Germination in Sia Kalt Labyrinth

Discovering the Frost Ether Ore revealed the true nature of this place—it was undoubtedly the labyrinth mentioned in Shadow Symphony. I never imagined a single tiny mineral unearthed from the frozen soil would deliver such a massive shock.

The status window confirmed it: this was Sia Kalt Labyrinth. But the real problem was how little the game revealed about it. As a former gamer, this ignorance left me deeply uneasy. All I knew was that it was an ice labyrinth, one of the eight great labyrinths. The five stages I'd played might not even count as a tutorial in Shadow Symphony's vast world.

Each great labyrinth had its own unique traits and ruler. The most infamous were the two demon realm labyrinths directly governed by the Demon King himself. Thankfully, Sia Kalt wasn't one of them—but that hardly meant I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could let my guard down.

At least it's not under the Demon King's rule... Becoming one of his minions and joining the red team? No thanks. The game world's memories were still vivid; I didn't want to end up enemies with the characters I'd painstakingly raised.

Even if it wasn't a demon realm, that didn't make it safe. It was bound to teem with powerful monsters. Worse, as a seed, the "ice" part of ice labyrinth hit me hardest.

Ah... where am I supposed to find water? Deep in this uncharted labyrinth—never seen in the game—my survival now hinged on a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single drop. Ironically, ice surrounded me everywhere, yet liquid water was nowhere to be found. No rain in a labyrinth. This was the maze of eternal winter.

Even if someone stumbled upon me and offered water, expecting that miracle in a great labyrinth where most adventurers perished was foolish. In the end, praying to a god was my only option.

In Shadow Symphony, the god of light was Michael, right? I'd never believed in gods before, but they had to exist here. I'd watched saint Seraphina's holy magic reduce monsters to glittering dust a thousand times.

Merciful god of light Michael, take pity on this lowly creature and grant your compassion.

I poured out my fervent prayer. A seed's plea, unable to gaze at the heavens, sank heavily into the cold earth. At first, I mimicked Seraphina's formal, reverent style. No perfect etiquette, but my heart was sincere.

…Time passed. Or so I assume.

Underground seeds knew no day from night. In endless darkness, my prayers grew more desperate.

Michael... please... just one drop...

…More time slipped by. Fragments of awareness piled up, but duration meant nothing.

Prayers turned to pleas.

Michael... save me... please...

…After what felt like eternity, even my speech crumbled.

Michael, give me some water already! How long am I supposed to endure this?!

Michael had become my venting target. A cleric would faint at such blasphemy, but after countless desperate prayers met silence, refraining from outright curses deserved praise.

Eons in felt time, yet the status window still read age zero. Detection had reached level 6, but no new skills despite my efforts.

…

"Boom!"

In darkness like an infinite abyss, the ground shuddered violently.

What? What was that!? Definitely not water dripping. Something massive had crashed into the earth.

Amid the confusion, my detection radar picked up dark crimson blood soaking the soil.

Blood? Blood!? Screw it! I can't take it anymore! I need to consume this!

A flicker ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of revulsion at drinking blood, but as a non-human seed, did human morals even apply? Survival came first. Strangely, blood felt like just another nutrient.

Soon it enveloped my surface. I absorbed the hot warmth naturally.

This wasn't the blood taste I remembered. Sticky yet sweet, like warm sunlight.

Ah... so delicious...!

My first meal since rebirth as a seed was pure ecstasy. As I savored it, my energy swelled.

Hibernation vanished, and I felt myself move. No regrets—germination had begun, as I'd longed for.

Thin roots and a delicate stem pierced my surface.

Finally!

Perfect timing—blood was all there was. Sucking it up granted the ideal skill.

New roots greedily drained the delicious blood.

Growth accelerated insanely fast. Roots multiplied, senses expanding with each new one. Growing in cold earth felt like seeking light in darkness. Now I truly felt alive.

Four roots now, stem racing toward the surface. As it grew, detection revealed the blood's source.

The status window impressively identified the gore's origin, but that wasn't the point.

Level 77!? A drake!? My pre-death heroes, lavishly leveled, topped out around 80. A drake matching that—far stronger than same-level mobs—lay butchered here. Something capable of erasing it without trace lurked in this labyrinth. Terrifying.

More shocking: perfect silence around. Max detection found no battle scars, no other life signs. As if the massive corpse plummeted straight from the sky—surroundings pristine.

What in the world happened...?

Dread and mystery swirled, but as a plant, I was powerless. No one's around, so let's drain all this blood first.

Devoured every drop; Blood Absorption hit LV7. Stem reached just below surface, roots spiderwebbing outward.

But warmth gone, biting cold gripped me.

Gah! The ice labyrinth's chill hit vividly for the first time. Life's light dimmed as frost pierced me. Already nostalgic for seed days. I'd freeze solid soon.

HP—somehow increased—plummeted. Then, a new skill sparked in desperation.

Utterly useless. I'd meet my past-life frozen blueberries in the afterlife.

Mind numbing, thoughts slowing, yet status blared on.

Chill gnawed relentlessly. Consciousness faded.

Death loomed; notifications accelerated.

Like waking from a nightmare, the chill vanished. Or rather, I stopped feeling it. Back from death's door, I realized the skill had evolved.

Huh... did I survive...?

HP down to 2... that was way too close.

Freeze Resistance evolving to Freeze Block at the brink felt like divine intervention. Nearly burned then frozen—extremes of death.

Rebirth again, and I'd bet an ice version of Inferno Stigma would tag my traits.

Wait, didn't Hibernation have something like Freeze Block? Nope. But the name implied it. Status window omitted obvious effects—smart.

Ugh! Why didn't I question it...? My fault for taking the barebones description at face value. A wiki like in-game would've helped.

Sigh... yeah, I'm the idiot.

This ice labyrinth's cold wouldn't threaten me anymore. Time to sprout.

Last status check.