...
The rest of the exploration went smoothly. With the mist cleared and the undead easily dispatched, it wasn't long before Hazuki and I reached the center of the labyrinth.
It was a large space, a circular chamber made of stone, with a faint bluish light emanating from the walls. The atmosphere smelled of humidity mixed with something ethereal, almost as if the mana itself was impregnated in the air.
There in the middle, instructor Kim Soohyuk was waiting, arms crossed and a neutral expression, but his eyes showed a slight interest.
"..."
His eyes lifted to the path we were leaving on.
"I think we're the first, Theo-kun."
Hazuki beside me saw that the space in front of us seemed empty, with only the instructor standing in front.
"Well, after the little problem with the darkness at the start, the rest was easy, wasn't it?"
"Yes, and your strengthening magic helped me a lot too, thanks to that I didn't even have to use my mana."
No, actually the only thing that was strengthened was the sword at your waist, the rest you did yourself. It was amazing how Hazuki underestimated her own ability.
That's what I was going to tell her, if the instructor hadn't spoken first.
"Team 10. You were the first to arrive, 11 minutes and 10 seconds. Pick a spot and wait for the other teams to arrive."
Instructor Kim Soohyuk's words were brief, but you could still see a slight hint of doubt in his eyes as he followed Hazuki and me. Perhaps he was beginning to realize that it wasn't just a coincidence that we came first again.
"Wow! We were first again, Theo-kun..."
"Yeah... But don't get too excited, it's always going to be like this from now on, so try to get used to it."
"Hahaha! There's no way I can do that..."
It was easy for me who was strong to say something like that, but for Hazuki who wasn't even in the top 100 in the overall Cube ranking, it was completely impossible.
But her happy expression was genuine. She really cared about these small victories.
"Okay, just watch your heart. If it gets too agitated every time, your life could shorten..."
She laughed softly, but seemed to really take my words into consideration.
After a short walk, we arrived near some rocks, sat down and started talking about our weekend.
Hazuki, who hadn't joined any clubs yet, had taken advantage of the two days to visit his family, who lived here in South Korea.
"What about you, Theo-kun? Did you also go to visit your family? You're American, aren't you?"
"I stayed at the Cube... The truth is that I don't have any family, she died when I was 11, and my other relatives, well, let's just say I've never been close enough to visit them."
Hazuki was silent for a moment. I could sense his hesitation, as if he was carefully choosing what to say.
"Ah... I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"No problem. It's been a long time."
I shrugged, trying to keep my tone light, after all, I'd already spent five years without them, and whether we like it or not, we'd got used to it. But even so, saying it out loud always brought a slight weight to my chest.
She looked at me sideways, as if she wanted to say something, but ended up just smiling a little awkwardly.
"You don't have to look so strange and feel guilty."
After all, you didn't know anything.
"Okay."
Before the conversation could continue, a sound echoed through the labyrinth.
Hurried footsteps and panting voices reached us.
"Finally! God, this place was hell!"
A team came running through the tunnel, some of the members covered in sweat and dust. They stopped as soon as they saw Kim Soohyuk, breathing heavily.
"Team 1, you arrived in... 19 minutes and 42 seconds."
Their expressions ranged from tiredness to frustration as they realized they weren't first. Some glanced in our direction, noticing our relaxed presence near the rocks.
The contrast was evident.
Even Suho, who was the team leader, also looked at Hazuki and me in surprise.
"Those two again?"
"How the hell did they get here so quickly...?"
I ignored the comments, but Hazuki smiled a little proudly, completely at odds with her withdrawn personality.
She liked to win, even if she wouldn't admit it. Her gaze sparkled slightly, a small spark of satisfaction reflected in her golden eyes, as she straightened her posture and took a deep breath, trying to contain her excitement.
Other familiar faces began to arrive alongside their teams.
Shin Jonghak, with a clearly annoyed expression on his face, his fists clenched as he glared at me and Kim Suho. He definitely didn't like arriving after us. His eyes sparkled with that usual proud competitiveness, but his frustration was evident.
Yoo Yeonha, on the other hand, had a small smile of satisfaction. Her eyes subtly assessed the space, noticing that her friend was absent.
For Yeonha, this meant a small victory, she had arrived before Chae Nayun's team.
Chae Nayun, sweaty and covered in dust, seemed to have fought harder than expected against the darkness and the traps along the way. Her gaze met mine for a moment, narrowing slightly, as if trying to calculate how quickly I could have arrived.
But then I noticed something different. His eyes shifted to Hazuki, analyzing her with a look that was hard to decipher.
Rachel, impeccable as ever, entered the chamber without even looking tired.
Her breathing was controlled, her movements firm and composed. Like a trained swordswoman, she avoided wasting energy, her precision always making her stand out among the cadets.
After almost an hour and 30 minutes, all the teams finally arrived. The atmosphere was full of murmurs, groans of fatigue and sighs of relief.
Kim Soohyuk watched everyone gather and, after checking each team's time, clapped his hands to attract attention. His gaze swept the crowd before he finally spoke.
"You've all done a good job. Get some rest and then we can come back."
With those words, some cadets practically collapsed on the floor, while others approached friends and acquaintances to chat and share their experiences.
It was no different for me.
My girlfriend, Chae Nayun, who had been talking to Yoo Yeonha, finally started to approach me. Her gait was a little stiff, her arms crossed in a defensive posture, and her gaze assessed my expression with a mixture of curiosity and something else...
Maybe jealousy? Or frustration?
She stopped in front of me, greeting Hazuki with a nod before turning her attention completely to me.
"You really need to tell me how the hell you got here so quickly..."
Nayun crossed her arms, feigning irritation, but there was an amused glint in her eyes. She tilted her head slightly, watching me closely, as if trying to get an answer out of my facial expression.
Does she really think I'm going to be intimidated by those half-lidded eyes?
I actually found her attempt to be intimidating quite cute and funny.
"Maybe my teammate and I just have really good synergy."
I replied with a wry smile, leaving the teasing implicit. Hazuki, next to me, blinked a few times before looking away shyly, as if she didn't know how to react to this answer.
Nayun snorted, clearly not satisfied. But instead of insisting, she raised her fist and punched me lightly on the shoulder before sitting down next to me and letting out a small grumble.
"Hmph. Come on, tell me, how did you get here so quickly?"
Hazuki just watched the interaction, a small smile playing on his lips after Nayun started talking about the traps she had encountered along the way.
Even with several problems, Nayun still managed to keep going and make it into the top five teams.
"You were amazing, Nayun-ssi!"
Hazuki's compliment was sincere, but it seemed to hit Nayun in an unexpected way.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"Hey! Don't ever call me that again... Just Nayun, you hear?"
Hazuki blinked, surprised by the sudden refusal.
For a moment, her golden eyes widened slightly, but then she shook her head quickly, agreeing to Nayun's demand.
"Of course! Nayun..."
It was interesting to see Nayun react this way. It wasn't as if she rejected anyone's formalities, but with Hazuki it seemed different.
Maybe she was just trying to establish closeness? Or maybe I've discovered something else...
...