After a couple more minutes of traversing through the labyrinth, Kai and Nova started to get bored, since they hadn't encountered any monsters or Adventurers to fight and defeat. They started to think they were the only ones left in the labyrinth, but that was quickly debunked since they heard a monster wailing in the distance, and on the completely other side of the path they were currently walking.

"You fight like someone who has a lot of experience in fighting. Even if your enemy is stronger than you, you can still somehow manage to hold on your own, which is quite interesting. I haven't meant like you, Nova."

"You falter me too much," Nova said, chuckling slightly. "I'm still far too weak to even compare to the other Adventurers in this labyrinth. Hell, even in my own team, I'm not even the top five strongest. There are still so many milestones I have to achieve and reach that it will definitely take me a couple of years to get to the level you are currently at."

"Don't sweat it. You'll be fine. The long thing you need to remember is focusing on improving the rank you are in. Don't use the core or whatever to help you get higher in the Circle of Pillars, since that will only hurt you. You need a strong foundation for your merits to eventually improve."

"Okay," Nova jotted down, the same thing that Marcus had repeated numerous times. "Thank you for the advice." He laughed softly, Kai tilting his head in confusion. "It's so funny considering that Marcus has said the same thing to me every time during training."

"Huh," Kai narrowed his eyes, realizing that with Marcus's help, Nova could transform into a living weapon, though all he had to do was focus and build a strong foundation.

Eventually, the duo heard another set of noises. They investigated the noises, uncovering a dead monster's body along the way. As the duo got closer to spotting who had defeated the monster, or what had defeated the monster, Kai sniffed the air again, softening himself as he just walked right towards the group of Adventurers who had killed the monster.

Nova followed him closely behind, on guard, just in case, since Kai was acting weirdly for him. He was so loose and free, as if he knew who the Adventurers who had killed the monster were.

Eventually, after they saw the faces of the Adventurers, Kai called out to them. "You morons, look behind you."

The nine Adventurers looked behind to see Kai and Nova with his daggers behind him, which gave the illusion that he was going to sneak attack on Kai and hurt him. So, the Adventurers, who all had the South Korean Guild flag on their uniforms, rushed over and started to attack Nova, who was taken aback.

But before anyone could even do anything, Kai had ensured Nova's safety by creating a shield made of blood that was borrowed from the monster they had seen, which would eventually be consumed by Kai to further strengthen himself and the blood reservoir that was in his body.

The Adventurers looked confused, then Nova sheathed his daggers by despawning them and put his hands up. The blood barrier dropped as the blood was absorbed by Kai, making him burp.

"He is with me," Kai said in Korean. "Don't hurt him, he's an ally now." He said this in English.

"Nice to meet you," Nova put his hand out for one of the Adventurers, who looked confused, so another one shook his hand instead.

"This is Nova, and Nova, this is my team. The South Korean Guild." Kai said, nodding his head.

The awkwardness faded quickly. They laughed it off, slapping backs. Hyun-woo, one of the Adventurers, grinned. "Sorry, man. Thought you were stabbing the boss, so we had to act fast."

"No sweat," Nova said, chuckling. "This place makes us all edgy."

Kai patted Hyun-woo's shoulder. "Solid kill. But your left side was open. Tighten up before the next mess." They nodded sharply, no arguing with the boss. To Nova, Kai added, "They're like family. Noisy, but they'd die for each other. So, stick with us, and we'll get to the safe zone."

Now eleven strong, they moved together. Hyun-woo up front, his shield high. Nova slotted in by Kai, feeling a sense of camaraderie that felt more like brothers than just simple strangers working for one man.

Half an hour later, with nothing happening, the floor, suddenly, gave under Hyun-woo's foot, dropping to spikes dripping poison. Walls crushed in, ceiling rained rocks heavy as trucks.

"Down!" Kai yelled.

Blood rushed out, grabbing the big rock and shoving it into the pit with a crash. Nova jumped, slashing wall runes, the core's power in his pocket helping the cracks spread, stopping the squeeze. One tossed a small bomb that instantly cleared all the junk on the ground.

The trap shut down with a slow mechanical pause, then Hyun-Woo said to Nova, "Close one. Thanks, Nova."

"Team thing," Nova said, his heart pounding.

Golden light flickered ahead, a safe zone portal like a warm door. No more games; paths lined up straight. They stepped into the big room, crystals showering soft healing light that patched cuts and aches right away.

Kai's crew went first, mists wrapping them gently, their energy back, all the aches thus far fading away as if they had never existed before. Nova was last, his leg straightened, his back scar was gone, which he was happy about.

On the other side, Many guilds await, back into the real world, as reporters flooded the scene, seeing the South Korean leader stepping through.

Kai squeezed Nova's shoulder, nodding at him, then said: "We have to part ways now, but rest up for tomorrow, since this was only stage one, stars and stripes."

Nova nodded back. "Catch you later,"

As Kai joined his crew, Nova walked towards where his friends were. Eventually, hours went by, and more Adventurers started to pour in through the safe zone portal, back into the real world.

Then, an announcement rang through the labyrinth and across the globe: "Adventurers, the first stage of the Tournament is done. You may rest until tomorrow, for stage two, where you will have to gather back at your guilds and enter through the portal."

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