In the pitch-dark Stone Prison, a young man with his eyes closed suddenly twitched his eyebrows and struggled to sit up from the ground.

His name was Daniel, an archer from West Willow Town, in his early twenties and at the rising period of his career.

Before becoming an adventurer, he had been a famous hunter in the region near his hometown and a member of the militia trusted by the townspeople.

A fine young man like him usually wouldn't waste his precious life in a backwater but would likely squander it in a big city.

Sure enough, at the age of eighteen, he heard from an adventurer passing through the town that working as an adventurer was not only more lucrative than hunting for the manor lord and guarding homes but also offered more freedom, and with enough money saved, one could even buy a large house in the Holy City.

What moved Daniel was not only the wealth but also the grand and thrilling adventure stories told by those adventurers.

These were experiences he had never had in his life, dare not even dream about, yet they were conveyed so casually by them.

He too wanted to become such a legend!

With the dream of becoming a legend, Daniel bade farewell to his childhood sweetheart, bought a longbow and a sword with his savings, and set off with the passing adventurers to the Thundering County to join the ranks of adventurers.

At first, everything went smoothly. He even miraculously awakened an Extraordinary Power during a deadly crisis faced by his team—something he had never even dared to imagine before!

It was said that only one in a hundred ordinary people could reach the black iron level!

And those remaining ninety-nine, no matter how hard they practiced their martial skills, unless a miracle happened or they unexpectedly pleased a deity, would always remain common folk for their entire lives.

The beginning is always the hardest.

Having reached the black iron level, there was hope to push for the bronze and perhaps even the steel level or higher!

Once one reached the steel level, they possessed enough leverage to be drawn in by a lord!

In fact, in some small places, like his hometown, the black iron level was enough for the local baron to invite him over for a long chat at his residence.

It's just that in places like Thundering County, the Extraordinary Power wasn't so rare.

However, Daniel still believed himself to be the chosen one destined by fate. Sooner or later, by his courage and determination, he would gain favor from the venerable Saint Sis, break through the limits of the black iron level to reach bronze or even steel! And then, laden with glory, he would return to his hometown, meet the esteemed lord, and live a life free from worries about food and clothing.

But just when he was riding high, a sudden flood changed the course of his life.

He still remembered the look of horror on his teammates' faces just before he lost consciousness.

Flood!

They had actually encountered a flood in the maze!

Taken completely by surprise, his entire team was swept into the depths of the maze by the enormous flood. And when he awoke, half his body was already cocooned in spider silk, while an Earth Cave Spider drooled as it scraped its mouthparts together.

Glancing around at the surrounding darkness in which he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, Daniel swallowed hard and said in a trembling voice.

"Is this... Hell?"

No one answered.

Just as he began to feel panicked, out of nowhere a faint sigh came to his ears.

"I'm so hungry...

"Is someone there? Are you Thor? Or Delum?"

He felt a flicker of hope on his terrified face upon hearing another person in the vicinity, calling out his companions' names while struggling toward the direction of the voice until he bumped into a stone railing, dazing him and making stars appear before his eyes.

Faintly, he seemed to hear the grinding of bones, as though skeleton soldiers were gnashing their teeth.

In an instant, Daniel immediately shut his mouth and held his breath tensely, fearing to attract the notice of the unknownpresence in the darkness.

But as the saying goes, the more you fear something, the more it is likely to happen, and eventually, that voice focused on him.

"Thor? Delum? I don't have such a common name...Listen well, my name is Shadiao, Shadiao East."

Shadiao East?

Daniel was momentarily dumbfounded, not understanding the odd pronunciation.

However, being able to communicate at all was undoubtedly a good thing, and he continued speaking tentatively.

"Shadiao... senior, may I ask what this place is?"

The hoarse voice continued through the darkness.

"This place is the Great Graveyard."

"The Great Graveyard?!"

Having never heard of this strange name before, Daniel's eyes widened in shock.

The voice in the darkness confidently continued.

"Yes, this is the deepest level of the maze, a hell more terrifying than Hell itself... Would you like to hear my story?"

For some reason,

The elder's voice always accompanied by creaking sounds,

Daniel nodded nervously.

"Please tell me..."

Soft laughter emanated from the darkness, sending chills down one's spine.

Then the person in the dark began narrating in a smooth and flowing tone, a tale about "the thirteenth adventurer."

"...Legend has it that there was an adventurer team that set out to find a legendary treasure. They entered a hidden floor of the maze that no one had ever visited with a map bought from the marketplace. There were no monsters, no visible traps, not even a fork in the road. But strangely, no matter how long they walked, they couldn't find the end of the maze."

"...As their food and water supplies dwindled, they decided to retreat. However, when they started to head back, it seemed as though the path they had come from had just vanished."

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