...
The rest of the exploration went smoothly. With the mist cleared and the undead easily dispatched, it wasn't long before Hazuki and I reached the center of the labyrinth.
It was a large space, a circular chamber made of stone, with a faint bluish light emanating from the walls. The atmosphere slled of humidity mixed with sothing ethereal, almost as if the mana itself was impregnated in the air.
There in the middle, instructor Kim Soohyuk was waiting, arms crossed and a neutral expression, but his eyes showed a slight interest.
"..."
His eyes lifted to the path we were leaving on.
"I think we're the first, Theo-kun."
Hazuki beside saw that the space in front of us seed empty, with only the instructor standing in front.
"Well, after the little problem with the darkness at the start, the rest was easy, wasn't it?"
"Yes, and your strengthening magic helped a lot too, thanks to that I didn't even have to use my mana."
No, actually the only thing that was strengthened was the sword at your waist, the rest you did yourself. It was amazing how Hazuki underestimated her own ability.
That's what I was going to tell her, if the instructor hadn't spoken first.
"Team 10. You were the first to arrive, 11 minutes and 10 seconds. Pick a spot and wait for the other teams to arrive."
Instructor Kim Soohyuk's words were brief, but you could still see a slight hint of doubt in his eyes as he followed Hazuki and . Perhaps he was beginning to realize that it wasn't just a coincidence that we ca first again.
"Wow! We were first again, Theo-kun..."
"Yeah... But don't get too excited, it's always going to be like this from now on, so try to get used to it."
"Hahaha! There's no way I can do that..."
It was easy for who was strong to say sothing like that, but for Hazuki who wasn't even in the top 100 in the overall Cube ranking, it was completely impossible.
But her happy expression was genuine. She really cared about these small victories.
"Okay, just watch your heart. If it gets too agitated every ti, your life could shorten..."
She laughed softly, but seed to really take my words into consideration.
After a short walk, we arrived near so rocks, sat down and started talking about our weekend.
Hazuki, who hadn't joined any clubs yet, had taken advantage of the two days to visit his family, who lived here in South Korea.
"What about you, Theo-kun? Did you also go to visit your family? You're Arican, aren't you?"
"I stayed at the Cube... The truth is that I don't have any family, she died when I was 11, and my other relatives, well, let's just say I've never been close enough to visit them."
Hazuki was silent for a mont. I could sense his hesitation, as if he was carefully choosing what to say.
"Ah... I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"No problem. It's been a long ti."
I shrugged, trying to keep my tone light, after all, I'd already spent five years without them, and whether we like it or not, we'd got used to it. But even so, saying it out loud always brought a slight weight to my chest.
She looked at sideways, as if she wanted to say sothing, but ended up just smiling a little awkwardly.
"You don't have to look so strange and feel guilty."
After all, you didn't know anything.
"Okay."
Before the conversation could continue, a sound echoed through the labyrinth.
Hurried footsteps and panting voices reached us.
"Finally! God, this place was hell!"
A team ca running through the tunnel, so of the mbers covered in sweat and dust. They stopped as soon as they saw Kim Soohyuk, breathing heavily.
"Team 1, you arrived in... 19 minutes and 42 seconds."
Their expressions ranged from tiredness to frustration as they realized they weren't first. So glanced in our direction, noticing our relaxed presence near the rocks.
The contrast was evident.
Even Suho, who was the team leader, also looked at Hazuki and in surprise.
"Those two again?"
"How the hell did they get here so quickly...?"
I ignored the comnts, but Hazuki smiled a little proudly, completely at odds with her withdrawn personality.
She liked to win, even if she wouldn't admit it. Her gaze sparkled slightly, a small spark of satisfaction reflected in her golden eyes, as she straightened her posture and took a deep breath, trying to contain her excitent.
Other familiar faces began to arrive alongside their teams.
Shin Jonghak, with a clearly annoyed expression on his face, his fists clenched as he glared at and Kim Suho. He definitely didn't like arriving after us. His eyes sparkled with that usual proud competitiveness, but his frustration was evident.
Yoo Yeonha, on the other hand, had a small smile of satisfaction. Her eyes subtly assessed the space, noticing that her friend was absent.
For Yeonha, this ant a small victory, she had arrived before Chae Nayun's team.
Chae Nayun, sweaty and covered in dust, seed to have fought harder than expected against the darkness and the traps along the way. Her gaze t mine for a mont, narrowing slightly, as if trying to calculate how quickly I could have arrived.
But then I noticed sothing different. His eyes shifted to Hazuki, analyzing her with a look that was hard to decipher.
Rachel, impeccable as ever, entered the chamber without even looking tired.
Her breathing was controlled, her movents firm and composed. Like a trained swordswoman, she avoided wasting energy, her precision always making her stand out among the cadets.
After almost an hour and 30 minutes, all the teams finally arrived. The atmosphere was full of murmurs, groans of fatigue and sighs of relief.
Kim Soohyuk watched everyone gather and, after checking each team's ti, clapped his hands to attract attention. His gaze swept the crowd before he finally spoke.
"You've all done a good job. Get so rest and then we can co back."
With those words, so cadets practically collapsed on the floor, while others approached friends and acquaintances to chat and share their experiences.
It was no different for .
My girlfriend, Chae Nayun, who had been talking to Yoo Yeonha, finally started to approach . Her gait was a little stiff, her arms crossed in a defensive posture, and her gaze assessed my expression with a mixture of curiosity and sothing else...
Maybe jealousy? Or frustration?
She stopped in front of , greeting Hazuki with a nod before turning her attention completely to .
"You really need to tell how the hell you got here so quickly..."
Nayun crossed her arms, feigning irritation, but there was an amused glint in her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, watching closely, as if trying to get an answer out of my facial expression.
Does she really think I'm going to be intimidated by those half-lidded eyes?
I actually found her attempt to be intimidating quite cute and funny.
"Maybe my teammate and I just have really good synergy."
I replied with a wry smile, leaving the teasing implicit. Hazuki, next to , blinked a few tis before looking away shyly, as if she didn't know how to react to this answer.
Nayun snorted, clearly not satisfied. But instead of insisting, she raised her fist and punched lightly on the shoulder before sitting down next to and letting out a small grumble.
"Hmph. Co on, tell , how did you get here so quickly?"
Hazuki just watched the interaction, a small smile playing on his lips after Nayun started talking about the traps she had encountered along the way.
Even with several problems, Nayun still managed to keep going and make it into the top five teams.
"You were amazing, Nayun-ssi!"
Hazuki's complint was sincere, but it seed to hit Nayun in an unexpected way.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"Hey! Don't ever call that again... Just Nayun, you hear?"
Hazuki blinked, surprised by the sudden refusal.
For a mont, her golden eyes widened slightly, but then she shook her head quickly, agreeing to Nayun's demand.
"Of course! Nayun..."
It was interesting to see Nayun react this way. It wasn't as if she rejected anyone's formalities, but with Hazuki it seed different.
Maybe she was just trying to establish closeness? Or maybe I've discovered sothing else...
...
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