{AHAHAHA! YES! VERY GOOD HUMAN! ENTERTAIN ME~!} (Basilisk)

Kris did not bother paying attention to the giant snake that seemed to be enjoying itself. His sole focus was the exit ahead of him.

A loud, slippery sound started echoing behind him and he quickened his pace.

This was without a doubt the slithering sound of the Basilisk advancing on him, but Kris did not dare look back to confirm.

However, the sound was getting louder and Kris felt the killing intent emanating from the terrifying monster as if it was touching his back.

I’ve gotta find a way to stop it, but how!?

Currently, Kris did not have many offensive weapons on him other than the twin swords on his back and a few throwing knives. None of these armaments would be of much use when fighting a monster of this caliber.

Kris took a quick glance behind him to verify the Basilisk’s location.

To his despair, it had already closed the distance by more than half. At its current pace, it would reach him before he could escape.

Kris was equipped with lightweight mithril armor plates that protected his chest, back, arms, and legs, as well as leather armor that shielded his abdomen and thighs.

Although it had proven itself against the monsters he’s faced so far, the Basilisk could tear the armor off with ease. It would only take one attack to end his life.

However, Kris had an idea while glancing at the giant snake chasing him.

Although most of its body is protected by scales, there are some parts that are weak to attacks...

It’s biggest weak point would be its mouth, but Kris was sure it would sense the danger and block the attack.

Another weak point would be its eyes, which Kris could see glaring at him through the dark room.

This is risky but I’ve got no choice!

Kris reaffirmed his decision and brandished his left sword before sending power into his legs, leaping off the ground.

While flipping his body midair until his back was parallel to the ground, Kris aimed at the Basilisk and threw his sword.

Even though Kris was pre-dominantly right-handed, his sword and throwing skills were exceptional with either hand.

The Basilisk thought Kris was trying to hit its mouth so it sealed its mouth and did not bother dodging the sword as it approached.

As a result, it could not react when the sword passed its mouth...and pierced its right eye.

This sword was in no way ordinary. Made from an alloy of mithril and the strongest iron in the world, it easily shredded the exposed flesh of the eye and firmly rooted itself within the socket.

{AHHHHH! WHAT DID YOU DO HUMAN!? IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HUURRTTSSSS!!!} (Basilisk)

The Basilisk forgot its prey and began thrashing around, trying to dislodge the sword embedded in its eye as emerald blood steadily flowed from the harsh wound.

Kris completed a full rotation before landing on his forearm and used the momentum to roll over his shoulder to get back on his feet.

Without taking time to observe the damage he had dealt, Kris ran to the exit.

He could have used a throwing knife, but decided the sword had the best chance of inflicting enough damage to stop the Basilisk’s pursuit.

Kris’s twin swords were gifts from his father after completing his adventurer training.

There was no hope of getting the sword back now, so Kris gave a silent apology to his absent parent as he slipped past the exit.

The Basilisk cursed Kris as it howled in pain.

{DAMN YOUUUU! MASTER WILL MAKE YOU PAY! THEN I’LL KILL YOU! KILL YOU, KILL YOU, KILL YOUUUUU!!!} (Basilisk)

Kris had since escaped into the labyrinth and did not the hear the pained yells of the Basilisk.

He also could not hear the Basilisk as it cried from the excruciating pain...as well as being alone yet again.

****

Around an hour after Kris battled the Basilisk, the Demi-human Savior Eliza continued descending deeper into the labyrinth in order to find him.

Constantly checking her tracker for Kris’s location, Eliza veered around another corner.

What awaited her was another pack of wolf-like monsters. As soon as she was within their sight, they snarled and bared their fangs, ready to pounce on her.

If this were another time and place, Eliza might have been friendly to the wolves since she shared a likeness to them.

However, right now all she saw was another obstacle preventing her from helping Kris.

“Grrrr...out of my WAYYY!” (Eliza)

Releasing a ferocious growl herself, Eliza charged.

The wolves were stunned for a moment, becoming easy prey to the White Wolf swordswoman as she slayed them all before continuing down the passage.

Just a little longer Kris! Hold on!

Eliza sent a silent plea to her lost companion.

Coming upon an intersection, Eliza checked her tracker and determined Kris could be found by following the path to the right.

As she was about to chose that direction, she was stopped by voices originating from the left path. These were voices she knew well and she turned around to listen.

“Are you sure it’s coming from this direction, Lily?” (-)

“I’m positive. The signal gets stronger as you get closer to the one wearing it. However, we should stay ready for anything. Sylvia, do you sense any enemies ahead?” (-)

“...There are no hostiles ahead of us. I do however sense someone directly in front of us. It could be Eliza or Kris.” (-)

“Then let's hurry! They may be in trouble!” (-)

Eliza was not mistaken. These were the voices of her comrades Gale, Lily, and Sylvia. According to their dialogue, they had been searching for Kris and Eliza as well.

Soon enough, she heard three sets of footsteps and then she could smell the familiar scents of her fellow Saviors.

Being so preoccupied in finding Kris, Eliza had neglected to check the tracker for her other companions. When she checked for their locations, they were indeed located in the opposite passage.

At first, she was overjoyed to reunite with them, but then she felt her heart being torn over whether to join Gale, Lily, and Sylvia again, or continue looking for Kris and regroup with everyone else once she found him.

Argh! I don’t know what I should do! I want to find Kris as soon as I can, but I can’t just ignore everyone else either. What do I do? What would Kris do?

Eliza could not find the answer herself so she questioned what Kris would do if their situations were reversed.

I wonder if he’d try to save everyone at once like one of those brave heroes in fairy tales...

Eliza smiled to herself while imagining Kris making a big speech to no one in particular before heading off to kill the Abyss King himself and save the world.

...Kris wouldn't do something embarrassing like that.

While it wasn’t spoken aloud, Kris did make a proclamation to defeat the Abyss King not to long ago, though Eliza had no way of knowing that. (Author: His internal monologue at the end of the prologue.)

He’d believe a bigger group would have a better chance at finding the missing person than if one person continued on alone. It would also be easier to fight the Abyss King if the group was at full strength.

Believing she was making the same judgement her party leader would, Eliza looked back towards the right passage.

Wait for me...no, wait for us Kris! We will hurry back and support you as your comrades!

Eliza showed one last smile, then she sprinted down the left corridor, where her important comrades were waiting.

****

As soon as Kris escaped the Basilisk, it turned into a series of events that made Kris believe he had been cursed with bad luck.

That was because he was currently being chased by a large horde of monsters.

It started when he turned a corner and surprised a pack of hell-hounds.

Despite missing a sword, Kris could have dealt with them easily, but unfortunately their howls attracted even more monsters which forced Kris to flee.

An hour had already passed and no less than a few dozen varieties of monsters chased Kris through corridor after corridor.

Will this never end?...

Kris could only sigh as he ran for dear life while being chased by what seemed like an endless amount of claws and fangs that were all thirsting for his blood.

Due to the constant harassment of the monsters behind him as well as any that attacked him from the front, Kris could not take out his tracker to search for the rest of his companions.

Even now, he had no idea where he was going. All he could do was continue running until he could lose his pursuers.

After dodging a monster hiding in the floor and slicing apart another that hid in the shadows, Kris came upon something he had never seen in the labyrinth before.

A pitch-black staircase that seemed to go even further into the labyrinth, but there was no illumination along the stair walls so Kris could not tell how deep it went.

However, there was no point in turning around. The hidden monster should have been killed by the other monsters so it wasn’t safe to go back from where he had arrived.

Not to mention the only exit he could observe happened to be the ominous stairs in front of him.

Although he wanted to find his friends as soon as possible, he could not shake off the feeling of wanting to explore the mysterious staircase.

It was not only curiosity as Kris was still troubled over the words of the Basilisk.

It said its master had chosen me, but for what? And how did its master, the Abyss King, even know I would come? Could it have known I would use my powerful attack and so it trapped me in that room directly above the Basilisk’s nest? Did it predict I would survive the Basilisk and then find these stairs afterwards?

There were too many questions that Kris needed answering.

Therefore, he decided to descend the stairs after making a firm resolve to find his lost comrades and escape the labyrinth.

Once the light from the crystals ceased, Kris ignited one of his last pre-made torches and continued step by step. Of course, Kris knew these were no ordinary stairs and so he advanced while keeping his guard up and searching for any traps.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kris reached the end of the black staircase.

What awaited him was an even stranger sight.

A set of double doors that were almost twice his height and colored the same pitch-black as the stairs stood in front of Kris.

Intricate curves were carved into the frame, displaying the quality and talent their creator put into making these doors that could put famous artists to shame.

Engraved into the base of both doors appeared to be a skull, but not like any human’s. This skull had a sinister feeling that radiated the insatiable desire to reap the souls of the living.

“Is this...no, this must be it.” (Kris)

Staring in awe at the beautiful craftsmanship, his expression hardened after realizing what laid behind these doors.

“...The Abyss King’s tomb.” (Kris)

A shiver ran down his spine as he said those words.

Directly in front of him, the most terrifying existence that had ever been seen in this world lied dormant, consolidating its power so that it could bring destruction to the five races and their nations as it did 500 hundred years ago.

Kris could not help but feel the magnitude of what this meant.

All of their training had been for this. This was their ultimate goal, their reason for venturing into this hellish place.

The Saviors had finally arrived at the Abyss King’s resting place.

Regaining his senses, Kris checked his tracker.

To his relief, Eliza seemed to have regrouped with Gale, Lily, and Sylvia, and were heading towards Kris’s location.

However, just as Kris felt he should wait for the rest of his companions to arrive, the double doors suddenly opened inward, as if inviting Kris into the tomb.

Unable to hold himself back, Kris entered the room.

Although the tomb itself was huge, there was nothing of any significant value inside.

As he scanned the room, one artifact caught his eye:

A crimson sword affixed upon a sarcophagus in the middle of the room.

That is no ordinary sword.

That thought immediately crossed Kris's mind as he gazed at the unique sword.

Beneath the sword was a sarcophagus roughly twice the size of Kris's physique. He didn't have to guess who occupied it.

He gulped his saliva as he took a step inside the tomb.

It happened right after entering.

"Arrgghh!" (Kris)

An eerie sound of electricity passing through flesh, followed by Kris's pained yell, resounded throughout the tomb before the heavy doors closed.

The surroundings returned to silence once more…