"Hmm…"
I woke up and found myself inside some kind of spherical space. Instinctively, I struggled, pushing with both my hands and feet. The walls enclosing me began to crack under the pressure, and only then did I realize—I was inside an egg.
With one final push, the shell shattered, and I crawled out.
I found myself inside what looked like an ancient Greek chamber, vast and solemn, resembling an altar. The room was enormous, and the egg I had just broken free from rested at the center altar. Surrounding it were nine other altars. On each floated a spherical core—one large core and eight smaller ones.
As I observed them, I began to recognize their differences.
The first was a red core, blazing with intense heat and flames. The second was yellow, rumbling with thunder as sparks of electricity flashed around it. The third was a clear core, encircled by flowing water. The fourth was brown, an earthen core surrounded by levitating chunks of rock. The fifth was blue, wrapped in a miniature tornado that spun endlessly around it. The sixth was green, emitting a soft emerald glow, with thorny vines and lush leaves coiling and slithering around it as they rotated.
The seventh—the largest—had no definite color. Its interior shifted constantly, liquid-like, cycling through countless hues like a living rainbow. It exuded the strongest presence among all the cores.
The eighth core was black and purple, with a shadow beneath it that moved like a living darkness. It glowed eerily, radiating something unmistakably demonic.
The ninth core was golden-brown, emanating an aura of ferocity, as if a savage beast were trapped inside, desperate to bare its fangs and escape.
I tore my gaze away from the cores and focused on myself.
I had emerged from a massive egg, roughly a meter in size, yet my body was humanoid. That realization only deepened my confusion.
"So this is reincarnation… but where the hell am I?"
Despite being newly born, my physique resembled that of an eight- to ten-year-old child. By my estimate, I stood around four feet tall—far too tall for a newborn.
"Groan."
My stomach growled loudly.
'Fuck. I'm hungry.'
Judgments by the surroundings suggested the place looked abandoned. There was no visible entrance or exit.
'Where the hell are my parents?'
Thoughts raced through my mind.
The chamber itself looked ancient and long-forgotten, illuminated only by the faint glow of the cores.
"Hm?"
I noticed two piles of bones leaning against the far corner wall, side by side—one golden, the other obsidian black. Inside the ribcage of the golden remains was another core, glowing with radiant golden-yellow light. Within the obsidian remains lay a pure black core, darker than darkness itself.
I also noticed that two altars stood empty, devoid of any cores.
From their structure, I could tell the golden bones belonged to a female—slender and elegant. Her skull bore a single slender golden horn, and her bones gleamed as if forged from pure gold. The obsidian bones, on the other hand, were massive and imposing, clearly male. Two large, regal black horns adorned his skull.
These were definitely not human remains.
They felt… powerful. Ancient. Their posture, even in death, was immaculate.
"Groan."
My stomach protested again.
'I really need to eat something.'
My gaze drifted back to the shattered eggshells scattered around the altar. I picked up a piece and felt its surprising thickness—almost three inches.
'In fantasy novels, monsters eat their eggshells after birth. Maybe this is edible too.'
"Crunch."
"Hm."
It melted in my mouth, tasting like bland milk with no sugar.
'Not bad.'
As the shell dissolved, it transformed into a potent liquid energy that flowed into my body. Within minutes, I had consumed every fragment.
"Blurp."
'I'm full.'
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I fell asleep.
—
"Yawn."
When I woke up again, everything had changed.
I was no longer a child.
My body had matured into that of a full-grown man, towering at nearly seven feet tall. My hair had grown long, flowing all the way down to my hips.
'Did I just grow after taking a nap? What the hell…'
This was undeniably another world.
Memories surfaced—fragments of my past life.
College days. My body collapsing. Years confined to a bed. A diagnosis: stage two cancer. A tumor attached to my brain. Chemotherapy. Gradual deterioration. Then my kidneys failed.
In the end, I died.
Yet I remembered only the knowledge and wisdom of that life. My name, my family, the people I once knew—all of it was gone, reduced to vague impressions.
'That life is over.'
This was a new beginning.
I pushed those thoughts aside.
'It's strange to be born in such an uncertain place… but I should be grateful for a second life.'
"Oh… a mirror."
I examined my reflection.
Tall. Well-built. Pale white skin.
'Woah.'
'…I look good.'
Young—like a teenager. Easily over six feet tall, even as a "newborn." White hair. Silvery eyes.
'Like an albino.'
Heh.
'I really do look like a fantasy character.'
I wasn't just handsome—I could even be considered beautiful, even compared to women.
"Fuck."
I froze.
My reflection had no genitals.
I checked myself again, physically this time. Nothing. No openings, neither front nor back.
'I'm… homogeneous.'
"Well, whatever. I don't even know where I am anyway."
I accepted it surprisingly easily.
Suddenly, a beautiful and informative female voice echoed inside my head.
Notice: Unique Skill [Appraisal] has been obtained.
A purple panel flashed before my eyes, confirming the acquisition.
As I continued examining myself, fully aware that I was no longer human, another sound rang out.
A screen flashed into view.
'What the hell was that?'
Then another transparent screen appeared.
Notice: Labyrinth System activated.
A dark green panel followed, announcing the system's activation.
Multiple overlapping screens unfolded before my eyes.
'A status screen?'
It moved wherever I looked.
'Is this a game or something?'
I tried to touch it.
Nothing.
A transparent screen.
'I can't touch it.'
—
Then his status screen appeared as a black-and-white panel.
Race: LordMP: 276,844/1,000,000EV: 1,000,000
Skills:Labyrinth (?), Harvest (S), Siphoning (S), Plunder (S), Domain (?),Weapon Master (S) (Inherent Skill), Energy Cultivation (S) (Inherent Skill), Overmind (S) (Inherent Skill),Great Wizard (S) (Bestowed Skill), Creation (S) (Bestowed Skill), Appraisal (S)
My race is Lord, so I'm not human? MP at 276,844/1,000,000, still increasing by the second, and EV at 1,000,000. Eleven skills in total.
I checked the details of each skill.
Labyrinth: An inborn ability of the Lord of the Labyrinth, capable of creating labyrinths.Harvest: A skill unique to labyrinth masters, able to harvest the souls of the dead within dungeons to increase the host's existence value and evolve further.Siphoning: A skill that consumes anything, tangible or intangible, living or non-living, and converts it into energy.Plunder: A skill that allows one to steal the skills and abilities of others, either by prolonged touch or consumption.Domain: A space-related skill that opens a portable realm for the host, created through the sacrifice of the Dungeon Core of the Abyss to incubate a new Lord of the Labyrinth. Includes related skills Gate and Extraction.Weapon Master: An inherited skill from the Demon Lord of the Abyss, allowing mastery of any weapon upon contact.Energy Cultivation: An inherited skill from the Lord of Golden Radiance, enabling manipulation and cultivation of any form of energy.Overmind: An inherited system created by the Lord of Golden Radiance to assist in the growth of a new dungeon master.Great Wizard: A bestowed skill using the essence of a fallen great sage, allowing faster acquisition and mastery of magical abilities.Creation: A bestowed skill from the Demon Lord of the Abyss, originally to create monsters but evolved into an all-purpose creation ability. Materials and power output determine what can be created.Appraisal: (S) A unique skill allowing the identification and evaluation of objects, beings, and skills.
"What the hell? This skill set is incredibly overpowered." I realized that these skills were designed for a labyrinth master, derived from the Demon Lord of the Abyss and the Lord of Golden Radiance. I was born a being connected to both.
"If my speculation is correct…" I moved toward the bone remains. "You two are my parents."
Ding: Remains of the Lord of Golden Radiance. Dead for at least 200 years.Ding: Remains of the Demon Lord of the Abyss. Dead for at least 200 years.
The black-and-white panel confirmed their identities. I wasn't entirely sure they were truly my parents—after all, they'd been dead for 200 years. Impossible.
I turned my attention to the altar where the egg I hatched from had rested and appraised the remaining shell.
Ding: Dungeon Core remains of the Dungeon Core of the Abyss, alchemically transformed into a biological weapon to create a new master for the labyrinth.
"So I'm not naturally born, but created from these cores. Fascinating. It shatters my understanding of life and birth. I truly am in another world. But if that's the case, does that make me an antagonist like the demon lords in novels? Hmm… but my race is Lord, not Demon Lord. Wait, I don't even have a single elemental affinity, yet I possess all these broken skills."
I appraised the cores on the altars, and black-and-white panels displayed their information.
Dungeon Core of the Earthen MazeStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Raging TempestStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Abyssal InfernoStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Evergreen NatureStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Cascading WavesStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Thunderous Lightning BoltsStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Undying HollowsStatus: DormantOwner: None
Dungeon Core of Tyrant AberrationsStatus: DormantOwner: None
Labyrinth Core: The heart of the labyrinth, mother of all cores. It created the other dungeon cores alongside the Lord of the Labyrinth. Labyrinth cores are born with a Lord as their protector and supervisor. The labyrinth will not operate without a Lord. Death of the Lord forces the labyrinth to close until a new Lord is born.Status: DormantOwner: None
I appraised the room itself: the Core Room, the heart of the labyrinth.
Suddenly, the dark green panel appeared again.
Notice: Labyrinth Archive of history summarizing.Notice: Important information lost due to the destruction of the labyrinth. Previewing how the labyrinth was destroyed.
A video playback appeared, showing seven mythical wolves rampaging, destroying the labyrinth, killing all monsters, and collapsing its foundations. The labyrinth had long been destroyed, raided by a group of Fenrir that killed nine of the labyrinth's Lords. The Demon Lord of the Abyss and the Lord of Golden Radiance were absent from the scene. Only the nine perished. The Fenrir then deliberately buried the labyrinth underground, leaving only a hidden castle further beneath the earth.
If it's buried underground, how can I reach the surface? According to the system, the labyrinth was like an abyss, descending thousands of floors, resembling a vast ant colony. The hidden castle lay even further below. The system knew nothing of this castle. The labyrinth system seemed to act as a firewall, hiding the labyrinth's true nature as a survival mechanism. The previous Lord must have been brilliant. But how did the two die?
I continued appraising the chamber and discovered a wall.
Notice: Hidden Door detected. Push to open. (Black-and-white panel)
I pushed. "Crack… crash." The wall collapsed.
This place must be ancient; the foundation was weak. I had to be careful not to get buried alive.
When the dust cleared, I found another large chamber. Lamp statues along the walls lit automatically, flames illuminating the space. Mountains of treasure filled the room—gold, ores, magical stones, armor, weapons, rubies, and more. My appraisal automatically provided all the details.
I looked around in amazement and searched for clothes, but found none. Perhaps I could create something.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the surroundings. Materials across the room disintegrated into threads, alchemically altering and weaving around me to form a perfect outfit. It worked. Creation allowed me to break down nearby materials and reconstruct them into clothing.
I then explored my other skill, Domain—a spatial ability creating portable personal space. A white door manifested. I stepped inside.
I was floating in an open, gravity-less space, like the void of outer space. The only light came from the doorway. There was nothing else in this emptiness.
I returned outside safely. The domain could be used freely as a storage space. I picked up some ore and tossed it inside.
Notice: Flame ore successfully extracted and stored inside the Domain.
By thought alone, the ore manifested in my hand. I closed the door, and it vanished.
'Heh. This domain can serve as inventory.'
My gaze returned to the mountain of treasure. "Extraction."
A black hole appeared, sucking everything in, though it was only a skill effect. For a moment, I was terrified by the power in my own hands. Notifications of successful extraction filled my vision, then I turned them off with a thought. The entire room emptied.
Using Creation, I crafted black boots from regalium, a super-durable, lightweight metal. I found another door—mostly collapsed, its remains turned to dust and sand.
Most other rooms were empty, fragile, and ancient, ready to collapse at any wrong step. However, I found a large intact platform made of exceptionally hard rock with a magic circle.
Notice: Teleportation Magic Array: Created by the Lord of Golden Radiance, capable of transporting to the surface. Requires six high-quality magic stones to operate.
I had found a way out. I returned to the Core Room.