With a simple nod of my head as the instructor came to a pause, I simply took a deep breath and slowly withdrew my new blade, for the first time, from its sheath.

With a jade-green handle, covered with gold, the Dao's silver blade sparkled under the early-morning sun.

This practical exam was identical to the book, meaning I could execute my plan.

Raising his right hand to the sky, the instructor yelled.

"Please prepare! Within a few moments, you will be instantly transported to an area of the labyrinth."

As the students began rapidly rummaging through their pockets and grabbing their weapons, I casually reached into my jacket pocket and retrieved a circular-shaped item.

With a golden-yellow exterior and white interior, the compass dazzled in my palm when exposed to the light.

Instead of having two hands and a series of complex intricacies to display the direction it was facing, the compass simply had a digital screen within it.

My coordinates.

Not only that, as I rapidly looked up and glanced around, finding two familiar smug faces, I raised my compass and pointed it at them.

Ironically, the two were actually staring at another person with confident expressions...Ruby.

Within a moment, the screen on the compass flickered, no longer displaying my coordinates but those of the people it was pointing at.

Although I wasn't like Serena, in that I could read portals and figure out conversation rates of coordinates between the real world and subspaces, my plan simply worked...for a simple fact that we weren't going into a subspace.

Instead, with a mass teleport circle, operated by the dozens of teachers around us on the field, we were all being transported to an underground facility.

From there, using a random stratified selection method, where we are separated into blocks by our rank level to ensure high and low-ranked individuals are evenly distributed within the maze, we would all be taken to different spaces within the facility.

With mass teleport being an extremely important, powerful spell, I had, of course, included conversion formulas within the book to please the readers.

Of course, I didn't remember that exact formula, but prior to coming here, I had simply looked it up.

As the ground below me began shining a light-blue, encapsulating the two thousand gathered students, I was about to retrieve my compass when a familiar face crossed my sight.

A strand of her pure-white hair flashed across my vision as I looked between countless students.

Shrugging my shoulders, I raised the compass one last time, noting Carissa's coordinates, before finally putting it back in my pocket.

With my entire body now shining a light-blue, about to be transported, I smiled and gripped the jade-green grip of my sword.

Hopefully, some practical experience would allow me to gain the enlightenment I needed to perform Heaven's Rebound, at least for a moment.

As my surroundings transformed, countless stone-brick walls, covered in vines, appeared before me and closed off the previously free maze, I took one last deep breath of fresh air.

...

...

...

"Where am I...?"

Scratching his head, Roy silently gazed at his surroundings, finding himself surrounded by walls that towered for twenty-plus feet from the ground to the ceiling on every side but one.

Torches were placed on the walls, just high enough that they were unreachable, but low enough that they could relatively light up the gloomy corridors.

There was no ceiling or roof; all Roy could see when looking up was a pitch-black abyss

Walking straight through the corridor, gripping the broadsword tightly with his trembling hands, Roy eagerly smiled while muttering.

"She's gone. That fucking deadweight, now's my chance. When Magnus sees her gone, he'll surely congratulate and applaud us...you know, maybe even introduce us to her childhood friend."

As Roy continued daydreaming about possibly meeting Carissa, he eventually met an intersection with three choices: right, left, and forward.

However, before he could even make a choice, an obnoxiously loud and familiar voice echoed from his left.

"ROY!? IS THAT YOU!?"

His head instantly flicked in the direction of the sound, and Roy spotted a shadowy figure slowly appear.

Under the light of a torch, he instantly recognized the man as his teammate.

"VECTOR!?"

Joining Roy in the middle of the intersection, a bow and quiver around his shoulder, Vector smiled while glancing around.

"What are the odds that we find each other!?"

Before Roy could respond, Vector tightly gripped his shoulders, shaking him back and forth, while saying.

"Ah...this is perfect. We can hunt that girl, gain points, and reach the middle. We'll show Magnus our usefulness...maybe, he'll even recruit us to his guild."

Before Vector, the previously cocky Roy shrank and accepted his place, allowing himself to be playfully shaken.

This was simply the way of the rank hierarchy at the Four-Axis Academy: if you wanted to succeed, obey the people with higher ranks than you at all costs.

After a bit more discussion, the two finally set out forward, Vector humming a happy tune while Roy carefully glanced around every time a new path branched out from them.

"How are we...going to find her? This maze could be miles... no hundreds of miles h-"

Raising his index finger to his mouth, Vector simply tapped Roy's shoulder and said.

"Don't worry."

Reaching his hand into his pocket, Vector revealed a small, demonic-red compass in his hand, in stark contrast to Athen's pure white one.

The compass pointed straight ahead and at an angle, telling them to turn left at the next available path.

Looking at Roy's starstruck expression, Vector simply said while strolling forward, clearly trying to show off.

"After that incident in Mikonos, I put a tracking device on her. You know...it was quite easy; all they required was a drop of her blood."

Breaking into a fit of laughter, his eyes practically bulging out of his head, Roy grinned and continued, specifically emphasizing the "a lot."

"Well, we have a lot of that."

----- (Please Ignore Everything Below this)----- This is the end of the chapter

Roy's laughter echoed against the stone walls, reverberating until it felt as though the maze itself mocked him. His voice faltered after a while, but the manic gleam in his eyes did not fade. Vector, smug as ever, adjusted the bow on his back and casually scanned the passages ahead. Unlike Roy, whose excitement bordered on desperation, Vector carried himself with an unsettling calm, as if the labyrinth were nothing more than a board game with pieces he could move at will.

"Keep your head straight," Vector muttered, his hand briefly tightening around the red compass. "She's not as weak as you think. Carissa may look soft, but she's Magnus's favorite for a reason."

Roy stiffened at that name. Magnus. Even speaking it carried weight. The hierarchy at the Academy was clear: Magnus stood at the pinnacle. Those who associated with him basked in his reflected glory, while those who opposed him found themselves crushed.

"Y-yeah… you're right," Roy stammered, adjusting his grip on the broadsword. "Still, with the two of us—"

"Don't overestimate yourself," Vector cut him off sharply, his tone like a blade. "Just follow my lead."

Roy fell silent. He knew better than to argue. Vector's influence wasn't absolute, but in this moment, deep within the twisting labyrinth, Roy understood his place.

The two pressed forward, the torchlight flickering as though reluctant to accompany them. Every corner turned revealed more of the same: vines clinging to damp brick, shadows stretching into the abyss. Yet, despite the monotony, a strange tension thickened the air. It was as though the maze itself were alive, watching, waiting.

Vector suddenly stopped, holding out his arm to halt Roy. He tilted the compass, its screen glowing faintly. "She's close. Very close."

Roy's breath hitched, and he tightened his sweaty grip on the sword. He could already imagine it: Carissa stumbling alone, the fear in her eyes, the triumphant moment when they dragged her back before Magnus.

But then, the silence shattered.

A faint metallic ring drifted down the corridor, deliberate and steady—like a blade brushing against stone. Vector's lips curled into a grin. "She's not running."

The sound grew clearer with each step forward until a silhouette emerged. Carissa. Her white hair glimmered faintly in the torchlight, her slender figure calm, almost unshaken. In one hand, she carried her rapier, its thin edge gleaming like liquid moonlight.

Roy nearly laughed in disbelief. "She… she's alone!"

But Vector frowned. Something in her posture unsettled him—too composed, too prepared. He raised a hand, signaling Roy to stay back. "Don't underestimate her. Remember what happened in training."

Carissa's voice cut through the gloom, sharp and cold. "So it was you two. The rats trailing me." She lifted her blade, pointing it casually, almost lazily, at Vector's chest. "You should have stayed hidden."

Roy's excitement curdled into unease, and he glanced toward Vector, awaiting instruction. Vector, however, only laughed, pulling an arrow from his quiver. "Perfect. Let's see how long you can keep that composure when we bleed you dry."

The air snapped with tension, the labyrinth suddenly feeling smaller, the torchlight harsher. Three figures stood locked in a triangle of intent—one with arrogance, one with trembling ambition, and one with icy resolve.

The exam had only just begun, but already, the walls of the maze threatened to be painted with blood.

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