On the other side, Noah and his Echo were facing the giant serpent, Nagairos.
"Damn it! Isn't there any way to escape from here?!" Noah thought to himself, his anxiety and stress increasing.
The toxic green mist spread throughout the room, and Noah covered their noses to avoid inhaling the poison.
The Echo expanded his domain in the form of a dome covering 500 meters. He grabbed a small rock from the ground and threw it at the snake, aiming for its head. When it was close enough, the Echo suddenly disappeared, swapping places with the rock. He reappeared in the air and punched the snake's head with all his strength. However, just before his fist could make contact, black spikes suddenly emerged across the serpent's entire body. The Echo's hand was severely injured, bleeding heavily. In that moment of pain and hesitation, the snake managed to bite the Echo's legs and hurled him away.
Noah immediately expanded his own domain, swapping places between a nearby rock and the Echo. But due to the force of the throw, the Echo was still sent flying—this time, directly toward Noah. Noah barely managed to catch him, struggling to stop his momentum.
"Didn't he expect the spikes to appear? What the hell is wrong with this idiot?!" Noah thought to himself, cold sweat dripping down his face and onto the ground.
The Echo quickly got back on his feet and glanced at his bleeding hand.
"A-Are you okay?" Noah asked, concerned about the Echo.
The Echo nodded, signaling "yes." Then, without warning, he grabbed Noah by his clothes.
"Hmm?" Noah hummed in confusion.
The next moment, the Echo threw Noah high into the air toward the serpent.
"Damn this Echo!" Noah cursed internally, but he immediately understood what he had to do.
However, the serpent lunged at him mid-air, its fangs bared, ready to devour him whole. At the last moment, Noah avoided its bite, grabbing onto one of the spikes and landing on the serpent's back, carefully avoiding the others. He kicked one of the spikes, breaking it, causing the serpent to let out a scream of pain. It thrashed violently, forcing Noah to retreat.
He threw the broken spike toward the Echo, who caught it and immediately dashed toward the serpent. He stabbed it in the chest, causing it to bleed profusely. The serpent let out another agonizing cry—this time, it sounded almost like it was crying.
The Echo tried to pull out the spike, but it was stuck in the serpent's thick skin.
Then, in a split second, the serpent swung its long tail—covered in the same black spikes—at Noah and the Echo. The attack sent them flying across the room, crashing into the walls.
The serpent slithered into the room, opening its mouth wide. A bright light gathered in its throat, illuminating even the outside of its body. Blue flames condensed inside its mouth, ready to unleash a beam that would erase Noah and the Echo from existence.
Noah reacted instantly, kicking the Echo away while jumping to the side just as the serpent released its beam. The blast destroyed the wall, incinerating everything in its path. Piles of gold and treasures melted away from the sheer heat.
When Nagairos finally closed its mouth, black smoke seeped out.
Noah opened his eyes and found himself facing a sword as tall as he was, mounted on the wall. Its silver blade gleamed, reflecting Noah's image.
Both Noah and the Echo stood on their feet, expanding their domains and merging them together.
Noah grabbed the massive sword, dragging it behind him since he couldn't lift it. As soon as he let go, the sword began to float due to his skill, "the influence field".
The Echo leaped onto the sword, and Noah sent them both flying toward the serpent.
Nagairos roared, releasing another beam.
The Echo jumped high off the sword just as the beam of blue flames was unleashed. He descended toward the serpent's head.
The sword pierced through the explosion, heating up to the point where it turned red-hot, then embedded itself into Nagairos' chest. Blood gushed out like a fountain as the serpent collapsed to the ground.
Noah gripped the sword, holding on tightly, while the Echo stood atop the fallen serpent's head.
"Is it dead?" Noah asked hesitantly.
The Echo raised his thumb and nodded, signaling "yes."
Noah let out a relieved sigh, leaning on the massive sword to support himself.
"Finally... I thought we were going to die..." he muttered.
[Congratulations, you have slain the first guardian of Daedalus' Labyrinth, "Nagairos."]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
[You have obtained a stat point.]
"T-That's a lot of stat points!" Noah thought silently.
[You have accomplished something impossible for your level.]
[You have obtained the title "Fated Enemy of the Labyrinth."]
"A title? What's that? Like a nickname?" Noah wondered.
["Fated Enemy of the Labyrinth": Labyrinths are living beings with minds and consciousness. Every time you enter a labyrinth, it will grow to hate you. From now on, whenever you step into a labyrinth, you will be targeted above all others, as every monster will prefer hunting you over easier prey.]
["Stat increase inside labyrinths: +30%."
"Stat increase when fighting bosses: +15%."
"Increased treasure drop rates inside labyrinths: +10%."]
"Wow, this is amazing! Even though I make every labyrinth my enemy, I gain double my strength inside! And the loot drop rates are better too!" Noah thought excitedly.
[You have gained the hatred of "Daedalus' Labyrinth."]
[The labyrinth will now use all its power to kill you.]
[You have become the primary target for all monsters within the labyrinth.]
"T-That was fast..." Noah thought nervously.
Suddenly, Nagairos' body began to convulse violently. Something inside it was moving, pushing its organs aside to emerge.
The hardened scales on the serpent's belly began to crack, oozing thick, black liquid that dripped onto the ground like cold lava. The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the room, accompanied by a faint buzzing noise, as if the creature's body itself was screaming in protest.
From the darkness within the mutilated corpse, a grotesque head emerged—featureless, with no eyes or nose, covered in lumpy flesh as if it had never fully formed. Its skin was deformed, a sickly pink color speckled with dark spots and exposed bone.
As it moved, viscous fluid dripped from its body like a newborn creature struggling to leave the womb.
Slowly, unnaturally, long, thin limbs extended from within the corpse. They weren't human arms but twisted, fleshy tendrils writhing as they emerged, dripping with blood, reaching out blindly as if searching for something to grasp.
When the creature finally pulled itself free, its true size became apparent—twice as tall as Noah, if not more, with an unbalanced body and unstable legs, as if its bones hadn't solidified.
It lifted its head slightly and opened its mouth—not revealing teeth, but an empty, quivering cavity.
From within, a weak, stammering voice emerged, trembling with unnatural dread:
"Mama... Mama... Mama..."
Noah felt a shiver from the harsh, guttural sound coming from the corpse-like monster.
"W-What? Mom?! Was it Nagirus the mother of that thing?!" Noah thought in shock.
The monster began to emerge fully from his mother's body to face her killers. Suddenly, the monster let out an extremely sharp scream, so loud that both Noah and Echo covered their ears. Then, tendrils started to appear all over the monster's body, striking in all directions. One of them tried to stab Noah, but Echo pushed him away, taking the hit instead.
The tendril pierced Echo's heart, and his body began to shatter like glass. Noah watched the scene with wide eyes, feeling horrified as he saw his friend fall in front of him.
Quickly, Noah grabbed Echo and swapped places with a rock using his swapping ability to escape.
"A-are you okay?!" Noah said, panic-stricken.
Echo shook his head, indicating no.
"What—what do you mean no?! I can get you out! I'm sure the healers outside can treat you!" Noah said, terrified.
Echo shook his head again, indicating no.
"W-What do you mean no?! I can save you, I can get you out!" Noah thought, then realized the truth... He couldn't take Echo out because he would disappear as soon as he left the true source of his reflection... which was Noah himself.
"He can't leave... Why? Why?! He's stuck here forever! Didn't the maze create Echo? Then come and help your children! He's dying! That thing killed him! I'll kill it... no matter the cost! I'll kill it!" Noah thought angrily.
Echo's body began to fade into ashes, then he touched Noah's cheek with his cold hands as Noah's tears began to fall. Echo smiled.
"Thank you... for... everything..." Echo said before his body fully vanished into ashes.
Noah stopped, his body trembling despite being still. It wasn't exhaustion weighing his limbs down, but something else... something deeper, like an endless void extending within him.
His chest rose and fell slowly, as if the air had lost its flavor, as if breathing had become a meaningless habit. He raised his hand before his face and stared at his blood-stained fingers—yet they looked strange, as if they weren't his hands anymore, as if he wasn't sure whether he was still himself.
His eyes, which had always shone with sharpness, had become empty. No sorrow, no anger, no surprise... nothing. Just a cold, hollow stare, as if all emotions had faded away with the disappearance of Echo's soul.
He tried to remember what it felt like, the sound that had always echoed deep within him. But he found nothing. Just a dark void swallowing everything.
A moment passed. Another second. Then, as if nothing had happened, he lowered his hand. His limbs moved smoothly, without hesitation, without weight. There was no trembling anymore. There was nothing to tremble for.
"... It's my fault... his death... I killed him. He tried to save me, protect me, did what I should have done... It's my fault, my mistake, my fault, my actions, the consequences... what was meant to happen to me, happened to him... I killed him..." Noah thought silently as he stared into the emptiness.
"... That's why... I will kill you!" Noah said, pointing at the monster.
Noah expanded his field into a sphere and charged towards the monster. The monster began attacking him with tendrils, but Noah dodged them using his Prediction skill. One of the tendrils hit Noah, but he grabbed it with his bare hands. It had small black thorns that caused his hand to bleed, but he lifted it and started swinging it everywhere before smashing it against the wall.
The monster stayed on the ground. Noah looked at a nearby pillar, then punched it with all his strength until it shattered and fell on the monster, crushing it and spreading its blood everywhere. Noah walked over to it, pushed the pillar aside, pinned the monster down, and began punching it with all his might. Blood splattered on Noah's face and clothes, but he kept punching, tearing its flesh, brain, heart, and intestines until it was reduced to scattered remains... even though it was already dead.
Noah finally stood up and crushed the monster's corpse with his foot.
[You have gained a stat point]
[You have gained a stat point]
"Echo... We were taught that Echoes are just evil beings who want to kill us... but that was wrong... they did nothing wrong... the desire to live... was there from the start... we blame what we fear... and fear what we don't understand... we say our goal is life... but this life has no meaning... we live without purpose... die without reason... our actions change nothing... but... this life, my life... I will live it for you... I am... Noah Grace."
[You have created your first story: The One Who Killed His Former Self]
Noah walked out and looked at Nagirus' corpse, noticing the sword still there.
In front of the gate, "Lo Yan" finally arrived and looked at the destruction around her.
"Damn it! Am I late?!" Lo Yan thought, worried.
Then she saw Noah exit the room, dragging Nagirus' head across the floor behind him. Lo Yan felt tense at the sight before her.
Noah walked past her.
"You're late."
Noah kept walking away.
"Did... did Noah kill Nagirus alone?! What happened inside that room?!" Lo Yan thought in shock, cold sweat dripping down her face.