Transcendent Odyssey [Coffeepen]
Chapter 55: Perverts, Panthers & Panic Attacks

Chapter 55: Perverts, Panthers & Panic Attacks

PREVIOUSLY-

He called, drawing a line in the air with his short sword,

"Let’s stop flirting and fight properly."

Her brow twitched.

"I am not flirting!"

He winked.

"Yet."

--x—

[Stone Spike Volley]

The ground convulsed beneath Leon’s boots—spikes bursting upward in a vicious arc. He ducked the first with a tilt of his shoulder, stepped on the second mid-sprint, and swatted the third aside with a crack of his buckler.

Dust and stone exploded outward.

"Come on, miss,"

He grinned, tongue flicking out mockingly,

"Try harder."

The orc girl’s eyes twitched. Her grip on the staff tightened, knuckles pale green. A faint shimmer of runes pulsed along her wrists, earth energy bristling.

"You talk too much,"

She muttered, staff glowing faintly violet now,

"For a perverted human."

[Crystal Shard Burst]

With a sharp stomp, a ring of jagged crystal spears erupted around her—then exploded outward in a flurry of glittering death.

Leon’s smirk vanished.

FWIP—FWIP—SHLK!

He weaved between the shards with a dancer’s instinct, but light cuts bloomed on his arms and cheek. A sharp sliver grazed his ribs, another nicked his thigh.

"Threxil!"

He shouted through the chaos.

The spectral knight floated at the edge of the battlefield like an idle ghost in a sunlit garden, arms folded, helm tilted slightly downward.

Threxil yawned.

"What?"

Leon ducked beneath a high shard, then used his forearm to swat away a low-flying one.

"Aren’t you my mentor?!"

Threxil nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, yes."

Leon dove behind a slab of broken stone, a spike shattering against it.

"Then act like one!"

Another burst of crystals shattered the rock, forcing Leon to roll into the open again. A spike grazed his cheek, leaving a trail of red.

Threxil observed all this with serene detachment.

"I would have told you,"

The knight said, squinting toward the orc girl,

"To analyse her casting patterns. Look for gaps. Prepare counters."

Leon backflipped away from a column of erupting stone, panting now.

"And?!"

Threxil shrugged.

"But that’s not your style."

He raised a gauntleted hand and drew an invisible line in the air.

"Leon, listen well."

The world dulled for just a heartbeat—the wind stilling, the dust hanging midair. Threxil’s voice cut through it, quiet but razor-sharp.

"Get hit once. Just once. Let her believe she’s broken your rhythm."

Leon’s brows furrowed.

"...Why?"

Threxil’s tone turned cold—measured.

"Because beasts fight in straight lines. But predators dance with misdirection. You’re not just fast—you’re chaotic. So give her a pattern. Then shatter it."

The world snapped back into motion.

Leon grinned, licking the blood from his lip.

"...I love it when you’re violent."

Threxil sighed.

"Just win."

Leon cracked his neck, rolled his shoulder, and charged straight through the next volley.

The orc girl’s eyes widened.

He took one crystal to the thigh—winced—but didn’t stop. His wild aura flared green, pulses of raw force coiling around his calves and spine.

She raised her staff again—

Too late.

Leon twisted, rolled low, then appeared beside her, crouched, buckler drawn back like a drawn bow.

The girl turned, staff swinging—

CLANG!

The buckler struck the side of her ribs—not enough to break, but enough to send her sprawling.

Leon didn’t press the attack.

He stood above her, panting.

"You’re good,"

He said, offering a hand.

The orc glared up, cheeks still red, but this time... she took the hand.

As she stood, Leon leaned close.

"Next time, less spikes," he whispered,

"More flirting."

She blushed again.

Then smacked his shoulder.

Hard.

Leon skidded, then lunged again,

The orc girl stumbled back from the blow to her ribs, breath caught in her throat.

Leon didn’t wait.

He lunged, not with grace—but fury. His battered body blurred forward, buckler raised, short sword drawn behind his back like a fang ready to bite.

WHAM!

The buckler slammed into her staff as she tried to guard—splintering the shaft in her hands. Her feet slid across the dirt, sandals skidding in the gravel, but she kept balance.

Just barely.

"[Stonewall!]"

She shouted—raising both palms. A slab of thick earth erupted between them like a fortress wall.

Leon didn’t stop.

He ran up the wall.

Two steps.

Three.

The slab crumbled under the impact of his boots, but by then he was already in the air.

He spun.

And threw the buckler.

It screamed through the air like a discus, wobbling from damage, but flying true.

The orc flinched—ducking the buckler as it crashed behind her.

Too slow.

Leon landed behind her.

CRACK!

His knee slammed into the small of her back.

She cried out, falling forward onto her palms. Mud and dust streaked her arms.

But even now—she fought.

The shattered half of her staff pulsed once with runelight.

"[Rootbind!]"

Vines shot from the earth, wrapping around Leon’s ankle.

But he was already mid-motion.

SHLK!

His short sword stabbed down into her shoulder, not deep enough to kill—but enough to pin her robes to the ground.

"CHHIK—!!"

She screamed in rage and pain.

Leon fell to one knee beside her, panting, covered in blood and sweat and grit.

"You’re strong,"

He muttered, voice rough.

"Too kind for this kind of arena."

She hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at him.

Leon didn’t smile this time.

He reached for her hand, and in a flash of motion, pressed two fingers to her pulse.

Still steady.

Still alive.

It was over.

The roots around his leg loosened. The staff flickered and dimmed.

A faint ding echoed in the distance.

[STAGE 5 CLEARED]

[VICTORY ACHIEVED – NON-LETHAL]

Leon exhaled and flopped onto his back, staring at the arena sky. His chest heaved like a bellows.

He glanced at the orc mage, whose presence began to flicker.

"Bye bye, my Lady."

He waved at her.

The orc girl smiled back at him, waving him back,

"Pervert Human."

Leon watched as the girl dissipated mid-air.

Threxil appeared beside him, as if summoned by exhaustion.

"Hmm," the ghost knight mused.

"You didn’t grope her this time."

Leon groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"Shut up."

The labyrinth vanished as Leon found himself in the forest again.

DING!

[INBOX]

◈Gladiator’sLabyrinth Cleared!

(Difficulty: Hard)

DING!

-----[QUEST: LABYRINTH HUNTER]-----

◈Clear 15 labyrinths

Progress: [15/15]

Reward: ???

Penalty: none

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

[Please check your inbox for the reward!]

DING!

---[INBOX]---

◈??? Potion received.

Do you wish to accept?

(Y/N)

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

Leon tapped- Y.

POOF!

A vial materialized in his hand. Red liquid surged in it, as Leon held the vial up, the colour changed to green.

Curious, he held in lower, the colour changed to blue.

"That’s a Prismheart Elixir."

Threxil muttered,

"It will permanently increase your physical and plasmic stats."

----x---

▶ ITEM OBTAINED◀

[Prismheart Elixer]

Type: Potion

Rank: SS+

Appearance: A potion that changes colour on the basis of the angle at which light hits it. It is colourless when exposed to non- UV light.

Effect-

Permanent boost of explosive strength, motor function, muscle strength, bone density, mana capacity, aura absorption, ether well capacity, smooths the circulatory system, sharpens the nervous system an heals injuries. (Cannot regenerate parts of body mutated since birth.)

Best suited for:

Anyone and everyone who wants to get strong. But one must have the constitution to digest the potion and absorb it fully.

----x---

DING!

----[ ⟪ PRIMORDIAL SYSTEM ⟫]----

[Name]: Leonatus Leonhart

[Race]: Human

[Class]: Apprentice Blacksmith

[Health]: 100%

[Mana]: 500 / 500

[Strength]: 23→27

[Agility]: 17→23

[Endurance]: 20→24

[Intelligence]: 10→11

─────────────── ◆ ───────────────

[System Modules Unlocked]

– ▣ [TITLES]

– ▣ [SKILL TREE]

– ▣ [INBOX]

– ▣ [QUEST]

─────────────── ◆ ───────────────

Duration Remaining: 2 Years

⚠ Note: This system is not recognized by Imperial Standard Protocols. Classification: EXOGENOUS

-------[ ⟪⨉⟫]--------

SOMEWHERE ELSE-

CREAK!

Sigmund sat cross-legged on a wide, mossy branch, slowly chewing a Tropical Basil leaf, its bitter-sweet tang coating his tongue.

"Just one more," he muttered, his voice dull but resolute.

A soft purr vibrated through the air beside him.

"Prr."

Nyx, the green-eyed clouded leopard, lounged lazily across the branch, tail swishing through the leaves.

"Boy."

The other voice came not from flesh, but bone—gravelly and ancient.

Skaleg.

The old mentor drifted just above the canopy, a faint shimmer in the shape of a man, arms crossed behind his back like an exasperated uncle.

"I sense a presence,"

Skaleg murmured, eyes narrowing toward the west,

"Twenty yards from here. Hiding."

Sigmund didn’t move.

"So?"

Skaleg let out a sigh sharp enough to bend branches.

"...Could be the entrance to a labyrinth."

Sigmund’s eyes flicked open.

He downed the basil leaf with one loud gulp, dusted off his coat, and dropped from the branch with a whisper of leaves.

"Let’s go, Nyx."

"Prr,"

Came the answer.

The panther dropped beside him, silent as fog, and nodded once.

Near the base of a massive stone-rooted tree stood a girl—young, maybe fourteen. She shifted from foot to foot, shoulders hunched. At her feet: an alcove, black as pitch, nestled in the roots like a gaping mouth.

In her trembling fingers, she clutched a wooden wand, barely steady.

Short dark-brown hair. Hazel eyes peeking nervously through long bangs. Soft cheeks. Slightly round face. Chubby, not fat. She looked more like a cornered kitten than a mage.

Sigmund crouched behind a thicket, peering through the gaps in the foliage.

’One girl... small nose, hazel eyes, nervous as a squirrel during thunder. She’s... like a cat.’

A throat cleared behind him.

"Ahem."

Skaleg coughed into his stone fist, watching with ghostly amusement.

Sigmund flushed and turned away from the girl.

"Well," he muttered, ruffling Nyx’s ears with a light scratch.

"Let’s go, partner."

They stepped out from the underbrush.

Sigmund raised a hand, voice calm.

"Excuse me, miss—?"

FWOOSH!

A spear of mercury shot through the air, wobbling slightly but with real speed.

Sigmund tilted his head. The spear sliced past his ear, embedding itself into a nearby log with a sizzling hiss.

He blinked once.

Then snapped his neck side to side with an audible crack.

"...That’s rude."

The girl gasped, wobbling backward. Her wand nearly fell from her fingers. Her hazel eyes welled up instantly.

"S-sowwy!"

Her voice hitched.

"I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry, really sorry! I didn’t know you were nice! Please forgive me! Blah blah—I mean! I mean—I didn’t mean to hurt you!"

Tears spilled like she’d opened the floodgates.

Sigmund stared at her, completely blank.

Behind him, Nyx made a snrk sound. Skaleg floated past a branch, shaking with muffled laughter.

Sigmund slowly blinked.

"Miss," he interrupted gently,

"I’m here to form an alliance. Not to... unalive you."

The girl hiccupped.

"U-unalive?!" Her voice cracked like splintering glass.

"Waaah! I don’t want to die! Please, someone save me!!"

Slap!

Sigmund planted a palm over her mouth.

"Please. Calm down. Just your name."

She sniffled beneath his hand, blinking tearfully.

"...snf..."

"JUST TELL THE DAMN NAME!"

He exploded, his hair bristling, voice echoing like thunder through the clearing.

Nyx rolled onto his side, paws flailing. Skaleg nearly fell through a tree from laughter.

The girl’s eyes went wide.

"...I-I’m Lira!" she blurted at last.

"Lira Rivers!"

Sigmund exhaled deeply. Stepped back. Rubbed his face.

"Thank you."

Lira sniffled again, clutching her wand like a pacifier.

"...S-Sorry about the mercury spear."

Sigmund dusted off his sleeve.

"I’ve had worse greetings."

Nyx padded forward and gently nudged Lira’s hand with his nose.

"Prr."

Lira’s eyes lit up in wonder, all her fear replaced in an instant by soft awe.

"Is he your familiar?!"

Sigmund glanced sideways.

"...Partner."

Lira scratched behind Nyx’s ears, and the leopard responded with a slow, delighted prrr, his tail flicking side to side.

"He’s so cute..."

Lira murmured dreamily.

She glanced up at Sigmund, then back down at the purring cat.

"...Unlike his partner."

Nyx gave a slow, solemn nod.

The kind of nod that carried weight—grief, endurance, and quiet suffering, as if he had tolerated Sigmund’s presence for decades instead of... yesterday.

Sigmund’s eye twitched.

He stared at Nyx, unblinking, the kind of gaze that could strip bark from a tree.

And Nyx felt it.

Frustration. Betrayal. Jealousy.

He met his gaze. Then, slow and deliberate—locked eyes with Sigmund—and licked Lira’s hand with all the affection of a smug housecat in a sunbeam.

Sigmund snapped.

"You bastard!"

He lunged forward and pulled Nyx’s tail, dragging him away like a sulking child reclaiming his stolen toy.

Nyx gave a wounded snort, as if to say-

"This is abuse."

Clearing his throat, Sigmund turned to Lira.

"Miss Lira, is that..." he pointed to the dark alcove in the roots,

"A labyrinth?"

Lira nodded, still giggling.

"It’s a high-difficulty one. Labyrinth of Medusa," she said.

"Hard tier. Verified by the system."

Sigmund’s lips curled upward.

"Finally..."

But his smile faded as he turned his gaze back to her, tone lowering.

"Is there a reason you were hesitating?"

Lira hesitated again. Her fingers fidgeted with her wand. She bit her lip and looked down.

"It... requires two people," she admitted.

"If only one enters, the difficulty doubles. So..."

Her voice trailed off like fog in the wind.

Sigmund blinked.

"So... you were scared?"

Lira’s hazel eyes grew wet again, shimmering like ripples on still water.

"Y-Yes..."

Sigmund didn’t mock her. No sigh. No eye-roll. Just reached out a steady hand.

"Miss Lira," he said softly, "how about clearing the labyrinth with me?"

Lira stared at the outstretched hand for a long moment.

Then—very slowly, as if reaching toward fire—she took it.

Her fingers were cold. Nervous. But they curled around his palm.

"O-Okay..." she said, voice trembling.

Nyx purred at the moment like a smug matchmaker. Skaleg let out another sigh, ancient and tired.

"Finally," the ghost muttered, rubbing his temples. "It only took an emotional breakdown, a feline betrayal, and divine patience."

Sigmund ignored him and nodded at Lira.

"Let’s move."

He turned and stepped into the alcove, stone roots curling like fangs around the entrance.

Lira followed.

Nyx padded in silently behind.

And the Labyrinth of Medusa swallowed them whole.