Derek found his line of sight had suddenly changed.
From seeing the brilliant light in the field with everyone else, he was now in a dimly lit room.
The room only had one door, and it was to his left. However, Derek wasn’t focused on that at the moment. Instead, he was reeling from the recently concluded experience.
’That was Teleportation Magecraft!’ He squealed in delight.
’It’s super-rare as a Rune and even more so as a Spell. The lesser applications are used to pass information across long distances. But Instant Transmission is not the same as Teleportation, which transports corporeal entities.’
[This is your first time experiencing something like this, so I understand your excitement. However, you must focus on the task at hand.]
"Yeah... you’re right."
Derek deeply inhaled and calmed his nerves. The mere recall of his experience felt surreal, but Max was correct.
He was in a test!
’Did you record the Rune at the very least? Can you transcribe it for me?’
[No. Although I recorded its effects, the actual Rune was hidden from general perception. Also, the information in my database is insufficient to extrapolate meaning from the Rune and transcribe it into a working equivalent Spell.]
"I see..." Derek mumbled in disappointment as he approached the door.
"From this point on, we’ll likely run into all kinds of traps. Stay alert and inform me of any strange changes in the environment."
[Of course, Host.]
"Alright..." Derek twisted the hinge and pushed the door open with all of his strength.
"Let’s do thi—"
[I sense a disturbance. Magia is accumulating. Fire a Spell as soon as the door opens.]
’Understood!’
Derek raised his right hand and opted for Spell #3: Ignite.
The moment the door flung open, a ball of smelly green liquid shot towards him with intense speed.
Fortunately, he was faster.
BOOM!
His flames intercepted the blob and scattered the gunk before it could reach him.
"Urgh... It really stinks." Derek pinched his nose and gagged.
He shuddered the moment he imagined what would have happened if he had fallen for the trap.
’Let’s be even more careful...’
[Indeed!]
Derek looked around him and found himself in a narrow, dimly lit hallway.
’It likely leads to another room.’
Derek sighed.
’I think I understand this test a little better now.’ Derek raised his hand and made another chant.
"Spell #1: Illuminate."
A brilliant ball of light appeared atop his palm, and he sent it flying into the air.
Rather than fizzling out, as it would have in the past, the sphere hovered in the air and slowly approached the door while Derek followed right behind it.
’This should expose any hidden mechanisms that can be spotted with the ordinary eyes.’ Derek quietly nodded. ’As for any other traps, since this was made for Magus Apprentices, they can be detected with relative ease. I’ll leave that job to Max.’
Once again, this test had both Derek and Max working together to achieve the best result possible.
’Ah... there’s a Rune engraved on the ground. On that wall as well...’ Derek smiled as he walked past the many traps that pervaded the hallway.
As long as he didn’t trigger any of them, they wouldn’t be set off.
After walking for a little over one minute, he reached the door and opened it with as much caution as he could muster.
However, nothing happened.
He promptly stepped into the hall with a raised guard and noticed something.
’There are two other doors this time.’
There was a door to the right and one to the left, both seemingly identical.
’But they lead to different sections of the Labyrinth. I have to find the closest exit, but it seems I can only do so by trial and error.’
Derek sighed and chose the left door.
However, when he opened it, he found himself right in the starting room.
It was as if he was just beginning the test.
’Is this... really the same room?’
Derek opened the single left door and found proof of his Spell as well as the smelly liquid scattered all over.
’I was sent back...’
Derek quickly noted yet another feature of this Labyrinth.
Picking the wrong choice could send the examinee back, rather than simply leading them in the wrong direction. Thus, if an examinee took their time, they would inevitably arrive at the correct answer.
’We have an hour to reach an exit.’ Derek recalled the words of the proctor.
Because of this time limit, examinees couldn’t casually explore doors while resorting to trial and error.
Even if this was the only remedy, with every passing moment, the examinees would grow more impatient and overlook certain problems.
Due to being in a rush, they could make simple mistakes and jeopardize their chances even further.
’I need to be careful not to fall for such errors.’
Derek used Spell [Illuminate] once more and carefully observed the floors and walls like he did before.
Much to his surprise, the position of the Runes had changed, even if slightly.
’This proves it!’
Normally, an examinee would assume that they had spotted the traps in this hallway. Thus, they could be careless and not properly search for any changes.
If they miscalculated even slightly, they could end up triggering a Rune they thought they had avoided.
’Hmm... Let’s try this again.’
Derek felt like he could still learn some more, so when he passed the hallway and reached the other room, he chose the left door again.
Just as expected, he was sent to the starting room.
He once again cast [Illuminate] and observed the Runes and any other traps that could appear.
That was when he noticed yet another change.
’It seems the Runes shift ever so slightly every time you return to the starting room. The Magecraft of this entire labyrinth must be connected.’
That wasn’t all.
Derek noticed an inconspicuous Rune in a place that was empty that last time.
’I can’t assume I know all the traps, even if I get sent back. I must be careful at every turn.’
Derek once again reached the other room and, for the first time, chose the right door.
His choice immediately triggered a trap.
This time, a ball of fire charged at him from the hallway.
Thankfully, he had been prepared.
"Spell #4: Splash."
He countered the fire with a water-based projectile. The two canceled each other out, allowing Derek to advance forward.
However, as soon as he stepped into the hallway, another fireball approached.
It was a double-layered trap!