Masquerade (3)

Leaving Edna standing there in confusion, Jecky positioned herself in front of one of the four corridors.

"Since the professors intended this situation, all we have to do is face it without panicking. Right, guys?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"So, I'll go first."

After saying that, Jecky confidently stepped into the corridor without hesitation. The other students were taken aback as she disappeared from their sight.

If this situation was indeed an assessment, then any time spent hesitating would be counted as a deduction.

"I... I'll go in too."

"Well, I've always been prepared for situations like this."

Hong Bi-Yeon sighed as the students rushed toward their respective corridors.

'No one seems to be moving systematically.'

'Are they just randomly choosing a path without knowing the significance or destination of the corridor in front of them?'

'Moreover, considering what the NPC said earlier, there are undoubtedly demons inside. Although the score is individual, it would be more advantageous to form a group with a minimal number of people. Why don't they realize this fact?'

She glanced sideways at Baek Yu-Seol.

If there was anyone in this group who was skilled in interpretation and strategy, it would undoubtedly be Baek Yu-Seol.

He remained calm and organized the situation even during the crisis when the necromancer attacked.

In the simulated battle against the demons, he demonstrated his wit and exceptional tactics by defeating five Intermediate Demons.

If someone should be followed, it should be Baek Yu-Seol.

"Where are you going?"

There seemed to be several students who shared the same thought as Hong Bi-Yeon, and when Eisel asked Baek Yu-Seol as she passed by, they all pricked up their ears to listen.

"No matter where we go, it's the same path. What's the point of worrying about it..."

However, Baek Yu-Seol had no thoughts at all. Since everyone would be scattered randomly when passing through the corridor, he made a rough decision.

"I'll just go this way."

As he stood at the leftmost corridor, Eisel followed behind him.

"Then I'll go this way too."

"Why?"

"You seem to have a clearer idea."

"No, you go the other way."

"I don't want to."

"Oh, come on."

He looked at Eisel as if he couldn't believe it, but suddenly he felt a presence behind him and turned around.

"Ahem."

"Cough."

Most of the other students had also chosen the same corridor as Baek Yu-Seol. Even Hong Bi-Yeon followed closely, glancing at him.

"These kids, relying only on their wits..."

Some of the students who were observing the atmosphere also subtly moved to this side.

"Ahem, then I'll..."

"Ahem."

Thus, except for Jecky, who had already set off, fifteen people moved together.

Though it was ridiculous, there was no meaning in making a fuss, so no one said anything.

Baek Yu-Seol was the first to step inside the corridor.

Whoosh!

As if being sucked in, the air became heavy, and a damp and dark hallway appeared.

"Uh, what? Where did everyone go?"

"They disappeared..."

The students who entered late exclaimed in surprise.

They must have all entered together, yet most of the students had disappeared.

'Hmm, I didn't expect Hong Bi-Yeon to take the same corridor…'

A total of sixteen students were divided into four groups of four in each corridor. Eisel and Edna were probably in the same group.

"It seems like we can't all gather together at once. Let's go for now."

The atmosphere in the hallway was quite eerie. Outside the half-broken windows, there was nothing but walls.

Baek Yu-Seol didn't even know why there were windows. Most of the lights were shattered, and the remaining ones were flickering faintly.

"There's something like a statue in the hallway."

"... Can you see it?"

Thanks to the influence of Mana Accumulation Retardation, his physical abilities were exceptionally high, and with the new "infrared" function of his Sentient Spec, he had no problem in this darkness.

But, it was different for the other students.

"Give it a try."

In response to his words, some students conjured Light Spheres in the air. Even though they didn't have a Light Attribute, Light Sphere was a basic magic skill.

Still, their field of vision remained limited, and they couldn't see the statue mentioned by Baek Yu-Seol.

It was only after they walked a bit further that the statue he mentioned came into their view.

"You saw it from this distance?"

"Wow, how do you have such incredible vision?"

The students murmured in surprise. Hong Bi-Yeon didn't say anything, but she was also quite startled.

"But… that's a statue, right?"

There was not just one statue; they were all frozen in a dancing posture, wearing the same dress.

They seemed so alive and dynamic that the students couldn't help but flinch as they passed by.

At the end of the hallway, there was a door. It was firmly locked, as if sealed by something.

"I've learned unlocking magic, but will it work here?"

"Well, we probably can't do it at our level without understanding the interpretation of the gate."

Hong Bi-Yeon tightly shut her mouth and looked around.

'This uneasiness.'

'It feels real and awkward.'

An intuition came to her.