Labyrinth Clearing

Standing before the towering thirty-foot behemoth, Varek tightened his grip on his bow. He was not about to underestimate a boss possessing only a single ominous skill. In his experience, the simpler a boss looked on the stat sheet, the more punishing it proved in practice. He took the initiative, drawing back the string and letting his first arrow fly. It struck the massive trunk with a solid thud.

-785

A decent hit, but it lacked the critical multiplier he desperately needed against a million-and-a-half health pool.

The Nine-Headed Hydra Tree retaliated without a second of hesitation. The air whistled. Two thick, whip-like vines lashed out with blinding speed. They slammed into his chest before he could raise a guard.

-1,355

Varek grunted, stumbling back as over two thousand of his HP vanished in a single strike. The reach of the thrashing vines stretched across the vast expanse of the labyrinth arena. There were no safe zones. The sweeping attacks posed a constant, deadly threat to his fragile yet artificially boosted thirty-thousand health pool. A single misstep could result in a deadly stagger. Getting hit twice per second meant he would be dead in a mere dozen strikes. The margin for error was practically non-existent.

He refused to halt his barrage. His fingers moved in a blur, nocking and firing. Another pair of vines swept low, aiming to sweep his legs out from under him. Instead of retreating, Varek tested the game's physics engine. He tucked his chin and dove into a tight roll, utilizing the invincibility frames to slip right through the sweeping attack. He hit the ground shoulder-first, rolling over the cold stone as the thick vines whipped mere inches above his head. The resulting shockwave sent dust billowing into the air, but his health bar remained untouched.

*Dodged.*

Predatory excitement flashed in his eyes. He popped back to his feet, a confident smirk touching his lips. The vines were fast, but they were physical objects bound by evasion mechanics. To stabilize his survival against the unavoidable chip damage, he swapped his weapon back to the Black Iron Savanna Longbow. It lacked raw damage but made up for it with a passive vital-leech mechanic. He needed to offset the relentless multi-directional strikes.

Green numbers began to float above his head. *+50. +16. +16.* It was a start, but it was not enough. He needed more damage to increase his healing yield. He needed to bypass his meager one percent critical hit rate. He sharply scanned the colossal beast while backpedaling through a maze of crashing vines. Every monster had a fatal anatomical flaw. Amidst the chaotic canopy, he finally spotted the anomaly. High above, hidden within the churning greenery, nine distinct blood-red vines thrashed. At the end of each vine sat an eerie, grinning dark red head.

"I found it," Varek whispered coldly.

He drew the Savanna Longbow to its limit. His eyes tracked the erratic movement of the grotesque faces. He released the breath he held, letting the arrow loose with perfect precision. The shaft buried itself right between the eyes of a grinning head.

-1,574!

A massive red critical number erupted into the air. The beast shrieked, the sound tearing through the arena. Varek's base odds were low, but striking a true weak point guaranteed a devastating critical hit. He found his rhythm. With every consecutive, perfectly aimed shot, his raw damage output spiked. His vital-leech healing surged in tandem, keeping his health bar securely in the green. He mastered his positioning, weaving seamlessly between the sweeping vines. Arrows flew in a non-stop barrage, expertly draining the massive boss down to a perilous ten percent health threshold.

Victory hung inches away. The boss entered execution range. Varek reached for his quiver, preparing the final volley.

Then, the impossible happened.

A blinding green magical glow enveloped the Hydra Tree. The light pulsed, washing over the arena in an emerald wave. Varek watched the system UI in disbelief. The beast's massive 1.5 million health bar shot from ten percent straight back to full. The green glow faded, revealing the behemoth restored, its vines thrashing with renewed vigor.

Varek ceased firing. His arms dropped to his sides.

*What kind of god-level, broken skill was that?* he raged internally.

He clenched his jaw, swallowing a million curses that threatened to spill from his lips. For a mere level 10 Bronze boss located in the beginner Novice Settlement to possess a full-heal mechanic was ridiculous. It defied all standard game design logic. A mechanic like this belonged to a late-game raid boss, not a beginner labyrinth gatekeeper.

The beast gave him no time to complain. Vines crashed down, shattering the stone floor where he stood seconds prior. Varek dove out of the way, rolling back up with dirt clinging to his armor. He refused to yield to the game's unfair design. He had figured out the pattern once; he could do it again.

Doubling down on his focus, he raised his bow. He utilized his mastery of its telegraphed attack patterns. He knew exactly when the vines would sweep, when they would crush, and when the grinning red heads would expose themselves. It became an intense battle of pure endurance. He repeated the exact same grueling process, trading blows, dodging by the skin of his teeth, and landing flawless critical strikes on the grotesque faces. His muscles screamed in protest, pushed to their digital limits by the constant movement and drawing of the heavy bow.

Minutes dragged on. Sweat stung his eyes. His fingers ached from the relentless tension of the bowstring. Fifteen agonizing minutes later, his final arrow pierced the central crimson head.

The colossal beast froze. It let out a deafening groan that shook the foundations of the labyrinth. The massive trunk splintered, bursting outward into a spectacular shower of digital pixels. The chaotic arena fell dead silent, save for the triumphant chime of the system.

*Ding!*

"You have defeated the Bronze-Level Nine-Headed Hydra Tree. Experience +31,280."

The massive experience bounty filled his bar in a satisfying surge. But the system was not done. A second, far more significant prompt materialized in front of him.

*Ding!*

"You have completed the first clear of the Warped Thicket labyrinth. A server-wide announcement will be made. Do you wish to hide your name?"

Varek did not hesitate. He needed the prestige to build his influence. "No."

Instantly, the system broadcast the news to every player online.

"Server-wide Announcement: Congratulations to Glacial King for completing the first clear of the Hell Level Warped Thicket labyrinth. This announcement is made with the hope that all players will continue to strive forward."

The message flashed twice, loudly echoing across the global server. The back-to-back announcements sent massive shockwaves through the player base. Deep within the game's various grinding zones, top-tier guilds and elite teams paused their hunts. Stunned chatter erupted in the global channels.

"Glacial King again? Did he clear the labyrinth solo? How is that possible?"

"Soloing a boss and a labyrinth—did this guy awaken a god-tier talent in Novice Settlement?"

"It must be a hidden class. No way a basic talent is that overpowered."

Players debated his methods across every server channel, while top-tier guild officers banged their fists on tables in sheer frustration at being shown up by an unknown player. Varek ignored the global uproar. His attention remained fixed on the lucrative cascade of elite rewards flooding his inventory screen. The notification log updated in a frenzy.

"You have received Black Iron-level Treant Set +1."

"You have received Skill Book +13."

"You have received Heart of the Treant +4."

"You have received Elite-level Equipment +35."

"You have received Gold Coins +350."

"You have received Attribute Points +50."

"You have received Quest Scroll +1."

A mountain of gold and items materialized in his spatial bag. He quickly inspected the haul. The full Black Iron-level Treant Set offered undeniable raw stat boosts to his defenses. The dark, bark-like plating felt incredibly sturdy under his fingertips, practically radiating a heavy, protective aura. Although the heavy tank-oriented gear was not a perfect fit for his archer class, the raw survivability it provided was too good to pass up for now. Since it was a first clear reward, there were no level restrictions holding him back. He could equip the armor just for the massive defensive numbers. He claimed the fifty coveted attribute points, saving them for future optimization, and tucked the mysterious ancient Quest Scroll safely away.

Then, his sharp gaze settled on a specific 1-star passive skill book resting near the bottom of his inventory. The name alone piqued his immense interest.

*Withered Tree Reborn.*

He pulled the worn, green-bound tome from his inventory and pulled up its tooltip.

*Withered Tree Reborn (Passive Skill): 1-star.*

*Effect: When your health drops below 10%, you will instantly recover 10% of your total health.*

*Cooldown: 24 hours.*

*Consumption: None.*

*Proficiency: 0/10 (Proficiency is gained by sacrificing skill books; each book sacrificed grants 1 point of proficiency. Some special skills may grant more proficiency.)*

Varek traced the lettering on the cover. It was the player-version of the boss's most broken mechanic. It was a potent survival ability. Having a flat percentage-based safety net meant that no matter how massive his health pool grew in the late game, this skill would scale to match it perfectly.