"Cough!"
Victor coughed violently but said nothing.
Lucien clicked his tongue, frustration creeping in as the situation grew more dire.
"There's another heartbeat besides the two of them..." he thought, running through several possibilities in his mind, trying to figure out who—or what—was lurking in the darkness.
"Tch, Elara Moonveil will probably beat me senseless if He interferes."
Carefully, he scanned the surroundings again, letting the whispers echo in his ears, their presence growing sharper with each passing second. He focused on a single point—something he was certain was the Phantom Eye holding Elara captive.
His hand reached down to the pocket strapped to his thigh, fingers wrapping around the cold handle of a dagger. With a swift motion, he drew it out and began moving, navigating through the suffocating darkness.
Relying solely on hearing wasn't easy. If he hadn't trained for this before, this situation would have been a death trap. Fortunately, Aldric had forced him into blind combat exercises during training. Those sessions had conditioned Lucien, allowing him to adapt quickly to his current predicament.
But another problem arose—his mana was running dangerously low.
His body was still drained from the relentless mana absorption. If he kept pushing himself without a solid plan, everything would be for nothing.
"I only have one shot..."
He took a deep breath, steadying his mind. If his strike landed, he could save Elara without relying on outside help. But if he missed…
There would be no choice but to let the third party intervene.
Lucien clenched his teeth. That was the worst-case scenario.
If the academy's observers had to step in, their group would be immediately disqualified from the exam. That meant their ranking would plummet straight to the bottom.
Sharpening his hearing even further, he allowed the whispers to fill his ears.
Whisper...
Whisper...
Whisper...
He counted—eight Phantom Eyes still remained after the three he had already taken down.
Thud!
His heartbeat pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to stay focused. He had to align the sound of the whispers with the weakening rhythm of Elara's pulse. Then, without hesitation—
Swing!
Lucien hurled his dagger with pinpoint precision.
Whisper! Gwaakk!
One of the Phantom Eyes let out a screech as it collapsed. But the moment Lucien processed what had happened, he realized something was off.
He listened again.
Elara's heartbeat hadn't stabilized.
It was still slowing down.
"Wrong target..." he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.
Elara was on the brink now. If he didn't act fast, it would be too late.
"Stay calm..."
Lucien took a slow breath, forcing himself to keep a clear mind. He couldn't afford to rush.
His mana was nearly depleted. Every move had to be executed with absolute efficiency.
Thud!
A second heartbeat suddenly echoed in his ears.
Not his.
Not Elara's.
And not Victor's.
The realization struck Lucien like lightning.
Someone else was here.
He halted all movement instantly, standing completely still. Listening.
Thud… Thud…
A faint breath. Barely audible.
Under normal circumstances, no human would be able to detect such a sound. But with his mana-enhanced senses, Lucien caught it clearly.
"They have a mystical weapon..."
"A bow."
There was no doubt about it.
"They're aiming it..."
His focus zeroed in on that movement. He no longer cared about anything else in the room. Only the hidden figure's actions mattered now.
He sensed the shift in the air.
Felt the moment the arrow was drawn back.
Lucien planned to detect the direction of the third party's attack, which would obviously be directed at the Phantom Eye that trapped Elara. However, Lucien knew that this third party was an envoy from the academy to ensure the safety of the students.
And just before they could release it—
Swing!
Lucien threw his dagger with the last ounce of strength he had.
Whisper! Grawkk!
The Phantom Eye shrieked as it was struck, its body crumpling to the ground.
At the same time, Elara, who had been ensnared in the Spirit's grasp, collapsed onto the floor—free at last.
Lucien didn't move. He just listened.
That mysterious heartbeat…
Disappeared.
The unknown figure had aborted their attack.
Victor, now more aware of what was happening, grabbed his greatsword from the floor. Following Lucien's earlier instructions, he focused his mana on sharpening his hearing.
Without wasting time, he began cutting down the remaining Phantom Eyes, one by one.
Meanwhile, Lucien slowly released the mana enhancing his senses. As soon as he did, exhaustion hit him like a crashing wave. His legs gave out, and he let himself sink to the floor, finally allowing his eyes to open.
His breath was ragged. But this time, relief washed over him.
With great effort, Victor finally managed to take down the remaining Phantom Eye.
On the other side of the room, Elara was still lying on the floor. Her vision was blurry, but her mind was beginning to clear.
"I'm still alive..."
She didn't move right away.
Even though her mana capacity was greater than both Lucien and Victor, the amount of energy drained from her was also significantly higher. Her body had yet to fully recover from the effects of the Phantom Eye.
Earlier, she had thought this was the end. The chaotic and unexpected situation had made her panic, causing her to lose her composure.
But now… she was still here.
Victor, after confirming that all the Phantom Eyes had been defeated, drove his greatsword into the floor, using it as support to keep himself upright despite his exhaustion.
In less than five minutes, the situation had taken a drastic turn. From the confidence of their previous achievements, they had almost lost everything.
"Lady Moonveil, are you alright?" Victor asked.
Elara didn't answer right away.
She was aware, but she chose to remain silent, letting her mind process everything that had just happened.
On the other hand, Lucien closed his eyes once more. He needed a moment to recover, even just a little.
"... We still have to find a way out of here."
"What if other Spirits are drawn to the noise from this battle?"
But in the end, he shook his head and let out a small smile.
"Whatever... I've done everything I could. If another Spirit shows up and the academy has to step in… so be it. I don't care anymore."
Lucien took a deep breath.
Despite everything...
This was what he had been looking for since entering the academy.
Challenges.
Trials.
A reason to keep moving forward.
It was surprising to him that he could remain calm while facing a Spirit head-on. Previously, he had always assumed he wasn't ready to confront such entities, especially because of his dark past—one that was deeply tied to one of them. It wasn't just an ordinary fear—it was a trauma that had haunted him since childhood.
And yet, against his own expectations, he had managed to overcome it.
"That's probably not the real issue…" He reflected. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became that the reason his anxiety had disappeared wasn't because he had conquered his trauma, but because the situation had forced him to act. The urgency of the moment left him with no choice but to move.
Elara's reckless actions during their first encounter with the Spirit had forced him to react instinctively, without the time to dwell on his fears. That, in turn, had pushed him forward, making him more prepared for the next encounter.
After a long silence, Lucien finally spoke in a tired voice, as if all his energy had been drained.
"Does anyone still have enough strength left to carry me?"
—
Elsewhere, inside the academy's monitoring room, several executives were discussing matters with the Headmaster, Vulcan.
"Headmaster, eight out of ten teams that encountered the Phantom Eye have been disqualified," one of the executives reported with a serious expression.
Vulcan didn't respond right away. His focus remained on the massive screen before him, watching every movement within the labyrinth examination. Occasionally, he adjusted his monocle or toyed with his distinctive mustache.
Another executive added, "The Phantom Eye's sudden attacks are still too difficult for new students to handle. I believe we should prevent them from encountering those creatures for the time being."
However, Vulcan shook his head casually. "No need. Leave things as they are."
Several executives exchanged glances, clearly dissatisfied with his response.
From behind, a silver-haired man with a thick beard—Aldric—spoke up. "I agree with them. This is only an initial ranking exam, and the students haven't received proper training on how to deal with Spirits like the Phantom Eye."
"Oh, come on, don't underestimate them." Vulcan smirked. "Two groups managed to fight back. Besides, Phantom Eyes only appear at a certain depth on the second floor. The students should already understand the risks if they deliberately venture deeper."
Aldric sighed and shook his head. "But one of those two groups has a member at the level of an Adept Blacksmith."
"That doesn't change the fact that there's proof students can fight against the Phantom Eye," Vulcan replied nonchalantly. "And Elara Moonveil's group, along with your adopted son, survived despite not having someone as strong as Kael Draven in their team."
Aldric fell silent, shifting his gaze to the screen displaying Elara and her team. The three of them looked utterly exhausted, barely able to move.
"Look at them…" Aldric muttered, his expression darkening. "I'm not even sure they can continue this exam."
But he chose not to argue further. He knew that Vulcan always had solid reasoning behind his decisions, even if they were often difficult to grasp.
Despite his eccentric nature, there was no denying that Vulcan understood the academy better than anyone. Over the past two years, he had elevated its status to rival military institutions while still maintaining its role as an educational establishment. Recruiting Master Blacksmiths as instructors, securing partnerships with noble families, even establishing connections with the royal family—all of it had been accomplished in a remarkably short time, thanks to Vulcan's efforts.
Even if Aldric didn't always agree, he respected Vulcan's decisions.
—
It was unclear how much time had passed, but Lucien, Elara, and Victor still hadn't moved from their spot.
Lucien lay on the floor, staring blankly at the dimly lit cavern ceiling, allowing his body to relax after the grueling battle. Meanwhile, Elara lay on her side, facing the corpse of the Spectral Wraith they had defeated. Her vision was gradually refocusing, but she remained silent, unwilling to move. On the other hand, Victor leaned against his greatsword, which was still embedded in the ground.
Two or three hours passed in silence.
Lucien slowly opened his eyes.
"I thought we'd have to wake you up," Victor's voice rang out, accompanied by the heavy sound of his footsteps. By now, he had gathered all the Spirit Cores from the fallen Phantom Eyes.
Elara was now sitting up, her back turned to the Spectral Wraith's corpse. She glanced briefly at Lucien before looking away.
"My mana hasn't fully recovered yet…" Lucien thought. "Maybe around twenty percent at most."
He didn't know how long they had been unconscious or resting, but one thing was certain—they were lucky. No other Spirits had approached them during that time.
"So..." Lucien sighed and forced himself to sit up despite the heaviness in his limbs.
"We need to find a way out now," Victor said firmly.
Lucien turned toward Elara, waiting for her response.
Elara glanced at him briefly before asking, "How many Spirit Cores do we have in total?"
Victor, still holding the pouch filled with Spirit Cores, stroked his chin for a moment before answering, "Nineteen in total. Four times the amount needed to pass the exam."
Elara seemed lost in thought, her decision still unclear.
There were only two choices ahead—return and find a way out, or venture deeper into the labyrinth to hunt for more Spirit Cores.
Lucien, understanding her hesitation, let out a quiet sigh. "It's only the first day," he said. "We should head back first. At the same time, we can map out the paths we've already traveled. That way, when we come back tomorrow, we won't get lost as easily."
Elara stared at him in silence. Her expression was difficult to read, but Lucien had a feeling it wasn't anything good.
However, after a few seconds, Elara finally nodded. "Alright, let's head back."
Lucien was slightly surprised. He had fully expected her to reject his suggestion.
"Alright, it's decided," Victor said.
Now, they only had one task—finding the right path back.
They needed to return to the location where the trap had first been triggered, then look for an alternate route from there. Their other option was to find the trap's mechanism and deactivate it. If they could do that, then the map's navigation would work again, making their journey out of the labyrinth much easier.
That was the plan.
And now, they could only hope everything would go as expected.