After conquering the sea of fire at the 50-meter mark, Lasron collapsed, his feet so burned and swollen they were numb. The acrid smell of his own charred flesh still lingered, a horrific reminder of the price paid for every step forward. He lay there, panting, trying to soothe the tormenting pain. But there was no time for extended rest. Ahead, the next twenty meters of the path presented a sickly greenish poison swamp, exuding a pungent, foul odor - an ominous sign. The fog still loomed, concealing the final 30 meters where monsters awaited.

  Lasron had tasted the swamp's terror in previous attempts to reach the monsters. The poison didn't kill him instantly like the arrows or flames; it slowly eroded his vitality, weakening his body, dulling his senses, and terrifyingly slowing his movements. Each wade through it brought on nausea, dizziness, and agonizing muscle cramps, his breathing becoming more labored. It was a slow death, a mental torture no less severe than physical pain.

  But the Lasron of now was not the Lasron of before. After countless failures and seemingly endless pain, he had learned to observe, to think. He remembered the massive arrows from the first 30 meters. If they could block his path, if they could injure him, why couldn't they be used to help him?

  In subsequent attempts, an idea began to form. After clearing the arrow-trap section, Lasron no longer rushed into the path of fire. He took his time, using all his meager strength, his STR still a mere 2 points, to dislodge the arrows embedded in the walls or ground. This task was incredibly difficult. Each arrow was heavy; he had to use rocks as levers, find the right angle, and strain until his muscles felt like they would burst. Many times he slipped, injuring himself further with the very arrows he sought. But he didn't give up. He needed them.

  After much effort, he managed to collect several arrows. Reaching the path of fire, he tried laying a few down, attempting to create a makeshift Padding. The effect wasn't as good as hoped; the heat was still horrendous, and balancing on the round arrow shafts was harder than walking on the stone. But at least it prevented his soles from being completely roasted. Still burned, still painful, but slightly less so.

  More importantly, when he reached the poison swamp, these arrows proved more effective. He carefully laid them end-to-end, creating a precarious, makeshift bridge over the toxic mire. Crossing was still challenging; many times he slipped and fell into the stinking mud, the poison seeping into him. But compared to wading directly through, the amount of poison he absorbed was significantly reduced. His body still weakened, but not to the point of complete exhaustion by the time he reached the other side.

  This allowed him a little more strength and clarity to face the final 30 meters - where six monsters awaited.

  The first time Lasron actually reached the monsters after crossing the swamp (though still affected by toxins), he nearly died instantly. Six monsters, each distinct in appearance and power, charged simultaneously.

  The Frostfiend, its body formed from translucent yet razor-sharp blocks of ice, radiated an icy aura that seemed to freeze the surrounding air. It moved slowly, but each step left a thin layer of ice on the ground, and it could launch ice shards as sharp as daggers.

  The Stormwight, a being of pure energy, its form flickering with blue electrical arcs, moved with terrifying, unpredictable zigzag speed, occasionally unleashing small bolts of lightning potent enough to paralyze.

  The Lightbringer, a humanoid creature radiating a blinding white light, forced Lasron to squint. It didn't seem overly aggressive initially, but the streams of light energy it projected carried scorching heat.

  The Shade Stalker, conversely, nearly blended into the path's dark corners, only its glowing red eyes visible. It moved stealthily, creating disorienting illusions, and its attacks often targeted the mind, causing fear and temporary blindness.

  The Rot Reaver, perhaps the most disgusting. Its body was a sloughing mass of flesh, reeking of decay, oozing a viscous green slime. It moved sluggishly, but left a corrosive trail on the stone, and it could spew clouds of toxic spores.

  And finally, the Earth Titan, a true giant, its body composed of solid rock and earth, nearly three times Lasron's height. Its punches could shake the ground, and it could hurl large boulders.

  In that first encounter, Lasron stood no chance. He fled in terror before the monsters even fully registered his presence. Luckily, he managed to backtrack some distance before attacks from the other monsters rained down. Even so, they inflicted enough damage to send him crawling back to the safe zone in a wretched state.

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  But Lasron didn't give up. Each failure, each death at the monsters' hands, made him observe them more closely. He realized the Stormwight, though fast, wasn't overwhelmingly strong in its physical attacks. The Frostfiend was slow. The Lightbringer seemed to dislike darkness. The Shade Stalker was vulnerable to bright light. The Earth Titan, though powerful, was clumsy. And especially, the Rot Reaver...

  During one escape from the Rot Reaver, Lasron had accidentally lured it to the edge of the path of fire. The monster shrieked an unprecedented, agonizing cry, its already putrid body beginning to smoke and disintegrate at an alarming rate under the intense heat. An idea sparked in Lasron's mind! He also noticed that when the monsters chased him through the poison swamp, they too seemed to slow down and weaken, though not as dramatically as he did. And when the Rot Reaver (in another of Lasron's experiments) died, the decay spreading from its corpse seemed to affect other nearby monsters, causing them to cough and appear weaker.

  A complex but feasible plan began to form. This time, Lasron knew he needed every arrow he could gather, not to Pad the fire path or bridge the swamp, but to construct a tactical barrier. This meant he had to endure the full brunt of the fiery path's burns and the poison swamp's erosion, saving the arrows for a more crucial purpose.

  That journey was an ordeal. His feet were nearly cooked through when he crossed the sea of fire. His entire body was wracked with exhaustion, his mind reeling from toxins as he crawled out of the swamp. But he did it. He reached the area before the monsters, carrying his prepared arrows. With his remaining strength, he jammed them into the ground, creating makeshift barricades, channeling paths.

  Then he began his plan. First, he provoked all the monsters, then ran a circuit around the poison swamp area, trying to lure as many as possible through it. As he predicted, their speed decreased significantly. Next, he focused on the Rot Reaver. By moving deftly and using the arrow barriers to make sudden changes in direction, he successfully separated it from the pack and led it straight into the path of fire. The monster shrieked in despair as its body melted and exploded, releasing a cloud of toxic spores that enveloped its remaining comrades, already slowed by the swamp. The five remaining monsters became chaotic and visibly weakened. The Lightbringer and Shade Stalker seemed particularly distressed by this spore cloud. Seizing the opportunity, Lasron used his remaining arrows as makeshift weapons, or sharp stones he found, throwing them at the monsters, combined with yells and provocations, tricking them into colliding with each other or the remnants of the barricades. The clumsy Earth Titan tripped over itself. The Stormwight and Frostfiend were no longer as agile.

  The battle was grueling and perilous. Many times he nearly died from the monsters' weakened yet still potent counterattacks. But with extraordinary tenacity, intelligence honed by adversity, and a bit of luck, Lasron finally defeated them all. When the last Earth Titan crashed to the ground, he too collapsed in exhaustion, gasping for breath. He had traversed the 100 meters. He had done it.

  A familiar system notification appeared, this time carrying a strange warmth:

  [CONGRATULATIONS! You have completed Zone 1: The Hundred-Meter Path!]

  [Reward: 20 basic stat points have been stored. You may freely allocate them to STR, AGI, INT, STA at any time via your status screen.]

  [Special Hidden Reward Unlocked: Hidden Stat - Resistance!]

  [Resistance: Increases resistance to all types of damage experienced in this mission by 10% (includes: physical damage from arrows, bleeding, fire burns, toxins, and elemental damage from ice, lightning, light, shadow, rot, earth).]

  Lasron felt a warm energy flow through his body, but this time there was no immediate stat increase. Instead, there was a feeling of "fullness," as if a reserve of power was waiting for him to distribute. He opened his status screen, looking at the 20 points waiting to be allocated. Where should he put them? STR for more strength? AGI for more speed? INT for more intelligence? Or STAMINA for more endurance? The decision was difficult, yet liberating. For the first time in his life, he had the power to choose something for himself.

  And then the "Resistance" stat. He felt his body become slightly tougher, a vague sense of resilience against familiar harms. It was a precious reward.

  Looking back at the 100-meter path of blood and tears, Lasron didn't feel overwhelming joy, only profound exhaustion and an empty relief. To overcome it, he had spent a total of 170 days. Over five long months immersed in suffering, solitude, and relentless struggle. The weak, desperate slave boy of before had died on this path, countless times. In his place, a different Lasron had been forged - more calloused, more taciturn, and far more dangerous. The scars on his soul probably outnumbered those on his body.

  He sat there, at the end of Zone 1, contemplating the 20 stat points. He needed strength to defend himself, agility to evade, intelligence to strategize, and stamina to endure. After some deliberation, he decided on his allocation: 5 points to STR, 7 to AGI, 3 to INT, and 5 to STAMINA.

  [Strength (STR): 7]

  [Agility (AGI): 10]

  [Intelligence (INT): 5]

  [Stamina (STA): 8]

  [Total Stats: 30]

  Instantly, he felt the change. His muscles felt a little tighter, his body lighter, his mind somewhat clearer. His total stats were now 30, plus the hidden Resistance stat. Still weak, but a far cry from the initial 10.

  Another ethereal light portal materialized before him, presumably the entrance to Zone 2. Lasron stood up, his gaze fixed forward, no longer holding the despair of before, but a cold, resolute determination. He didn't know what awaited him, but he would face it.