[25]: Maze

The dizzying whirlwind finally stopped, and Cyr landed steadily on his feet. Around him, a series of thud sounds echoed as others hit the ground.

Many had collapsed, unconscious from the ordeal.

Besides, a few were missing—likely lost along the way.

Those injured and left behind in the merciless desert? Their fate was all but sealed: death.

Now, only Cyr and the caravan leader remained conscious and capable of moving.

The camels and horses were nowhere to be seen.

"Well, at least one person passed this time," the leader sighed as he surveyed the fallen bodies around them, scratching the back of his head.

Cyr ignored him, taking in the surroundings instead.

The leader, misunderstanding his silence, added with a grin, "Oh, are you looking for the camels? Don't worry, they'll find their way back."

He explained that his animals were no ordinary livestock; they were trained beasts with enough intelligence to navigate back on their own. He had invested heavily in them to ensure the safety of his cargo.

"What about these people?" Cyr gestured with his eyes to the unconscious bodies strewn across the ground.

"The exam began the moment they stepped into the desert. Naturally, they've failed." The leader's voice remained upbeat, even as he casually revealed a Hunter License from his pocket, his cheerful demeanor contrasting with the ruthlessness of his words.

Every year, hundreds or even thousands of people died during the Hunter Exam. The chances of passing? Less than one percent.

"So, just leave them here to die, huh…" Cyr rubbed his chin, chuckling lightly.

They now stood within an underground maze. The structure appeared to be made of blue stone, or perhaps some other sturdy material. Endless corridors stretched out in all directions, their lengths disappearing into darkness like infinite voids.

For most, the pitch-black environment would be an overwhelming obstacle. But not for Cyr.

Thanks to Six Eyes, he could see every detail: cobwebs and moss clinging to the walls, dried, darkened stains in shades of grayish-white and yellow-brown—traces of old blood and perhaps… brain matter.

The air reeked of decay, filled with the stale, musty scent of a structure left to rot. Each breath seemed to carry in a mix of dust and the faint stench of decomposition.

Still, it smelled better than the streets of Meteor City.

But something caught his attention—no corpses.

Why were there no bodies? If the stains were blood and brain matter, the absence of remains meant one thing: someone had cleaned up.

Without Six Eyes, most people wouldn't have even noticed these details in the dark.

"So, the next test involves navigating this maze?" Cyr glanced at the leader.

The man nodded, now carrying multiple unconscious individuals—two under his arms, one in each hand, and even another slung over his back.

"That's right. The clues to the next test site are hidden somewhere in this labyrinth. Good luck, kid." He grinned broadly before leaping into action. In a few quick bounds, he vanished down one of the corridors.

Should he follow?

No. That path was certainly a dead end.

The leader wasn't a candidate, and those he carried had already failed. His role was to escort them out, while Cyr's task was to locate the next exam site within the maze.

Their destinations were entirely different.

"Now then… which way should I go?"

Cyr crouched, closing his eyes to think.

So many corridors. How to choose the right one?

Every passageway was marked with bloodstains, likely left behind by those who perished here.

Why did they die? Traps, perhaps?

In other words, every path might be riddled with traps.

Which meant… it didn't matter which path he chose.

Cyr pondered this for only three seconds before standing and casually stepping into the nearest passage on his left.

His left foot crossed the threshold.

He looked up at the walls, the ceiling, and the floor—nothing moved.

"No traps?" he muttered, knocking on the nearest wall.

Standing still, he raised his left hand. "Blue." he whispered.

A compact orb of black-blue energy appeared in his palm, dense and humming, as though it could devour the very air around it.

With a flick of his hand, Cyr released it down the corridor.

"Boom," he narrated, lips curling into an expectant smirk.

The energy orb shot forward, expanding rapidly as it surged down the passage. Walls shattered in its wake, debris scattering until the orb collided with the far end of the corridor.

A powerful boom reverberated through the maze.

The passage shuddered, and a volley of arrows fell from hidden compartments. Below, false floors gave way, revealing deep pits lined with spears—traps ready to impale anyone unfortunate enough to fall.

Cyr teleported to the end of the corridor, landing amidst the rubble.

He noticed a massive stone ball among the debris, now pulverized by his attack. Another trap, dismantled before it could activate.

But what caught his eye was a pair of numbers etched into the wall: 1 1.

"So, this is the clue?" Cyr murmured, frowning.

What did these two numbers mean? A date? A code?

Whatever it was, it wasn't enough.

Unsatisfied, he teleported back to the maze's entrance and chose another corridor.

Raise his hand. Blue.

This time, after the blast, the roar of a beast echoed through the shattered passage.

Even the traps varied—some held monsters.

After systematically obliterating every passage in the maze, Cyr compiled the following clues:

1 1, Banato, Ejin.

"What does this mean?" he mused, trying to piece the information together.

Banato and Ejin—both sounded like place names.

He rummaged through his pack and pulled out a map. Sure enough, Banato was a port on the Yorbian continent, while Azian referred to another continent entirely, where the Kakin Empire resided.

"Ah, so Banato is a port, and Azian is a whole different continent," Cyr nodded, piecing it together.

Syd had prepared everything he might need, down to a detailed world map. "He really went all out," Cyr muttered, acknowledging the man's foresight.

"1 1… Could it mean January 1st?" he speculated.

"If I'm right, I need to head to Banato first. Azian is too far to reach directly, and Banato's on this continent. Makes sense to start there."

His conclusion: head to Banato, secure transport to Ejin, and figure out the destination on the other side.

"Guess the next test will involve choosing the right transport," Cyr deduced, dabbing at his nosebleed with a tissue from his pack.

As for the exit—none of the corridors led out.

The path the leader had taken? The only way out.

Following the leader from the beginning would have bypassed the traps but missed the crucial clues.

"Looks like you really do have to clear every corridor," Cyr muttered as he walked toward the leader's path.

For others, this maze might have been a grueling challenge—consuming time, lives, or both.

But for Cyr? He steamrolled through it in record time.

This maze wouldn't be fit for another test anytime soon. At least, not until it was rebuilt from the ground up.

°°°

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