"I still can't believe they managed to overtake us."
Raven, who pulled his dagger after impaling it deep inside arachnoid, checked his bracelet.
His pair, with long navy blue hair and red eyes, Rebecca Stone, responded shortly after pulling her rapier back.
"Is it so surprising? I'm not quite familiar with Brandon Locke, I did watch your duel with him. But in my opinion, I think you were holding back. Though Amy is really good it shouldn't co as a surprise."
An arachnoid. One of the phenonons that occurred after spiders inside labyrinths were exposed to the vile miasma coming from monsters, perating the air.
Then, Raven's head raised, eting Rebecca's gaze, her red eyes flickered and looked back at him.
"I may have held back. But to be honest, he had barely lifted a finger during that fight."
"Is that so?"
Rebecca had co from a different academy, but enrolled in Imperial Academy as soon as it opened. For that reason, she wasn't quite familiar with Brandon.
"I guess he really is good as the rumors say. I've heard about them from ti to ti a year ago. Who knew a prodigy was just about our age."
Then, she shook her head.
"Now that I think about it, you're quite a prodigy yourself, Raven."
"That's not true. Compare to Brandon, then I'm honestly average."
"Not at all. You're well on your way to breach the A rank. Most of our classmates are still at the B. In fact, so are still struggling to even beco a B- ranked. Have so pride."
Raven could only scoff hearing her words. She had a point. While he may have still been an A- ranked, he could tell he was well on his way to reach the A rank.
At the mont, he was on par with Reinhard when it ca to ranks. Though strength always varied. If he played his cards right, he could beat Reinhard most of the ti.
But he could surmise that Brandon was a league above him. Most probably, A or A .
'Insane….'
Brandon was honestly quite insane for that feat if that were actually the case.
Most humans often had a limit on what rank they could achieve in their entire lifeti.
It was for that reason, why no one had ever surpassed Lucian Frost, who was the only known human to breach the SSS ranks. In particular, he was SSS- ranked.
Humans couldn't tell what their limits were. Not until they had reached that pinnacle, and realized they couldn't go further.
And if he had to be honest, Raven found himself pathetic.
He had the system. An ability that allowed him to break past the limit of the human body. Yet this whole ti, he could barely keep up with Brandon, who didn't have the system aiding him.
Just why is he so strong?
He truly couldn't fathom it.
But he had never seen Brandon as competition. More like, he saw him as an inspiration.
A person he wanted to catch up to.
Now that he thought about it, Cyrus kind of made sense now.
"Thanks."
"Mhm. Now, let's catch up to them. You don't want to lose to your girlfriend, right?"
"Girl…. friend?"
"Amy Ashfield? Isn't she your girlfriend?"
"Ah, no."
Raven shook his head and waved his hand awkwardly.
"Well, I'm not sure. There's barely been any progression this past year. I honestly think she's losing interest."
"Are you stupid?"
Rebecca suddenly frowned. This confused Raven even more as he scratched his neck and awkwardly smiled.
"Yes?"
"How beta are you?"
"Be–ta?"
Wait, everyone knew this term.
It was everywhere in his TokTok for you page.
He started recalling, and as soon as he did, he snapped his fingers, snap—!
"You an that!"
"Yes, 'that.' Man up, Raven. Don't wait for the girl to take initiative. Do it yourself before you lose her."
"You're right. Thanks, Rebecca."
"Mhm."
Ending the conversation there, they tried to venture out of the labyrinth. After all, they had already passed. There was no need to waste any more ti.
It was then.
A voice rang from sowhere.
"Zone."
Imdiately, the scenery shifted.
***
"Are you feeling better now, Rachel?"
"Hm? I've always been fine, Cyrus."
Truth be told, Rachel was actually quite fine now. It wasn't the fact that Brandon now had soone else, that hurt her. But it was more of how different her current reality is now.
The entire Brandon issue was the final nail in the coffin, and Rachel couldn't help but breakdown.
However, she was fine now.
She could tell herself that she had co to terms with it.
She just wanted to move on, while still remaining friends with him.
Did she still have any lingering feelings for him?
'No.'
She could wholeheartedly admit to herself that she didn't have the sa feelings towards him anymore.
And that was the truth of the matter.
That aside, there was sothing quite peculiar that had caught their attention.
"Is it just , or are there barely any monsters inside this labyrinth?"
Cyrus, who was walking ahead of her, began investigating the peculiar occurrence.
"We haven't seen any monsters for ten minutes already."
"Wait."
Rachel, who looked down at her bracelet, called for Cyrus to stop. As she did so, Cyrus paused in his steps and turned around, looking at Rachel.
"What is it?"
"The scores aren't moving."
Rachel's eyes narrowed as she looked at all the scores on the ranking list.
—Brandon and Amy: 172 Points.
—Raven and Rebecca: 155 Points.
—Reinhard and Klein: 123 Points.
—Rachel and Cyrus: 98 Points.
The scores had stopped moving for everyone. But the most noticeable ones were Brandon's group, and Raven's group. Their scores had stayed the sa from twenty minutes ago.
No, it wasn't just them.
As Rachel continued scrolling them, none of the scores had moved. It felt as if the monsters Rachel and Cyrus had just killed were the last of the labyrinth's occupants.
Sothing was definitely wrong.
Eventually, Rachel and Cyrus arrived at the eting zone. The place where the cadets were told to gather after finishing their tasks.
Looking around, several cadets were present. They too had a confused look on their faces.
"Has your group encountered any monsters?"
"At first, but then a certain ti ca when we couldn't even sense anything anymore."
"Yeah, sa. We decided it was useless and decided to co back. Hopefully, the instructor arrives soon."
Rachel couldn't help but overhear conversations coming from the other cadets.
But one key detail caught her attention.
She looked around, and indeed, the instructor wasn't present.
Just where could he have gone?
They needed to report their findings soon.
But from her surmission, there was only one thing that would make the instructor venture into the labyrinth.
Most probably, soone had clicked on the bracelet's rescue function.
But help?
Why?
Was soone lucky enough to encounter a chamber where all the monsters were hiding?
If so, it must've been a curse and a blessing at the sa ti.
Cursed because cadets must've been way too weak to kill all of the monsters present. And a blessing, since unbeknownst to them, there were barely any monsters in the labyrinth.
In fact, barely was an understatent.
There was literally nothing. And her conclusion was soon proven as more cadets erged from the darkness.
At the mont, the entire room was filled with cadets, who had more or less the sa topic of discussion.
But that aside, she couldn't find her friends.
"Ah."
She soon spotted them. In particular, Sarah and her pair Claire. There was also one other person, Reinhard and his pair, Klein.
Now the only ones who weren't here were Brandon.
"...?"
"Ah, guys. The instructor is back."
A silhouette appeared inside the darkness, slowly walking towards them.
At first, they thought it was the instructor.
But their conjectures were imdiately proven wrong. The figure soon entered the light, revealing her features.
Hazel locks fluttered by the breeze, as the woman adorned a rather provocative outfit. Though Rachel couldn't see her face since the woman was wearing a white mask, Rachel could tell she was quite a beauty.
And of course, not once had she ever let her guard down.
After all, the labyrinth had been rented out.
So why would there be uninvited guests?
It was then.
The woman coldly muttered.
"Zone."
The scenery began to shift, isolating everyone in a sea of darkness. At that mont, light protruded, blinding everyone for a brief second.
As soon as the light died down, Rachel looked around. A look of panic spread across every cadet present.
What the hell is going on?
***
They continued walking around the maze–like cave.
But there was sothing strange that bothered Amy.
"Is it , but it's eerily quiet?"
She asked as she turned her head towards Brandon, who was walking right beside her.
Without looking back, Brandon responded.
"You're right. We've been roaming this place for quite a while now, yet it seems like we're the only ones here."
Not once had they encountered a single monster, or any signs of cadets.
"Maybe we should head ba—"
Amy paused upon noticing a silhouette erging from the dark corner.
"...."
Alard, Amy raised her guard up, taking a battle stance and extending her hand.
"Brandon…."
"Yeah."
From the corner, two figures erged at that mont. Adorning masks. Amy couldn't see their faces. But judging from their build, it seems like they were both n.
Sothing was off.
And Amy was no idiot.
Most probably, the masked individuals had co to obstruct their labyrinth dive.
However, the mont she narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the masked individuals, Amy began to shudder.
She could tell from the mana emitting from them that they were not one to be trifled with.
They were way stronger than her. Maybe even Brandon.
This wasn't a fight they could win.
In the span of a few seconds, Amy surmised that they must've been the reason why the labyrinth was quiet.
Then did that an….?
A chill ran down her spine as soon as her thoughts occurred.
'Could they have…. killed the monsters and cadets alike?'
It was a plausible theory.
"Amy, call the instructor. I'll hold them."
Brandon suddenly instructed.
There was no need to hesitate. Even if they failed, the instructor would understand that it wasn't the ti to conduct the labyrinth dive activity.
At that mont, Amy clicked the ergency button on the bracelet. Because if she did hesitate and wasted ti, then Brandon would have no choice but to fight them.
It wasn't as if Brandon was weak, it was simply because they were way out of their league.
"It's done. We have to go now. The Instructor should know about this location alr—"
However, those were the last words that left Amy's lips right before she....
Blanked.
"...."
Out.
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