Nowhere to Run

Where do you think you're going?

We tore through the second floor at a dead run. I'd swaggered out first for the sake of looking cool — getting caught up to after that would have been mortifying. So I pushed our pace harder, and every time a white zombie stepped into view I cracked it across the face with a slap. I didn't skip harvesting their Magic Stones, either. Serena whined about it, but the moment I raised my open palm she shut up and dug them out without another word.

The Great Labyrinth's lower-floor city was waiting on the third floor. I had no idea what prices would look like there, but they sure as hell weren't going to be cheap. I had no intention of showing up and scraping by like some penniless beggar.

An S-rank skill holder has a reputation to maintain.

I rattled my now-bulging pouch of Magic Stones and headed for the end of the maze. We had a map. There was nothing left to get in our way. At last an open clearing stretched out before us, and at its center sat a massive descent magic circle carved into the ground.

I want to rest already.

A soft bed and a steaming bath — that was all I was craving. I just hoped this place was a civilized magic-fantasy world, not some medieval hygiene nightmare.

I glanced sideways. Serena's face was full of hope for her freedom.

Once we reached the third-floor city, was I really supposed to let her go?

Not a chance. I didn't particularly want to.

An E-rank Beginner Regeneration and an F-rank Agro Draw — a perfectly harmless, perfectly useful skill set. A human magnet pet and a walking bio-potion. Even in the third-floor city, was I going to find a slave this cost-effective? And her looks were excellent on top of it. Cascading blonde hair, exotic beauty — objectively, she was ridiculously pretty. Her chest was heavy and more than satisfactory, too.

A filthy thought flickered through my mind.

I've already decided what skill I'm taking on the third floor.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cheat skill that would completely smash Serena's escape route to pieces. I sorted my thoughts roughly and stepped onto the magic circle. Innocent Serena had no idea what I was thinking. Just imagining the moment she despaired the second we hit the city sent a sharp, delicious thrill through my brain.

Thud.

I tossed a Magic Stone into the center of the circle. A low hum rolled out, and light flooded everything around us.

Fwaaaaash—!

Brilliant light swallowed our bodies whole. For an instant, darkness wrapped around us. A fleeting weightlessness — and then we were falling again.

Thud!

We'd arrived. The third floor.

I got my bearings and looked around — and the sight laid out before me completely overwhelmed me. This wasn't the stifling, sealed maze of the first and second floors. It was a colossal domed underground space so vast I couldn't even guess its size. I tipped my head back. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Stars filled the sky above.

No — looking closer, they weren't stars. Far overhead, at the high ceiling, the roots of an impossibly enormous tree spread and twisted, bracing the roof. From those grotesque roots, points of light shone like stars.

I lowered my gaze. Far in the distance, a vast city blazed with bright lights, and at its heart a magnificent fortress rose up tall. It was mystical. So this was the Great Labyrinth's lower-floor city.

"Wow...! Are those the Star Trees?!"

Serena stared up at the sky, pure wonder in her voice.

So they call them Star Trees.

Enough sightseeing. The blue window I'd been waiting for floated up in front of my eyes.

Ding!

As expected. I was an irregular who had no business existing in this labyrinth. I clicked my tongue at the goddamn system errors. Suddenly I missed Korea — the memory of sitting in a soft chair, tearing into fried chicken while watching the Worlds finals hit me hard. I had to get out of this shitty place, and fast.

Zzt.

I scrolled past the useless trash skills as fast as I could. This time I had to pick carefully — the skill that would drop Serena, still naively dreaming of freedom, straight into a pit of despair. It had to be in this list somewhere.

I flicked the screen down. A-Rank skills started to appear. I focused hard and checked the skill names. No descriptions — I had to guess by name alone.

Not this one. Keep going.

Hundreds of skill names streaked past my eyes.

"What have you been fidgeting at in midair this whole time?"

Serena watched me jabbing at empty air with a look full of suspicion.

"I've got my reasons."

I ignored her and kept scrolling. Then my finger stopped cold.

This is it.

Just the name was enough. Exactly the skill I'd been looking for. Without a second of hesitation, I tapped the screen hard.

Ding! Bam-pa-ra-bam—!

A spectacular fireworks effect exploded in front of my eyes, celebrating the S-rank pull.

Perfect. Exactly the skill I'd wanted.

"Heh heh heh heh..."

A low laugh slipped out of me. I'd been forced into this goddamn labyrinth, but things were finally starting to get interesting. I turned my head and looked at Serena.

"Serena. Come over here for a second."

"...Huh? Why all of a sudden?"

Animal instinct, maybe. Serena clutched her staff to her chest and edged away from me, eyes full of wariness. I rose smoothly to my feet.

"It'll only take a moment."

Thwap!

I kicked off the ground and sprinted. In the blink of an eye I had her, slammed her down onto the floor, pinned her with my body so she couldn't move an inch, and locked one hand around her slender throat.

"Kyaaah!! What the—!! Let go!! Let me go, you bastard!! Help!! Somebody help me!! Is anyone there?!"

Serena screamed and thrashed wildly. But a fragile healer with zero combat skills was never going to break free of my grip.

Is this enough for a subjugation judgment?

Knocking her out would be a hassle. I hoped it would proceed as-is.

Activate Brand of Subjugation.

I called it out in my mind. In that instant I felt a vile, heavy energy well up from deep in my soul. It poured through my hand and straight into Serena's throat.

It's working.

I kept the cast going, pinning the struggling Serena hard.

"Ghk— ghk! You trash... you bastard! Just die! Hic... hic... Mom..."

Serena cursed me and damned me, then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finally broke down into miserable sobs. She must have thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was actually trying to kill her.

Time passed. Exactly thirty seconds later, a strange sensation arrived — our souls sticky and linked together.

"Kyah! Aaaagh! What is this?!"

Serena twisted violently and let out a death cry. The moment I took my hand off her throat, she clutched at her own neck instead and rolled across the ground.

Fwaaaaash—!

Black smoke rose from Serena's pale white neck. Then an intricate tattoo began to etch itself into her skin like a choker. It seemed to come with agony so fierce it felt like her soul was being seared.

After thrashing in torment for a long while, Serena finally finished branding. She lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for air.

"Hah... hah, hah... What did you... what did you do to me... you bastard... What... what is this...?"

Still unable to grasp the situation, Serena asked through chattering teeth. Instead of answering, I decided to test the skill right away.

"Brand of Subjugation — set condition."

I murmured it low.

"'If she remains lying down for more than three seconds, inflict pain.'"

Serena's pupils, still struggling to parse my words, blew wide in an instant.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah—!!!"

A scream tore through the labyrinth as if it would bring the whole place down. Serena writhed and flailed in agony she had clearly never experienced in her life. She was shrieking so hard she couldn't even think of getting up, as if her soul had left her body.

If I leave her like this, she'll actually go insane.

"Brand of Subjugation — condition released."

The second the words left my mouth, the screaming cut off like a lie. Serena lay spread-eagled on the floor, soaked in sweat, panting. Focus returned to her eyes. She seemed to have roughly pieced together what had just happened.

She looked up at me with eyes full of endless despair, trembling from head to toe, every last scrap of hope gone.