I lay back on the ground and turn on my creation. The repulsing runes bounce off the ground back to themselves, until the ‘pressure’ is enough to overcome my weight, and suddenly I’m pushed off the ground. The propulsion activates at eh same time, trying to push me forward, but without a proper aerodynamic shape like the bicycles and other flying vehicles had I should top out at some 60 kph while maintaining a decent mana economy.

Behind me, I leave a quaking wake, but the few seconds the system needs to build it to alarming levels mean I’m already dozens of meters ahead and the wave can never catch me.

Qi flows into the runes just like mana and I speed along the tunnel. I can almost feel the system’s attention on me as it tries to force me to bend to its will as it tries to build the waves around in instants, but I never stand still with the ‘engine’ on idle. For every traffic light, I turn off the gas and let the engine die even before I have come to a full stop.

I don’t even stop to test it properly, just going full bore up and down and even making 180 turns when I find dead ends, which are some of my most dangerous maneuvers, but even that goes relatively smoothly.

Each mile my smile grows as my confidence that the system won’t just drop rocks on my head when I’m sleeping increases. The system is nothing if not predictable in following its own rules…once you learn them.

I can easily a lot of ground, but even with all the improvements and even choosing the most Qi economical design possible, I’m still limited by my regen rate and pool size.

Still, Qi only recharged a couple of points every day, a few seconds moving without spending my own limited energy stores would be very much welcome. Where my Qi and Mana got their own energy from I had no idea, but it wasn’t from the food I ate, and for now, that is all I care about: saving my limited energy stores.

I keep staring at the changes in my perception field, a mirror to the inner world. Changes come and go, gaining a few inches here and there, then losing then in double. A ‘pointier’ flashlight area, then a wider one, I try to make sense of it all slowly, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason for the logic of what is happening inside beyond that they are testing things.

As I’m ready to head to sleep, something quite significant happens, the ‘flashlight’ portion of the inner world starts fading in jerks. First, it loses a meter then two, three, and beyond. After becoming smaller than the rest of the band around the inner world I start getting worried, but I just shake my head and head to sleep.

He can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, right? Hopefully, things will have worked themselves out by morning.

-----------------------

For the entire night, I toss and turn, though the stone ground fights me as it doesn’t wield against my movements as a soft bed would have. The system couldn’t let me have even that? A proper bad to sleep on?

After getting a ‘full night's sleep’, I finally let temptation seduce me and extend my perception field to its full range. I managed to restrain myself the entire time I was supposed to be asleep, now it is gone.

Extending my perception field fully out, I discover exactly what I wanted. A steady 101 meters of range in a small stop in front of me, just enough for my purposes. Merlin must have taken to heart what I said about the ranges and that from 50 to 51 meters there was a jump in possibilities on the trial and pushed to extend the range to at least 101 ASAP.

I had been so far away from the full 100 meters that I didn’t even consider or discussed anything with him, but I’m grateful he took the initiative. I inch forward until my forehead is touching the wall just a little to the left of the track of water in the wall. I don’t even have to look for it.

With the small volume, as soon as I come into range, even as the plate is surrounded by dirt all around, it shines in my view.

I make a miniature copy of its shape inside my body with the roots.

Comparing both, they have similarities but are distinct enough that I don’t even try to only make a masking layer to register just the differences between both and instead make a new one.

After an ‘amazing night’s sleep’ and having finally gotten my perception field up to the next level, I finally can head to the center with a ‘clear’ conscience.

Inches from the ground, I feed the runes inside my body with Qi and start flying around in search of the next place, the central room. While I have Qi, I can cover a lot of ground.

My Qi however lasts only some 40 minutes. I feel the joint pool of Qi and Mana emptying, and the duality of the resource still makes my head hurt, but I just leave those questions for later.

I get to my feet and start walking. The search continues, as I hug the walls alternatively, trying to get any other corridors from my current position. At 100 meters, it often happens that I just can’t see the current intersections and the ones 50 meters away, but occasionally I can make out places at 100 meters and that saves me even more time I would have needed to retread.

Even for those corridors, I need to walk more than once to search the network they connect to, and that number is greatly reduced compared to going in blind.

Meanwhile, as I explore, I don’t waste time and effort as I try to find something else I can do with Life. Especially if I find a solution that doesn’t involve ripping a chunk of myself, yeah, definitely prefer any route that avoids all the pain.

As the days pass I go back to an old skill, something that I usually didn’t pay that much attention to, but with the current limitations, it is likely worth it.

The Kinetic aspect of my meditation skill. It may no longer be named that, and its bonuses don’t even compare to a Deep meditation, but going from 11 hours to fill my pool to 8, 6 or even 5 is very much worth the mental effort it takes. It is not the sub 2 hours recharge rate of a proper meditation session, but it is much better than nothing. Given that I can go about 40 extra kilometers every 5 hours or so, the amount of ground I’m covering more than doubled my walking pace. Though that is only worth it in conjunction with the slow pace I’m keeping, compared to running at full speed, flying in these circumstances may actually be slightly slower.

Playing with both my new resources goes smoothly, though I take care of Life so I don’t drain myself doing something stupid. Even as I get better at using Qi, I realize the number of similarities between the familiar Vigor and the new Life resources.

Not in effect or even their feel, but the logic and mental effort are so very similar once you get past the very ‘surface’ of my thought patterns needed to use each of them.

Doing my utmost the entire time, I notice small changes in the perception field as the days pass, though the larger range of the point in the middle does change, instead, Merling expands the band about it slowly. By the end of the week, I’m approaching 85 meters in diameter, though that is still only for a narrow band barely ten meters tall instead of the complete sphere, or even just one of the domes.

I follow yet another long corridor, that crosses most of the trials grounds ins a single pass, in search of the central chamber.

Without finding it, I will have to give up.

My energy stores dwindle and all my fat starts disappearing.

I feel the press of time, as the search goes more slowly than I hoped for.

I pass around the likely place of the central chamber half a dozen times, but even with over 100 meters of range. Every single time, I just continue reading through a long corridor traveling much more than I needed. Frustrated at the change in this new place, and the difficulty finding it, I tuck my shoulders and plow on. Though as the last three days arrived already a much further given the reduced energy consumption from my periodic flight, I grimace.

Sitting on the ground, I start meditating, trying to go as deep as possible to recharge my Mana slash Qi. That should extend how long I last at least a little.

In less than 2 hours, I’m on my way skimming the ground at about 60 kph. I only slow slightly in the intersections to make the corners, though I feel I’m losing my mind from the knawing hunger as I scrape the bottom of the barrel.

A day, two, then five, and still no change.

On the very last day, I can remain without going so over the top that I’m risking my life, I find a different corridor.

A corridor I had hints of but had yet to find.

A long twisting snake.

The longer I stay on it, the more certain I’m this is the right place. At first, I was simply unaware, but as I cross the trial grounds and twist back without any way out the very first time, I know I have found something and maybe the right place.

Pass by known and new places rapidly filling the map all around with the hundreds of corridors and intersections on the edge of my perception field.

The tunnel extends for hours, a dozen times longer than any other with no end in sight.

Doubt creeps in as the end of my time is fast approaching. If this is not the right place, I’m screwed.

The darkness is all encompassing, something that was almost natural by now, though that makes itself to the forefront of my mind as I hope to see, to finally see the central room. To find even the barest scrap of food and have the energy to keep going, even if only for a few more hours. To be able to see with my eyes again.

I never let it bother me, and as that thought crosses my mind, I realize there is something else manipulating my emotions. Something coming from the outside, so I push out a wave of my will overwhelms a black fog of depression trying to make it into me.

The system’ really doesn’t want me passing this trial yet, hmm…?

I fight off and keep my eye on the nebulous prize in the middle of the Maze.

My Qi runs out and I stop again, possibly for the last time while keeping an eye out as I meditate. At least assuming the tunnel’s twisting turns continue to follow a similar logic to the rest of the trial grounds.

Meditating and trying to draw in the mana, I go as deeply as possible and watch as the intangible power and its pool refills itself.

I can’t even use mana and it behaves as if I wasn't there. Well, if Qi and mana were different and occupied different pools within me, I may have a greater total adding both, but they also would likely require ‘stats’ of their own to determine the pool size and recharge rate.

At least that is the only thing that makes sense to me, but I still knew too little about the system and the interaction between these two resources is too new for me to speculate too much.

Less than 2 hours later, I plop forward while turning on the runes and rushing ahead.

At well over 500 kilometers in length so far, this had to be the longest corridor… ever. At least if you discount the open corridor atop China’s great wall in its prime.

My mind wanders off, except, not to the usual places, but randomly and I struggle to keep myself on track. Soon I’m gonna start hallucinating and not on purpose.

As my Qi pool is only fumes again the thought of imagining things that aren’t there is in the forefront of my mind and I see a light in the distance.

Rubbing my eyes in the face of a mirage, I approach the end of the strange tunnel and push myself to my feet.

The overwhelming light after so long in Darkness will take me a minute to fully get used to, but I have finally found the promised land, I just hope my fingers won’t pass through the feast laid out for me atop the familiar thick stone table.