Labyrinth of Space and Time (Part 3)

Tess walked over and spoke.

Tess: "What do you think this is, some toy from a street stall? Get down already! It's already glowing red."

Mercenary Warrior: "I can't accept this! Just one more try, just one more!"

Tess: "Fine, but get down first. Recover your stamina and try again later if you want."

The warrior stepped down from the altar, his face twisted in frustration. He couldn't understand it.

'How is this possible?'

He had never lost in terms of strength since he was a child. Even with his strength-enhancement build, he only got 248.

Mercenary Warrior: "Huh? Wait."

Realizing something, the warrior turned to Rian with a baffled expression.

Hadn't that kid said he couldn't use a Schema?

'But he got 241?'

That meant Rian had achieved similar results using only his physical strength.

Mercenary Warrior: "What, what's going on? You really can't use a Schema, right? You're lying, aren't you? You must be lying."

Rian clicked his tongue.

Rian: "Why would I lie about something like that? If you failed, just quietly watch the next person."

Having received a failure, Rian didn't feel like arguing.

What interested him more was what score his friend Tess would achieve.

As Tess stepped to the center of the altar and drew her rapier, a cold, slicing sound echoed.

Her movements were textbook-perfect, and the onlookers were captivated.

'I'm surprisingly nervous.'

Tess raised her sword and checked the blade.

Though classified as a small sword, its strength was such that it wouldn't bend, and its sharpness was enough to pierce weak points in armor.

Rian: "If you're nervous, want to use my sword? It's heavy, but you could handle it with a Schema."

Tess flicked the tip of her sword with her fingernail, producing a buzzing sound like a bee's wings.

Tess: "It's fine. If it absorbs impact, durability won't matter much. And honestly, I'm quite curious."

Targeting the northern orb, Tess retreated to the farthest point from it.

There might not be a weak spot on the orb, but the acceleration from her Schema would fully convert into impact.

Without a battle cry but with a chilling silence, Tess charged forward. True to her perfect score in movement tests, her angle was almost parallel to the ground.

As she reached the orb, her rapier, sliding just above the ground, rose as if taking flight.

With a perfect lunge, she extended her arm, and the onlookers felt as if a flash of light had exploded.

"Whoa."

If slashing techniques reached their maximum speed at the midpoint, Tess's thrust reached its peak at the terminal speed.

This characteristic, amplified by her Schema, created a thrilling visual illusion.

Even as her kinetic energy was absorbed, Tess's body balance remained flawless.

The distance, posture, and acceleration—everything was perfect. Everyone's eyes focused on the number.

"Oh, oh."

The number 442 appeared.

For the first time, the score surpassed 400. Tess calmly waited to see if it was a pass or fail.

The orb began to glow red.

Tess: "No good. What a shame."

Without hesitation, Tess turned away.

Though she felt some regret, acting like the previous two would have been beneath her dignity.

The pride-wounded warrior shouted.

Mercenary Warrior: "Damn it! Is this thing really broken? I stabbed it with a rapier, how is it higher than a blunt weapon?"

As someone who relied solely on brute strength, losing to a woman might sting, but Tess found it pitiful.

Tess: "You failed, so what's the point of arguing? And building strength is completely different from wielding it. Maybe practice some techniques instead of just lifting weights?"

Mercenary Warrior: "What? Are you disrespecting my strength? Can't you see these muscles? Do you even have any?"

As the warrior flexed his biceps, Tess simply turned her head away.

Arguing with a macho man about technique was less productive than talking to a cow.

An archer stepped forward.

Archer: "Is the swordsman line done? Then it's my turn now."

Given the previous results, it seemed difficult to achieve a high score with just physical impact.

Though a bow was also a physical weapon, archers had a secret weapon.

It was an expensive method, but it was perfect for showing these kids what real combat looked like.

Mage: "It seems he plans to use it."

As the mage said, the archer took out an arrow and removed its tip. Then, from a leather pouch on his pants, he pulled out a uniquely shaped arrowhead.

The tip wasn't sharp but almond-shaped and rounded, with a purple hue instead of the usual iron color.

Archer: "Hmm, this should do."

As he screwed the arrowhead into place, Amy's eyes lit up. There was definite potential here.

Amy: "Shirone, it's a magic bullet."

Shirone: "Ah."

They had learned about it in class.

Magic bullets were made by infusing magic into magicite, a mineral extracted in minuscule amounts from nature, using alchemy.

The process of how magicite forms is a mystery, but the prevailing theory is that it's a unique chemical reaction in nature.

For example, ice magicite can only be collected in the polar regions, where temperatures remain below freezing year-round, while lightning magicite is found in dry plateaus or tropical rainforests where thunderstorms are endless.

These minerals exhibit affinity for specific phenomena, and magitech engineers have succeeded in storing magic within them.

Shirone: "So that's the expensive magic bullet I've heard about. How does it compare to the magic we use?"

Amy: "It's not necessarily more powerful. But the fact that even non-mages can use magic is a huge advantage. One of those probably costs at least 1 gold. Even though the magicite in the arrowhead only weighs 10 grams."

Shirone whistled.

Just one pull of the bowstring costs 1 gold.

How much money must have been spent on the 3,000-archer magic bullet barrage he read about in history books?

Shirone: "In a way, it's an impressive item."

Amy: "Exactly. The process of utilizing magicite is an entire industry. And magic bullets, being military supplies, are a state monopoly. Without a proper license, you'd be arrested for illegal weapon manufacturing. I asked Neid, and he said even he's hesitant to touch magic bullets. If caught, expulsion would be the least of your worries…"

Shirone: "You asked Neid?"

Amy: "Yeah, before the semester ended. Actually, the reason my older brother came home was because of a magic bullet delivery issue for the archer corps. It seems like there's been corruption in the defense industry for the past year, but no one knows where the money's leaking. Neid knows everything about the manufacturing process and technology, like an expert."

Knowing Neid, Shirone could believe it.

Meanwhile, the archer attached the magic bullet to the arrow and disengaged the safety mechanism.

Impact-reactive magic bullets must have their safety mechanisms engaged unless it's an emergency. If it accidentally exploded in the pouch, it could blow off a leg.

Archer: "Hey, I'm using Lightning Arrow. It's dangerous if you're too close, so everyone step back."

Shirone's group moved as far back as possible.

Though the Maze of Time and Space might absorb magical energy, it was better to be safe.

As the archer drew the bowstring, the tension in the room rose.

When he released the string, the arrow flew a short distance before striking the Maze of Time and Space.

As expected, it seemed to absorb magical energy as well, as blue electricity crackled inside the orb.

Everyone waited for the number to appear.

1,020.

"Whoa."

For the first time, a four-digit number appeared, and the archer's lips curled into a smile.

But his expression quickly hardened as the orb glowed red.

Archer: "Even this is a failure?"

Next came the thought of wasted money.

Annoyed, he turned and stepped down from the altar.

Archer: "Tch! What's the point? I just wasted money."

Shirone spoke up.

Shirone: "But we gained some information. Ranged attacks don't absorb physical strength. You can try again immediately."

The archer blinked.

Archer: "Huh? Ah, I see."

Shirone: "What will you do? Want to try again?"

"Hmm."

The archer looked around the altar.

After all, he had achieved the highest score, so he wasn't in a bad mood, but wasting money felt like a hunt.

Archer: "That's enough. No matter what attribute I use, there won't be much difference. It's just a waste of magic bullets."

Amy nodded.

Amy: "Then only the mage is left. Shirone, who should go first? You or me?"

The mercenary mage pointed at Amy.

Mercenary Mage: "Why don't you go first? Since I'll go after you, we'll be able to clearly compare who's stronger."

Amy, who still had some unresolved emotions, readily accepted the challenge.

Amy: "Alright. Shirone, should I go first?"

Shirone: "Yeah. Show me your skills."

Everyone had failed so far, but Amy had potential.

Her specialty was fire magic, which was specialized for offensive spells, and she focused on single-target, high-impact attacks.

As Amy stepped onto the altar, she carefully considered how to deploy her magic.

Amy (thinking): 'This is unexpectedly tricky. Sniper mode won't work because the distance is too close. Should I just go with a standard target spell? But without an air tunnel, the power will drop too much.'

Mages favored fire magic because, in theory, there was no limit to energy escalation. However, in reality, not many mages could break the 1,000-degree Celsius barrier.

Still, fire was powerful because most planetary materials had melting points below 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Creatures, rocks, and even metals became useless in the face of fire.

The downside of fire magic, however, was that nine out of ten mages would cite its lack of physical force as a weakness.

While energy efficiency was tremendous, like light magic, it couldn't generate physical force.

That's why fire mages often combined it with air magic, with Flame Strike being a prime example.

Flame Strike induced acceleration through a supersaturated oxygen layer called an air tunnel, so its power increased with distance.

Amy (thinking): 'Sniper mode won't work. To unleash maximum power in an instant, I should focus on energy output.'

The conclusion was simple: generate the highest possible firepower.

Amy (thinking): 'Fireball.'

Two pillars of fire erupted from Amy's sides, merging into a spherical form above her head.

Mercenaries: "...It's huge."

The mercenaries looked surprised, but Amy wasn't satisfied yet.

Amy (thinking): 'Stronger.'

Like a blacksmith manipulating environmental factors to increase heat, Amy raised the oxygen saturation to amplify the power.

At some point, sparks began to drip from the fireball.

Amy: "Here goes."

With wide eyes, Amy swung her hand, and the crimson flame, trailing like lava, flew toward the orb.

The moment the flame touched the orb, the labyrinth's spacetime absorbed it entirely.

A massive whirlwind of fire swirled violently inside the orb, threatening to burst.

Everyone (thinking): 'This is... strong.'

The moment everyone felt it, the score appeared.

3,270.

It was the highest score so far, and given the previous results, it seemed difficult to surpass.

The archer finally realized something.

Archer (thinking): 'These kids... they're no ordinary rookies.'

His arrow, enhanced with magic bullets, had scored 1,020. But if a basic spell like Fireball scored over three times that, it meant there was a fundamental difference in skill level.

Amy's expression twisted.

Amy: "What the hell?"

The labyrinth's spacetime emitted a fierce red light, as if mocking her.

Amy: "Failure? What am I supposed to do?"

She had tried not to care about the result, but now that she had failed, she was furious.

The mercenary mage approached.

Mercenary Mage: "Hoho! That's how rookies are. Is it my turn now?"

Amy: "Wait! I'll try sniper mode! I'll show you what I'm really capable of!"

Shirone, who knew Amy's personality, stepped in.

Shirone: "Calm down first. If your focus is disrupted, your score will drop even more. You'll have another chance."

Amy: "Ugh, seriously! Shirone, I'm definitely trying again!"

Shirone: "Alright, alright."

As Shirone and Amy stepped down from the altar, the mercenary mage smirked.

Mercenary Mage: "What a coincidence. I'm also a fire mage. To match your level, I'll use Fireball too."

Amy snorted.

Amy (thinking): 'How funny. He liked my strategy.'

Well, the loser had no say, so she could only watch, seething internally.

Mercenary Mage: "Then..."

The mage's expression turned serious as he conjured flames between his palms.

Raising his arms, the fire began to grow in size.

Amy's eyes narrowed.