. . .

. . .

Everyone was silent, and they realized that Ren was being serious about his offer. Some cursed under their breath and spat, while some swallowed their indignation and stepped forward.

It was a trade that others found tempting.

"We only have ten vacant spots for our items. So first come, first serve," said Ren.

The others clamored and lined up, while those who didn't make it for being indecisive were left to the side.

"You can get the item in Maze Forest past Erendia Town in the land of the Elves. Go there and follow the path going to Hubert Shop. You'll find the items sold in there," whispered Ren after receiving the potion and giving it to his members who had a vacant slot.

Those who didn't know Maze Forest, they readily accepted the information with glee. And for others who did, they questioned.

"I've been to Maze Forest, but I can't find any Hubert there. Are you telling the truth?"

Ren looked at the player, and the latter cowered under his intimidating stare.

"It's because you didn't follow the path. Just follow the path, and you'll get there."

"Path? There are numerous paths in that forest."

"Just follow the north path, and you'll get there."

The other players could only scratched their heads and thought about the path that Ren was talking about. They weren't sure since they only explored the forest for about ten minutes or so before deciding to quit after they got killed by the monsters there.

Follow the northern path . . . but weren't all paths led to the north.

Which PATH was it?

The others were confused, but they couldn't do anything when Ren yelled 'Next,' signalling for them to leave and give way to the next guild.

Those who got the information sold it to those who didn't make the cut, and the information spread like a barter.

Ren didn't mind, though. Without the map, there was no way that they would find Hubert's Shop.

Watching Ren dealing like a devil in disguise, Leonel shivered, and he could only pray to those lost souls.

"Is it alright to give that information without care?" Sumeri asked Leonel.

The information wasn't theirs, so Ren was free to do with it as he pleased. It wouldn't impact the current guild war anyway.

"Don't worry about Ren and worry about those guys he's dealing with," Leonel said and clasped his hands in prayer.

Eventually, all the guilds managed to finish the first round of the War. Some were lucky enough to survive with half of their members, while some were wiped out.

As the guild waited for the next War, a woman's soft voice rang in everyone's ears.

<Congratulations to everyone for advancing to the second phase of the War.

In the next game, you will find yourself transported inside a dungeon.

The rule is simple . . . reach the exit>

"Again, with those cryptic words." Leonel sighed in exasperation.

And before everyone could discuss what the voice meant about reaching the exit, the scenery changed, and every guild found themselves transported inside a vast open space illuminated by a greenish light. Inside the chamber's floor, an invincible fog of foulness threatened the nostrils of every player with rot and decay, like the smell of corpses and rotting waste.

Everyone was baffled at the room's purpose, and no one knew what awaited them.

In the silence were reverberations akin to machine-like mechanical noises of gears and grinding before a clicking sound like something fit into place rang in their ears. The noise was followed by a splash and crash like something was falling from above. The sound seemed like heavy water and bones.

And then a moment of ominous silence.

"W-where are we?"

It didn't matter who asked.

All were looking over the series, and rows of columns between turnstiles spread throughout the space. There was no entrance or exit except those turnstiles, and something told Ren that the moment they pushed those turnstiles to get through to the next area, something terrible would happen.

"Hey. Look, we're not the only ones whose here." Rox pointed to the other guilds, who were also looking in their direction. The space was wide enough to accommodate all of them from their servers with more breathing areas to move around.

"What should we do?"

The guilds were already entering the chambers using the worn-out brass turnstiles. And as every player pushed the wheel to get to the others side, the gears of machines shuddered, echoing in the rooms, followed by something dropping from above.

Ren and the others caught a glimpse of what was dropping from the high ceiling, and they were surprised to find that it was indeed trash.

"Are they . . . trash?" Sumeri wasn't sure.

"It's indeed trash," Nikolai confirmed.

"What are those? Are they going to bury as alive with those?"

"Only one way to find out." Ren was the first to push the turnstiles and step inside the chamber. As he did, a loud creaking noise from the machine rang in his ears before a splash echoed from somewhere not far.

"I don't like this . . ." Roxy had hives erupting on her skin from the foul smell alone. "It felt like death."

Rox rolled his eyes and entered after Ren. "We don't have a choice. Stop being so dramatic and act like a leader for once."

As the group entered one after another, so were the splashing and crashing sounds, dominating the entire place.

Everyone's ears were bleeding at the constant noise as more players pushed the wheels.

Arriving in the second row of columns, Ren and the others only noticed that the place was like a maze.

"So we're going to find the exit from this hell hole?" Leonel felt like giving up. The many forks and turnstiles were giving him a headache.

"If only everything is that simple," muttered Sumeri as the series of noises continued without pause.

"This place is giving me the horror vibe." Roxy rubbed the hives from her arms while closely watching the area. She saw some players going here and there like rats trapped in a maze box.

Rox faced his sister and was about to rebuke her when his eyes widened in surprise. "Sis, above you!"

"Huh?" Roxy looked over and didn't finish her sentence when litters of trash came zooming on her face.

"Argh!" Roxy covered her head, but that didn't save her from suffering half of her HP when the garbage fell on top of her.

"F*ck!" Roxy cursed aloud and immediately stepped out from the garbage before drinking an HP potion.

Rox only sighed before he laughed at his sister. "Good thing that those things only decrease your HP to half."

Sumeri's face was white as she pointed at the winding pathway. "I think that's the least of our worries."

Everyone's attention shifted to the two-meter wide lane, and from the darkness came a greenish light that slowly illuminated the place.

When it came to full view, a three-meter-tall gelatinous cube appeared, portraying a face akin to a monster that was extending its gooey hands at them. It was blocking the path with its massive frame while it closed in at the group with a turtle pace.

Everybody gasped, which was quickly followed by screams of terror that engulfed the whole chamber.

A/N (Doesn't consume coins)

left = 4