Chapter 25: Inside the Labyrinth (3)
"You'd better come out while I’m still talking nice. I might show restraint—but my gun doesn’t."
Gale swiftly drew his gun, taking aim as mana gathered at its barrel, gleaming with dangerous light.
"Ah—wait! Please! We don’t want to fight!"
Step, step.
Two figures emerged from the shadows.
One large, the other smaller.
"Haha! So we were spotted right away. You must be strong! Would you like to test your mettle against mine?!"
With bulging, rock-solid muscles rippling across his entire body, the man had dark skin and exotic clothing—clearly a member of a minority tribe within LAMPAS.
"Haa… Is your brain made of muscle, too? I just said to avoid causing trouble… Already thinking about a fight, you meathead?"
The boy who berated him had light brown hair and a youthful face, but carried a calm, intelligent air.
"You two are…"
Gale paused as recognition flickered in his eyes, though he kept the gun trained on them.
The smaller figure, Abito Yully, raised both hands.
"We really don’t want to fight. Will you hear me out?"
"Hmph? But I do want to fight."
"Timur! I told you to read the room when we’re with other people!"
"Mmm… I’m not sure what I did, but sorry."
The two began bickering immediately.
But even in their arguing, they seemed utterly familiar with each other—completely at ease.
“…Hey?” Gale muttered, bewildered at suddenly being treated like background furniture.
Still, he couldn’t sense any hostility from them—and let out a subtle breath of relief.
‘They both seem strong… If I’d fought them two-on-one, it would’ve been bad.’
Especially since he’d already used up so much mana—any unnecessary fight could be lethal.
!!
Just then—Gale’s head snapped to one side.
“Hide!”
His companions were sharp—sharp enough to understand his warning from just that single word.
They moved with quick, fluid coordination.
"Wh-Where are we?"
New examinees—plural—entered the underground chamber.
"Ah! Wh-What is that?!"
"Run!!"
"We have to get out of here…!"
They weren’t alone. The monster had followed them in.
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side.
Though they were all aspiring Hunters and rushed in with confidence in their strength…
"Wh-Why…?"
Their weapons, though well-forged and wielded with skill, passed straight through the monster’s body.
“Even with mana-imbued strikes… It barely takes any damage!”
“H-Haha… So this is how I die…”
One by one, they crumbled into panic and despair.
Rather than unite, they scattered—each trying to survive alone.
And so, predictably, every last one of them became a snack.
"……"
"……"
"……"
Silence fell over the three hidden observers.
The sheer helplessness of those deaths, and the grotesque presence of that creature—it left a heavy silence behind.
"This really is survival..."
Not the kind of survival Gale had pictured—gathering food, building shelter, surviving nature.
This was grim. Hopeless. Desperate.
"Three days without food might be doable—but not without water."
That’s where the risk lay.
Trying to stay nourished while fleeing from those monsters? You’d be eaten before you got a bite.
"Those things don’t have eyes—but their hearing must be enhanced tenfold. We’ll need to move very quietly from now on."
"…As expected. You're quite the observant one," said Abito Yully, finally speaking again.
He looked up at Gale with steady, respectful eyes.
"Would you consider forming an alliance with us?"
"…Huh?"
As if suddenly remembering, Abito smiled sheepishly.
"Ah, right! We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet, have we? Let’s do that! It’s only polite."
“…Hah.”
Gale blinked, momentarily speechless at how casually the boy suggested it.
"You’re proposing an alliance before even knowing my name?"
"Haha! If you tell me your name, I’ll tell you mine! So, what is it?"
"…Gale Garav."
Abito beamed at his response.
"I have a good memory."
Before Gale could even ask what he meant, Abito continued.
"From the moment I was in my mother’s womb until now, I’ve remembered everything I’ve ever seen, heard, or experienced."
"…Perfect recall?"
"Oh, you know what that is? Most people in LAMPAS don’t."
In a world where magic existed, purely cognitive talents like his weren’t widely recognized.
"The second exam was the interview round, right? That was the first time all examinees were gathered. Naturally, it stood to reason that those who advanced would compete again in rounds three and beyond. So I memorized every single person who was there!"
"…All of them?"
"Of course! Memorization is my specialty."
He raised his index finger and tapped his temple.
Even his relaxed gestures carried a quiet confidence.
"All 1,197 who passed Round Two. Names, gender, appearance, fighting styles, mana use… even minor quirks and personal history."
"……"
"I remember them all vividly. And you—Gale Garav—weren’t one of them."
Gale felt sweat trickle down his back.
He briefly considered denying it.
‘…But what’s the point?’
Trying to lie to someone this certain would just make it worse.
"So I was able to deduce the only possible explanation—there’s only one case where someone can skip the previous rounds and still enter the Hunter Exam."
Abito’s sharp gaze locked onto him.
"You’re the one, aren’t you? The examinee recommended by a Top-Class Hunter."
"…Haa."
Gale sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly troubled.
He thought to himself:
‘Rumors? About me? That shouldn’t be possible.’
There was no way that conniving brat would let gossip spread.
It bothered him—but there was no way to check, so he shelved the thought for now.
"So what? What does me being a recommended applicant have to do with you two?"
He gave a lopsided grin, shrugging it off.
Then, Timur finally spoke up.
"Unlike other examinees, we have no powerful backers. Timur and Abito. We’re both confident we’ll pass—our skills are strong."
"But after passing… that’s the issue. New Hunters without connections are usually sent to remote villages, doing dirty and dangerous work."
Abito picked up right where Timur left off—like a well-rehearsed duo.
Despite their differences in age, race, and background—they were perfectly in sync.
"So Hunters deal with the same crap too, huh? Figures."
Gale leaned his chin on his hand, smirking thoughtfully.
He didn’t show it on his face, but he was honestly impressed.
Not with the logic of the situation, but—
‘…Tch. That brat's reputation reaches here too?’
He almost laughed.
Had Elwin foreseen this as well?
Either way, the ever-practical Gale decided to play along.
"So that’s why you proposed an alliance? Hoping to use my recommendation as a bridge to reach the Top-Class Hunter?"
"If possible, yes. And since you got in with a recommendation, we figured both your ability and your character were vouched for. A win-win."
Abito smiled brightly. Gale returned a crooked grin.
"Haha! Are we being too blunt? Too transparent?"
"Nah, better than those holier-than-thou types who act all noble."
Their smiles mirrored each other—each hiding his own thoughts.
‘An alliance, huh. Not a bad idea.’
They were both strong contenders. Sharp minds, too—valuable in a place like this.
Of course, contrary to Abito’s assumptions, Gale and Elwin were just in a hired relationship.
‘I can’t exactly play the bridge they want—but that’s not my fault. They misunderstood on their own.’
So, he had no reason to feel guilty.
‘All in all, a pretty decent offer.’
Just as Gale was about to accept—
"Mind if I join too?"
"……!!"
A new voice cut in.
Or rather—not new at all.
"…You!"
To Gale, the voice was all too familiar.
They all turned toward it.
"Hello, darling."
Standing there like she’d always belonged, was Sercia Edelweiss.
"Did you miss me?"
The soft glow behind her back cast a mystical halo around her.
Abito and Timur immediately glanced at each other, tension rising. They were ready to strike if needed.
"Tch! You again?!"
But the brewing tension shattered as Gale blurted out his annoyance.
"…Tch? What kind of rude greeting is that? Did you study etiquette on your own?"
She smiled sweetly as she hurled the insult. Gale shot back without missing a beat.
"I’m an orphan."
"……."
Sercia went silent. Gale smirked in triumph.
Then, Abito lifted his head.
"You’re Sercia Edelweiss, top of the Rusram Academy magic department, right?"
Without hesitation, he recited her entire academic profile.
Sercia looked mildly annoyed.
"I know you too. The youngest participant—Abito Yully. So smart that you became the first person ever to graduate Rusram Academy in just one year."
"I’m honored to be remembered, milady."
He gave a courtly bow—and then, sharply added:
"But I can’t trust you."
"Because of my reputation? That I’ve betrayed allies?"
"That’s part of it, sure. But I value ability more than rumors. If you want into our alliance, you’ll have to prove yourself."
Sercia chuckled.
"…Again with the ‘prove yourself’ thing."
"Hm? If you don’t want to, that’s fine. In that case, please leave this chamber. Or… leave this life."
As Abito’s words fell, Timur placed a hand on the greatsword strapped to his back.
His slow, deliberate grip made the threat crystal clear.
But Sercia wasn’t intimidated. She stood tall, meeting their gaze head-on.
"Oh my~ who said I didn’t want to? Prove myself? Gladly."
“As if I couldn’t…” she muttered under her breath, eyes sparking with challenge.