Chapter 269 — The First Step
The message appeared without fanfare.
No prophecy.
No divine voice.
Just a notification, among others.
**NEW STRUCTURE DETECTED**
Labyrinth — Access open
Risk: unknown
Rewards: variable
In a narrow room, lit by a cracked screen, a young man lifted his head.
His name was Ilan.
Rank D.
Not weak… but invisible.
Three years of hunting.
Three years surviving without ever shining.
Strong enough not to die.
Not enough to change anything.
He read the notification several times.
— …Another experimental dungeon, he murmured.
Usually, that meant: bugs,
unstable rules,
teams massacred.
He was about to close the window.
Then he saw the next line.
**Personal progression guaranteed**
**Rewards tied to real effort**
He froze.
— "Real effort"…?
It wasn't a promise of free power.
It wasn't a dazzling lie.
It was… precise.
Ilan rose slowly.
Grabbed his jacket.
His weapon.
Equipment worn but carefully maintained.
— Once more, he murmured.
— Just once.
The portal stood in the middle of a secondary square.
No crowd.
Not yet.
The labyrinth did not dominate the space.
It waited.
Upon entering, Ilan immediately felt the difference.
No crushing weight.
No divine pressure.
But a presence.
As if something observed…
not his strength,
but the way he breathed.
The walls were unstable, fractal, yet calm.
Symbols slid slowly, adapting.
An inscription appeared before him:
**Welcome.
No attempt is useless.
All cheating is stagnation.
Advance.**
Ilan swallowed.
— …That's new.
The first monster appeared.
Not gigantic.
Not terrifying.
An imperfect creature.
Asymmetrical.
As if it still hesitated to exist.
The fight was harsh.
Not because it was strong…
but because it forced Ilan to think.
When he struck too quickly, it adapted.
When he panicked, it pressed harder.
When he observed… it weakened.
Finally, it collapsed.
Ilan panted.
Then a chest appeared.
Small.
Simple.
He opened it.
Inside:
a discreet object.
A stone engraved with an unstable symbol.
**Fragment of Minor Law**
Slightly increases combat understanding after a failure.
Ilan froze.
— …That's all?
Then he felt something change.
Not in his body.
In his mind.
He understood better why he had almost died.
He smiled.
A true smile.
— Alright…
— I get it.
In the distance, the labyrinth vibrated softly.
No satisfaction.
No cruelty.
Just silent validation.
Somewhere, far away…
The Absolute Being opened his eyes slightly.
— The first has entered.
Valen, leaning against a wall, replied without looking at him:
— And?
— He did not seek ease.
— He accepted losing before winning.
A silence.
Then Valen smiled.
— Then the labyrinth will work.
In the depths of the structure, a law inscribed itself:
**Those who advance without cheating… will always advance.**
And without anyone noticing yet…
the world had accepted
a new path of progression.
Chapter 270 — The Name That Anchors
Valen walked beside the entity, hands in his pockets, as if all of this were perfectly normal.
— Everything you're doing… it's insane, he finally said.
— You're offering progression to those who had no hope left.
— You're changing entire lives.
— And despite that… you only asked me for a simple visit to Earth.
He stopped.
— Honestly… it doesn't gain you anything.
The black‑haired entity smiled softly.
— No.
— It gains me nothing.
Then he added, after a brief silence:
— But I see that it pleases you.
— So… it pleases me.
Valen turned his head slightly toward him.
— …Why are you trying so hard to please me?
The entity did not answer immediately.
He looked at the sky, the buildings, the people passing by without knowing how much the world had just changed.
— Because you probably don't see it yet, he said calmly.
— But we resemble each other.
Valen frowned.
— I don't see at all what you mean, but fine.
A faint laugh, almost imperceptible.
— Don't worry.
— You'll see it for yourself.
— When the time comes.
Valen stopped abruptly.
— In exchange for what you've done…
— I'll give you something.
The entity turned to him.
— Something?
— A name.
His eyes opened slightly.
— …A name?
Valen nodded.
— Yeah.
— Because "the Absolute Being" is convenient to describe.
— But annoying to use.
— And above all… it keeps you at a distance from the world.
He looked him straight in the eyes.
— From now on…
— You'll be called Arelis.
The word resonated.
Not in the air.
Not in the labyrinth.
But within him.
Something fixed itself.
Something that, until now, had never needed to exist.
A gentle limit.
An identity.
Arelis placed a hand on his chest.
— …It's strange.
— What is? asked Valen.
— I feel… lighter.
He murmured the name, almost to himself:
— Arelis…
Valen smiled.
— So you like it.
— Yes.
— Very much.
Valen straightened.
— Come on.
— Now, we're going back.
— Where to?
— The HQ.
He snapped his fingers.
Space folded without resistance.
The HQ appeared instantly.
A vast hall.
Controlled energy.
Powerful presences.
Zarion was leaning against a chair, arms crossed, gaze calm but attentive.
— Valen… he said.
— You're back.
Then his eyes slid toward Arelis.
— I see you brought someone with you.
Arelis bowed slightly.
— Arelis.
— Pleased to meet you.
Zarion blinked.
A silence.
— …Hmm.
He straightened slowly.
— I've never heard of you.
Arelis smiled.
— That's normal.
— Until recently, I didn't have a name.
The silence grew denser.
Zarion studied Valen.
— Care to explain?
Valen shrugged.
— Let's say he manages the labyrinth.
— And he fixed problems that even we couldn't correct without breaking everything.
Zarion's eyes narrowed slightly.
— …Ah.
He stood.
— So it's you.
Arelis inclined his head.
— If you mean the rewritten laws, conditional death, and fair progression…
— Yes.
Zarion smiled slowly.
— Interesting.
He walked a few steps around him.
— You don't radiate an overwhelming presence.
— And yet…
— Everything about you screams you don't belong here.
Arelis answered without hesitation:
— I am here because Valen brought me.
For a moment.
Zarion burst out laughing.
— …I see.
He placed a hand on Valen's shoulder.
— You've brought back another impossible thing, haven't you.
Valen sighed.
— I warned you.
Zarion looked Arelis straight in the eyes.
— Welcome to HQ.
— As long as you're here…
— you're under our responsibility.
Arelis inclined his head once more.
— Then I'll make sure not to break anything.
A pause.
Then he added, sincerely:
— At least… not without reason.
Valen smiled.
And somewhere, far away…
The labyrinth inscribed a new invisible line:
**He who receives a name… begins to belong to the world.**
Chapter 271 — The Step Too Far
Ilan advanced.
Alone.
The labyrinth had changed since the agreement.
Less hostile… but infinitely more lucid.
The walls were no longer mere fractal structures.
They observed.
Not like guardians.
Like a system waiting to see if you deserved to go further.
Each step Ilan took resonated differently.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
— …This is strange, he murmured.
— I don't feel like I'm walking in a place.
— I feel like I'm walking toward something.
His interface vibrated.
**Floor 10 reached.
Condition fulfilled.
Access authorized.**
The air froze.
No door.
No teleportation.
The scenery withdrew.
As if the labyrinth stepped back… to leave him space.
Before him:
an empty expanse.
White.
No visible floor.
No ceiling.
And at the center… something waited.
Ilan felt his heartbeat slow.
Not from fear.
From instinctive recognition.
— …That's not a monster.
The voice resonated.
Not loud.
Not imposing.
Just… inevitable.
— You are right.
A silhouette took shape.
Neither large.
Nor small.
Not truly humanoid.
It seemed complete, as if nothing could be added without corrupting it.
— I am the First Supreme Boss.
Ilan swallowed.
— Seriously… already on the tenth floor?
— The number is arbitrary, the entity replied.
— The function is not.
The space contracted slightly.
— I am **The Measure.**
Ilan felt his body react.
His mana… forcibly stabilized.
His buffs? Neutralized.
His amplifications? Clipped.
Not erased.
Equalized.
— All excessive force is compensated.
— All weakness is filled.
— Here, you are exactly… what you are worth.
Silence.
— …So, Ilan summarized,
— I can't cheat.
— I can't brute force.
— And I can't rely on luck.
— Correct.
The entity inclined its head slightly.
— You can only be honest.
The floor appeared beneath Ilan's feet.
Solid.
Simple.
— Condition for victory? he asked.
— Survive until comprehension.
— Comprehension of what?
The Measure looked at him.
— Yourself.
A shiver ran through Ilan.
— Seriously… is this dungeon run by a sadistic psychologist or something?
No answer.
But something shifted.
His opponent did not move.
Did not raise a hand.
Did not attack.
And yet…
Every action Ilan attempted was corrected.
Too fast? Slowed.
Too cautious? Amplified.
Too aggressive? Turned against him.
— …Damn, he gritted.
— It's like fighting a mirror that judges you.
— Exactly.
The Measure stepped closer.
— The labyrinth does not need to kill you.
— It needs to know if you deserve to continue.
Ilan clenched his teeth.
His breathing steadied.
— Okay.
He let go of everything.
No technique.
No complex calculation.
No ego.
Just himself.
— Then we'll keep it simple.
He raised his fists.
— I won't try to be stronger than me.
— Just… better than I was ten minutes ago.
The Measure stopped.
A subtle change rippled through the space.
— …Acceptable.
The battle truly began.
And somewhere, far away…
Arelis opened his eyes.
— Ah.
A faint smile.
— He understood.
And the labyrinth…
for the first time…
silently encouraged a human.
Chapter 272 — What the Measure Cannot Correct
Time no longer truly existed.
Or rather…
it existed only at the speed at which Ilan understood.
His fists struck.
Not faster.
Not stronger.
Just… better placed.
Each blow landed against The Measure returned to him, adjusted, balanced, sent back without hatred.
It was not a fight against an enemy.
It was a constant negotiation with himself.
— …You're not here to win, Ilan murmured between breaths.
— You're here to see if I lie.
The Measure did not answer immediately.
Then:
— You progress.
A step forward.
The space vibrated slightly, as if the labyrinth recalculated its parameters.
Ilan felt something new.
Not an increase in power.
Not a buff.
A stability.
His movements grew simpler.
His thoughts less noisy.
— That's it, huh…
— You don't want heroes.
— You want people who don't break the system by breaking themselves.
The Measure slowly raised its hand.
The attack that followed was neither fast nor violent.
It was simply sufficient.
Ilan blocked it.
Not because he was stronger.
But because he had understood when to block.
A dull shock resounded.
Then… nothing.
The white world cracked like a thin pane of glass.
— Condition fulfilled, declared The Measure.
— You have ceased to force your potential.
— …That almost sounds like an insult, Ilan muttered.
— It is a compliment.
The silhouette began to dissolve.
— Remember.
— The power you do not accept will destroy you.
— The one you refuse to acknowledge will limit you.
A final glance.
— The one you understand… will follow you.
Silence.
Then:
**Supreme Boss defeated: The Measure**
**Reward granted**
A golden circle appeared beneath Ilan's feet.
But it was not a chest.
It was an aura.
It wrapped slowly around him, discreet, almost invisible.
**Aura obtained: Active Balance**
— Reduces extreme fluctuations of mana
— Improves precision proportionally to mental calm
— The more consciously the user acts, the more effective his actions become
— …Nice, he murmured.
— Not flashy, but solid.
The labyrinth shifted again.
A staircase appeared.
Not monumental.
Not intimidating.
Just… accessible.
Ilan set his foot on the first step.
And this time, he felt it clearly.
Something was watching him.
Not The Measure.
Not Arelis.
Something older.
More silent.
— …Okay, he said with a nervous smile.
— I suppose the next one is less friendly.
Far away…
At the conceptual summit of the labyrinth.
Another entity slowly opened its eyes.
— A human has passed The Measure without breaking.
An imperceptible smirk.
— Interesting.
And as Ilan climbed toward the eleventh floor…
The rule was now clear.
The labyrinth did not eliminate the weak.
It eliminated those who refused to evolve.