Chapter 10: Terror (1)

Nerian had once again created an ice raft, which sped across the swampy terrain as if sliding.

Chwaa‑ak!

The further they moved forward, the more monsters appeared.

However, all of them were stopped by a translucent veil and simply fell.

Kwa‑rrung‑─!

A lightning bolt struck down over the swamp.

It was Yuria, having rolled up her sleeves to avenge the humiliation she had suffered moments before, launching into action in earnest.

“Indeed, it’s amazing. Don’t you think so?”

At that magnificent spectacle, Laysis lightly clapped her hands and casually remarked.

Carl also nodded his head, measuring Yuria’s skill.

‘Certainly.’

She could rightly be called a genius.

At her age, her mana‑handling ability was far superior to the average.

Even if she were placed in the Central Plains today, she would stand out as a late‑term genius among the Dragon‑Phoenix tier.

Tap.

At last, the ice raft touched down on the land across the swamp.

Everyone exhaled shortly and stepped onto it.

“Ugh, the swamp is finally over. I really don’t want to come back here.”

Laysis stretched lightly and looked around.

They had cleared the practical exam safely, with not a single person left behind.

The supervisor, who was watching from somewhere, must have checked all of their whereabouts.

“I don’t know who devised this, but it’s a nasty environment.”

Yuria nodded, furrowing her brows.

Though she had made the greatest contribution up to this point, she had expended a great deal of magical energy because of it.

Even now, she maintained purification magic continuously, so she was just exhausted.

“I agree. It smells, it’s damp.”

“Let’s go quickly. I want to wash.”

The two urged the rest forward.

But Carl and Nerian, who were ahead, showed no sign of moving.

“Why is that?”

“…Having arrived on the opposite shore but not seeing the supervisor come out suggests the exam isn’t over yet.”

“What?”

“I think the same. It would be best to take a look around for a moment.”

Nerian nodded with a cautious expression.

“Then let’s rest a little first. Everyone must be tired from crossing the swamp.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Let’s do that.”

“…Fine by me.”

Yuria sat down to meditate, and Laysis stood guard beside her.

Carl, though not particularly tired, sat nearby feigning fatigue as if to survey his surroundings.

Plink‑plink.

Nerian fashioned a small bird out of ice and sent it flying ahead.

Carl watched in wonder, and Nerian smiled faintly before speaking, sending his eyes in that direction.

“…Every servant I raise.”

“That’s cool.”

“Hmm.”

It was the gentlest expression he had shown since the exam began.

Soon the ice bird returned.

Nerian placed the bird on his fingertip, nodded briefly, then turned his gaze toward the party.

“There’s a door over there. It seems to lead to another checkpoint.”

“…It’s not over with just one?”

Yuria finished her brief meditation and stood up, her brows furrowed.

“That’s Bayern for you, renowned for its entrance exam. They’ve twisted it this way and that.”

“If the break is over, we should depart at once.”

At Nerian’s words, everyone began tidying their spots and preparing to move.

‘Is this the second checkpoint?’

Carl glanced lightly in the direction from which the ice bird had returned.

Of course, he already knew the contents of the exam.

From NOX’s investigation, the second checkpoint was in the form of a maze.

Not only for this party, but other parties would join together to tackle the prepared labyrinth—that was the main content of the exam.

“This is it.”

They soon stood before the door discovered by the ice bird.

The vanguard Nerian entered first, followed in order by Carl, Yuria, and Laysis as they crossed the threshold.

Buzz‑buzz‑─.

Inside was likewise a magical barrier formed of mana.

Within the suddenly whitened vision, Carl blinked and looked around.

“…?”

For some reason, he was left completely alone.

Even when feeling for presence, no one else existed.

Had Yuria and Laysis not passed through?

Even if so, Nerian should have been here.

‘Did someone sabotaged to monitor me?’

Carl frowned.

They must know from the practical exam that working together would weaken his standing as first among the group.

Or perhaps they simply disliked him and abandoned him?

But that thought felt unnatural.

They knew there was a cooperation score given to parties.

If he aimed to be top, no matter their dislike for him, they would avoid such disadvantage.

…Or perhaps the exam contents were changed to prepare for leaks?

“That possibility seems more likely.”

It seemed like they changed the contents right before the exam.

And turned it, diametrically, into an individual challenge.

Step step.

Carl moved forward.

High walls rose on either side of the path.

The top was sealed with a barrier, so climbing it would incur penalties or attack.

Tatadadat!

Then, from ahead, some presence approached.

Carl, feigning surprise with a delayed reaction, raised his sword.

Kheung!

From beyond the maze came a Black Wolf.

A basic monster commonly seen in forests or fields outside the city.

Carl fumbled and swung his sword in panic.

He was acting like a swordsman who had some talent but was inexperienced in actual combat.

Tch!

The Black Wolf leapt in one swift motion and tackled Carl.

Carl tried to deal with it moderately, attempting to create a seemingly intense skirmish.

But the feeling he got from the swung sword felt a little strange.

Clang!

The Black Wolf’s teeth deflected the sword.

Then it opened its jaws wide and sank them powerfully into Carl’s shoulder.

It pulled with overwhelming strength, as if trying to rip off his shoulder along with the flesh.

-…?

But confusion appeared in the bright yellow eyes of the Black Wolf.

For some reason, it couldn’t tear off the prey’s arm.

“……”

Carl, with the wolf still biting his shoulder, lifted his head.

A defensive shield surrounding his body was blocking the wolf’s teeth.

“…You really brought a real monster?”

Feeling the heavy pressure crushing his body, Carl showed a puzzled expression.

Even if this was a live-combat format, they actually brought in a real monster?

In a magical labyrinth like this, they could have generated monsters at will, yet they released a real Black Wolf?

“Aaaargh!”

To test it, he let out a scream, pretending to be devoured by the wolf, twisting his body.

But no matter how much he screamed, until his voice gave out, there was no reaction from the surroundings.

Which meant…

‘Something’s gone wrong with the exam.’

Crunch.

Carl immediately snapped the Black Wolf’s neck and pulled his arm out of its mouth.

-…

The limp body of the now-dead Black Wolf drooped.

Even after dying, it didn’t disappear, remaining as it was—proof that this was real.

“What on earth…”

What in the world was happening?

For now, he pushed aside the Black Wolf’s corpse and began moving forward.

If he ran into another cadet or an instructor, he planned to ask about the situation.

“……”

But soon, the scent of blood brushing past his nose made his expression freeze.

When he sprinted forward, pushing off the ground, the massacre that unfolded beyond the alley came into view.

“…These signs are fresh. Was it other Black Wolves that did this?”

Body parts were strewn across the floor.

Torn flesh, fingers, arms, part of a head, bones that looked like legs…

It wasn’t just one or two people.

At least five—no, more than ten had died in this spot.

It meant the Black Wolves were moving in an organized fashion.

This wasn’t an exam anymore.

Crackle.

Just then, Carl noticed a noise coming from inside his chest.

He took out a small gem from the pocket on his chest and injected mana into it, revealing a hidden shape.

It was a black mask symbolizing Black Label, the owner of NOX.

–Ma…ster.

“Is that you, Nine?”

Nine had currently infiltrated this place to back him up in academy life, including acting as his bodyguard.

She was also the one who gathered information about the other cadet candidates and the entrance exam process.

–You’ve entered the second checkpoint. Thank goodness. The area around the first checkpoint had spatial interference—communication was impossible.

“What happened?”

–It’s a terrorist attack. Some organization hijacked control of the underground magic labyrinth. They released real monsters and magical beasts inside. The academy is trying to regain control and enter the labyrinth, but it looks like it won’t be possible anytime soon.

“Terrorism?”

Carl narrowed his eyes.

Who in their right mind would stage a terrorist attack on the Bayern entrance exam?

That was the same as making the Empire itself your enemy.

“How many people are inside?”

–Just over a thousand, including cadets and supervisors. What will you do?

“……”

Carl made a cold and calculated judgment.

The correct move was not to get involved in such a major incident.

Leaving any trace could bring serious trouble.

The academy would undoubtedly throw all their resources into solving the situation, so the matter would be handled soon enough.

“NOX won’t step in. Everyone, don’t act rashly—just monitor the situation.”

–Understood. And you, Master…?

“I’ll proceed as I am. I’m curious which bold fools would pull something like this.”

Clack.

Carl put on the Black Label mask and stepped forward.

“…Hah, hah.”

Even as her vision blurred, Yuria ran desperately.

After crossing the swamp checkpoint, she had suddenly been dropped into isolation.

She thought breaking through the magic labyrinth would be the next part of the exam, but it didn’t take long to realize something had gone wrong.

‘Ugh.’

Her running body staggered.

Right after arriving here, she’d been bitten on the neck by a venomous snake, and the poison had spread throughout her body.

She tried to immediately burn the snake with flames and detoxify with purification magic, but the poison injected through her neck had spread too quickly.

At this point, her condition had worsened so much she could no longer cast magic.

Thud.

She had finally reached her limit.

As the sensation in her toes disappeared, her body collapsed forward.

Yuria twisted her upper body and stretched her hand backward, but unfortunately, no mana gathered.

–Grrr…

The Black Wolf that had been following her all along bared its white teeth and drooled heavily.

It was a cunning beast that knew she was poisoned and had followed at a distance until she collapsed.

‘I can’t… die here…’

She could not fall here.

This wasn’t why she had come here.

She still had a mountain of things to accomplish.

Tatatatak!

The Black Wolf kicked off the ground.

She tried twisting her body to respond somehow, but whether the toxin had spread to her brain or not, her vision narrowed and darkened into a gloomy hue.

She was going to die.

Though Yuria’s eyes closed at that strange and chilling sensation, she regained consciousness at the discordant sound whispering in her ears.

Swish─.

In the faint vision she could make out, the Black Wolf’s head and body separated.

Next to it, a dark figure of an unfamiliar man appeared in the darkness.

Judging from the pitch-black mask on his face, he did not seem like an ordinary person.

–Are you poisoned?

The man approached her and spoke in a low voice.

…For some reason, she felt no hostility.

Yuria opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the man reached out his hand.

–Stay still. It will sting.

Amid the floating sensation, she felt a small pain.

…Was he directly sucking the poison from her neck?

The image of the man who held her as if shielding her came into her dimmed vision.

The pain subsided a little.

Whether a lingering effect of the poison or exhaustion, her body became sluggish and drowsiness overwhelmed her.

She knew she couldn’t fall asleep—but she was too exhausted to fight the sleep.

“……”

Yuria lifted her hand and grasped the man’s clothes.

It was her final struggle to not forget who helped her.

She smelled a faint perfume scent at the tip of her nose.

Citrus? No, something a bit heavier…

‘…This is.’

It was a scent she had recognized from somewhere before.

That made it even more perplexing.

She had never been close enough to another man to smell their scent.

But before that thought could continue, Yuria lost consciousness.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep