NOVEL NEXT Chapter 103: Into the Great Labyrinth!
Most of the guilds and public knowledge painted it as a semi-open system, a place you could go in, test your strength, and pull out when needed. But the fine print—hidden in old forums, independent research logs, and restricted access entries—told a much harsher truth.
"First-time entry will result in disconnection from native anchors—reentry into the overworld is barred unless access to a teleportation circle within a Sanctum is granted."
In simpler terms?
You could only come back if you joined or captured a Sanctum.
Ethan's mouth drew into a tight line. He kept reading.
"Sanctums vary by race and region. A Sanctum built or conquered by one's native race is easier to join. Wild Sanctums—unclaimed or destroyed—are rare opportunities. But attempting to enter the Sanctum of an opposing race is a death sentence. They'll treat you as a hostile invader on sight."
"Only in extremely rare, historically significant cases has a human managed to join a Sanctum of a foreign race."
He blew out a breath, mind ticking rapidly.
So once he teleported into the Labyrinth using the dungeon core… he'd be stuck there until he found or seized a Sanctum?
That explained a lot.
It explained why most reports spoke of months passing before someone reappeared from the Great Labyrinth. Why guilds prepared full teams of specialists just for the first entry.
It also meant that solo explorers like himself had a razor-thin line between success and permanent disappearance.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.
"Join, take over, or die trying," he muttered.
It wasn't just about surviving the beasts anymore. It was about finding a Sanctum—and hoping to hell it wasn't run by something that wanted to cook him alive.
And yet… he felt no fear.
This was the challenge he'd been waiting for.
The real beginning.
He scrolled further, eyes scanning for Sanctum location probabilities, known coordinates of Wild Zones, and species-associated sanctum markers. It was all patchy, outdated, and scattered, but it was something. Better than diving in blind.
He copied some of the more useful maps and circled three likely sectors that might house unclaimed Sanctums.
Then he sat back, exhaled slowly, and stared at the slowly dimming sky through the small window of his new home.
He wasn't afraid of danger.
But he hated being trapped.
And if this place wanted to lock him in?
He'd break it open.
One floor at a time.
*****
Soon, Ethan could be seen standing outside the house—Unit #314, Ironroot Sector.
The streets around him were mostly quiet, a few distant shadows moving in the far edges of the settlement. Lamps flickered with soft runes, humming faintly as evening approached. The sky above was beginning to lose its blue, turning into a gradient of soft orange and dull violet.
Ethan stood still, his breath even. One hand was buried in his coat pocket, fingers brushing against cold metal.
Then slowly, deliberately, he brought it out.
The Dungeon Core rested in his palm. Smooth, black-crystal with pulsing green lines running through it like veins. The moment it left his ring, the air shifted. Denser. Thicker. A subtle hum buzzed in his ears.
Then came the chime.
<Ding>
[You've completed a hidden mission and acquired a Dungeon Core!]
[A connection to the Great Labyrinth has been sensed. Do you want to use the Dungeon Core to establish the connection with the Great Labyrinth?] [Yes]. [No]
Ethan's breath caught.
His lips parted slightly, and his eyes narrowed at the hovering screen. His heart wasn't pounding with fear—just… anticipation. Resolve.
The Great Labyrinth…
Even the name felt like a challenge. Ancient. Unforgiving. Alive.
This was the place whispered about in guild halls and scrawled in forgotten forums. A dungeon system so vast and unpredictable, it made entire continents look small. A place that killed more awakened humans more than anything in Nexa, only those of resolute heart dared charge right in.
The Great Labyrinth is a place that could change everything, there he'll be able to get stronger one day, he'll achieve enough strength to destroy Loki...
He stared at the option in front of him. For a time, he had told himself he wasn't ready—not yet, not until Mia was safe.
But now?
Now was the best time. There would be no better.
He exhaled once, firm and steady.
"No," he said quietly—not to reject the prompt, but to himself. To that lingering hesitation, that last flicker of doubt. "No more waiting."
Then, he tapped [Yes].
The Dungeon Core responded immediately, trembling softly in his hand. Light pulsed from within, a green glow leaking through his fingers.
The glow intensified, until it escaped his grip entirely—projecting upward in a vertical beam that punched through the air like a blade. The clouds above churned slightly, drawn toward the vortex of power gathering around him.
Mana rippled in the air, thick and visible now, like mist curling along the edges of reality.
Ethan didn't flinch.
He knew this would happen. He had read the signs, seen the records. When the connection with the Labyrinth was made, it was never subtle. The core served as both a key and a flare.
And the Labyrinth answered.
Right in front of him, the air twisted. Like glass melting and folding on itself, space bent—colors stretched—until it snapped into a circular shape.
A portal.
Swirling, dense, and chaotic. Faint echoes poured from it—voices? growls? wind? He couldn't tell.
Ethan looked at the dimming Dungeon Core in his hand, its light now barely flickering. He gave a nod of appreciation, then slipped it back into his void ring.
A part of him wanted to turn around, to glance at the house one more time.
But he didn't.
No hesitation.
This was it.
With a calm breath, Ethan stepped forward and crossed the threshold—vanishing into the storm of green light as the portal swallowed him whole.
And just like that, he was gone. Into the Great Labyrinth.
****
Absolutely. Here's a continuation of your chapter, written in your tone and style—natural, immersive, and with thoughtful progression of the worldbuilding and conversation:
---
The beam of green light that shot up into the sky was impossible to miss.
It pierced through the late evening haze like a divine flare—vivid, unnatural, beautiful—and it stirred the entire settlement like a ripple cutting through still water.
By the time Ethan had vanished into the portal, the reaction had already begun to spiral.
Just as expected, but far louder than he anticipated.
Several rooftops away, a group of guild-affiliated Awakened looked up from their drinks on a tavern balcony, watching the tail end of the green streak fade into the heavens.
"You saw that, right?" one of them muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Hard not to. That color… green. It's the Labyrinth signal. Someone just activated a Dungeon Core," replied the older man beside him, leaning forward with narrowed gaze. His jacket bore a small bronze pin—a crest marking him as a veteran of a mid-tier exploration guild.
A third voice joined in, low and contemplative. "It's been a while since we saw one of those. Someone with guts."
"And strength," the older man added. "You need more than guts to survive that place, courage is strength, hope he doesn't give up once he finds a way to get back."
Across the street, inside a reinforced combat supply shop, two staffers paused mid-inventory.
"Think another noble brat bought a core?" one asked, leaning against a crate.
"No," said the other without hesitation. "This was green and the energy in chaos. This means it's a rank 1 dungeon core and It was synced directly to the Great Labyrinth."
The first blinked. "So someone's diving in?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "And judging from the timing, this wasn't arranged. This was raw—immediate."
Outside, near a mana-transport station, a cluster of young recruits under an instructor were already buzzing with energy.
"Who do you think it was?" one of the younger ones asked, his eyes still fixed on the now-fading portal residue.
"No idea," another replied. "But I'd bet it's someone not from the main noble families. They tend to hesitate too much when it comes to Labyrinth dives, and theirs won't make too much comotion as they tend to let their experts control the released energy to the bare minimum."
"Yeah, too many ties. Too much to lose."
Their instructor, a stern man with faded scars across his face, finally spoke up. "Don't make assumptions. Whoever it was… they've taken the hardest first step."
"Why is it hard, Instructor?" a girl in the back asked. "Isn't it just like entering a dungeon?"
"No," he said bluntly. "The Great Labyrinth is nothing like a dungeon. Think of it as a world— a world sized dungeon. With multiple races killing each other to get stronger."
The recruits fell quiet.
"Dungeon cores aren't exactly rare," the instructor continued, his voice steady. "They drop at the end of every dungeon, and portals appear daily. But clearing a dungeon isn't easy. Most Awakened can't even handle a horde, let alone a boss."
"Is it because of the beasts?" one of them asked.