Chapter 24: Chapter 24 : What Thy Sow, Thy Reap
"I never would have thought that the little pup would be this… capable." Sam commented. The match had ended in a one-sided victory for Len, the clear underdog of the fight. The platform was slowly descending to the ground, as the other regulars had started whispering among themselves.
"I first met Len when I arrived on the seventh floor." Jinwoo revealed. "He was kicked out of his previous team for being, and I quote, 'useless'."
"Really? And what was that team made of? Rankers?" Sam asked mockingly.
"It was actually related to his position in the team." Jinwoo explained. "He was a spear bearer till that point. And even though he wanted to change his position for a long time, his team leader was rather stubborn and threatened to kick him out if he did so, which he ended up doing anyway when he found a better substitute."
"I wonder what they would be thinking right now, if they had seen his performance this round..." Sam chuckled, as he saw Len making his way towards them. "But let's be honest here, they deserve it."
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'Tch. That mutt ruined everything.'
While straining to keep a smile on his face, the blue-headed examiner was inwardly cursing Len for the stunt he pulled out during the exam. His nephew, who also happened to be taking part in the test, had specifically requested him to ensure that the team led by the mysterious regular 'Nocturne' was eliminated from the competition. And from the previous data that was gathered about him, the Lightbearer Len seemed to be the weakest link of his team.
The plan was flawless. Using his authority as a test administrator, he cooked up a test under the pretence of reducing the total number of teams and pitted Len against a dangerous regular while making sure his nephew would pass easily. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go entirely according to plan.
'Oh well…' He glanced at the team who were the source of his headache. 'Other opportunities should come by shortly...'
But that was when he felt it - A tremendous amount of pressure coming from behind him.
"My my, I suppose this is what happens when you hand out expensive toys to unruly kids."
'Oh no…' Reeves nervously turned around to look at the new person, already having deduced his identity from his voice. Seated on a pedestal floating in front of him was a man of average height, dressed in a dark coat with golden rims and arm strap designs, and a matching set of trousers and boots. His jet black hair was neatly combed with the bangs covering his left eye. A golden monocle covered his right purple eye, which threw a sharp and scrutinising gaze at the man in front of him
"Stop the test." He growled.
"B-but sir, it is already half-"
"NOW!" He shouted, gaining the attention of all the regulars present. The ones who were in the middle of the battle paused their duel to look at the commotion, a sentiment shared by the other regulars whose battles had already ended or were waiting for their turn. Sending a gaze across all the regulars who were present, the newly arrived person gave a content smirk before his eyes fell on the ranker in front of him once more.
"Now this is a surprise, Mr Reeves. First day on the job, and you are already hell bent on messing things up… I know Khun family members aren't really ones to bother about rules, but really? Did you really think I wouldn't know if you tampered with the brackets of the test?" He questioned him, not even bothering to hide his anger.
"W-well, Sir Armaas. There must have been some sort of mista-"
"DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?!" Without even giving him time to complete, Armaas made a gesture with his fingers as Reeves began to gasp for air, clutching his throat. "This. Is. A. Test. Organised. By. The. Workshop. Not some floor test for you to freely mess around with the rules!" The force Reeves felt around his throat tightened, as he was brought down to his knees.
"Even King Zahard's army doesn't dare to make an enemy out of our organisation." Armaas snapped his fingers as Reeves was pulled towards him till he was only inches away from his face. "And here you are, an unknown character from an insignificant branch of the Khun family, taking matters into his own hands and making a mockery out of us. We only recruited you because of your experience as an examiner in the floor tests. Looks like it was a mistake…"
Armaas snapped his fingers once more as Reeves was released from the hold, falling on the ground, gasping for air.
"I can't be bothered to deal with the likes of you." Armaas muttered. Almost instantly, two people dressed in what looked like space suits appeared beside him. "Take him away. And make sure his branch leader 'knows' that I am very much displeased with his actions." With a curt nod, the two figures moved towards the culprit and grabbed him by each arm. Reeves himself didn't bother to struggle, as the crestfallen expression on his face made it evidently clear. A beam of light fell on the trio from up above, as they vanished from their spot leaving behind only Armaas and the regulars who were confused by this sudden turn of event.
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"Well, looks like your plan failed spectacularly, Zeiros." A feminine voice called out to the blue head, who was still staring at the place from where Reeves had disappeared. "He wasn't discrete enough."
Zeiros turned around to look at his companion, while keeping an impassive expression. The woman in front of him was one of the two regulars he had hired in order to take this test. She was dressed in hooded black garbs, complete with a half-mask, revealing only her eyes. She identified herself as Helga - A name he was sure to be an alias. At the same time, there was no questioning her competence and fame as a scout in the thirteenth floor- The only reason he decided to recruit her in the first place. So he didn't bother prying any further for information.
"That useless uncle of mine…" Zeiros shook his head. "He was too hasty."
'Says the one who asked him to do so.' She mentally sighed. "So, what are you going to do next? Please don't tell me you are going to go after those three again… " She enquired.
"Do you think I am a fool?" Zeiros chuckled. "It's a pity, but now that we lost the advantage in dealing with them, I don't have any plans on pursuing the matter. That would be suicidal. And as for what next…" He took a glance at Armaas. "We'll have to wait and see. And where did the big guy wander off to?"
"You mean Ryong? He is…" Helga pointed to the side, only to find the person in question - Their teammate - missing. "Well, he was there. At least until a minute ago."
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'Hmm?'
Jinwoo was in the middle of a conversation with his teammates when he sensed it - Someone was observing him. And rather intently at that. Turning around, he found the culprit standing a few feet away from him, and it wasn't anyone he had ever met before.
The person in question wore a mask - A white mask with red markings around its eyes, and was dressed in what appeared to be black traditional eastern clothing with golden outlines, similar to those worn by old Murim martial artists. The person was also quite tall, almost a head taller than Jinwoo, and had long, flowing dark brown hair which was let loose freely.
"..."
"... Can I help you?" Jinwoo asked after a short while, upon receiving no response from the other party.
"... Looks like I was mistaken. My apologies, if I caused you any inconvenience." He gave a polite bow. "My name is Ryong. May we meet again if fate permits."
And without even waiting for a reply, he turned around and left, leaving behind a confused Jinwoo.
'Okay. That wasn't weird at all…'
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"Sorry for the long wait, Regulars!" Armaas announced with a wide smile, his attitude taking a complete turnaround. "Although this was not planned, I will personally oversee the rest of this test myself. My name is Armaas, and I am a Teacher from the Workshop. After a bit of discussion, we have decided to scrap off the remaining preliminary rounds and give all of you a free pass to the main test."
Cheers erupted from the crowd of regulars upon hearing this. Armaas kept a polite smile on his face, as if he already expected this kind of reaction from the ground. He patiently waited for the echoes to calm down, before he continued.
"Now then, I will explain to you the rules of 'The Great Labyrinth'." He flicked his fingers as a huge screen popped up showing an outline of the test arena.
"Firstly, each member of the team will enter one of the three towers that are standing before you." The image on the screen changed to show the three golden pyramids that they saw earlier. "From there onwards,you will be teleported to different points in the outskirts of the actual Labyrinth which, as many of you may have already assumed, is deep underground."
"Does that mean we won't be entering the Labyrinth as a team?" One regular raised a question.
"Indeed." Armaas confirmed. "But don't worry too much. You will be able to meet with your companions once you are inside. Of course, that'll depend on your luck and your capabilities… But that's a different matter."
"Now, the Labyrinth itself is divided into four sections. The larger, central portion of it links with the three remaining outer sections. You can think of it as three separate rooms connected to a common central area. Within the Labyrinth you will face different obstacles ranging from traps to golems. You can either choose to avoid them, or face them head on. Personally, I would advise you to avoid them so as to save valuable time. But ultimately, it's your call."
"To win this test, the condition is rather simple - All you have to do is to reach the hall in the centre of the Labyrinth within the span of seven days. The order in which you reach the centre is irrelevant. So is the amount of teams that'll reach the centre."
"What?!" Pretty much all the regulars shouted in unison.
"That's right." Armaas gave a smirk. "You are free to team up with others or hinder them, as you wish. But regardless, a team will be considered to have won only if all three members have set foot in the hall. If even one member fails to do so within the time limit, that entire team will be considered to have failed. Another thing to notice is that the communication feature of your pockets will be disabled once you are inside the Labyrinth. So you will be forced to choose at some point - Between waiting for a comrade or accepting help from a stranger."
"You will each now enter your designated tower, as displayed in this list." At once, the screen changed to display the list of all the regulars, and the tower they were assigned to.
"Len, Sam." Jinwoo nudged his teammates. "Take these with you." He handed them both two bottles of some red liquid.
"What's this for?" Sam enquired, carefully inspecting the contents of the bottle.
"Ooh, it's the HP Potions! " It was Len who answered his question. "Boss gave me these a long time ago. They can instantly heal any physical injury."
"... So these are actually called 'HP Potions'?" Sam stared at Jinwoo quizzically.
"You can simply call them healing potions." Jinwoo answered with a sigh. "Len calls them HP Potions because that's how it's in video games."
'My entire life is a video game now, but let's not mention that.' He kept that part to himself.
"A swordsman, an archer and now a doctor." Sam chuckled. "What are you going to show me next? Necromancy?"
"Just make sure you don't die during the tests or anything." Ignoring his teammate's quirky behaviour, Jinwoo said. "Good luck, you two."
"Sure thing" Sam nodded.
"Stay safe boss." Len chimed in.
And with those parting words the three of them moved towards their designated tower, unaware of the trials that awaited beneath them.
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(A/N: The five ranks within the Workshop are - Great Father, Father, Great Teacher, Teacher, Disciple. Despite being lower in the hierarchy, a Teacher's influence is great enough to get respect from Rulers of the floor.)
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