itself.
[Forge Guardian]
Level: 7
Class: Mini-Boss
Abilities: [Earthshaker Slam], [Anvil Toss], [Overdrive Mode]
Description: The master of the Labyrinth's first floor. It protects the path to the lower levels with immense strength and durability.
Kairo's eyes scanned the room, noting every detail. The massive chains hanging from the ceiling. The deep, semi-molten pits on either side of the forge. The loose piles of iron ingots. This wasn't just an empty room; it was an interactive arena.
He didn't charge in. That was a fool's errand. Instead, he drew his sword and deliberately scraped it against a nearby metal pillar, creating a loud, high-pitched screech.
The Forge Guardian's chest-crystal flared brightly. It took a step, then another, its movements causing the entire chamber to vibrate. It raised its colossal warhammer, its attention locked entirely on Kairo.
The Guardian let out a deafening roar, a sound of grinding gears and escaping steam, and charged. Kairo stood his ground, a cold smile on his face, waiting for the perfect moment to dodge. The true battle for the Labyrinth was about to begin.