---
Faulty Contract
Chapter 14 – Trap
---
The team continued deeper into the Black Forest.
No one spoke.
Only the sound of footsteps crunching on decaying leaves.
Elias kept a slower pace than usual.
Not because of the terrain.
But because the mana in the air was shifting.
---
Rei was the first to notice.
Not through magic.
Through a sense of space.
He stopped.
"Stop."
The whole team froze immediately.
Lira looked around.
"What is it?"
Rei didn't answer at once.
He stepped two paces to the left.
Then tossed a small stone forward.
The stone flew through the air—
And vanished.
No sound of impact.
No trace.
Just… disappeared.
---
A student stepped back.
"Space… cut?"
Elias frowned.
"No."
He reached out his hand.
His shadow stretched.
Part of it touched that area—
And was swallowed.
No response.
Elias withdrew his shadow.
"This is a spatial trap."
"Not magical beasts."
"Humans."
---
Rei observed.
The gaps between the spatial distortions were uneven.
Not a fence.
A network.
Someone wanted to force them along a single path.
Lira realized at the same time.
"We're being guided."
Elias nodded.
"And if we take the wrong turn…"
He looked at the void where the stone disappeared.
"There's nothing left to find."
---
Rei stepped forward.
He looked at the ground.
Not searching for footprints.
Searching… for vibration patterns.
Distorted space created tiny differences.
If you looked long enough—
You could see them.
He began to move.
Each step precise.
Not fast.
But without hesitation.
---
The team followed.
Each step like walking on a tightrope.
A deviation of a few centimeters—
And they could vanish from the world.
A student behind panted.
Rei said briefly:
"Keep the rhythm."
"Step on the trace."
He didn't look back.
But his voice was clear.
---
Ten minutes later—
They exited the trap area.
No one was harmed.
Lira looked at Rei.
"How did you see it?"
"Space has a rhythm."
"Just need to find the deviation."
She was silent.
Not something an ordinary person could notice.
---
Elias observed from behind.
In his mind, only one question:
> Why does he adapt so fast?
Not through study.
Not through magic.
Instinct.
As if Rei had lived in far worse places than this.
---
Before they could rest—
An arrow shot from the forest.
Not aimed at Rei.
Not aimed at Elias.
Targeted a student in the middle of the formation.
Rei turned before anyone could react.
He caught the arrow midair.
No magic used.
Just reflex.
---
Laughter echoed from the forest.
"Impressive."
Three people stepped out.
Gray cloaks.
No academy insignia.
Not ordinary mercenaries.
A tall, thin man looked at Rei.
"Finally, we meet."
Elias stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The man shrugged.
"Just some people… studying the system."
His gaze returned to Rei.
"And you are a very interesting specimen."
---
The atmosphere grew tense.
Lira whispered:
"Sir…"
Elias spoke softly:
"Prepare."
---
The man smiled lightly.
"Don't be nervous."
"We don't need to kill everyone."
He raised his hand.
From the forest behind—
Two creatures similar to the previous ones stepped out.
But this time, mana cords were tied to their necks.
Like puppets.
---
Rei looked at the cords.
Not summoning.
Not taming.
Forced control.
A rare magical technology.
---
The man said:
"We just want to test a hypothesis."
"The system says you are a fault."
"We want to know… how stable that fault is."
He snapped his fingers.
The two beasts lunged forward.
---
Rei didn't attack immediately.
First minute—
He dodged.
Observed.
The mana cords controlling their movements.
Slower than a real creature's reflexes.
But compensated with sheer enforced strength.
---
One lunged at Lira.
Rei blocked.
Heavy impact.
The ground cracked.
The creature did not retreat.
The cord yanked it upright immediately.
Rei understood.
> If the cord isn't cut
They won't stop
---
Second minute—
He changed strategy.
Not striking the creature.
Striking the cord.
A spin—
His arm sliced through the mana thread.
No magic.
Just concentrated mana core density.
The cord snapped.
The creature collapsed.
---
The man raised an eyebrow.
"Faster than expected."
He signaled.
The remaining one charged.
---
Rei stepped forward.
But this time—
Elias intervened.
"Let me handle this."
The shadow at Elias's feet expanded.
A giant black beast emerged.
Bit through the mana cord in an instant.
The creature fell to the ground.
---
The man stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then laughed.
"Alright."
"The experiment is sufficient."
He turned his back.
"We will meet again."
---
Before disappearing—
He looked at Rei one last time.
"You are not human."
"But not a beast either."
"Very interesting."
---
The forest fell silent again.
Lira exhaled sharply.
"Who… were they?"
Elias looked where they vanished.
"Gap hunters."
---
Rei stood still.
In his mind—
A new piece of information appeared.
> External entities know about the ERROR classification
Which means—
Someone accessed the system data.
---
Internal status board updated:
> Rei (零)
External observation level: Sharp increase
Research value: High
Risk of being hunted: Confirmed
A new note appeared:
> No longer just survival.
Someone is deliberately testing Rei's limits.
Arc 2 continues.
And from now on—
Rei is no longer just a system fault.
He is a target.