"Run! The Mad Wizard’s Dungeon is coming after us!!"
"What are you talking abou—oh, no way. It’s true. That crazy professor has no sense of limits!!"
The screams of the students echoed through the air, marking the beginning of a frantic race to escape the impending doom. Even the lower-ranked students of the Academy were capable of using magic to enhance their speed, but the Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze was moving faster than any of them had anticipated.
Clack-clack-clack-clack!
Thud-thud.
"...How is a building this size moving so fast?!"
"It’s probably closer to walking illusion magic than a physical structure. I must say, I’m glad I never skipped my morning jogs."
"Sorry to interrupt your self-congratulation, but aren’t we obviously about to get caught? Is this really a fitting moment for praise?"
"If I hadn’t jogged, we would’ve been caught already. It’s common sense, Selvier. You shouldn’t ignore obvious truths just because of your negative mindset."
"...!!"
Selvier had a lot to say but bit her tongue. If she wasted her breath arguing, she’d fall behind, and if she fell behind, Baekseol would probably criticize her lack of emotional control.
Now wasn’t the time for bickering. They needed to figure out a way to deal with the Grand Maze before it caught up to them. One minute left before it overtook them... How could they escape?
"My brother... follows rules. He wouldn’t have created an unbeatable obstacle, so there has to be a weakness or some way to deal with it."
"...Did you just call that crazy professor your brother ?"
"I-I misspoke! Anyway, the most likely safe place is the Mansion of Glory . He emphasized a hundred times that it’s indestructible, so it must be for a reason."
"That hypothesis seems reasonable. In that case, we should offer a sacrifice."
"WHAT?!"
As Selvier prepared to dodge any debuff aimed at her, Baekseol, who had been observing the Crown battle, instead targeted a group of other students also fleeing from the Grand Maze .
" Ice Floor. "
Slip.
"AAAAAH—!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
A student, caught off guard by the sudden drop in surface friction, fell to the ground and was swiftly pulled into the maze by one of its long, grasping arms.
Baekseol calmly watched the scene unfold and remarked, "It seems even after consuming a victim, the maze’s speed doesn’t decrease. I thought my theory was quite plausible."
"...Aren’t you the least bit guilty about throwing someone to that thing?"
"I need to survive first, right? Awakening: The Tortoise Can’t Beat the Hare. "
Sssshhhh!
In Baekseol’s sight, the Grand Maze and all the students lagging behind her were captured in her wide-range slow spell.
"AAAAAH—!! I’ll curse you, Baekseol!!"
"I’ll end this myself! I’d rather die than get sucked into that thing! Waaaah—!"
"The slowdown effect on the maze is only about 10%... It doesn’t work well on larger entities. I need to buy more time."
"Are you a psychopath?"
Ignoring Selvier’s strange insult, Baekseol placed her index finger horizontally near her eye, using a variation of the ability she had employed against Bennett.
" Clock Restriction: Horizon. "
The main body of the shell-like Grand Maze slowed down while its legs continued at full speed. Baekseol calculated that the unbalanced motion would cause it to tip over.
However—
Whirr-clank-clank-clank!
The Grand Maze sprouted more legs, securing its body and accelerating. The professor’s intent was clear—no matter what tricks they tried, the maze’s speed would not slow down.
Meanwhile, Selvier was scanning the area. Reaching the Mansion of Glory was out of the question; the distance between them and the maze was shrinking fast.
But the maze’s overwhelming speed gave her hope.
If it was moving this fast, there had to be some kind of gimmick or safe zone hidden nearby. They wouldn’t design a game where slow runners were just doomed without any alternatives.
And then she saw it.
"There! That thing—it looks like a phone booth!"
"A phone what?"
"No, no... like a cabinet! It’s rectangular and big enough to fit a person. I swear it wasn’t there before!"
"Ah, so you think it’s a safe spot? What if it’s a trap?"
If it was just a random structure with no purpose, it would be like handing herself over to the maze on a silver platter. But Selvier was convinced it was the key to survival.
And—
"We’re going to get caught either way if we don’t use it!!"
In reality, there was no time to choose another option.
Clatter!
She opened the cabinet door to reveal an empty space inside, with a sign that read, "One-time Safe Zone." Selvier’s hunch had been right. The Grand Maze chase was designed to force players to use these safe zones to reach the mansion.
Selvier turned to Baekseol and said, "You use this one. I’ll find another—"
"There’s enough space for both of us."
"What? No, this is clearly a one-person—hey!"
Baekseol, without a second thought, pulled Selvier into the cabinet and shut the door with a loud bang .
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound and vibrations of the Grand Maze approaching grew louder. It was right outside. Selvier held her breath. In truth, she didn’t need to—there was barely any room to breathe anyway.
Right outside the cabinet, the maze’s grotesque legs skittered past...
Thud-thud-thud-thud...
And moved on.
They were safe. Selvier let out a sigh of relief and a half-grumble.
"...It’s cramped in here."
"But wasn’t it enough? You should work on your spatial awareness, Selvier. And maybe consider a diet while you’re at it."
"I’m not fat, okay?!"
"My body is perfect, so by process of elimination..."
Creak.
Selvier opened the cabinet door and stepped out, watching as the Grand Maze continued on its way toward the Mansion of Glory .
She studied its movements carefully, wondering if it would suddenly turn around. After a moment, she came to a conclusion.
"Judging from its path, this won’t be the last time it appears, will it?"
"Ultimately, we either have to concede or win to secure safety."
"A temporary alliance, then. We’ll make sure we have a secure safe zone or enough time to rest before settling our fight."
"Sounds good. I’m still recovering my magic."
Thus, the Selvier & Baekseol team was formed.
Meanwhile, Lady Baekryeom’s White Lotus Knights were attempting to capture the mansion.
"Alright, let’s begin the Mansion of Glory takeover. While the main force draws attention at the front door, the detachment unit will sneak in through the back. Their job is to unlock the windows."
"We’ll break through the front door before the detachment even gets a chance, my lady! Before the dust settles!"
"Detachment, ready."
The plan was simple. Attack from both sides. If the main force succeeded, they would charge in. If the detachment succeeded, they’d enter through the windows.
Since the mansion was indestructible and the entrance was narrow, the attacking side was at a severe disadvantage. If the infiltration team didn’t succeed, they’d likely suffer significant losses.
"For the Lady! Ready the lance charge!!"
"Ready!"
Clunk.
Three students stood shoulder-to-shoulder, extending long mounted lances in front of them. Noble students of the Academy, trained in traditional warfare, excelled in this kind of formation.
Their presence caused a stir among the students already occupying the mansion.
"They’re preparing for a charge!"
"Get the shields up! You go first!"
"Hey! You’ve got the highest shield score. You should block!"
Chaos quickly spread among the defenders.
The commoners, who had learned different skills and used different weapons, weren’t as coordinated as the nobles. As a result, their teamwork suffered.
"What are they bickering about?"
Lady Baekryeom’s ears perked up at her subordinate’s question.
"They’re arguing about who should hold the shield. They’re pushing it onto each other."
"Thank you for explaining, my lady! Haha, those commoners... It’s because they have nothing worth protecting that they act so disgracefully. Strike before they recover! Charge—!!"
"Long live the Lady!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Even though it was just three students charging, it sounded like a stampede of ten horses as dust billowed around them. The lance charge, usually requiring a mount, was being used by the nobles, whose speed exceeded that of horses themselves.
As Baekryeom watched the impressive charge, she quietly thought to herself, Could they stop shouting "my lady" so much?
Boom!
"AAAAAH!"
"The barricade’s broken! We need backup!"
"That guy’s running away—?!"
The front door was breached in one swift blow.
Baekryeom signaled to the infiltration team to stand down. There was no need for a diversionary tactic anymore. The team inside was clearly unskilled in both teamwork and combat.
"Try not to eliminate them. Let’s keep them alive for questioning."
"Yes, my lady! My lady offers you mercy! If you surrender now, we’ll treat you with respect, as the Empire’s laws demand!"
"No fun."
Luna, who had been looking forward to some stealthy action, appeared a bit disappointed.
Soon after, the main force stormed in and took control of the Mansion of Glory . Of the ten defenders, two were knocked out by the lance charge, and the remaining eight were captured.
Luna tied the captured students together and dusted off her hands.
"All done."
"Good work. Three of you guard the prisoners. Luna and my lieutenant will join me in searching the second floor. The rest of you, fortify the entrance and set up defenses."
"Yes, my lady!"
The White Lotus Knights moved as one, coordinated and efficient.
As Lady Baekryeom ascended to the second floor, she scanned the mansion’s interior, her eyes catching on certain details.
She still felt that nagging sense of unease, convinced that the crazy professor had prepared something more.
"...The ceiling’s decor is a bit tacky. And the chandelier is outdated."
"It does give off a bit of a nouveau riche vibe, my lady!"
"Here. Found something."
Luna had discovered a small screen hidden in a shadowy corner of the second floor. The screen displayed a peculiar message: [Occupancy Limit: 66].
The three of them huddled around the screen, trying to decipher its meaning.
"...What could this mean?"
"If we take it literally, it suggests that this mansion can protect us from something. Maybe it means we can’t be eliminated while inside?"
"The number is decreasing. 65, 64..."
"It’s not a countdown. The tempo of the drops is irregular, and now it’s stopped. There seems to be some condition, but we don’t have enough clues yet."
While they discussed, the number continued to drop, finally stopping at [Occupancy Limit: 61].
What could this mysterious number mean?
They soon found out, when a pale-faced member of their team burst onto the second floor, shaking with fear.
"Outside...! Outside! Look out the window!"
"Calm down! What on earth is—"
"The Mad Wizard’s Grand Maze is coming for the mansion!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Lady Baekryeom and Luna exchanged glances. This was it—this was the crazy professor’s twisted plan!
"So the occupancy limit must mean protection from the maze!"
"61 people can be safe. Even counting the prisoners, we only have 18."
"Exactly. There’s no need to worry. We have plenty of room for everyone. Let’s head downstairs and reassure the others."
Lady Baekryeom led her group back to the first floor, where about half the students were already panicking. According to Luna, the Grand Maze was made up of all the worst parts of the classes they’d suffered through.
Even the captured prisoners began to grovel on the floor.
"Please, my lady! Eliminate us from the game!"
"Forgive our greed in coveting your mansion!"
"...Calm down. Based on what we’ve confirmed upstairs, this mansion should be a safe zone. The limit is 61 people, so we’ll all survive!"
"The goddess is watching over us!"
And then.
Thud. Thud. Thud-thud-thud!
The Grand Maze approached the mansion, tilting and peering inside the windows, as if inspecting the interior.
Lady Baekryeom and the students sweated in tense silence.
It would be fine. The Mad Wizard never lied. If he created this safe zone, it would protect them... right?
Then.
Slrrrk-shlack!
From the entrance of the Grand Maze , a long arm shot out like a tongue and snatched up one of the White Lotus Knights stationed nearest the door.
"AAAAH! WHY?! WHY?!"
"AAAAAAHH!!"
"What’s happening?! Why isn’t it working?!"
The occupancy limit said 61 people would be protected...!
As Lady Baekryeom stared in shock, Luna calmly kicked the bound prisoners toward the mansion’s entrance. She didn’t know how long the "hunt" would last, but she believed there had to be an end to it.
"AAAAAAHH!!"
"Anything but the dungeon—!!"
The Grand Maze consumed five more prisoners before it finally stopped its feast.
Ooooooooh...
With an eerie groan, it turned and slowly lumbered away, heading back to its original position.
Inside the mansion, chaos reigned. The students were speechless, stunned by the sudden catastrophe. Despite all their efforts, they had still lost one of their own. Lady Baekryeom’s mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts.
"Why... Why didn’t the mansion protect everyone? Was it a trick? Did the professor lie?"
"...No."
"If not, then how do you explain this?"
Luna, staring at the mansion’s ornate floor tiles, suddenly looked up, realization dawning on her face. The Mad Wizard hadn’t suddenly gone mad. The gimmick wasn’t broken. The answer was much simpler than that.
"One of our team, and five prisoners—six people were taken. We exceeded the occupancy limit."
"But the limit was 61 people! Why... wait, could it be?"
They had searched every inch of the mansion and hadn’t found any signs of other occupants. They had assumed it was empty, except for their team and the prisoners. But...
"Yes. My guess is that there are still people in this mansion. A lot of them."
If some people were hiding inside the mansion using "special methods"... then.
When subtracting the number of people already captured from the original limit, that meant there were—
"Forty-nine students still hiding somewhere in this mansion...?!"
"...What do you think, Gordius? Should we leave?"
"No. We’ll stay hidden until Envers or someone else brings the Crown . Don’t make a sound."
Luna’s guess was correct.