The Locked Labyrinth

Beside Nexus were two other buildings.

One was a healing station. Not the best in the academy, but in case any student would need immediate care if any accident happened in the labyrinth.

The next one was a surveillance room. A large room filled with hundreds of holograms. Each displayed every corner of the floors in the labyrinth, via magic cameras they imbued into the wall itself.

This was done so students didn't have a sense of security if they saw a camera.

 For now, all the holograms were only focused on the Floor-1

"Only the Stars have done well."

The professor, with a stern look, said as he entered the room. 

"You have too much expectations, Professor Vin"

Another man next to him said as he twirled his moustache, his bald head shun under the light of holograms.

"Is it bad for a teacher to expect good from their student? Professor Ian."

Vincent replied as he took a seat.

"No. I too want everyone to succeed. But the test...it's meant to make them fail from the start."

Ian replied.

The test was done to give the majority of students a taste of defeat and despair. What it meant to be a soldier thrown into a battlefield without any warning and consideration.

Of course, they wanted the student to have fun, but this would make sure to keep them on their toes and not drown in pleasure.

Also, the Stars would definitely pass. This would solidify their authority. No one would question their talents and skills. Also, make them a benchmark for other students to catch up to. 

Out of 1500 students, eighth had passed, and three were inside Nexus, while Rose was waiting for her turn.

Tyson had already killed two giant-rats and was searching for the other one. 

And the remaining two-

"Are they planning to work together"

Ian said. Lim and Felix were still at the entrance, talking. Four minutes had passed for Lim and two minutes for Felix.

"The 10th star might pass, but not that boy. Who is he?"

Ian turned the files with students' information on the table.

"Lim, 896 rank and nothing else. I see- so he is the one. But why him?"

As a professor, it might seem rude to question a student's strength, but the professors can plan out an improvement blue print only if they know their students' capabilities.

"The Headmaster-what is he thinking?"

The magic device was random, only to some point. They could decide from which range to call the student at random.

Except the Headmaster wanted one particular student to take the test at the very last.

"I have no clue. All we can do is watch."

Vicent too wondered what those two could be talking about when time was running out. If they weren't taking this seriously, he would need to sort them out, with a good scolding and a hundred laps around the whole academy.

Vincent looked around and found a particular person missing, who was strictly ordered to be here all the time.

"Has she gone for a drink again?"

"Don't blame me. I tried stopping her, but when has she ever listened to me?"

Ian shook his head. Trying to stop her was the hardest thing he has done and never succeeded.

"Haa…. That woman. When will she ever learn?"

Vincent sighed at his co-workers' behaviour.

"By the way, the announcer at the ceremony. Have you met her before?"

Ian asked about the timid woman with the glasses.

Vincent shook his head.

"No, it's my first time seeing her. What about her?"

"Nothing."

Ian started combing his moustache, his sight not once leaving the hologram. She was terrified."

"Who wouldn't be terrified of seeing you? That bald head and that moustache of yours. Sometimes I get nightmares of it"

Vincent said with a smirk.

"My manliness is something to get scared of. This makes me feel proper, unlike you, who is weaning the t-shirt inside the track suit upside down."

Ian pointed at the shirt. The tag was at the front.

Vincent coughed and looked at the hologram.

"It's called fashion."

"Hoho. Excuses don't suit a professor."

*Blink*

As he said that, the lights in the room started to flicker on its own. And soon everything shut off the lights and the holograms too.

"It's not a power cut, is it?"

Ian stood up and used his magic to light up the room.

Vincent dashed out of the room and towards Nexus. The guard there jumped, seeing Vincent right in front of him out of nowhere.

"Open the door."

The guard didn't ask anything. He put his hand on a slate of the giant door, but it didn't open.

"Huh?"

He did it again. The door didn't open even an inch.

"Move"

Vincent said as he touched the slate and poured mana into the slate, but again nothing happened.

"Get a few steps back."

Vincent said. The guard moved back, holding his helmet.

He touched the door, and immediately the entire area around him shook. Cracks formed on the door, and even on the ground so much that the guard lost his footing and fell.

The air around the surrounding area became heavier than small flickers of light formed in the air. Still, the door didn't break.

"My turn isn't coming anytime soon, is it?"

Rose said, as he touched the door.

Vincent was shocked by her sudden presence, which he didn't feel at all. And when she touched the door, there was a small crack. 

Though smaller than what Vincent did, but still a crack. He wasn't a man that could be easily impressed, but Rose rose past every standard of absolute talent he had in mind.

If only this wouldn't happen, he would have loved to test Rose's skill.

"Someone got past the magic cameras and cut every power on the first floor from the inside."

Ian said as he arrived at the scene. Now nothing could be done from the outside to bring back the light and the holograms. Opening the door was the best option.

"Not just that, they have made a barrier next to the door, on the inside. Even if we break the door, breaking the barrier will take time."

Ian said as he peeked through the crack and saw a blue barrier

Now every staff member and professor of Arcadia was at the scene. They had to open the door, otherwise they could lose three lives on the very first day.

******

"Who's trying to kill Tyson?"

Felix asked, as both stood at the entrance of Nexus.

"I knew you would think it's absolute bullsh*t, waste of time, but just for once trust me blindly...wait...you believe me?"

Lim was a bit taken back. After what happened between them, Felix looked as if he would never trust-yet listen to anything Lim had to say.

"Just tell me the details. Who's trying to kill him?"

If Tyson really was about to be killed, Felix could not be wasting time arguing.

"That is what I want to know as well, even though I don't know who is after his life. All I know is that someone will assassinate him here."

Lim said.

Felix rubbed his forehead and tried to fit in the puzzles. But was there even a need for him to rack his brain?

"Yesterday you said you were the author of this world- the set of events that are about to happen. Then you must know who it is. You must have written it. And even if you forgot, then at least tell me you know a way to save him."

"Yes, I am the author but-"

Lim had to make things clear, but now would take a lot of time.

"For now, just help me save Tyson and try surviving ourselves. I do have a plan. And after this is over, I will let you know every detail."

"Okay. And there is no turning back anymore."

Felix turned back.

"That door, it's already blocked"

Lim turned back and saw a blue veil covering the door.

"What in the hell is going on?"

 He was meant to know everything, but nothing worked out how he thought it would. It pissed him off and...scared him.

Not knowing anything is scary, but when something you know changes, turns stranger, that is even more dreadful.

'He's panicking.'

"We don't know what's happening and who's behind it. Let's focus on what we know and can do about it."

Felix said. 

"Yeah."

Lim nodded as both started running straight. The first floor was dead silent.

It was meant to be filled with the squeaking noise of the giant-rats, but only their running echoed through the floor.

'This is getting more and more bizarre'

They ran for five minutes and still no sign of Tyson or any rats.

The floor didn't have any turns and so running straight would lead them to Tyson, unless the assassin took him to other floors 

Most of the rats were killed, but not having an encounter with any was odd. Because Arcadia had methods to spawn them. 

*Ting*

As he ran farther, Felix's "sense" activated.

"Wait."

Lim behind him stopped and caught his breath.

"What?"

"Something…no a lot of things are coming our way."

Now the floor was filled with the sound of marching and squeaking noises.

As it kept getting closer and closer, and they could see giant glowing eyes, hundreds of them rushing towards them.

"Hey, is there any secret passage here to get out?"

Felix asked.

"No."

Lim said as he gripped his staff, ready to cast a spell.

"Well shit. You should have written about one.."

Felix took a stance and coerced his spear with mana, ready to take on more than twenty giant rats rushing towards them. 

******

"Just where are these rodents?"

Tyson was looking around the floor and still had no sign of any giant-rats. He found two rats immediately after getting in and killed them. Handling two at the same time wasn't easy. They scratched his arm, but nothing too serious.

And after that, he saw none.

He kept walking and reached the end. A red barrier was there that separated Floor 1 and 2.

"What's the blue one just in front of the red?"

Maybe the academy was taking extra precaution.

"Fu*k, where are they?" 

Only a minute was left to complete the test. He didn't want to fail. Every Star had passed except Felix. But once he entered, he too would pass.

"Maybe he is killing everyone in the back."

Tyson thought and ran back. He had no other choice .

As he was running back, he saw another person walking towards him. He couldn't see the person clearly. The lighting on the floor was pretty bad.

The person stepped out from the shadow and Tyson recognized who it was. 

He stopped and ruffled his hair. The person ahead, one of the staff, must be here to fix whatever was that didn't spawn any giant-rats.

"I knew something was wrong with the floor's spawning system. Can't believe I was going to fail because of the academy's mistake."

But the person ahead didn't speak. 

"Did you even hear what I said? Are you not here to fix something?"

He blinked at the next thing he knew. The person was right at his face, and suddenly his left arm felt warm.

He looked down and his left arm was severed off. Blood oozed out, and all he could do was contemplate what had just happened.

Before he screamed in the pain, he was kicked to the wall.

Cough

He leaned, as blood trickled down his mouth. He wanted to grab the dagger on the floor, fight back, but it was kicked away.

Now his hand was pressed down by a heel, and it slowly crushed through his knuckles.

Tyson didn't even have the strength to move his hand away. All he could do was wriggle and hope to get a quick death.

"Where is the celebrity smile you showed at the ceremony gone, Mr 9th star?"

The woman said, pressing her foot as he fixed her glasses and the bed hair she had since morning.