Platforms jutted from the walls at impossible angles. Ropes swung over yawning pits. Planks teetered across spikes. Far above, on a lone pedestal, a faint glow pulsed — a gem.
The crystal chimed smugly:
Trial Initiated: Parcour. Difficulty: Unfair. Attempt: 29.
***
For once, they didn’t rush.
Harlada sat on the nearest beam, arms crossed. “Okay. We plan this out. No screaming. No torches. No ‘what if I throw myself at it and see what happens.’”
Bert sulked. “That worked once.”
“It killed you,” she snapped.
“Still worked,” he muttered.
Leo, already scribbling, adjusted his cracked glasses. “Observation: the course is segmented. Each section tests a different aspect of agility. If we treat them as individual challenges instead of one long gauntlet—”
“English,” Bert groaned.
“—we do them one at a time,” Leo translated, deadpan.
***
First challenge: the balancing rope.
A single taut line stretched across a pit of spikes.
Bert charged forward immediately, arms pinwheeling. He made it three steps before flipping upside-down and dangling like laundry.
On strength alone he made it to the other end.
Harlada groaned. “Unbelievable.”
Leo inched across carefully, muttering calculations. His quill scribbled in the air as he adjusted each step. To his shock, he made it.
“Balance achieved,” he said smugly.
“Get off the rope,” Harlada barked.
She followed next, arms outstretched. Somehow, impossibly, she wobbled her way across.
The crystal pulsed reluctantly:
Progress Recorded. Players Showed Actual Competence.
***
Second challenge: the gauntlet.
Rows of splintering planks stretched across the chamber, each one rigged to collapse under pressure.
Leo tested the first board with his foot. It snapped instantly. He toppled sideways into Bert, who was already stomping forward with a grin.
The third plank gave under Bert’s weight. His cleaver slammed down in frustration, cracking the entire row in one swing.
The planks collapsed into the pit.
Silence.
Then the crystal pulsed:
Obstacle Destroyed. Progress Recorded (Technically).
Bert flexed. “See? Strategy.”
***
Third challenge: moving obstacles.
Rotating beams swung across a narrow walkway, designed to knock anyone off into the swamp below.
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“Timing required,” Leo muttered. “Watch the rhythm—”
Bert tried, immediately took a beam to the chest, and cartwheeled backward, dangling one leg over the pit before clawing back onto the walkway.
Harlada sighed, then blasted the beams with frost. They froze mid-swing, solid as statues.
Leo, inspired, webbed the base of the walkway, locking it steady.
For once, it actually worked. They crossed safely.
The crystal pulsed in disbelief:
Progress Recorded. Probability of Success Increased (Marginally).
***
They gathered at the base of the tower. The pedestal gleamed faintly far above.
“Well,” Leo said, adjusting his glasses. “We’ve proven the system works. Logical cooperation yields results.”
Bert squinted upward. “It’s still far. Too far. Only one way.”
He slapped his hands together. “We throw the lightest one.”
Harlada’s eyes widened. “Absolutely not.”
“C’mon,” Bert insisted. “Physics! Less weight, more distance.”
“Physics will get me killed!”
“Exactly,” he said proudly.
They argued for five straight minutes.
Finally, Harlada folded her arms. “No. I’m the mage. We need me alive.”
Leo cleared his throat. “Correction: technically I weigh only slightly more.”
“Good enough,” Bert said cheerfully, already grabbing him by the shoulders.
***
The throw was undignified.
Leo screamed all the way up. For a glorious second, it looked like he might make it.
Then gravity remembered its job.
At the last instant, he activated Boar Charge. His body blurred forward, slamming through the final ledge and careening into the pedestal.
The gem wobbled. Leo crashed face-first into it.
The crystal pulsed:
Encounter Cleared (Barely). Reward Generated.
***
The gem dissolved into Bert’s chest.
He blinked, startled. “Wait. Me?”
The crystal pulsed smugly:
New Ability Acquired: Dodge. Requirement: Dexterity-based.
Silence.
Bert looked down at his hands. “Dexterity? I don’t… I can’t…” He trailed off.
Harlada snorted. “Congratulations. You can now trip with style.”
Leo sat slumped against the pedestal, groaning. “Statistically inevitable.”
The crystal pulsed again, text scrolling like laughter:
Achievement Unlocked: Wrong Man Again. Reward: None.
The swamp below hissed with mocking applause.
***
The pedestal sank back into the muck, leaving only the faint echo of the crystal’s smug laughter.
For once, there weren’t three doors. Only one stood ahead, its frame etched with jagged runes that shimmered in hostile red. Above it, words blazed across the air:
MINIBOSS.
The crystal pulsed helpfully:
Reminder: Dungeon Shop is available. Purchases recommended.
A faint shimmer flickered beside them, and the vending crystal whirred back to life. Its list scrolled slowly:
- Healing Potion – 5 coins.
- Mystery Item – 3 coins.
- Strength ring – 10 coins.
The adventurers dug into their pouches.
Coins clinked faintly, mud-slick and pitiful. Not much. 5 coins.
They huddled together, whispering furiously.
Finally, Harlada jabbed her finger at the list. “That one.”
Leo frowned. “But logically—”
Bert cut him off. “No logic. Just pick it.”
The crystal pulsed:
Purchase Confirmed. Item Acquired.
The adventurers clutched their prize close, refusing to let the screen — or the reader — see what it was.
Then, together, they turned toward the glowing door.
The runes flared.
The door groaned open.
Darkness spilled out like a challenge.
They stepped forward.
Season 1 of The Maze of Many — titled “You Died.”
It consists of 43 chapters (already written).
daily updates until Chapter 43.
After that, I’ll see if there’s enough interest for Season 2…
(Counted in likes, follows, favorites, comments, general praise, worship and… small offerings.)
*Edit — the season is expanded to 64 chapters!