Chapter 285: Second Week [1]

Chapter 284

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Episode 75 - Second Week [1]

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The list my master had mentioned was as follows.

First was Princess Very’Daal Elarion Valheim.

Followed by Princess Clana.

The two princesses held first and second place, respectively, in the Academic Exchange ranking.

In third place was Charlotte, followed by Diana in fourth.

Then, in fifth place, was a second-year cadet from Elvenheims Academy named Kael’Drunn Valtheris.

Veronica was in sixth place, followed by Julian in seventh.

Leon was in eighth place, while Clementine was in ninth.

Finally, in tenth place was another Elvenheims Academy cadet named Lhor’Sael Avarion.

He was a first-year cadet.

’Mhm, according to my master, Lumina is ranked 18th.’

Lumina had never had any real intention of participating in the Academic Exchange.

Just like me, she would only do enough to make it to the third week.

After all, both her purpose and mine were exactly the same.

Stop the villains’ objectives on the final day of the third week.

On the other hand, some Holy Academy cadets were confused by Lumina’s lack of particularly impressive results.

Some of them probably just thought she wasn’t very interested in the competition.

Lumina was known for showing little interest in classes. Beyond simply showing up, she rarely did anything during lessons in the Classroom Hall.

’Well, she must be training right now.’

In any case, my rank was twenty-first.

Only fifty cadets from each Academy could qualify for the third week.

A total of one hundred cadets.

Of those one hundred, forty would fight in a separate area, leaving the main tournament exclusively for the top ten cadets from both Academies.

Of course, when they said "the top ten," they weren’t referring to the ten best first-year or second-year cadets alone.

Five first-year cadets and five second-year cadets would be selected.

’Well, I guess these are the results from the first week.’

Since I had nothing else to do for the rest of the day, I simply returned to the dormitory using Spatial Movement.

Fortunately, Very’Daal didn’t try to enter my room...

Fortunately.

***

The weekend came to an end, and with it, the third week of December officially began.

It was Monday morning, which meant the second week of the Academic Exchange was beginning.

After getting out of bed and taking a quick bath, I put on the Academy uniform and had breakfast.

Finally, I left the dormitory building and began walking across the campus.

As I walked, I thought about the various activities scheduled for the first day.

There were only three.

However, there was probably one that 95% of the cadets would choose to participate in.

’The Great Labyrinth Descent.’

Located underground, directly beneath the Holy Academy, was the Great Labyrinth.

It was a labyrinth composed of a total of one hundred floors. Every nine floors, the monsters became stronger.

Furthermore, every tenth floor, such as floors 10, 20, 30, and 40, contained an exceptionally powerful boss monster.

Each floor was like a different dimension, almost like a separate world on the other side of a portal.

That was why every floor had its own sky, sun, clouds, and everything else necessary to make it feel like a completely different world.

’The Academy was built directly above the Great Labyrinth.’

There were no records regarding the Labyrinth’s origins.

However, the only thing I knew was that the Great Labyrinth had been constructed as some kind of trial during the Divine Era, millions of years ago.

The Divine Era lasted for approximately twenty million years, making the Great Labyrinth an extremely ancient structure.

’I have no idea what the purpose of the Labyrinth’s trial was, but from what I understand, someone managed to complete it thousands of years ago.’

However, that person mysteriously disappeared, so no one ever learned anything about the prize or reward they received for completing the Labyrinth.

In any case, just like most of the cadets, I had also signed up to participate in the Great Labyrinth.

The objective was quite simple.

We had three days in total.

The ranking that would determine the positions of the top cadets in this competition was based on two factors.

The cadet who killed the most monsters would receive a certain number of Points.

Additionally, those who reached the deepest floors would receive extra Points.

However, the cadets would enter the Labyrinth without any prior preparation.

Therefore, the moment we entered, everyone would have to find a way to survive while completing the objectives of the competition.

Tap! Tap!

The sound of my footsteps echoed across the hard ground beneath the path.

The campus was quiet.

There wasn’t a single cadet nearby.

Perhaps it was because the number of cadets had decreased considerably compared to the first week.

Even so, the difference was truly obvious.

And during the third week, it would be even more noticeable.

Shortly afterward, I arrived at the main building.

The entrance to the Great Labyrinth was, naturally, located within the Academy’s main building.

Once inside, I headed straight toward a Teleportation Circle.

By the time I arrived, a group of cadets had already gathered, so I quickly joined them.

Shortly afterward, the Teleportation Circle activated and transported us to a different location.

We appeared in a massive underground chamber whose walls were made of extremely ancient stone.

The walls absorbed the Mana in the surroundings, causing every crack to repair itself.

No wonder the Labyrinth had remained intact for millions of years.

The underground chamber was enormous. Stone pillars supported the ceiling, while a series of arches gave it shape and prevented it from looking completely flat and empty.

There were also several damaged statues. Their heads were missing, and numerous cracks ran from top to bottom across their bodies.

None of the statues had names engraved on them. However, there were exactly twelve.

’I guess these are the statues of the Twelve Lunar Goddesses.’

In any case, the cadets closely observed the twelve statues, examining them with curiosity. It was obvious that everyone wanted to discover what connection they had to the Great Labyrinth.

Clap! Clap!

At that moment, the sound of applause echoed throughout the underground chamber.

An elderly figure suddenly appeared in front of a gigantic door.

Behind the old man was the entrance to the Great Labyrinth.

"The waiting period is over. All cadets from the two Academies present here will be the competitors."

The old man’s words caused the cadets to fall silent. Almost immediately, everyone’s attention turned toward him.

With his hands clasped behind his back, the old man continued:

"First, any cadet who is seriously injured will automatically be teleported to the medical facilities."

"However, that doesn’t mean your injuries can be minor. Unless you’re on the verge of death, you will not be rescued. But you won’t die, either. This is, after all, a competition."

"Therefore, I’m telling this to those of you who think a simple scratch will be enough to send you to the medical facilities."

"Now, this is an individual competition. Although you are allowed to form pairs, groups are prohibited. Understood?"

The cadets nodded without hesitation.

"In addition to killing monsters and descending as many floors as possible, there are hidden items that have been carefully placed throughout the dungeon."

"Some of them are also trap items. This means you could obtain a Teleportation Scroll and skip an entire floor. For example, if you’re on the ninth floor, you could skip the tenth floor and go directly to the eleventh. It’s that simple."

The cadets around me began murmuring among themselves.

Trap items.

In other words, they were allowed to cheat completely legally.

’They probably added the trap items so that cadets who form pairs would end up fighting each other if one of them obtained something too valuable.’

In conclusion, they could form pairs, but doing so also carried the risk of being betrayed.

"Very well. Then, enter the Great Labyrinth."

Clap!

With a simple snap of his fingers, the gigantic doors behind him began to open.

A deafening rumble from the doors echoed throughout the underground chamber.

Some cadets covered their ears, while others remained completely indifferent.

The entrance to the Great Labyrinth finally opened wide.

Then, the old man waved his hand.

The cadets immediately began rushing toward the Labyrinth.

One after another, they charged inside like madmen, without any order or formation.

There was probably nothing but darkness on the other side of the door. However, since I was blind anyway, that wasn’t a problem for me.

Although it was a different story for everyone else.

Clank! Crash!

The sound of heads slamming into the walls and cadets crashing into one another echoed loudly throughout the entrance.

’These idiots... Don’t they train their senses or something?’

I sighed inwardly.

Finally, without wasting any more time, I entered the Labyrinth.

Unlike the others, I had no need to hurry, so I proceeded slowly and calmly.

The first floor looked like some kind of Catacombs.

It consisted of an extensive network of corridors and rooms, some hidden and others connected to one another in seemingly random ways.

There were also traps everywhere, and as expected, the place was teeming with monsters.