“I wanted to join the Weapon Auction the Hargraves Corporation is holding.
“But I’m too poor to get the tickets,” Arthur said, trying to force a sorrowful tone.
“I’m fine anywhere, actually.”
Felix elbowed Mars when he gave a normal answer.
Mars smiled and shrugged.
“Neo, pleaaaaase…”
Felix stared at him with puppy eyes.
“Fine.”
Neo clicked his tongue and looked away.
“We’ll meet one week later.”
“Yes!” “Got him!”
Jack and Felix high-fived.
The group dispersed to complete their packing.
Neo left for the library and bought the [Rewind Enchantment] Spell.
“The cost is 1,000 credits. Do you wish to buy the Spell?” the librarian asked.
“Yes.”
“The credits have been deducted from your account.”
Neo took the Spell book and left the library.
He checked his balance.
“Only 215 credits left. The exams and other utilities took a lot of credits.”
Neo studied the Spell on his way to the mission hall.
It was complicated.
“I’ll need a few weeks to learn this.”
He returned the Spell book to his bag and entered the mission hall.
“It’s time I start the Fourth Trial.
“I just hope my guess is correct and the trial to defeat my Shadow.”
The trial was to surpass oneself.
One’s Shadow was a copy of oneself, and no one could defeat their Shadow.
Neo had repeatedly thought about the two ideas in the past week.
He concluded he had to defeat his Shadow in order to surpass himself.
“It’s not easy though.
“I can find my Shadow only in Shadow Windows or the World of Shadows.”
Neo massaged the bridge of his nose.
“Fuck, does my Shadow even exist?
“I can stay inside Shadow Windows without safety gear.
“So I’m either the Shadow myself or I’ve consumed my Shadow to awaken my Shadow element.
“Both of the options don’t make any sense.”
Complaining wouldn’t change anything.
He decided to visit as many Shadow Windows as possible and hope his Shadow spawns.
“If it doesn’t work, I might need to go to the World of Shadows…”
Life was always shit to shitter.
As if the previous trials were not difficult, now he had to search for a Shadow that might not exist.
“Let’s do everything step by step.
“First, I need to go into Shadow Windows.”
He stared at the missions posted on the mission hall.
None of them had anything to do with a Shadow Window.
“Not a single Shadow Window mission in months.
“Of course, it never comes when I need it to.”
Neo clicked his tongue.
There were Shadow Windows all over the continent.
However, the academy was not given the contract to close them.
“I guess I need to join an adventurer party that is planning on entering a Shadow Window and go with them.
“Or…..”
He could be in the right place at the right time.
Making the choice, Neo took all the missions related to the Labyrinth.
There weren’t many since a lot of students took those missions and planned to complete them during the breaks.
“Sir, you can’t take an SS-rank mission. Your team does not qualify for it.”
“It’s okay. Give me the rest of the missions.”
While the SS-rank Labyrinth mission had bountiful rewards, Neo could not wait long enough to get the qualifications for it.
He took the S-rank mission that killed his friends in the pre-regression round and a few C~A rank Labyrinth missions.
>S-rank Mission<
Details: Rescue Charles Drunma (dead or alive) who has been missing in the Labyrinth of Greenwood.
Reward: 50 credits, Hellfire Ore, Nightclaw Gauntlets
Assigner: Besmeth Drunma
>S-rank Mission<
The mission had been posted three years ago.
The wife, Besmeth Drunma, firmly believed her husband could survive the labyrinth for three years.
Thus, the academy had been forced to keep the mission posted.
However, the fact that no one could clear an S-rank mission for three years proved it was next to impossible to clear.
Neo left the academy. freёwebnovel.com
He took a bullet train for Greenwood City and entered the Labyrinth.
“It’s good I can clear a few missions while opening a Shadow Window.”
He walked down the Labyrinth while using Aura of Death to kill any monster that entered his vicinity.
“The best part is this S-rank mission.
“It would’ve taken backbreaking efforts to find traces of Charles.
“But since I know everything, I can skip the steps and salvage his corpse from the Minotaur’s chamber.”
Neo stretched his fingers.
He could sense dozens of monsters hiding behind the corner, ready to ambush him.
“Let’s speedrun the Labyrinth first.”
….
Echoes of metal clashing against metal reverberated through the cave-like corridors of the Labyrinth.
“Mira, come back! You are going in too deep!”
George frowned when Mira didn’t listen to him.
She, fueled by adrenaline, had entered the ground of monsters.
“Flare Burst!”
George shot an exploding fireball into the midst of the monsters.
The attack threw them off their feet.
He used the opportunity to pull back Mira.
“Mira! Are you okay? Mira, answer me!”
“Y-yeah.”
The woman, barely twenty-three, smiled.
She wiped the blood from her face.
“Thanks for covering me there,” she said. “Did you get my fight on the camera?”
“What…?”
“The camera, you know. The Stream. This is our chance as Labyrinth Streamers to—”
“You dumb bitch! We are about to die! Who cares about streaming our battle!?”
Despite his words, George grinned.
He understood it was Mira’s way of cheering him up.
The two had been diving into the Labyrinth for months as small-time Labyrinth Streamers.
They streamed their Labyrinth exploration online.
On good days, they would get 100~500 live views.
Today, though, they had a whopping 5,000 views.
Because they were about to get eaten alive.
“I care!”
Mira swung her spear in a wide arc and let the blood splatter on the ground.
“Make sure to keep the camera going.”
The two engaged the monsters rushing at them from all sides.
Injuries piled over their bodies.
Their situation, although despairing, was normal for average Labyrinth adventurers like them.
The Labyrinth offered riches to anyone who dared to enter it.
However, only a small percentage survived through the hellish place to enjoy the rewards.
‘The Graveyard of Demigods’.
It was another name for the Labyrinth of Greenwood.
Mira and George knew it was their time to join the graveyard.
“I’m still a virgin, dammit!”
Mira shouted and prepared to use her strongest Spell.
“George, I’ll create an opening! Use it to escape while I become the bait—”
“Mira, get ready! Something big is coming!”
George sensed a powerful presence moving towards them.