Second Floor

 "I slept like a pig."

Felix glanced at the clock. It was 10 in the morning, and he just woke up. The battle tired him a lot more than he realized. Every part of his body felt sore and tight.

He started stretching by the window and looked outside. Groups of students were walking by. Instead of their usual black and red school uniforms, they wore battle outfits. 

Everyone had an armoured one, of different colour, sizes and according to their battle roles. The close combatants had their whole bodies covered in armour. The archers wore simple chest plates, with light clothes, enforced with mana. The mages wore braces on their forearms. The cloak they wore served as their defence.

 Then Felix remembered that from today, the academy's labyrinth, Nexus, was available to the first year. This wasn't a one-time event. Every student at any time, could explore the labyrinth. Except during their class time, and at night.

 Some groups of students carried their banners. They either had a drawing or the name of their Circle. Most of the logos looked stupid, but they didn't care. Excited and nervous they walked with their mates for their first expedition.

Felix also had plans to explore Nexus, but he had no Circle. It's not that he had a choice. No one would take him in or anyone was stupid to join him. Rose already had one, and she knew Felix wouldn't join hers. She didn't bother asking.

Lim was in her circle. Oscar could be an option but with Stella there, he had no chance of being part of it. Many knew him but didn't want him in the Circle, which was fine.

Felix liked to do things alone anyway. He ate his breakfast and separated his laundry so the maid would pick it up, without having to do any extra work.

Just beside his bed, there was a chest. He had brought it back from home. He opened it. 

He wore the armour and checked in the mirror. A silver-coloured armour made from iron. It had no intricate designs or any extraordinary features. Just iron armour, light and strong, enough to do the job.

He picked up the spear he had hung on the wall and walked out of his room. As he made his way to Nexus, the students made way for him. Even though he wasn't in his usual attire with the green brooch, they recognized him. Everyone feared him. Nobody dared challenge his authority as the Tenth Star. Except for one.

"Felix."

Someone shouted from the back. 

Felix sighed.

Why do people always want a fight with me? Do they want to punch me that bad?

Her short black hair framed a sharp, angular face, and her dark eyes held a quiet intensity. High cheekbones and a strong jawline gave her a commanding presence, while the armour she wore added to her striking appearance, making her seem both formidable and captivating. Too bad, Felix could only see an angry howling demon walking towards him.

Three of her friends were pulling her. She was about to say something stupid and they had to stop things before they got out of hand.

"Nina. Don't make a ruckus."

" Have you lost your mind?"

"You are strong but there is a reason why he is a rank above you."

The girl, Nina, ignored her friend's words and pulled out her sword. She pointed it and shouted,

"I, Nina, challenge you to a duel."

Everyone in the vicinity gasped.

"This crazy girl-"

Her friends said, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Felix walked toward her, the tip of her weapon inches from his neck. Everyone held their breath. Things had escalated too quickly. Nina had broken the rules by threatening him with a weapon on academy grounds. And provoking Felix was far from the solution.

He pushed the sword aside and reached into his pockets. Nina quickly withdrew her blade, taking a defensive stance, ready for whatever he was about to throw at her. But what he did next, no one was prepared for.

Felix took out a candy—a red one, apple-flavoured—and handed it to Nina. Shocked, she stood frozen, unsure of how to react. No one understood what the situation had become. One held a sword, poised to strike, while the other offered candy as if there hadn't been a blade inches from his neck moments before.

Since she didn't take it, Felix calmly placed the candy on her head. He gave a brief nod, then turned and walked away.

"What the fuc—"

Nina couldn't even finish her curse. In just two minutes, her emotions had swung from anger to excitement, and now to complete confusion.

This was the second time both of them had met. The first time, he bit her to dust, the second time, he left her with a candy. She didn't know what to think about him. But one thing was for sure,

"He has a few loose screws."

_____________________________________________________________________

Felix was glad to get out of there without any trouble. And as usual chocolate and candy rescued him.

He walked to the main gate of Nexus. There was a line of students receiving their explorer cards. And this is where being a Star came in handy. He skipped the line and walked to the emptiest one amongst the tens of counters in the building.

The lady at the counter looked at him and smiled.

"Valerius Felix."

She confirmed and started searching through the files for his card. 

"Here. Please make sure not to lose this card. This holds your record in the labyrinth. And it is a hassle to replicate another one."

"I understand."

Felix replied.

" Be safe."

"I will. Thank you."

Felix faked a smile and walked to the main entrance of the labyrinth. There a guard on the door checked his card.

"Are you alone?"

"Yes."

Felix said. The guard just nodded and gave him back the card. If there was any other student who came alone, they would need special permission to go in alone. But they knew Felix's capability. They had seen it first-hand, during the labyrinth attack, when they saw a bunch of dead rats with spear marks on them.

"Do you want to explore the 1st floor again or explore the 2nd one?"

"2nd one."

Felix said.

The guard nodded and pointed to his left. Just beside the main wooden door that led to the 1st floor, there was another steel door, with a card slot attached to it. Felix inserted the card and the door opened.

He took the card and stepped inside the elevator. This was one of the special services of artificial labyrinths. Once a student had cleared a floor, they didn't have to do it again and could skip it, unlike a natural labyrinth.

There were a number of buttons ranging from floor 1 to 25, but if he pressed 25 the escalator wouldn't move. The card he had, only allowed him to move to floor 2 and would be updated the more floors he cleared.

Right now, only Felix would be on floor two. Other Stars also had cleared floor one, but their teammates hadn't. They could use the elevator, but their teammates wouldn't be able to keep up with the creatures and the intensity of the battle.

He pressed the button, and the escalator moved. After thirty seconds, it stopped, the door sliding open. He stepped off, and the escalator quietly retracted behind him.

The second floor was a forest, known specifically as Goblin Forest. Felix scanned his surroundings. Trees. That was all he could see—dense, towering trees, stretching endlessly into the distance.

Cicadas buzzed, and birds chirped in the distance. The sounds of the forest filled the air, creating an eerie contrast to the stillness of the towering trees around him. The atmosphere was thick with humidity. Felix had barely stepped into the forest, yet sweat already clung to his skin, trickling down his face. 

The trees blocked most of the light, casting long shadows on the forest floor. There was no real sun, but the artificial lighting mimicked it so well that it felt almost natural. Every two hours, the lights shifted, transitioning from day to night to simulate the changing environment, forcing students to adapt their strategies depending on the time of day.

What made it more surreal was the size. From the outside, the second floor appeared no larger than a modest apartment, but inside, it expanded into a vast forest that seemed to stretch endlessly. It wasn't just this floor either—every level beyond the first had this strange, impossible dimension, small from the outside, but limitless once you stepped in.

If only  I could learn spatial magic.

Felix thought quietly as he wandered through the forest. Along the way, he encountered a few of its inhabitants—capybaras lounging near the water, sloths slowly climbing the trees, and even a jaguar, which took one look at him before bolting into the shadows. It seemed the creatures of the forest recognized him, or at least sensed that he wasn't to be trifled with.

But Felix wasn't here for sightseeing. He had to find the End of this floor. There was no map nor did the academy allow any of their students to make it. 

Felix kept walking, looking at trees for scratches and the soil for footprints. After thirty minutes of searching, Felix noticed the sight of blood, a thin purple trail dripping onto the forest floor, leading off into the distance.

He followed the blood trail, weaving through the thick bushes and towering trees. The deeper he went, the more the forest seemed to close in around him. Then, he heard it—rustling in the leaves, followed by soft, unsettling laughter.

Felix spotted a group of goblins up ahead, four of them laughing as they encircled a smaller, frail goblin. They took turns tormenting him—one bit at his ear, two others kicked his stomach, and the last delivered sharp punches to his face. Their laughter was cruel, echoing through the trees as the small goblin whimpered in pain, powerless against their relentless assault.

Felix wasn't surprised. Goblins picked on anyone weaker than him, even if it was their tribe. Felix aimed his spear at one of the goblins and threw it.

Swish

It pierced the air. The spear struck the goblin's head and lodged in a rock. The other three paused. They picked up their stone axes and grunted. Alone in the woods, they struck the trees to call out their enemy.

Felix emerged beside them. The three goblins jumped back in surprise. Felix pulled his spear and swung it. One goblin raised its weapon to block. The spear cut through the axe and into the goblin's head.

Purple blood spurted out into the ground and some on his armour. The remaining two instinctively realised they had no chance. They started running without looking back. Felix let them run.

 He turned to the bullied goblin. Its eyes are grateful for what he did. It stood up and walked towards Felix. It laid a flint dagger on both hands and presented it to him. That was its gift.

As Felix reached out, the goblin smiled. It swung the dagger, but a spear pierced its chest first. The frail creature coughed and fell.

Never trust a monster.

Felix's intention was never to grab the dagger. He had moved to kill it from the goblin's blind spot.

He walked ahead, his eyes following the trails left by the two fleeing goblins. There was a reason he had let them go, and they had done exactly what he expected. Their tracks led him deeper into the forest, toward something larger, something more interesting.

Felix smirked to himself. He wasn't a bloodthirsty psychopath, but killing goblins? That never got old.