The first floor, where only one day remains until the end of the trial, was unusually quiet.
In the classrooms, in the cafeteria, in the dormitories—everywhere.
Magicians, wandering around in their robes, all had their heads bowed, looking only at the Witch Notes.
Everyone’s attention was solely focused on two things.
The survival of the first year magicians who entered the Great Labyrinth, including Glesia and Mittier.
And the sudden disappearance of the Administrator, who vanished leaving the forum empty around the same time.
Some dismissed it as mere coincidence, but deep down, they harbored a faint hope.
That perhaps he might have opened the door of the Labyrinth, which even the administration of the Magic Tower couldn’t touch.
If so, then perhaps he was merely playing around on the forum until now.
Awaiting the moment when the door opens to confirm the identity of the Administrator, who has never directly revealed himself.
Even magicians who have never written on the forum were holding Witch Notes, waiting for new updates.
It was a quiet morning.
====
[Still no exit from the Great Labyrinth?]
Seems like something serious is happening inside.
It’s getting genuinely scary now.
— It’s only been three days since the freshmen from Mittier entered.
ㄴYeah, there’s only one day left.
— We have to watch until the end.
— The administration has already called for an emergency council.
ㄴ It’ll probably just end with a report to the higher-ups without any conclusions.
ㄴIt’s too late for the pureblood families to intervene.
ㄴ Seriously, even if they try to open the Labyrinth now, it’s impossible within a day.
— If they’re all dead, wouldn’t it be the worst disaster since the “Black Star” incident?
ㄴ Prinana: Don’t mention those b*stards, idiot.
ㄴ Why?
ㄴ Because they belong to the Haeju School, you’ll get stabbed lol.
====
====
[It’s been 80 hours since Administrator was last seen.]
I’ve never experienced anything like this since I started in the Tower.
Is the forum going to crash like this?
— The person who managed the gallery for 20 hours a day isn’t showing up…
— Did he really go into the labyrinth to save them?
— If he dies, does the forum close?
ㄴ He’s never died before, so we don’t know.
ㄴ It’s natural for the Tower to collapse if the Tower Master dies.
====
====
[Where did the Administrator go? I’m cold…]
There’s no love in the Administrator’s bans.
I wish he would hit them directly…
— Yeah, he’ll open the 11th floor soon~
— It seems like the dead suddenly came back to life and started working. It feels like they received some kind of command.
— It’s suspicious, very suspicious.
— The dead is whipping the living ones…
====
====
[Administrator and SuperGeniusBlondeGirl <- If you think they’re having s*x in the labyrinth, recommend]
The timing of their disappearances coincides strangely, and I’ve been suspicious since he chose her and planned the offline meeting.
[Recommended 942 / Not Recommended 889]
— Don’t you have any tact?
ㄴ Why are you so sensitive? This forum was always like this.
— Don’t doubt the Administrator’s chastity.
— If that’s the case, it’s already been six days, right? As expected of the Administrator…
ㄴ It’s not six days, it’s been four days.
====
As time passed, the likelihood of survival for those who entered the labyrinth decreased.
The forum was filled with a heavy atmosphere of subtle posts and meaningless junk.
And then, finally, a post from a user appeared.
====
Marine58
[I’m alive, damn it!!!!]
I thought the third son of Viscount Fergen was gonna end his 18 years of life before he even made it out of the first floor.
I hid in the corpses of the monsters so the dead b*stards wouldn’t find me. If it weren’t for my scent, they would’ve discovered me ages ago if they were the holy faction.
I’m warning you, don’t ever enter the Great Labyrinth first from now on.
If the rescue team hadn’t arrived just before I died, I would never have made it out either.
— Oh
— Oh?
— A survivor’s appeared!?
— What, for real, not just trying to get attention?
— There’s a survivor? In the Great Labyrinth?
— Are there other survivors?
— Spill it quickly!!! I’ll give you a recommendation right away!!!
— What’s with the rescue team?
— Are there supervisors inside?
ㄴ Tell us that first!!! Did you see the Administrator!!!?
.
.
.
====
Marine58’s post about surviving the Great Labyrinth received dozens of comments within a second.
Since it was a new post and couldn’t be verified, many initially thought it was just a prank.
But then, at one moment, all the magical elevators in the Magic Tower began to move towards the 11th floor.
Reports followed that the mages from the Intelligence Department, who were attending classes, rushed out of the classrooms.
The claim that there was indeed a survivor and that the exit of the labyrinth had opened gained rapid momentum.
And shortly after.
A post by Marine58, looking frantic, appeared on the forum.
====
Marine58
[Mostly Alive]
I heard about the rescue team mentioning Glesia and Mittier.
But I didn’t see it myself; it’s just what I heard.
Some crazy b*stard is wrecking havoc in the labyrinth.
But why the Administrator? What happened?
====
*
Kwaaah——!!
A spear flies into the darkness.
Amidst the thunderous roar, fragments of shattered corpses follow suit.
The survivor hiding in the corner is discovered, given emergency treatment, and brought into the rear guard.
Chasing after Clark, who has already vanished, they sprint towards the direction where sounds can still be heard with all their might.
This process repeats for days.
Without a moment’s rest, relentlessly.
“Ugh, heuk…… Is that just a gold-ranked adventurer?”
“No way, m-monster…!”
Watching Clark wipe the blood off the spear, Arthur and Sera simultaneously share the same thought.
Once this trial is over, all schools in the Tower will have their eyes on him.
While one cannot ascend the Tower with brute force alone, the difference between having useful weapons besides magic and not having them is evident.
Both of them, in their own ways, are aiming to recruit him whenever the opportunity arises.
But among them, only Mariel is chasing after Clark for a different reason.
“Supervisor!”
“Yes?”
“I received a message saying they found the exit just now! So it’s over now!!”
Her condition, already worsened by the overlapping fog, was extremely poor.
On the fourth day, her sight was consumed by darkness, on the fifth, her mana didn’t recover, and by the sixth, severe menstrual cramps set in.
Yet, when she grabbed Clark’s stumbling hand, Mariel realized that he was not stopping even in a much worse condition than hers.
Adventurers, pushing their ‘Intuitions’ to the extreme and leaving gaps in the process for their comrades to fill.
But the three of them were far from enough to assist Clark.
Given that he specialized in throwing spears, served as the vanguard, conducted reconnaissance, and fought most of the enemies.
The boiling blood of the dead left streaks along the spear, allowing for attacks even against monsters that emerged from the darkness.
“I’m leaving now. We’ll talk more later, but for now, follow me.”
“No, we can’t.”
“Why!?”
“If we don’t break the Gate, those remaining in the labyrinth will be blocked from heading towards the exit.”
The exit was at the last intersection, but the Gate of the Underworld was nearby as well.
Handing over the situation over to Arthur and Sera, who could still see ahead, Clark instructed them to leave with the others first.
“From here on, it’s a narrow passage, so you can manage on your own. The rest of you should go back now.”
“We can’t do that. If we leave first, not only will we lose face, but the remaining subordinates will have no way out either.”
“Then join the rear group and help those who are still lost. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“But…”
As Arthur hesitated, Clark took out his Witch Note.
“Should I change it to reptiles this time?…” As soon as he heard himself muttering, he immediately turned his body 180 degrees.
“Ah, alright! I’ll take full responsibility!”
“Please.”
“Supervisor… Clark!”
As Mariel listened to the fading footsteps echoing down the dark passage, she felt a throb in her chest.
That, along with the Mystery fragment residing in her body, attempting to establish new principles.
The pain was caused by her feelings for Clark, who had come to her rescue twice.
*
Finally, I made it.
I moved towards the heart of the labyrinth with light steps. Though Sera and Arthur weren’t around, being separated from Mariel felt refreshing, as if a burden had been lifted.
Most of the injuries to her mouth over the past three days were caused by her.
This is because, while she was nearby to stand in the vanguard, hey Mystery dodged all the attacks that came her way.
‘I should never climb together with her again.’
Feeling relieved to have sent her away at last, I continued forward.
At the end of the passage, I saw the Gate of the Underworld, where souls were being pulled out by force.
Massive statues of dark stone adorned its surface, all of them knights guarding the King of the Underworld.
I raised my gaze from the five swordsmen who were once the greatest swordsmen on the continent and threw my spear at the dark jewel placed at the top of the Gate.
Borrowed from the Mittier School, it was either broken or corroded, now serving as a makeshift weapon, yet sufficient to break the Gate.
Pop!
The spearhead, imbued with the precision and penetration of Must-Hit and Must-Penetrate, pierced through the gem.
With a crashing sound, the collapsed Gate of the Underworld revealed the last target I had been searching for behind it.
“So, this was it.”
The Labyrinth Core.
Mariel, one of the things we had been feeling ever since we entered this place with the Gate.
As Sera had said, it seemed to be some kind of magical device regulating the fog throughout the labyrinth.
Breaking it would likely dispel the curses plaguing my body, but if taken as loot, it might have other uses.
After securing the core attached to the wall, I tried turning on the Witch Note as an experiment.
====
[Then where is the Administrator?]
I guess they’re busy!?
— At least someone’s gone.
— They’re probably all busy.
====
Signal was occasionally caught, probably due to proximity to the exit.
Though the characters were all scrambled and hard to decipher, I could confirm that the forum was functioning well.
No redecoration, no nuclear war, and no provocations were installed.
Look at these guys, acting like they’d do a great job if asked to, but they’ve been just messing around so far.
Seeing the three Sub-Managers working together to manage the forum, I hesitated for a moment before opening the Administrator board.
Normally, I was fair and compassionate, but occasionally, giving a slap to these annoying guys behind their backs was also part of my dignity as the Administrator.
====
Administrator: We will hold a banquet.
Administrator: The venue is the heart of the Great Labyrinth.
Administrator: The time is now.
====
After the unilateral announcement, I closed the Witch Note.
Infiltrating a space where trials were ongoing was something even high-ranking mages found difficult.
Even if we sort it out later, Mariel could come, so if they say they can’t attend, that’s it for them.
With a joyful heart, I picked up the remaining spear and the core of the labyrinth, ready to head towards the exit.
Thud–!
“Huh?
A vibration resonated throughout the entire Magic Tower.
