Chapter 293 - Panda! Panda!

"Hyup!"

Jumping into the air with little telegraphing to his movements, the curly-haired man grabbed hold of two of the one-eyed, winged creatures in one go. It was only temporary, but his time spent in the air allowed his thick, obscuring overcoat to float up, revealing the black tank top he wore underneath. It wasn't something Hongse put much stock into, but it was a surprise to see how muscular the man was beneath his coat--and just how many scars seemed to plague his body underneath, in comparison to his blemish-free face. 

"Woah! You're fast, aren't you?"

Hongse commented in awe as he looked up at Jae-Seong, who landed back onto the ground with a slight smirk, giving the panda a wink. Twirling one of the impies above his index finger as if it were a ball, the man with circular shades covering his eyes smiled before the creatures dissolved into smoke. 

"Just a bit. That makes three, doesn't it? I can't believe Yuri beat me to it though, that's what I get for slacking, ha-ha!" 

As if answering Jae-Seong's words, a bell resounded throughout the labyrinth before the familiar voice of the overseer followed, "Jae-Seong, Qualified! You will momentarily be summoned into a waiting room, please remain still." 

Looking up at the pitch-black, void of a ceiling above him, Jae-Seong listened to Sitri's words before bringing his gaze back down to the demi-human. 

"Guess that's it for me. Good luck, Hongse. It'd be a pleasure to meet you in the ring." 

"Let's hope I don't need any luck!"

Exchanging a fist bump, the two men smiled before a cobalt glow enveloped Jae-Seong, wrapping around him with continuously extending strands before he vanished into thin air--leaving Hongse alone in the ruinous territory.

"I wonder how the others are doing."

The large, round crimson-furred panda thought to himself as he began to move forward once more with his steps that slightly shook the ground beneath him. 

With his shoulders slumped, the panda demi-human sulked a bit in his loneliness, dragging his feet as he marched forward. Passing by gray walls formed of stone, layered in moss, vines, and blood, he didn't pay much mind to them--only raising his head once peculiar sounds rang out. 

It was the sounds of combat; the mixture of wordless yells, the clash and clanging of steel. Racing down the hall and making a turn, the large, red-furred panda laid his eyes on the clash taking place in the next section of the expansive labyrinth. 

"...I said it's mine!"

A man dressed in a mixture of light-brown leather armor and stained steel armor yelled out, swinging his broadsword towards the other man before him. 

The chamber itself was almost fitting for such a fateful encounter; skeletons stained in grime and muk were strewn across the room, some even presented on the walls in a savage fashion. Blood had long stained the floor, turning to an old brown and black, mainly coalescing in the center which had been drained by a blackened drain. 

"I saw it first!"

Blocking the attack with a buckler worn on his forearm, the shorter of the two men, with short, fluffy locks of a golden tinge with black roots yelled in response. A shortsword was laid on the ground near the two men; it seemed in their clash, the blonde man had dropped his weapon. 

The man with the blade in hand didn't let up, swinging wildly against the buckler as his furrowed, vermillion tufts flowed behind him with each swing. 

Hongse wanted to stop the fight, but he realized as he parted his maw that it made little sense to do so, nor would they likely listen. It was a realm of combat; a labyrinth of trials--to halt fighting would be to go against everything it stood for in that domain. 

But still, he didn't want to see what inevitably came to be. 

"Gyraaah!"

With a roar sounding from the depths of his throat, the sword-wielding man plunged the steel of his silver blade past the crimson coat his foe wore, letting a squelch fill the ears of the demi-human who spectated this in shock. 

"I told you it was mine! Mine! You didn't listen!"

Pulling his blade out from the blonde man's torso, the murderous participant didn't waste any time continuing his assault, continuing to stab the fallen body of the bleeding man.

All Hongse could see were the man's eyes—widened in shock and horror as his blood puddles beneath his body while being stabbed repeatedly. It was hard to tell when his life truly ended amidst the horrific attack.

"Maybe you'll learn to listen now...! I called it! Me! Me! Me!"

Each word that spilled from the killer's lips with a rain of spit followed another stab as there was no longer and rhyme or reason to the action--it was simply madness. 

When did it become alright…for me to stand around and let others die? Hongse thought. 

Suddenly taking charge, the red-furred panda's loud footsteps drew the attention of the murderous challenger, who looked at him with a blank expression—a face now covered in blood. 

"Grah!"

Roaring out with his animalistic side truly being conveyed, Hongse swiped the man with his large, club-like paw, easily pushing him off the body of the fallen human. 

"What the…? A bear?!"

Rolling over and standing himself up, a bit wobbly from the harsh push, the vermillion-haired man looked up at the towering panda with wide, fearful eyes. 

Puffing his chest out and taking in as large of a breath as he could, Hongse unleashed a roar that blew against the man like an almighty storm, dragging his soles against the ground as the savage winds managed to scare the man away at last. Running and nearly tripping over his own feet, the man who had just committed one of the gravest sins soon disappeared within the bowels of the labyrinth. 

"Phew."

He was willing to kill over just one impy, yet he ran away at the sense of danger. Humans are weird, he thought. 

Hongse relaxed himself, wiping the saliva from his lips before turning to the bloodied, half-dead man behind him. 

"Sorry, I was too late."

No response came as the red-furred demi-human spoke, looking down at the blonde-haired man as his eyes stayed open, staring blankly at nothing tangible. 

A saddened look sat in the panda's beady eyes at what he dictated to be his own failure. 

I don't much believe in any religion or anything, but please pass on, Hongse thought. 

Hongse placed his palms together with a prayer that didn't lend itself to anyone specific, simply requesting whoever up there was listening to guide the fallen man. 

"This place isn't very kind, is it? The things it does to people's minds...it is a sad sight, indeed."

Hongse sighed quielty before he parted from the fallen stranger's side. 

Looking up at the sound of high-pitched fits of laughter, the impy that caused the fight still hovered in the air. 

He debated on catching it, but the events that transpired around it left a bad taste in his mouth as he sighed, slowly shaking his head as he began to walk away from the bloody room. 

It's a normal thing as an adventurer, at least that's what we tell ourselves so we can handle it: death. With the world being flooded with so many things that'd rather gobble you up than be your friend, it's expected that not everyone is going to live out a long, lavish life then retire happily.

That's not the case at all. Seventy-percent; that's how many adventurers die within their first year as a rookie. Most of it comes from overconfident young ones who think the little bit of magic they know will carry them effortlessly through this world. Some of it is on the guild themselves for allowing them to take quests too big for themselves. 

Ninety-percent; that's the rate of death for adventurers past the first year. 

It's a scary thought. It's a true thought. I've seen it so many times now...one day, I'm happily eating and drinking together with a new friend at the guild, then the next time I see him, or rather...I hear about him, it's news of his death. 

It's normal. That's what they always tell us. "Death is a natural part of life" I get it, you know. But, it isn't normal to pretend like it isn't sad. 

I hate it. I want to be friends with everyone. I want us all to be happy, and live a long life with a big family. 

That's why I chose to come here. It is my ultimate quest; challenging and overcoming Purgatory. With the strength I garner from this realm, I'll become a reliable adventurer and help as many as I can. I'll take on all of the hardest quests for myself. 

No more. No more premature deaths before you've even found your first love! 

I'll save you from a sad fate like that, Hongse thought. 

"Guess I'll have to find another one."