Wasn't that complicated was it?

One by one, they approached the hole and descended into the depths of the maze, landing in front of the imposing door. Upon closer inspection, they noticed slots in the door, seemingly designed to hold something. The door stood as a silent sentinel, its purpose unknown, adding to the mystery of the glitch level.

"So now?" The question hung in the air, and all eyes turned to Hae-Yun. He pulled a face, clearly not appreciating the attention. "Why are you all looking at me? Look at the 'smart little guy' over there," Hae retorted, pointing at Mingyu and stepping away from the group. As he moved, he felt a familiar weight on his shoulder.

"Took your time to come, Estelle," he said, his gaze shifting to the fairy perched on his right shoulder. Estelle, with her long black hair framing her round, chubby face, was a sight to behold.

Adorned with radiant blue wings that shimmered with an ethereal glow, Estelle exuded an aura of enchantment. Her wings, delicate yet strong, were spread wide, ready to take flight into the mystical realms at a moment's notice.

Adding to Estelle's charm was a crown made of blue and white roses. The beautifully crafted crown sat gracefully on her head, adding a royal touch to her appearance. The roses in the crown mirrored the color of her wings, creating a harmonious blend of colors that was pleasing to the eye.

"You finally changed your outfit. The other one didn't suit you," Hae commented, his gaze shifting from Estelle to Mingyu. "You made a friend while I was gone," Estelle added a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Not one, two more," he replied, his voice barely audible over the sound of the desert wind.

"Hmm, smarter than you, I see. Finally, someone who can crush your head with a rock," Estelle teased, her voice filled with mirth. Meanwhile, Hae was focused on Mingyu, and everyone else was focused on him, watching him closely as he placed his hand onto the frame of the door. The door lit up, creating a somewhat portal. No one noticed the fairy talking to Hae.

Estelle cocked her head to one side, pulling a nasty face at Mingyu. "A cheat, huh?" she mumbled to herself before flying up to Hae-Yun's cheek and stretching it as far as she could. "It's even chubbier," she squealed before hugging his cheek like a bear. "Handsome as ever," she mumbled again.

"Let's go, you can walk through it now," Mingyu said before taking the first step through the portal. Everyone followed behind, but as Hae was about to step into it, a screen popped up in front of him.

Time: 1 second. Time finished. Level completed.

"Ugh, what now?" Hae shouted to himself in his mind. But Estelle began to laugh. "Hahaha," she put her hand on her stomach and wiggled her little legs. "Ha, you've had bad luck ever since you were little. Even the old man used to laugh," she said, her laughter filling the desert air. She stopped laughing as she felt a scary gaze look down on her.

"Want me to kill you now? Get me out of here, quick!" Hae commanded Estelle, his voice echoing in the vast desert.

"Get you out, you say? Hmm, that's going to be a bit hard. Glitch levels aren't that easy to escape," Estelle explained, her voice filled with amusement. She knew well how to escape the level but chose to keep it to herself. 'You idiot, remove the mana around you first. It's so obvious it's there, you can see it leaking out,' she thought, struggling to keep a straight face.

Meanwhile, back at the dome, everyone had returned safely. The teacher stood at the front, scanning the group to make sure no one was missing. Everyone seemed exhausted, their hands on their knees as if they had just completed a grueling race.

"Ugh, that was hard."

"It glitched too much today."

The chatter filled the air as everyone began to relax, taking advantage of the break. Mae-Noi, Annya, Yesil, Mingyu, Xiang, Yichein, and others sat in a small circle, sharing their experiences.

"You turned out to be smart," Haein complimented Mingyu, who was scrolling on his phone.

"I was so scared when he disappeared out of nowhere," Xiang admitted, her gaze fixed on Mingyu.

"So, you all are sharing dorms with Hae-Yun?" Mae asked the trio.

"Yeah, and we fought together in the dome on the first day. We didn't know each other, but we turned out to be good friends," Yichein replied. "I still remember pretending to be an old man. It was so funny."

Yesil scanned the area for Hae-Yun but couldn't spot him. "What are you looking at?" Annya asked, following Yesil's gaze.

"Hae-Yun. I don't see him anywhere, though," Yesil replied, her eyes still searching the crowd.

Back in the glitch level, Hae-Yun was having a conversation with Estelle. "I know you know. I can tell by your expression. I'm almost used to it now," Hae said, his voice filled with resignation.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, a chilling pain shot through his spine, causing him to crumple to the ground. The sudden intensity of the pain was overwhelming, leaving him breathless and disoriented on the cold, hard floor.