บท 6: The Maze of Trust

A Contract with the God

When someone asks what it means to have a contract with the gods, people tend to answer differently.

For some, it was glory. For others, it was pride or faith. But for Levi, it meant something else entirely.

Survival.

It was his only chance at survival, and as he saw the girl making a contract with a god right in front of his eyes, Levi was overwhelmed with emotions.

Admiration, anticipation, awe—he felt many things, but one emotion stood out clearly - jealousy.

'Why them? Why not me?'

He knew it was a foolish question, but Levi couldn't help but ask—why was he not chosen? Why was it her?

People often said that God is fair, that if He takes something, He also gives something in return. Then why, in Levi's life, was everything always taken away?

First, it was his mother, then his father. As if that wasn't enough, he had to live in a hellish place. Why did it always have to be him?

He didn't have answers, but even after all that, there was still an ember of hope in him—that a god would choose him and all his struggles would pay off. And finally….finally, it was happening!

***

Divine light washed over all three boys as shimmering golden words materialized before them.

['The Lord of the Smoking Mirrors' has taken an interest in you]

The first message invoked a sense of great joy and relief in Levi.

'This is it,' he thought.

The hardships he had endured for years—the lonely life where he had to work hard for even a piece of bread, the countless dreams he'd had as he slept on the cold floor under the moon—everything was coming to an end. He was finally being chosen!

Although Levi didn't recognize the name of the god, he was simply happy that any deity had picked him. However, the message that followed made his joy evaporate:

['The Lord of the Smoking Mirrors' feels the need to test you further. Do you accept his trial?]

'Huh?'

Confusion clouded Levi's mind as he read the message. They had already fought and defeated the scorpion monster; surely that should have been enough for a god to grant them a contract. Why was another test necessary?

Not knowing what to do, Levi glanced at the two boys. By the looks on their faces, he realized he wasn't the only one receiving such a message.

Once he understood this, Levi immediately responded to the god. Whatever it was, he didn't want to miss this opportunity!

"I will take the test!" he shouted.

In the next moment, he vanished from the wilderness!

Noticing that the commoner had once again moved ahead of them, the two boys immediately accepted the trial, not wanting to be left behind.

Soon, they too disappeared from the wilderness.

***

When Levi opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. Darkness surrounded him, broken only by patches of eerie blue flames. He looked up but couldn't see anything, wondering if he was in a cave or if night had fallen with clouds obscuring the sky.

One thing he could discern was the presence of massive walls surrounding him, towering 20-30 meters high. The tops of these walls seemed to be lined with sharp spikes.

"What? Where am I?" he muttered.

As if in response to his questions, golden runes materialized before him:

[You have chosen to take the trial!]

['The Lord of Smoking Mirrors' wishes you luck]

Levi read the messages, still finding no answers to his questions. He didn't have to wait long, however, as another lengthy message appeared:

[Trial - The Maze of Trust]

[You are currently in a maze created by the Lord of Smoking Mirrors. There are three participants in total, each starting at a similar position in the maze. A magical bell has been granted to one of the three participants. This bell will reveal the correct path out of the maze when rung. However, be warned - the magical bell is very loud and will attract the attention of all nearby threats. Additionally, the location of the one who rings the bell will be revealed to the other participants! The participant who exits the maze with the magical bell will be declared the winner!]

Levi took a moment to process the information. He realized that the three participants were himself, the fat boy, and the tall guy, all now somewhere within the maze, and one of them possessed the magical bell that would show the way out. Since Levi didn't have it, it must be with one of the other two boys.

The real dilemma however was in the bell's function!

Ringing it would reveal the exit but also expose the ringer's location to the others. Since the winning condition required exiting with the bell, the others would likely pursue the one who rang it to steal the bell.

Yet without ringing the bell, finding the exit might be impossible.

'This trial... it's shittier than it looks,' Levi thought.

He couldn't decide whether to be grateful for not having the bell or to lament that he now had to steal it.

"What kind of trial is this?" Levi complained, but there was no one to hear him.

Deciding not to waste energy, he resolved to start moving.

Though he didn't know the location of the others or the exit, Levi recalled hearing that if one sticks to one side of a maze, they'll eventually find the exit. For now, he decided to employ this strategy.

But Levi was yet to know how this trial would change his life…Forever!

---***---

Lore Snippet 04 - The Names of the Gods

Even though the gods made contracts with the chosen ones, they still preferred to keep their true names hidden, maintaining their anonymity whenever possible. As a result, each god adopted an alias that was displayed to humans. However, they would reveal their true name to those who were truly precious to them.

Can you guess who the gods behind these names are?

1. Lord of the Smoking Mirrors

2. Faithful Abundance

3. The Weaver of Mystic Nebula