The light faded, and the world changed.
A vast maze unfolded before them — walls of obsidian stone carved with glowing runes, air thick with mana, and a low rumble echoing through unseen corridors. Blue mist curled around the ground, carrying the faint scent of iron and danger. The Labyrinth Trial had begun.
Students blinked in confusion as the disorientation faded. Class D's group materialized together on a wide stone platform surrounded by three tunnels. Each tunnel shimmered with a faint colored glow — red, green, and blue — leading deeper into the unknown.
Ha-Yoon scanned their surroundings, blades drawn. "We're in sector seven," she muttered. "That means other classes will be close. We should move before someone else claims the area."
Shin nodded. His eyes flickered across the tunnels, reading the mana flow within each one — faint, pulsing currents that told him what kind of monsters waited beyond.
"Red tunnel leads to beast-types," he said quietly. "Green has plant constructs. Blue is mana-heavy — likely illusions or elementals."
His classmates turned toward him, surprised.
"How do you know that?" one asked.
He didn't answer. The truth — that he'd learned to read dungeon energy signatures in his previous life — wasn't something they'd understand. Instead, he simply said, "Trust me."
Ha-Yoon smirked. "Then we go red. Straightforward enemies mean straightforward kills."
"Agreed," Shin said.
They moved in formation — Ha-Yoon at the front with two other melee fighters, Shin and a support mage in the center, and archers in the rear. The deeper they went, the more the labyrinth seemed to shift. Walls twisted subtly when they weren't looking. Torches flickered blue, then green, casting eerie shadows across the floor.
Soon, the first beasts appeared — horned wolves with eyes glowing like coals. They came in pairs, fast and coordinated.
Ha-Yoon stepped forward. "Two on the left!"
Her blades flashed, slicing through the first wolf's throat. The second lunged, only to meet Shin's sword midair. His blade shimmered with compressed mana — the strike so precise it cleaved cleanly through bone.
The wolf's body hit the ground before it could even snarl.
The team froze for a second, staring at him.
"That wasn't a basic strike…" whispered the archer. "That was mana compression."
Ha-Yoon grinned. "Told you he was crazy."
Shin ignored the praise. "Keep moving. The beasts respawn every three minutes."
They pushed deeper, clearing chambers and marking their path with mana markers. Every battle tested them — and every time, Shin adapted faster. He learned how the labyrinth twisted, how its patterns looped like breathing lungs. He began mapping it in his head.
An hour later, their mana crystals glowed brighter — proof of points earned.
But peace never lasted long.
The wall ahead cracked, splitting open like a wound. A massive shadow burst through — a Horned Direwolf, twice the size of the others, its mane burning with red flame.
The team scattered.
"Boss monster!" someone yelled.
Ha-Yoon dashed left, trying to draw its attention. The creature lunged at her with blinding speed, claws ripping through stone. She dodged by inches, but the shockwave sent her tumbling across the ground.
Shin moved before he thought. "Cover her!"
He sprinted forward, the ring on his hand pulsing faintly. His mana circuits roared to life, coating his sword in a sharp blue aura. He ducked under a claw swipe, slashed upward — sparks exploded as steel met bone.
The beast roared in pain, flame flaring brighter.
"Now!" Shin shouted. "Target its left leg!"
His teammates responded instantly. Arrows flew. A lightning bolt struck the creature's side. The beast staggered, and Shin saw his chance.
He leapt, twisting midair, blade drawn back. "Pierce through!"
The mana around him compressed into a single point — the same technique he'd practiced in the chamber. He drove his sword down into the creature's skull.
A deafening crack echoed through the hall. The Direwolf convulsed, then collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Silence followed. Then, the labyrinth pulsed with light — the system acknowledging their victory.
+250 Points: Class D (Lee Shin – Leader Contribution: 61%)
Cheers erupted from his team. Ha-Yoon clapped him on the shoulder. "Remind me never to spar you again."
He gave a small, tired smile. "You did fine."
She grinned. "You mean amazing."
They laughed, breathless. But Shin's eyes had already turned serious again. He could feel something shifting — faint, wrong. The mana around them trembled, too unstable for a normal dungeon field.
"Stay alert," he warned. "The labyrinth's structure just changed."
Before anyone could respond, a sharp flare of light cut across the corridor ahead. Figures emerged from the mist — weapons drawn, uniforms marked with the crest of Class A.
At the front stood Jin-Woo, Shin's arrogant half-brother, smiling like a predator.
"Well, well," Jin-Woo said mockingly. "Look who crawled their way to the top of the maze."
Ha-Yoon muttered under her breath. "You've got to be kidding me."
Shin said nothing, stepping forward slightly. His hand rested lightly on his sword.
Jin-Woo tilted his head. "You've been making quite a name for yourself, little brother. Must feel nice — pretending you belong here."
His teammates chuckled darkly behind him.
Shin's gaze didn't waver. "Move."
"Or what?" Jin-Woo smirked. "You'll attack me in an official trial? Careful — you might lose those hard-earned points."
Shin stayed silent, but the air around him shifted — sharp, cold, focused. His mana flared just enough to make the torches flicker.
Ha-Yoon sensed it immediately. "Shin…" she murmured, warning in her tone.
But Jin-Woo just grinned wider. "You've always been the same — weak, quiet, pretending not to care. Maybe I'll remind you where you really belong."
Before Shin could move, the labyrinth trembled violently. Walls cracked. The floor split open. A surge of energy burst from below — something massive awakening beneath them.
Both Class A and Class D froze as a monstrous roar filled the maze.
Ha-Yoon's eyes widened. "That's not part of the trial!"
Shin's instincts screamed. He turned to his team. "Fall back, now!"
But the floor collapsed before they could.
Dust. Screams. The sound of shattering stone.
When the chaos cleared, Shin opened his eyes to darkness — separated from his team, trapped in the lower level of the labyrinth. The air was heavy, thick with mana.
And somewhere in the shadows, something ancient stirred.
He tightened his grip on his sword, steadying his breath.
"Fine," he muttered. "Then I'll climb my way out."
The labyrinth whispered around him — shifting, alive.
The real trial had only just begun.