"What is this... what the hell is this?!"
The Goblin with three claw marks on his face tensed up and stumbled back in panic.
Yet trapped inside a cage, no matter how he tried to evade it, he could not get any farther from the strange chessboard in Gheros's hands.
His panicked question received no response. He could only watch helplessly as the chessboard formed from threads of light slowly expanded before him, until it filled his entire field of vision!
[The survivor is ready!]
[Exclusive ability obtained—Return to Origin!]
[Please escape as soon as possible and complete your redemption!]
Hearing the rumbling words by his ear, like rolling thunder, Haike struggled to open his eyes.
He froze for a second, then immediately raised both hands and quickly felt over his face, neck, and body.
After a while, his heart sank to the depths.
Gone.
Everything was gone.
Not to mention his equipment, items, weapons, and supplements—
even the Space Pouch at his waist, used to store items, had vanished without a trace.
His head felt heavy and muddled, as though he had forgotten many things.
Yet a fierce emotion burned in his heart, making him feel inexplicably panicked.
"Where is this?"
"And what the hell is a survivor?!"
Haike climbed to his feet and looked around blankly.
All around him were walls glowing with faint white light, each as tall as two of him stacked together.
The paths ahead and behind twisted into a complicated maze, with no exit in sight.
If not for the subtle differences between every passage and the others, Haike would probably have spun around twice with his eyes closed and lost all sense of direction.
"A labyrinth..."
Haike took two steps forward, casually chose the nearest passage, and began moving cautiously.
But after