Reader Mage 46-Labyrinth Of Knights

Standing before the Simulation Room’s door, rlin was not exactly sure how to feel. He was nervous, that much he’d confird, unable to look at neither his roommates’ nor sister’s way. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was really going to do good.

Another sigh escaped his lips for like the umpteenth ti.

“Chin up,” Kim Minji said from his side. Her mouth was quivering, but her facade of being composed was expertly done. “We’ll be fine. Let’s just do our best.”

I hope so… rlin wanted to say, but he’d been called a killjoy enough by Hakyun already. He smiled instead.

“Sure,” he replied simply. Kim Minji nodded with a smile of hers. She really was a sweet person, wasn’t she?

Well, enough of that. He inhaled deeply and exhaled. He needed to compose himself.

Professor Jung fiddled with her smartwatch for a few seconds more, then she cleared her throat, and, finally… “Begin!” she voiced.

rlin swallowed dryly, his fists clenched as he watched the white door slide open, its glowing blue edges even brighter than they had seed from where he was still seated a minute back.

When it opened fully, all he could see was an empty space within, black like a void. He had to step into that, he thought, expectant of how the whole experience would feel.

Kim Minji moved, and he put his thoughts away. He walked in.

Surprisingly, there was no erratic spin or any of the sort. It was simply like he had gone from his sitting room into his bedroom. What disoriented him, though, was that the void-like space he had seen just a second ago was nowhere to be found. He had not blinked, but he had not even noticed his scenery change. It baffled him so much that he could not stop his lips from pushing to the side slightly.

Crazy…

They had stepped into what seed to be an ancient stone chamber, lit dimly by blue flas in a few sconces mounted from the walls. Three separate paths branched out from the center of the room, where a ceramic altar stood, a sword laying on top of it. And, just beyond it, set into the alcoves of the far wall were five stone knights, each with their hands clasped tightly around the hilt of their own swords driven into the ground. Unlike the one on the altar, though, which seed to be quite real, theirs was made of stone just like them.

The whole place carried an eerie chill that crept under rlin’s skin, sending shivers down his spine. And, as he’d thought…

I really didn’t end up in a Dungeon I rember from Singularity Mage this ti…

However… He clenched his fists. That was not an excuse. He was going to give it his all.

Kim Minji, on the other hand, looked pale.

rlin sighed, recalling that she was a rather ek individual. If he left her that way, getting out before the ti limit would prove difficult.

“Hey,” he called out. Kim Minji turned to him. “Mind if I speak to you casually?” The girl nodded rapidly, her hands holding each other and pressed close to her face. “Alright. I understand. You’re scared. I’m scared too. But it’s just a simulation. No matter what happens here, it won’t affect us once the test ends. So let’s just do our best, okay?”

Kim Minji looked away for a mont and heaved out an exhale. She loosened the tension plaguing her body and nodded.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was just…”

“No need to explain. I get you.” rlin smiled. “On the other hand, we have to figure out how to escape. I counted while the others took their tests, and we’ve got about two to three minutes to discuss before the Dungeon starts reacting to our presence. We should use it wisely.”

“I understand,” Kim Minji replied.

“Good. One minute has passed already. Now, to the more important thing. Do you know how others escaped?” Kim Minji shook her head. rlin licked his lips and approached her. “I’ll whisper it to you.”

This was the only way he could figure out where the mana concentration was the highest in the Dungeon. He could only hope that Kim Minji was just clueless on what was being done, not how it was being done. Otherwise, they were screwed.

“Wait! Really?!” Kim Minji exclaid, her eyes widening. rlin nodded. She chuckled as though disappointed in herself. “I didn’t realize it was sothing as simple as that.”

rlin’s head jerked back slightly as a beam of hope hit his heart. Those words ant she could do it, right?

“Yeah,” he continued. “So of us are better in practicals than theory, so don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Kim Minji nodded. “I’ll search for the exit then.”

rlin sighed. She had even offered to do it herself. He couldn't be more happy about the turn of events. It seed all would go well. Once she found the exit, then they would proceed towards it before the Dungeon woke.

He was still relishing in his relief, hands on his waist, when a chanical beep—the sound of a notification—flashed through his head. rlin frowned. He knew he was not with his phone, so he instantly realized that the notification was from the System. The problem was he had grown wary of the System’s unexpected beeps.

There was no way the thing would toy with him like it had done during the exam, right?

System… rlin called inwardly, and it appeared, bearing its ssages.

[Alert!: Conditions for creating a Red Quest has been t]

[Dungeon Na: Labyrinth of Knights]

[Dungeon Category: D-Rank]

[Red Quest received: Escape from the labyrinth]

[Clear Conditions: Escape before the countdown ends]

[Ti Limit: 31:40]

[Reward: Loot Box]

[Penalty for failure: ???]

At that mont, Kim Minji yelped, startling him. His attention snapped to her.

“What’s it?” he asked, concern in his voice.

Kim Minji had paled again, and in her cerulean eyes was a certain fear that rlin could only attribute to soone who thought there was no hope for them. She clutched her hands once again.

“Everywhere,” she said. “It’s everywhere.”

Everywhere?

rlin was so confused. But only for a mont. After all, there was only one thing she could be giving him an answer to, and in such a cryptic way.

The mana sensing had gone wrong?Did she not know how to sense it? No. It was not that. She sensed mana, it was just everywhere.

Why would it be everywhere, though? rlin’s brows pulled in. A second later, he ca to a conclusion.

His gaze flashed towards the statues of knights and how still they were.

Labyrinth of Knights… rlin’s heart tumbled.

He should have known. A Quest in this situation? There was no way it was anything good. He did not have much of an idea on how the System functioned with Quests, because it had not been present in Singularity Mage. But it seed it was anything but friendly. The Quests would never be easy. The System would tamper with whatever to make sure it was dangerous.

rlin bit his lower lip as he glanced at his smartwatch. There were only a few seconds left till the assessnt began. Should he notify Professor Jung that sothing had gone wrong? But what would he say?

Honestly, if it was left to him, he was fine taking the risk. He wanted to get stronger, and the loot boxes would do just that for him. But Kim Minji was here. He had to consider her wellbeing.

“M-rlin…” Kim Minji called, backing towards him. “I thought the professor said that there would be no monsters? What are we to call those?”

rlin’s head creaked slowly in the direction of the alcoves near the altar. The knight-statues were creeping towards them.

His heart caught in his throat.

This was bad. He had been suspecting that this was what would happen. But this was really bad. Stone knights were pure lee monsters. They had no magic, and which ant his Reader Mage Perk was useless here. How were they to fight them? And from what he could recall, Kim Minji was not exactly battle oriented. In fact, she couldn’t cast magic at this mont at all. She was not in possession of her Grimoire.

Wait. It was a simulation, right? They would not be actually hard, right? And even if they could, considering how the System had tampered with the simulation, they just had to find the exit. There was no need to fight. Yes. That was the way to end the Quest too. All they had to do was escape.

“Hey, rlin!” Kim Minji yelled, grabbing him by his arm, her body shivering so much that he too began to shiver. “What should we do?!”

Why was she asking him? Wasn’t she a Mage herself? Couldn’t she think for herself?

No. No. He shouldn’t think like that. This was his fault. This was happening because of the System. He had to take responsibility.

But first…

rlin clenched his chin. “Run!!”

###

Professor Jung’s expression crumpled as soon as rlin and Kim Minji materialized within their Dungeon. Nora did not fail to notice this.

“Hey, Yiseo,” she called to the girl seated by her side. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“What?” Kim Yiseo asked with her abnormally cold voice.

Nora nudged her head in the professor’s direction. “She seems nervous.”

Kim Yiseo let her eyes peruse Professor Jung from head to toe. She then frowned. “You’re right,” she said. “She’s tapping on her watch so much, like she’s trying to cancel sothing.”

At that mont, a loud yelp resounded through the simulation room. Nora’s attention was reeled in like a fish by a hook towards the projection. Kim Minji looked like she had seen a ghost. What made Nora’s brows fall, though, was that her twin brother had been staring forward as though in a daze.

The System? She ca to a deduction. Don’t tell …

“Everywhere. It’s everywhere,” Kim Minji said, plunging the students in the room in confusion.

Everywhere? Nora thought. The mana concentration? That should be impossible. Unless… She glanced at the Professor again, who was now biting on her lower lip. She recalled what rlin had told her about the System and its quests. That thing is tampering with the simulation as a quest for rlin?

Nora’s body turned cold. This was bad. Very bad. She clenched her fists, biting her lower lip as well. Kim Yiseo glanced at her, noticing the change in her body tics. But said nothing, and instead turned to look at the projection with furrowed brows.

Then the knights moved from their alcoves and all hell broke loose. Those watching in silence could not take it anymore.

“Professor!!” A boy shot to his feet, pointing at the projection. “Those knights are moving! Is this part of the test?!”

Professor Jung glanced over her shoulder. She could clearly see the unease of the students in their gazes, but still, nothing had changed in the Dungeon simulation. Nora realized then that it was beyond her powers to correct. It was definitely the System’s doing. That thing was weird. She’d always known.

“M-rlin…” Kim Minji’s voice ca clearly through the speakers despite the ruckus that had ensued. “I thought the professor said that there would be no monsters? What are we to call those?” When she got no reply to her question, she grabbed rlin’s wrist, panicking. “rlin! What should we do?!”

Professor Jung gave up fiddling with her smartwatch at that mont. She turned fully to face the students.

“You all should sit down,” she said with no trace of authority in her voice. She was worried. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Eh?! They’re Mages, aren’t they? Let them battle it out.” Those were the words of a boy with curly brown hair, watching the projection without a care in the world. Everyone turned to him, so with scowls, most surprised. He had a condescending smile on his face. Nora didn’t like him.

“You aren’t allowed to make such remarks, Choi Sangook,” Professor Jung replied. “Any more of that nonsense, and I will deduct points from your Cohort.” The boy made a zipping gesture over his lips, still wearing his smug smile. “The rest of you, sit down, please. This outburst won’t do anything useful.”

The students clenched their chins and fell to their seats. Professor Jung approached the Simulation Room’s door then, and tapped her smartwatch. Once. Twice. Three tis. Nothing happened. She rubbed the rims of her glasses, and tapped the smartwatch again. Still nothing. She blanched.

Nora’s heart was pounding faster now, her lips pressed even more tightly together, as she dragged her thumb’s fingernail over her skin.

What could she do? Was there nothing she could do but watch?

Her eyes fell upon rlin’s roommates and their expressions gave her an idea of what she was probably wearing. That only worsened her mood, because now her right foot had begun to quiver rapidly.

“Professor?” A girl seemingly noticed Professor Jung’s plight. “What’s wrong, professor?”

The simulation room beca silent and stuffy. It was like all the air had been sucked into a vacuum.

rlin's loud scream spread through the simulation room at that mont, and so did Professor Jung’s…

“Run!!”

“Fuck!!”