Corey adjusted his glasses with a habitual push at the bridge of his nose, his eyes scanning their surroundings with quiet caution. The maze stretched endlessly in every direction—stone walls shifting subtly, paths changing just enough to disorient anyone who wasn't paying attention.
Olivia, however, had no patience for caution.
Without a word, she turned and strode off in a random direction.
"Hey—wait," Corey called, immediately following after her.
She didn't slow down.
If anything, she sped up.
Corey frowned, quickening his pace despite himself. "Olivia, we should at least—"
She turned a corner sharply.
And then—
Her foot slipped.
The ground beneath her had been uneven, slick with something she hadn't noticed in her haste. Her balance gave out instantly, her body pitching forward toward the hard stone floor.
Before she could hit the ground—
A hand caught her.
Corey steadied her effortlessly with one arm, his grip firm as he pulled her back upright.
"Olivia! Are you okay?"
For a brief moment, she froze.
Then her expression hardened.
She pulled away from him as if burned.
"I don't need your help," she snapped. "Worry about yourself."
But as she said it, her eyes shifted past the corner she had nearly fallen around—
And her expression changed.
A low, heavy thud echoed through the corridor.
Another.
Then another.
Something massive was approaching.
A giant bear-like monster stepped into view, its body towering over them, muscles rippling beneath coarse, dark fur. Its eyes glowed faintly with hostility, and each step it took made the ground tremble.
Elsewhere—
Lily stood atop the corpse of a massive scorpion-like monster, her chest rising and falling steadily.
The fight hadn't been easy.
The creature had been relentless, its tail lashing out again and again, spraying venom in wide arcs that forced her to constantly reposition. Even now, faint scorch marks and scattered cuts marked the battlefield.
Still—
She had won.
As she prepared to harvest materials from the corpse, the scorpion suddenly dissolved into particles of light, vanishing completely.
Lily blinked.
A moment later, her bracelet glowed.
5 points.
She glanced to the side.
Gina, who had contributed little during the fight, looked down at her own bracelet.
1 point.
"…That's convenient," Gina muttered.
Lily didn't respond.
Instead, she turned and continued forward.
The maze stretched on, filled with distant sounds of combat—spells colliding, monsters roaring, students shouting.
They passed several groups along the way.
Some were struggling.
Others were barely holding on.
Lily didn't intervene.
She walked past them all without hesitation.
Her goal wasn't random fights.
She was searching.
In her mind, there were only two ideal choices—Kane or Olivia.
But neither of them appeared.
So she adjusted her plan.
Anyone strong enough will do.
They turned another corner.
Then another.
Eventually—
A dead end.
Lily stopped.
"…Wrong path."
She turned to leave—
"Lily! Help me!"
A voice called out from behind her.
She spun around instantly.
The solid wall behind them began to ripple, like water disturbed by a stone. Slowly, it dissolved, revealing a figure stepping through—
A blonde boy.
"Arlen?" Lily said, narrowing her eyes slightly.
He nodded quickly, relief clear on his face. "Yeah—it's me."
Without hesitation, he stepped fully into their space, falling into step beside them as if it had already been decided.
"I'll join you."
Lily didn't object.
Gina barely reacted.
"Explain," Lily said simply.
Arlen exhaled, still catching his breath. "Light manipulation. I bend light around me—create reflections of the walls. Makes me look invisible if you're not looking carefully."
Lily's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Useful."
"But why were you hiding?" she asked.
Arlen grimaced.
"My assigned partner was Darius."
That alone said enough.
"When we got in," Arlen continued, "he didn't even hesitate. Just attacked me outright."
Gina raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
"I barely got away," Arlen said. "Had to trick him with a decoy and run."
Lily considered that for a moment.
Then nodded once.
"Fine. Stay with us."
Not far away—
Olivia collapsed onto the body of the fallen bear, breathing heavily.
The fight had been brutal.
The creature's strength far exceeded most of the monsters they had encountered so far. Every swing had carried enough force to shatter bone if it landed cleanly.
She wiped sweat from her brow, glaring at Corey.
Corey, meanwhile, looked completely fine.
Barely even winded.
"What?" he said, raising both hands defensively. "What was I supposed to do? That thing wasn't a mage. There's nothing for me to copy."
Olivia clicked her tongue and looked away, clearly annoyed.
She pushed herself up to her feet.
"Then don't slow me down."
Without waiting, she started walking again.
But—
The bear's body remained.
It didn't dissolve like the others.
Corey noticed immediately.
His gaze lingered on it, unease flickering in his eyes.
That's… strange.
He opened his mouth slightly, considering whether to say something.
Then hesitated.
"…It's probably nothing."
And with that, he followed after Olivia.
Time passed.
The maze grew harsher.
Stronger monsters appeared.
More students were eliminated.
Over half of the low-ranked students had already been taken out before earning even a single point. Among the mid-ranked, nearly a quarter had fallen. Even one high-ranked student had been eliminated—something that didn't go unnoticed.
From within the classroom—
The teachers watched everything unfold through a large viewing screen.
Miss Joane observed silently, her expression calm but calculating.
"…It's time to raise the stakes," she said.
She reached forward—
And pressed a button on the far right side of the control panel.
A message echoed throughout the maze.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
"Attention all participants."
Every student froze, looking at their bracelets as the announcement continued.
"The highest point holders will now have a bounty placed on them."
A pause.
Then—
"Each bounty will be equal to three times their current points."
Murmurs spread.
Tension spiked instantly.
"Rank One: Kane Wall — 20 points. Bounty: 60 points."
"Rank Two: Lily Aedile — 14 points. Bounty: 42 points."
"Rank Three: Issac Blues — 11 points. Bounty: 33 points."
"Rank Four and Five: Olivia Holder and Corey Key — 9 points each. Bounty: 27 points."
A final pause.
Then—
"Good luck."