"Oh! Hey, Ivana!"
"O-oh, hey, Raphael…" she replied, slightly startled by his sudden appearance. Her body tensed for a moment before she relaxed, recognizing his familiar grin.
"You ready for the challenge?" he asked with enthusiasm, flashing a confident smile. "Don't worry, I'll protect you! Just stay close to me!"
"O-okay… I will," Ivana murmured, glancing nervously between Raphael and the others nearby.
Maybe I should just keep Mister Kret and Raphael close together, she thought, anxiety twisting in her chest. That way, I won't be alone if something bad happens…
Suddenly, a deep, distorted voice echoed from above, silencing the murmuring crowd. Then, with a mechanical hum, four large doors materialized in the center of the area.
> "Welcome to the second game: The Maze of Reflection.
Your starting point will be determined by the door you choose.
Inside, you will navigate a twisting maze, searching for locked chests.
These chests contain hints that may help you survive… or lead you deeper into confusion.
The exit lies at the very center.
But be warned: a monster roams the corridors.
It is blind, but extremely sensitive to sound.
If it hears you… well, I'm sure you can guess the rest.
Oh, and I almost forgot—there will be waves of chaos. What kind of chaos? That's for you to discover."
The voice cut off as suddenly as it had begun, leaving behind a heavy silence. A wave of tension swept through the contestants.
"What the hell? A monster?" someone muttered in disbelief.
"It's just one monster," another scoffed. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
"In my world, monster hunting was a regular job," said a man clad in a dark, stealthy outfit resembling a modernized ninja. His voice was calm, almost bored. "It's blind—just don't make noise."
Nearby, Emery turned to Art. "You want to go in now?"
"Sure," Art replied casually. Just as they moved toward the fourth door, a group approached—Kret, Ivana, Han, and Raphael.
"Hey, Art! Want to come with us?" Kret asked with a grin. "The more, the merrier… plus, extra bodies mean better defense, right?"
Art's expression remained neutral, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere. A bigger group… more meat shields.
He gave a faint nod. "Sure. Lead the way. I'll follow."
Kret smiled and confidently chose the third door. One by one, the group stepped inside, vanishing into the darkness of the maze.
As Art and the others stepped through the third door, they were immediately struck by their surroundings.
A maze—silent, towering, and surreal.
The walls were made entirely of thick glass, clear enough to see through to the other corridors and paths beyond. Light reflected off the smooth surfaces, casting eerie shadows and making it difficult to distinguish one direction from another.
"Whoa," Kret said, eyes wide. He pressed his palm against the wall. "The walls and even the ceiling… they're actually made of glass. It feels pretty solid too."
Art scanned the area with a sharp gaze. "The voice said there's a monster roaming around. Since we can see through the glass, that means it can probably see us too. Or at least, hear us. Stay alert."
"Ah, yeah… so should we get moving?" Raphael asked, gripping the strap of his bag tightly. Everyone gave a quiet nod and began walking cautiously.
As their footsteps echoed lightly across the polished floor, a strange stillness settled over them. The deeper they went, the heavier the silence became.
"…Hey," Emery muttered, glancing around, "don't you think it's too quiet?"
"Yeah," Art responded, his voice low and tense. "Too quiet."
"It's unsettling…" Han added, his brow furrowing.
As they turned a corner, they spotted a group on the other side of the glass, sprinting in panic. The group looked desperate, bumping into each other as they searched for an escape.
"What's going on with them…?" Emery asked, narrowing his eyes.
"They're running from something," Ivana said, her voice trembling.
"But… I don't see any monster through the glass," Raphael said, eyes darting across the path ahead.
"What if…" Han hesitated. "…what if the monster's invisible?"
"It might be," Art said grimly. His tone made the others pause.
Kret turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"The voice may not have told us everything. Remember, it mentioned chests hidden in the maze to give us clues about the exit—but that might not be their only purpose."
"But that's all it said…" Han replied.
"Don't be naive," Raphael said, arms crossed. "There's probably a lot more to this than we've been told."
Just as they were about to continue discussing, they were startled by a loud thump.
A man on the other side of the glass slammed into it violently—his face drenched in blood, eyes wide with terror. He kept slamming his body against the glass, leaving smears of red across the smooth surface.
"What the hell?!" Han shouted, stepping back.
"Holy shit…" Art's eyes widened, watching the man's movements closely.
"We can't hear him!" Emery said in disbelief, pounding the glass with his fist.
"I-I think the walls are soundproof…" Ivana stammered. "They're too thick…"
The group stood frozen, staring at the man as he screamed silently, fists banging against the glass—pleading, warning, or both. But they could do nothing.
They were trapped in a maze of silence and glass… and something was hunting them all.
The man on the other side of the glass continued to slam his face against the wall with sickening force. Blood smeared down the surface, his expression a twisted mask of pain and desperation.
Then, slowly, shakily, he lifted his trembling arm. His fingers, dripping red, pressed against the glass.
"He's writing something!" Han shouted, eyes wide with panic.
The man dragged his finger slowly, spelling out a single word in crimson letters:
HELP
The word dripped, distorted by the streaks of blood already smearing the glass.
"U-uh… should we go?" Raphael asked, his voice unsteady, glancing between the others.
"B-but what about that guy?!" Ivana stammered, visibly shaken. "We have to—"
"Ignore it!" Han snapped. "We don't even know how to reach him! There's no path to his corridor from here!"
Reluctantly, the group tore their eyes away from the glass and continued forward, the image of the bleeding man burned into their minds. They ran through the maze, tension thick in the air, every footstep echoing like a warning.
"Shit—dead end!" Kret shouted, skidding to a stop in front of a solid glass wall.
"Back! We go back!" Art ordered.
They quickly turned and sprinted down the right-hand path instead. The corridor curved, revealing something at the end—a wooden chest tucked into a corner.
"It's a chest!" Emery shouted.
"Open it—now!" Art commanded.
Without hesitation, Kret drew his sword and struck the metal lock with a sharp clang. It snapped off cleanly. He threw the lid open.
Inside was a single, folded piece of paper.
Kret grabbed it and unfolded it quickly. The group huddled around as he read aloud