Chapter eleven: A Trap in the Heart of the Maze

After successfully disabling the Devil Emulator—at least temporarily—John and Greed took a brief moment to catch their breath. But there was no time to relax. The maze was still filled with moving targets, and the challenge was far from over.

"We only have twenty minutes left!" Greed said, glancing at the countdown timer hanging above the hall.

John, regaining his composure, drew his bow again, aiming at a distant target. "We have to reach a thousand points—no matter what."

They quickly resumed their coordinated strategy. With his sharpshooting skills, John targeted the smaller, fast-moving objects, while Greed used his arm's firepower to blast the larger, high-value targets.

But suddenly, a familiar mechanical voice echoed behind them…

"Warning: System reboot in progress."

Greed froze for a moment, his eyes widening. "Don't tell me it's—"

Before he could finish, a chilling metallic sound rang out.

The Devil Emulator was back online.

But this time, something was different. It wasn't just faster—it moved erratically, as if its programming had become unstable. Its weapons pulsed with an intense blue energy, and its shots were now even more rapid and precise.

"Damn it! It's entered emergency mode!" Greed shouted, dodging a searing energy beam that barely missed him.

John knew that dodging alone wouldn't be enough. "We need a new plan… but how do we stop it this time?"

Greed didn't have a clear answer, but he pointed toward one of the maze's side corridors. "The maze is full of traps. Maybe we can use them against it."

"Good idea, but we need to lure it in."

John glanced at his bow, then smirked confidently. "I think I have an idea."

Instead of aiming at a target, he shot an arrow high into the air, striking one of the hanging lights. The reflected glare bounced off the mirrored walls, creating multiple moving shadows of John in every direction.

Just as expected, the Devil Emulator took the bait. It unleashed a barrage of shots at the false images, thinking they were all real.

"Nice one, John! You've confused it!" Greed called out, using the distraction to sprint toward a specific passageway he knew led to a deadly trap.

The trap was a narrow corridor lined with invisible tripwires. The moment something moved past a certain speed threshold, powerful magnetic barriers would activate, locking the target inside.

"Get it in here!" Greed shouted, preparing his arm for a powerful shot.

John, still toying with the emulator through the illusions, suddenly broke into a sprint, heading straight for the trap.

"Hey! Come and get me if you can!"

As he hoped, the Devil Emulator charged after him, unaware of the danger ahead.

The moment it crossed the trigger point, Greed fired a round at one of the wall-mounted devices, activating the magnetic barriers at the perfect moment.

BOOM!

The barriers slammed shut, trapping the Devil Emulator inside. The intense magnetic field disrupted its circuits, shutting it down—for good this time.

"We did it!" Greed shouted.

But before John could respond, a voice rang out:

"Five minutes remaining!"

There was no time to celebrate. They still needed to secure the remaining points.

John checked his score—950 points. Greed had 980.

"Damn it! We need one more big target!" Greed said, scanning the area desperately.

Then, something unexpected happened.

"Secret target revealed: Bonus 500 points!"

A golden target appeared in the center of the maze, glowing faintly. The problem? It was over 50 meters away, and there was no direct path to it.

"We have to reach it at any cost!" John yelled, vaulting over obstacles while Greed sprinted beside him, charging his arm to maximum power.

Every remaining competitor in the hall was also rushing toward the target, turning the scene into complete chaos.

John, being the closest, decided to bet everything on one final shot.

"This is my last chance..."

He pulled back his bowstring, locking onto the golden point. He loosed the arrow at lightning speed…

But at that exact moment, a stray shot struck his shoulder!

"Damn it!"

The arrow veered off course—but not completely. It almost missed the target, but John, acting on instinct, reached out with his hand, as if trying to control it…

And then—

The arrow shifted midair.

As if responding to his will, it corrected its trajectory—and struck the golden target dead center.

"What the...?"

A radiant golden light erupted, signaling the bonus points.

As the timer hit zero, the final scores were displayed:

John: 1450 points

Greed: 1000 points

"We did it…"

Greed panted heavily, while John stared at his hand in shock. "What just happened? Did I… move the arrow?"

But there was no time to dwell on it.

"Trial Four—COMPLETE!"

Only 40 competitors remained—the rest were eliminated.

At the finish line, everyone was gasping for breath, relieved to have survived.

John glanced at his teammates and gave a tired smile. "If this was just a trial… I can't imagine what's coming next."

Greed chuckled, flexing his cybernetic arm. "Oh, I'm sure it'll be even crazier."

And with that, the sniper trial was over.

But everyone knew—the real challenges were just beginning.