the test ends

In front of the gate, Edgar stood alone, waiting for someone to bring him news.

"They're late." He thought to himself, feeling uneasy.

Just then, a dark black portal appeared near Edgar, and from it emerged Nicros and Rael. Edgar immediately noticed their irritated expressions.

"What happened?" Edgar asked, feeling that the situation had become more complicated.

"The intruder is dead," Nicros said calmly.

"W-What?! What do you mean he's dead?!" Edgar asked in shock.

"A strange tree-shaped tattoo suddenly appeared on his body, and then he fucking exploded. We couldn't do anything," Rael replied, frustrated by his inability to intervene.

"Shit!... Did you at least get any information from him?" Edgar asked, hoping for something.

"All we got was that he worked for someone he referred to as 'His Majesty,'" Rael answered.

"There's something else too. The magic used to plant that tattoo... I don't think anyone could do it except someone ranked S!" Nicros added.

"S-Rank?!" Edgar was stunned. "There's no way Nicros is wrong... but seriously, is an S-Rank hunter actually trying to kill Noah?! What the fuck did that kid do to piss off someone that powerful?!" He thought, on the verge of losing his mind.

Just then, a loud screech echoed through the air as the labyrinth gate opened, its base grinding against the ground. Everyone turned to see Luo Yan stepping out of the labyrinth. Her eyes were downcast before she raised her head to look at Edgar, Nicros, and Rael. The disappointment and failure in her gaze made Edgar even more worried.

"What happened? Did you find anything?" Edgar asked, hoping for good news.

Luo Yan glanced back. The sound of soft footsteps and a faint dragging noise reached their ears.

"I found him..." Luo Yan said.

Behind her, Noah emerged, walking silently. His black hair shadowed his empty eyes as he looked down. He was dragging behind him the severed head of the giant serpent Nagairos.

Edgar's eyes welled up with tears as he ran toward Noah, embracing him tightly, completely ignoring the severed head.

"You're finally back," Edgar said, his voice thick with emotion, though his tears refused to fall.

"Did that kid... kill Nagairos by himself?! Isn't he supposed to have no skill?!" Nicros thought to himself, his body tensing in disbelief.

"I-I'll inform the others that we found him and to stop searching," Rael said before dashing back into the labyrinth.

Edgar finally let go of Noah, wiping his reddened eyes, and looked at him.

"I'm glad you made it back safe!" Edgar said, relieved after a quick visual check. However, he quickly noticed something strange—Noah was completely silent, motionless, and cold.

"Noah, are you okay?" Edgar asked, concerned.

"…I'm fine. I just want to be alone for a while," Noah said, his dark eyes growing even darker.

"O-Okay, but someone should check your condition first—"

"I'll go alone. I'm not injured," Noah cut Edgar off.

He dropped Nagairos's head and walked toward Nicros, stopping in front of him.

"Open the portal," Noah said.

"A-All right," Nicros muttered, feeling uneasy. He snapped his fingers, opening a dark portal, and Noah stepped through. The portal closed behind him immediately.

"What's wrong with him?... Luo Yan, did something happen to Noah?" Edgar asked.

"I don't know. When I arrived, he had already killed Nagairos," Luo Yan recalled.

"Killed Nagairos? Are you sure? What about his echo?" Nicros asked.

"He was alone in the room, so I assume he killed his echo before slaying Nagairos," Luo Yan answered.

"Killed Nagairos by himself?!..." Edgar murmured, overwhelmed.

"An 18-year-old kid... killed Nagairos and his echo while alone in a lethal labyrinth designed to push humans to their absolute limits. And he walked out of it without a single fucking scratch… That's both impressive and terrifying," Nicros thought to himself.

"I thought that kid was just a weakling with no abilities. Did you lied to us, old man?" Luo Yan asked.

"I didn't lie. I truly believed he had no powers—that's what his father told us. He must have lied to hide something," Edgar said.

"Hide what? Like what exactly?" Nicros asked.

"I don't know… Maybe he wanted to protect his son from the dangerous world of hunters... I can't understand how those top 10 ranked people think," Edgar admitted.

Moments later, the rest of the group exited the labyrinth, led by Rael.

"Where's the kid?" Garth asked impatiently.

"Don't bother, I found him first," Luo Yan said, crushing everyone's hopes of recruiting Noah. Then, Garth's eyes landed on Nagairos's head.

"Who the fuck killed that snake?!" Garth demanded, tense.

"The kid himself," Luo Yan replied.

Everyone stood in stunned silence, unable to believe what they had just heard.

"Unbelievable... What a monster at only 18," Garth thought, covering his unsettling grin with his hand.

"Anyway, now that everyone is back, let's get out of here," Edgar said. Nicros opened another dark portal, and the group stepped through. Before leaving, Nicros glanced back at Nagairos's head and sighed.

"I'll store this for now," Nicros muttered, opening a portal beneath the severed head, which fell inside before he stepped through the portalto the outside.

The group arrived outside, at the academy. The moment they did, Edgar rushed toward the hospital, with everyone following closely behind.

At the reception desk, Edgar asked urgently, "Has student Noah Grace been admitted here?"

"Yes, he's in room 197, but he requested to be alone—" Before the receptionist could finish, Edgar and the others had already stormed inside.

They reached room 197, and Edgar knocked.

"Noah, can I come in?" Edgar asked, but there was no response.

"Fuck this! I'm going in!" Rael snapped and kicked the door open, stepping inside with the others right behind him.

"You little shit! When someone talks to you, you fucking answer!" Rael growled.

Everyone turned to look at Noah, who was sitting on the hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown.

"Hey, did you hear me, you brat?!" Rael shouted.

"Rael, shut the fuck up," Nicros interjected.

"Noah, are you okay?" Edgar asked, concerned.

"...Yeah, they just want to do another check-up to make sure I don't have any internal injuries," Noah replied.

"That's good to hear, but—" Edgar started.

"That's irrelevant. Kid, I'm Garth voss, the head of Vossel Academy. I assume you've heard of me, so let's skip the introductions and get to the point," Garth interrupted.

"I watched you in the labyrinth, and your talent amazed me. So, I'm personally inviting you to join my academy!" Garth added.

"Wait, old man, you're breaking the agreement," Luo Yan said, irritated.

"The agreement was that whoever found the kid first would get ownership of the 'Fallen Angel' dungeon cell. No one said anything about recruitment offers," Garth corrected.

Noah's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the Fallen Angel dungeon transfer but remained silent.

"What the fuck are you talking about, you bald bastard?!" Luo Yan fumed.

"Technically, he's right. We never discussed recruitment," Edgar admitted.

"Shit, but I offered him first, and he hasn't answered yet!" Luo Yan thought, feeling anxious.

"So, kid, will you accept?" Garth asked.

"...Sorry, but I'll have to refuse," Noah said.

"Of course, you'll accept. Who the fuck would reject an offer from me—" Garth started, then processed what Noah had just said.

"...Wait, did you just refuse?" Garth asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I did," Noah confirmed.

"Hah?! Kid, are you sure? Do you realize you just turned down Garth Voss?!" Garth asked, his nerves rising.

"He already refused. Stop embarrassing yourself," Luo Yan smirked.

"Did I seriously just get rejected? Me? Garth Voss?!" Garth thought, shaken.

"I don't plan on accepting any offers," Noah said.

"Are you sure about this? This is your chance to enter one of the greatest universities in the country," Edgar said worriedly.

"I'm sure," Noah replied.

"What's wrong with this kid? We searched for him everywhere, trying to save him, but now he's acting arrogantly just because we gave him a little attention. What an ungrateful bastard," Rael thought to himself.

"Alright, we'll leave you alone now," Edgar said.

"Ah, let the red-haired girl stay," Noah said.

"Me?" Luo Yan thought to herself.

"Okay, we'll leave you two alone then," Edgar said, and with his signal, everyone left, leaving Noah and Luo Yan alone.

"What do you want from me?" Luo Yan asked.

"Is your previous offer still valid?" Noah asked.

"Y-Yes! Do you mean you're accepting the invitation?" Luo Yan asked excitedly.

"Yes," Noah confirmed.

A few hours earlier, in the labyrinth…

Luo Yan was walking silently while Noah dragged the head of Nagairos behind him.

"Damn, what kind of situation is this?! I finally found him, but he doesn't seem in the mood to talk. What should I do?!" Luo Yan thought nervously.

"...A-Ahem, ahem, s-so, what's your name?" Luo Yan asked hesitantly.

Noah remained silent.

"S-Silence, huh? W-Well, it's a long way to the exit, so it'll be a boring trip if we stay quiet, right?" Luo Yan said awkwardly, but Noah remained silent.

"I-I'm Luo Yan from Nova Academy," Luo Yan introduced herself nervously.

"...Noah Grace," Noah replied.

"He spoke!" Luo Yan thought to herself.

"Y-Your name is really nice. S-So, Noah, why are you dragging that snake's head?" Luo Yan asked.

"Killing the labyrinth's guardian earns you a platinum rank, making graduation easy. I need proof," Noah said.

"I see..." Luo Yan said. "The test must be difficult. Your success was almost impossible from the start," she added.

Noah remained silent.

"Maybe because of fate you succeeded," Luo Yan said.

"...Do you believe in fate?" Noah asked.

"Hm? Well, I think I do," Luo Yan said.

"Don't you believe in freedom?" Noah asked.

"What does fate have to do with freedom? They're completely different," Luo Yan asked.

"How can someone call themselves free when they're bound by fate?" Noah said.

"I don't fully understand what he's talking about. Did he lose his mind from being lost in this place?" Luo Yan wondered silently.

"Fate doesn't control people's actions, so of course, we are free from it," Luo Yan said.

"Our actions, our words, our emotions, our future—they have already been decided. How do you call that freedom?" Noah asked.

"...Well, that's a perspective," Luo Yan thought to herself.

"...Anyway, why are you here?" Noah asked.

"I'm here to bring you back, of course."

"I can return on my own… I mean, why are you really here? There must be a hidden reason," Noah asked.

"Ah... I wanted to seize the opportunity and recruit you into our academy before anyone else," Luo Yan said nervously.

"I see... I'll think about it."

"A normal reaction despite receiving an invitation from the top academy? Don't tell me he's not impressed?!" Luo Yan thought anxiously.

Back to the present…

"I'll accept your offer," Noah said.

"Y-You won't regret your decision! Our academy is the best in the country and one of the top in the world!" Luo Yan said excitedly.

"But I want something in return," Noah said.

"Huh? What is it?"

"...Reject the ownership transfer of the 'Fallen Angel' dungeon."

"Huh? Why should I do that? Do you even understand the financial value of an S-rank dungeon?" Luo Yan asked, surprised.

"I'll compensate you in the future if you refuse," Noah replied.

"Compensate me? With what?" Luo Yan tilted her head curiously.

"I'll gift you an S-rank artifact," Noah said.

"A-A-An S-rank artifact?! Have you lost your mind?! Do you even know how much that's worth?!" Luo Yan asked, shocked.

"I'm the son of one of the top 10 ranked hunters. An artifact like that won't be a problem for me."

"I forgot this bastard is the son of one of the world's top 10 hunters. An S-rank artifact must be nothing to him," Luo Yan thought to herself.

"But an S-rank artifact doesn't even come close to the value of an S-rank dungeon," Luo Yan said.

"If you gain ownership of an S-rank dungeon, you'll be targeted by global forces with bad intentions. The ownership will either be taken from you or shared with your academy's principal. You won't get anything. But if I give you an S-rank artifact, you don't have to tell anyone. Even if someone finds out, they wouldn't dare touch a gift from the son of the Flame Emperor," Noah said.

"He's... mostly right. Damn, his offer makes sense… I don't think there's a better option anyway," Luo Yan thought to herself.

"Alright, we have a deal!" Luo Yan said excitedly.

"Good to hear," Noah said with a smile.