OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Emir tumbled down, barely managing to activate his TDS ability and catch himself on a ledge before he fell too far.

Looking down, he saw the trap that he had stumbled upon.

It was a crude yet effective pitfall, the bottom filled with an intricate network of lasers forming numerous squares tightly grouped together.

Underneath those lasers looked to be a couple of hunters' remains rotting in the pit, a gruesome reminder of the danger that lurked in the maze.

'If I fell, I definitely would've been turned to mincemeat,' he shuddered at the thought.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself as he carefully climbed back up to the surface.

'I have to be more careful, more vigilant. I won't fucking lose my life for someone's entertainment.'

Looking around the place for any traps, he walked forwards after deeming it safe and asked:

[I wonder... Is this how people in the old world entertained themselves? This seems to be some kind of maze but with deadly traps tacked on.]

[They weren't so lethal before. It seems like they've been repurposed to protect this place. So there might be valuable relics at the end of the maze, but it's best not to get your hopes up too high.] Lyra replied, confirming his thoughts.

[Agreed.]

Ending their conversation, Emir turned his complete focus onto his every step. As it was a gamble, and he had no way of knowing what was waiting for him around the next corner.

Turning on his flashlight was not an option either, as it would easily attract the monsters to his location.

That combined with the traps would lead to the worst-case scenario.

So instead, he relied on his trusty information gathering device, using its outlines on his HUD to navigate through the treacherous terrain.

And as he navigated deeper into the maze, the traps grew increasingly complex and perilous.

While he had been able to detect and evade the earlier ones with ease, the newer ones were more cunningly designed.

Emir encountered yet another pitfall trap, concealed under a layer of soil and debris.

Fortunately, his enhanced strength allowed him to leap over it, despite its massive length.

Walking around a corner, he noticed a set of buttons on the wall near a gate of sorts.

They were arranged in a specific pattern, and as he studied them, he realized that they looked the exact same as the ones found in mobile phones in his past life.

Ignoring that for a moment, he tried to push open the door, but even his augmented strength failed him.

[Hey, Lyra, you can calculate the increase in strength that my augmented suit gives me, right?]

[Yes, compared to the suit you had before, you now have a 230 percent increase.]

[So, even when I'm that strong, I can't even push this door open? Wow, this manager sure went all out. Oh, and by the way, can you show me my augmented strength increase in values? I want it to be simple to understand.]

[Sure, I can display your current strength levels for you. Your previous maximum striking force was around 3000 newtons, but with your new suit, you can strike up to 9,900–10,000 newtons.]

[Your speed and agility have been significantly enhanced as well. You can run at a top speed of 50 kilometers per hour.] She concluded as she projected a screen in front of Emir's eyes.

{Overall Augmented Strength Level: E5}

{Augmented strength is measured on a scale from E1 to E10, with each level having a range of values associated with it. The values are based on the amount of force a person can generate in a single straight punch with a standard-issue augmented suit, which is calibrated to measure force in newtons.}

{In addition to the punching force, other factors such as lifting capacity, endurance, and speed are also considered when determining a person's overall strength level.}

'E5 huh, although my suit is A rank, it seems that I'm still quite weak compared to other hunters below rank 50.'

'Anyways, it looks like there is no other way for me to move forward. I have to actually engage in all the traps and puzzles I will encounter from now on.'

Emir took a deep breath and scanned the keypad again, but seeing nothing to work with he entered the numbers in the same order as a common password code:

1-2-3-4-5.

Suddenly, a loud clicking noise echoed through the hallway, and he knew he had triggered a trap.

He quickly scanned the walls and saw small holes had opened up, revealing a row of darts.

Emir instantly dove out of the way, covering his head with his arms.

As he landed on the ground, he heard the swooshing sound of the darts shooting out of the holes.

They flew to where he was standing moments before, and embedded themselves in the opposite wall.

Standing up, he approached the darts and realized that they were poisonous, judging by the smell they emitted. They also had a small laser-like strand protruding out of them, which could've easily gone through his augmented suit's forcefield.

'Well, that was stupid... And too damn reckless. I guess I took it easy since the previous traps were quite simple.'

Letting out a sigh, Emir stopped scolding himself as he made his way back to the buttons.

'Calm down. I've got this. It's just some traps in a maze. Yep, yep, no problem there. It's going to be easy.'

Focusing on his task, he carefully examined the buttons again and noticed that some of them were slightly raised, while others were flush with the wall.

Noticing a pattern, he figured out which buttons were the ones that needed to be pressed first in order to disarm the trap.

So in the correct sequence, he pressed the ones that were the deepest in the wall first, followed by the furthest ones.

A clicking sound confirmed his success, as the trap reset itself.

Emir breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way past the trap, and the door was now unlocked, so he opened it and walked through.

Contrary to his expectations, there were no traps on the other side, so he continued his exploration.

And as he was navigating through the darkness, he found himself at a forked intersection.

'Both paths look the exact same, but I'll take the right one. After all, right is always right,' he mused to himself.

Proceeding down the narrow path, he spotted what appeared to be another trap—a puzzle, this time.

In front of him was a holographic chessboard hovering a few feet above the ground.