Forty-second day after the Summoning.

  The Depths of the Labyrinth — Floor fifty.

  The Entrance to the higher floors.

  It was quiet. Peaceful. A warm darkness surrounded Jack – as if he was in the embrace of another. The world around him felt light, empty. His body - weightless, it was as if he was floating. Jack opened his eyes gently, looking around the darkness encasing him. Though most would be confused, he looked unfazed – even slightly annoyed at the scenery around him.

  “Where in the name of Christ am I?” He thought, examining the darkness around him as much as he could. It was empty - almost ominously so. There wasn’t a single thing in sight around him. The man exhaled gently, before leaning forward, attempting to push himself forward in this space. It felt strange to move – as if every part of his body had been relieved of the usual pressure that would be present inside and around it.

  As he flew through the endless dark void, his gaze kept shooting around.

  Though he wasn’t particularly worried about anything getting the jump on him… wherever this space was — he wasn’t about to drop his guard. Who knows what may happen, it is better to stay cautious. Eventually, a loud, deepened groan echoed through the darkness, shaking it greatly.

  Jack stopped.

  Something had suddenly sent shivers down his spine — it felt like something was nearby. Something so strong, that its mere presence felt like it would kill Jack.

  He looked all around, searching for the source of the groan, however – nothing. It was still an empty space. “Did I imagine it?” Was the first thought that came - however, suddenly an even colder chill ran through his body. Jack instinctively pushed away, before flipping around. It was once again - empty. But, what had made his body jerk like that?

  It felt like he had sensed a strong gaze fall onto him just now.

  Then - a whisper echoed through the darkness. An echo so quiet and incomprehensible, it was impossible to make out what it said. Then, a large ‘X’ shape suddenly cut open in the previously empty space in front of Jack. The man immediately reached for his sheathed khopesh, however, before he even got to unsheathe it, his whole body froze. “I can’t… move…” He looked at the opening shape with a more concerned expression.

  Was it fear that paralysed him or something else?

  He couldn’t tell.

  As the shape in front of him fully opened, a bright, white light shone inside the shape, at the center of which, was what looked to be a very, very strange pupil. Was it an eye? Or perhaps, a rough replication of what an ‘eye’ should look like? Jack couldn’t tell. It looked beyond the imagination of the human mind. The pupil shone a bit, moving around the shape a bit, as if looking around, before looking dead straight at Jack.

  Its mere gaze felt mortifying — powerful, oppressive, like the pupil was staring straight into his soul. Jack shed a cold sweat. For the first time in who knows how many years, he actually felt…. afraid. His body gently shook, despite him being unable to move even an inch with it. It was clear, whatever this thing was, wasn’t something Jack would be able to fight.

  However, the pupil didn’t do anything.

  It simply gazed at Jack – unmoving. Despite Jack's clear fear showing through and the intimidating, terrifying presence of this thing, it was… motionless. As if it was just here to observe Jack, not attack him.

  Once more, whispers echoed through the darkness.

  At first, they were incomprehensible once more — however, slowly they became clearer and clearer, until Jack finally could make out the words being said. Or at least, some of them.

  ‘.....child. Strong, unbreakable….. ,unshakable. Bear this… and survive.’

  ‘A gift. From…. to you.’

  Then, the whispers fell silent once more. Jack suddenly felt dizzy. His vision blurred as his body loosened up again. “What’s this daze…?” Jack thought, as his eyes closed, his body sinking down. The warm embrace disappeared. His body was now engulfed in a cold touch.

  The large entity that had gazed at Jack.

  That had spoken to Jack – followed the man's sinking body. Once more, whispers came from it.

  ‘Dream not of solitude.’

  ‘Dream not of heroism.’

  ‘Dream not of justice.’

  ‘When you return, this will be an empty memory.’

  ‘When the time comes, find it. Find me.’

  Then, everything went silent – with everything fading out, the whispers of the great being, hushed out by a cold embrace.

  …

  Jack opened his eyes and jumped up, breathing a bit heavily. Placing his hand onto his head, he looked around. He was… still in the dungeon. “...Just a dream.” The tamer thought, exhaling lightly in relief. It was just a strange dream. Exhaling, he looked down. Over him, was a thin blanket, one woven from spider silk — most likely a creation of Araneida. Looking at where his head was resting, laid a silk pillow - once more, a likely creation of his arachnid companion. Jack gently touched the pillow, sinking his hand into it – just to check whether he truly wasn’t dreaming anymore. The pillow was soft - incredibly so - yet at the same time, didn’t feel sloppy or weak. It felt durable.

  “I guess Araneida and Sallow put me somewhere to rest after we miraculously managed to survive against the Pale Serpent…” Jack thought, before his attention was caught by a sudden window opening in front of him.

  [ NOTIFICATION ]

  CONGRATULATIONS.

  Despite all odds, you prevailed and survived against the Pale Serpent.

  As a reward, you have been granted the exp you would have gained from killing it.

  This is a special, one-time reward and will not be repeated again.

  [ NOTIFICATION ]

  Then, another window opened, showcasing how many levels the exp granted had gained him. And honestly, the number was rather — surprising.

  [ NOTICE ]

  You have leveled up.

  4 > 50.

  [ NOTICE ]

  “Forty six levels from this ‘gift’? I suppose that creature was far, far more powerful than the three of us combined, but still – from just one monster, I would have gained that much?” Jack chuckled to himself, exhaling as the windows closed. “Guess the struggle was worth it.”

  Sitting there silently for a moment, Jack got up to his feet, finding his stuff nearby before picking it all up and throwing it back on. Afterwards, he picked up the silk woven blanket and pillow, before looking around. “Where is Araneida and Sallow anyway..?” Right as he asked this question in his mind, a rather deep, delicious, salty scent hit his nostrils. He smiled — they were close. Not only that, it seemed like Sallow was busy preparing one of his usual meals.

  Stretching out a bit, Jack looked a bit surprised that his body had managed to recover so well. After the fight ended, he was pretty beaten up and practically on the doorstep of death, and yet, he managed to make a full recovery? Rather convenient.

  “Though… my muscles feel a bit sore..” It was most likely the consequence of pushing his body so hard. After a moment, he followed the scent, carefully walking around the rocky wall that he had been hidden behind. Once past it, he spotted Sallow and surprisingly, the Pale Serpent resting near a campfire, with Sallow, as expected, cooking what looked to be Great Wolf meat. However, strangely enough, Araneida was nowhere to be seen.

  Walking over to the campfire, Sallows and the Pale Serpents gazes immediately drifted over to the tamer, with Sallow simply giving him a gentle smile. “So, what’s for lunch?” Jack asked, looking at the goblin with an uncaring smile – acting as if nothing had ever happened. Sallow remained silent for a moment, before exhaling and leaning forward, picking up one of the meat skewers and handing it to Jack.

  “Seared Great Wolf. Thought it would be a good thing to feast upon to help with my recovery.” Jack chuckled, placing down the silk blanket and pillow, before taking the skewer and examining the meat on it, before sinking his teeth into it. For a moment, Jack and Sallow remained silent, before Sallow sighed. “Glad to see you have made a full recovery, my Lord. Araneida and I were beginning to grow worried that you may have entered an indefinite coma. I even considered using the Goblin Hearts abilities to bring you back to the White Goblin clan.”

  Jack laughed, before sitting down beside him. “At least I can rely on you two to take care of me, if I ever am incapacitated.” Jack joked, before looking at the crackling flame of the campfire. “How long was I out for?”

  “I do not know. However, if I was to take a guess, maybe four days.” Jack nodded, taking another bite of the Great Wolf meat on his skewer. Four days seemed about right – though, perhaps it would have made more sense for it to have been weeks that he was out, considering his injuries. After finishing his skewer, Jack looked around. “Where’s Araneida?”

  “Out hunting. She and I gained more power after you managed to prevail against the Pale Serpent, and she wanted to try it out on monsters she can find. Don’t worry, she’ll return soon enough.”

  “Alright then.” Jack placed the now empty skewer to the side, before staring at the fire. For a little bit, it was dead silence — before Jack broke it with a heavy sigh. “Alright, then I suppose we shouldn’t waste time and get to business,” Jack stood up, facing the Pale Serpent, who was resting beside them. “Right, reptile?” The monster raised its head up high, gazing down at Jack with its four eyes, only unlike before, there was no malice or aggression in them - just, calmness.

  Sallow gazed at the Serpent for a second, before Jack stepped past him and closer to the monster, stopping just a short distance away from it — enough for him to comfortably lock eyes with it. “I wasn’t able to defeat you completely and only managed to gravely injure you yet, despite that – you decided to not continue the fight, even after all three of us were unable to continue. Why?”

  The Tamer crossed his arms.

  He didn’t expect an answer — and most would have probably called him crazy for trying to speak to a monster like this. However, something told him that this serpent was a little special. After a long while of awkward silence and Jack just staring down the Serpent, the large beast exhaled, tiredly blinking, before lowering its head slightly.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “ You proved your strength. Respect, I have much. ” A roaring voice boomed through the cave. However, the serpent didn’t seem to be speaking. Was it projecting its thoughts somehow? Perhaps through some special skill or magic? Whatever the case was, it wasn’t a normal form of speech. “Respect?” Jack narrowed his eyes, before tilting his head to the left side.

  “You mean you respect me?”

  The serpent nodded. “A strange man, you are. You had no chance to reach victory, yet you stood firm – unshakable. Fear, I could not smell on you.” The serpent continued before bowing its head towards Jack, closing all four of its eyes. “Thus, respect you, that I do.”

  Jack was a bit surprised at the creatures show of respect as well rather docile nature. When they first encountered it, he thought it would be similar to Araneida – a simple beast, that acted out on instinct and would turn into more of a loyal dog after being tamed, however, this monster possessed a level of intellect, that was similar, if not, the same as his and the goblins of the goblin clans.

  After a moment of silence and Jack thinking about what to say next, he looked at the Serpent again. “...You didn’t stay here all this time just to say that you respect me. You want something, don’t you?”

  “That, I do.” The serpent lowered its head down to the ground, moving it right up close to Jack, its four eyes staring him straight down. Sallow's body tensed up, ready to pounce at the monster were it to try anything funny, however, Jack gestured to Sallow to remain in place. “Speak.”

  The serpent blinked, before hissing a bit.

  “The weak serve the strong. However, you and I are both strong - by nature's law, neither would serve the other.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow.

  He had a good idea of where the monster was going with this, but he wanted to hear the serpent say it itself, instead of saying it for it. “And..?”

  The serpent moved its head back up, gazing down at Jack. “Serve you, I wish. Take me with you, allow my strength to be your strength – allow us to stand side to side as equals.”

  Bingo.

  It wished to become his familiar.

  Jack smiled, while Sallow exhaled gently, reaching down for the other two skewers cooking on the campfire, picking them up and digging into the meat on them. Jack rubbed the back of his neck, before chuckling and looking up at the serpent. “I’d be a fool to decline a strong monster like you. Besides, having a beast like you tag along, would certainly make life easier.” He then stood firm, sharpening his gaze. “Very well, I accept your request. We shall stand side by side as equals, as per your wish.”

  The serpent looked content, shaking its head a bit. “Then, perform your spell man. Let our hearts connect.”

  [ ALERT ]

  Skill ‘Taming’ can be used.

  [ ALERT ]

  Jack extended his right arm towards the serpent. “Tame.”

  Instantly, his eyes lit up with an orange colour, while a small orange magic circle formed in his palm, followed by an exactly the same magic circle, appearing below the Serpent.

  The serpent closed its eyes. Just like the other two times, orange chains shot from the magic circle in Jack's palm, before twisting around the serpent in a cylindrical wall, which got closer and closer to the creature's body, before adjusting to its shape and merging into its body.

  Then, a massive force of wind was sent from it, with the magic circles disappearing a moment later. Jack's eyes stopped glowing.

  [ ALERT ]

  Taming successful.

  [ ALERT ]

  Jack took in a light breath, before stumbling back a bit, with Sallow dropping the skewers, before catching Jack. “You okay my Lord?” Jack held his head lightly, before shaking it a bit and nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine. That simply took a lot more energy than I had expected.”

  Jack looked at the serpent, which stared down at him, before closing its eyes and bowing its head towards Jack. “However… it worked out.”

  [ FAMILIAR ]

  Nameless

  Pale Serpent

  Level: 1 (6)

  Rank: S+

  Class: Glutton

  Grade: Administrator

  Skill List ?

  [ FAMILIAR ]

  …

  [ ALERT ]

  Tamed creature ‘Pale Serpent’ has successfully recognised you as its master.

  Unique Skill [Primal Blood] has been gifted.

  Poison & Venom Resistance has been upgraded to Poison & Venom Immunity.

  As the Master of a monster bearing the old blood of Prime Dragons, the ability to comprehend Draconic language has been integrated with your ‘Interpreter’ skill.

  [ ALERT ]

  “Slightly nerfed when it comes to level, however, still an absolute unit. In terms of stats, far stronger than me, Sallow and Araneida combined.” Jack thought, smiling before closing the windows and looking up at the Pale Serpent. He scratched his chin gently, thinking for a moment as he pushed himself off of Sallow.

  “As for a name…” Jack looked at the serpent, before smiling. “How about ‘Ebony’?”

  The serpent let out a calm hiss before nodding and moving its head down at Jack, allowing Jack to touch its snout, as it kept its eyes closed. “Accept, I do. Name ‘Ebony’ I shall adapt.”

  Jack nodded, patting the snake gently, before exhaling.

  With that out of the way, they were pretty much set for getting out of the dungeon. With Ebony on their side, there wouldn’t be anything in this dungeon that could stand in their way – right? After all, this is the deepest floor and this serpent is supposedly the final ‘boss’ of the Labyrinth. Logically speaking, nothing should come close to its strength in the higher floors.

  “Sallloooww!” A suddenly quaint, timid voice echoed in the cave. Jack turned to face where the voice came from, confused. His eyes widened a bit in surprise as he saw a small frame running towards them all. The figure was small – like a young child, wearing rather thick, light grey clothing with black web patterns covering it. The outfit overall looked like a winter attire, with hands uncovered.

  Apart from the clothing, another thing stood out – the long spider legs, coming from the child's back, as well as its skin being pale white. As it got closer, Jack could make out eight eyes on its face, as well as large, armour-like fangs on the sides of the child's mouth. On top of its head, was short, white hair, that gently bobbed up and down as the child ran.

  Though at first he didn’t recognise it — noticing all these different features, as well as sensing a connection to it - Jack realised who it was.

  “Huh?” The child noticed Jack, before a bright, wide smile erupted across her face. “Master!” She pounced onto Jack, causing the man to stumble a bit, as she embraced him in a hug – her spider legs also curving around him. Jack laughed lightly, while Sallow sighed.

  “Be more careful will you? He has just woken up from his recovery.”

  “It’s fine Sallow. A hug from someone so small won’t knock me back into a deep sleep.” He calmed the Goblin, before looking down at the small girl, pushing her off and kneeling down. “So, you’ve evolved quite a bit Araneida? You’re almost unrecognisable.”

  The arachnid laughed. “Hehehe– After you managed to defeat the big snake, I was able to achieve rank evolution. As a bonus, I got to choose what kind of form I wanted, so I chose this one!” She proudly proclaimed, placing her arms onto her hips, very clearly brimming with pride. Jack gently patted her head, before standing back up. “Question, can you–?”

  “Mhm! I sure can!” Araneida cut Jack off, before in an instant, turning into a more arachnid form. The child's humanoid appearance was replaced by a large spider, its body made up from what looked like tough exo-armour and rigged plating. She almost looked like a robot, rather than an organic being. “Not quite what I had in mind, but I suppose that’s also useful.”

  Araneida happily chimed, before transforming back into the child appearance, smiling brightly.

  A little while passed until everyone calmed down and the four of them decided on a plan of action around the campfire. During the downtime, Jack had decided to check on his own status, as well as distribute the stat points he had accumulated from the forty six levels he gained thanks to the special gift.

  [ STATUS ]

  Jack Alfred Gragbone ( ? )

  Gender: Male

  Title: He who commands the Goblins

  Level: 50 (5)

  Rank: A

  Class: Tamer

  Stat Points: 0

  Health: 1,980 / [22]

  Magical Energy: 7,950 / [12]

  Strength: 1,960 / [22]

  Defence: 1,880 / [20]

  Agility: 1,880 / [22]

  Skills (Open List)

  [ STATUS ]

  Overall, it looked about the same – apart from the stats and another, small detail that he had noticed next to his name in the status. A strange symbol had appeared in brackets. “What could that mean..? It’s nothing like I’ve seen before…. Maybe it’s a symbol to showcase my growth in strength?” Jack thought, scratching his chin gently. The fact that it had no context behind it, nor that he could see any information about it. It was rather - ominous. As he thought about it, his eyes drifted over to Sallow, who was together with Araneida packing up some things.

  “If Sallow was able to see my status, perhaps I could have asked him if he recognises the symbol. However, I suppose I’ll just have to ignore it for now.” Jack sighed, closing his status window, before standing up and stretching out a bit.

  “Are we all set?”

  He called out to Sallow and Araneida, who finished up, before turning towards him. “Indeed we are my Lord. We may move out at any time.”

  “Good,” Jack looked at Ebony, gesturing for him to follow before moving towards the gates of the dungeon, which were nearby. “Then let’s get out of here.”

  As the group walked up to the large gates, the numeral engraved on them staring down at them. Jack stood in front of the others, unmoving as he gazed at the pair of gates, seemingly hesitant to move towards them or to open them. Araneida stepped towards Jack, gently taking his hand, looking up at him with innocent eyes. Jack looked down at her, before looking at Sallow and Ebony, who both gave him a confident expression.

  The tamer took in a deep breath, smiling, before turning back towards the gates.

  “It has been a long, long time since I was sent to this dungeon by that Saintess.”

  Jack let go of Araneida's hands, before walking up the gates, placing his hands onto them and pushing them.

  A lot has happened with me, while I’ve traveled through here.

  I’ve met a lot of… interesting individuals and creatures. Battled many battles – something I believed I would never have to do after I decided to retire from my position as a Military Mercenary.

  As the gates were slowly pushed open, the three familiars stood back, watching Jack from behind. A cold, cold breeze blew from beyond the gates, engulfing them all, as Jack gave the last push - fully opening the gates.

  On the other side, was a staircase.

  A large, large staircase, which led up. Jack looked back at the others, giving a small smile.

  Fighting alongside these guys — it takes me back.

  When I used to fight alongside my Master and old comrades.

  Ebony shrunk down, his enormous form becoming but a small fragment of his true size, before he slithered over to Jack and up his body, wrapping around his neck, before nodding. Jack turned towards the staircase, gesturing to Sallow and Araneida to follow after him, as he took his first steps up the staircase.

  When I first was sent here, I believed that I wouldn’t make it that far. Despite that subconscious feeling, I pushed through. My determination didn’t waver for even a moment.

  My resolve is burning brighter than ever before.

  Having gone through this entire layer of the Great Labyrinth and survived, my goal is clearer than ever.

  My mind is sharper than ever.

  I will make it out of here.

  And when I do…

  Jack smirked, walking up the staircase as the cold breeze blew past him, his eyes gently shining orange.

  “I’ll make sure to wipe that grin off that Saintess’ face.”