The Third Layer of the Great Labyrinth.

A vast grassland stretched out before them, where a group of humans steadily advanced.

It was a party of six individuals. Their appearances were remarkably diverse.

At the front, a man with a neat appearance wielding a sword and shield moved confidently, seemingly the leader of the group. Behind him, a hooded woman, likely serving as a scout, glanced around cautiously, her golden hair spilling from beneath her hood.

Trailing behind, a short and stocky man with a Viking helmet and an axe in each hand brought up the rear as if guarding their backs. In the center of the group were two young girls, one appearing to be a priestess and the other a mage, accompanied by a man carrying a massive backpack, who looked like a porter.

Compared to the other four, the priestess and mage seemed unusually tense. The reason for their nervousness was...

"Hey, academy girls, why are you so stiff?"

"W-We’re only at the entrance of the labyrinth."

The girls were first-timers in the labyrinth. The stocky man in the Viking helmet, a dwarf named Chrome, asked the question, and the mage girl replied nervously.

"Hah, even an illiterate guy like me can manage just fine here. So why are academy girls, who’ve supposedly learned all there is to know, acting like this?"

"We’re first-years! We’ve only learned the basics!"

"In my day, we didn’t even have someone to teach us the basics—we just dove right in. Kids these days lack guts."

"That’s such a boomer thing to say!"

The mage girl, Eri, kept firing back at the dwarf’s remarks, though it felt more like she was grumbling than actually fighting.

At this point, the man who appeared to be the leader, Hugo, spoke up.

"Now, now, Chrome, let’s not be too harsh. For those of us who charge into battle, courage might be the most important trait, but for a mage, isn’t caution a virtue?"

"Listen, Hugo. That’s not caution—that’s being overly stiff. You know as well as I do that it’s just wasting energy. We’re only on the third layer, after all. It’s unnecessary stress."

"That’s not entirely wrong. Eri and Shia, don’t be so nervous. This is just the upper layers of the labyrinth, and we’re here to help you gain experience. Trust your guides a little more."

"Yes..."
"Okay..."

The two girls blushed and answered shyly at Hugo’s gentle tone.

As Hugo said, the two girls were here to gain experience. They were first-year students from the Labyrinth Academy, an institution built around training for labyrinth exploration. Both had been assigned to this party as part of an exam: a longstanding tradition at the academy.

The purpose of the test was to have students join a designated party, experience their first labyrinth exploration, and receive evaluations from the party members.

The academy had this system in place for good reason. Sending students to explore the labyrinth on their own often resulted in accidents due to inexperience. On the other hand, assigning professors as guides wasn’t ideal either, as professors were usually accomplished veterans who failed to instill the necessary tension and realism in the students. Moreover, if professors acted as guides, the experience would feel more like another lecture.

Thus, the academy selected experienced parties to guide students through the upper layers of the labyrinth. These upper layers were relatively free of environmental hazards or interference from transcendents, allowing experienced parties to navigate them quickly.

That’s how Eri, the mage, and Shia, the priestess, ended up paired and placed in Hugo’s party. Gradually relaxing after his words, the two resumed their march.

‘Right. It’s just the upper layers. Nothing big will happen, right?’
‘It’s just a test, after all…’

The two reassured themselves as they pressed forward. But then, suddenly—

"Wait, Hugo. There’s someone ahead."

"Hmm?"

The scout, a hooded woman named Mirien, spoke up. Hugo turned his gaze forward.

To his eyes, it was merely a black dot in the distance. But to the scout, it appeared to be a person. Given her far superior vision, Hugo trusted her judgment.

"Just one?"

"Seems like it."

"Hmm..."

Hugo hesitated. Was this person separated from their party? Such things occasionally happened when entering the labyrinth. Though parties entered together, they could sometimes be scattered once inside.

This could be avoided with special artifacts that connected party members, which the academy had provided for their group. Thanks to this, Hugo’s party had entered intact. But the lone figure ahead clearly hadn’t been so fortunate.

"What should we do?"

The person ahead didn’t seem to belong to a party. Perhaps they had been scattered upon entering the labyrinth.

"If they were with a party, we’d move past them, since our mission is to guide the academy students. But seeing someone alone like that is concerning."

The labyrinth was harsh and unforgiving, but precisely because of this, it had its own set of rules. Breaking these rules brought severe consequences—ostracization, or even being treated as a criminal. In fact, many who broke the rules inevitably turned to crime.

The rules themselves weren’t overly complex. Simple principles like "Don’t harm priests," "Don’t betray your comrades," and "Only self-defense killings are permitted" formed the basis. Furthermore, aiding others in need often brought unseen benefits.

These unwritten rules encouraged explorers not to make enemies and to help each other when possible. Surprisingly, these rules were widely upheld. With emergency escape blessings available, most deaths in the labyrinth resulted from its trials, not infighting. Those who betrayed or committed crimes often faced exposure by survivors, leading to a labyrinth with lower crime rates than the outside world.

Hugo pondered this.

‘Leaving them behind might not reflect well, especially in front of the students.’

The labyrinth was no place to traverse alone. Even in the upper layers, danger could arise for anyone who wasn’t exceptionally strong.

Leaving the person could be justifiable, but ignoring them might also leave a poor impression during his role as a guide. However, allowing an unexpected individual to join their group could also raise concerns.

‘If it’s just temporary companionship rather than adding them to the roster, it might be fine.’

He decided that a brief accompaniment wouldn’t disrupt the party’s objectives. After all, this was an exam, meant to give the students experience. Encountering and dealing with such situations was part of that experience.

Of course, this assumption only held if the individual ahead was trustworthy.

‘If they’re a criminal, we’ll deal with them immediately.’

With that thought, Hugo glanced back at the group.

"There's someone up ahead, seemingly separated from their party and alone. I’m thinking of approaching them to see if they’d like to join us for a bit. What do you all think?"

"A person?"

At this, the dwarf warrior Chrome stepped forward, narrowing his eyes to confirm the presence of the figure ahead.

"Hmm... They're not a criminal, are they?"

"C-Criminal?!"

The priestess, Shia, exclaimed nervously at Chrome’s remark, prompting Hugo to respond.

"We won’t know until we talk to them. Let’s approach them and decide afterward whether they’ll join us or not."

"But... will it be okay? Having someone join us who wasn’t part of the plan might disrupt the exam."

"Don’t worry. It seems like this person is in trouble. We’ll just accompany them for a bit, not integrate them into the party. In the labyrinth, there are unwritten rules. Things like not committing crimes or avoiding killing for reasons beyond self-defense. On the flip side, helping someone in need often brings unexpected benefits. Consider this part of the experience—let’s at least talk to them."

"Alright..."

The academy students nodded in agreement, reassured by Hugo’s explanation.

And so, the party advanced toward the lone figure.

***

Meanwhile, Yujin and Tiamat were having their own discussion.

"...Where is this?"

Standing in the middle of a vast grassland, Yujin muttered to himself as he scanned his surroundings.

"Where could this be? It doesn’t seem to be outside the labyrinth."

『Judging by the energy I can sense, it’s probably around the third layer of the labyrinth. Is something wrong?』

"Actually, I was planning to exit right away, but something blocked me, almost like hitting a wall."

Yujin explained, answering Tiamat’s inquiry. He had attempted to escape the labyrinth using spatial teleportation, only to be repelled by an invisible barrier.

"It seems like the space inside and outside the labyrinth is completely cut off."

『I see... Since we’re deep within the labyrinth, I didn’t notice. So, do we need to break or tear through the space?』

"Wouldn’t that risk drawing the gods’ attention? Even if we try to remain low-profile, forcibly breaking out of the labyrinth’s space might be..."

『Hmm... That could indeed be troublesome.』

"In that case, let’s search for an exit the conventional way. There’s no rush, and conveniently enough..."

Yujin turned to glance in a particular direction.

"It looks like some helpful people are coming our way."

***

"Excuse me! Are you alone?"

The party, having approached the lone figure, was greeted by Hugo, their leader, who spoke first.

The person in question was dressed rather scruffily. Judging by the tattered state of his robe, he seemed to be a mage, though his clothes looked worn out, as if they hadn’t seen sunlight in ages.

The man turned around to face them.

"Ah, yes, that’s correct."

"!?"

For a moment, the party was taken aback as they got a clear view of him.

Despite his scruffy clothes and ink-black hair, his pale white skin and striking appearance stood out. His eyes were half-closed, but even so, his features were almost unnaturally perfect, as if they were sculpted by an artist.

The gentle smile on his face as he greeted them was strangely captivating, almost like a snake luring its prey into its coils.

And yet... perhaps because of the half-closed eyes and enigmatic smile, the man radiated an air of suspicion despite his beauty.

Still, Hugo maintained his composure, forcing a smile as he asked, "Would you like some assistance? The labyrinth can be a dangerous place, after all."

"Oh! Isn’t that a bit intrusive?"

"It’s fine. In a place like this, helping each other is only natural. You can join us until you meet up with your party."

Hugo assumed the man had been separated from his party, but the response he received was unexpected.

"Ah, I don’t have a party. I’m alone."

"Excuse me?"

Alone? The idea puzzled Hugo, who tilted his head in curiosity. The man lowered his head slightly as he continued.

"Ah, I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Yujin. I entered the labyrinth to gather magical materials."

"Ah... I see."

To gather magical materials—Hugo nodded in understanding.

There were indeed mages who entered the labyrinth alone despite its dangers, driven by the need for knowledge or rare materials. Some lacked the funds to purchase materials outright, while others didn’t have the time or resources to form a party.

Since the labyrinth’s emergency escape blessings existed, such solo ventures weren’t entirely uncommon.

Hugo asked, "May I ask how far you plan to go to collect materials?"

"I was planning to descend to the fifth layer."

"The fifth layer..."

At this, Hugo’s expression shifted slightly. Coincidentally, the academy’s exam for the students also involved traveling to the fifth layer. What a strange coincidence.

"In that case, why not join us? We have plenty of supplies, so a brief companionship shouldn’t be an issue."

"That would be greatly appreciated. I didn’t have time to form a party, so I had to enter in a rush."

"Understood."

Hugo’s hunch seemed correct. Turning to his party, he asked, "He’s requested to join us temporarily. Any objections?"

"..." "I don’t mind." "Ah... sure!" "Got it..." "Uh... do I need to give my opinion too?"

The scout Mirien remained silent, the dwarf warrior Chrome shrugged indifferently, and both the mage and priestess girls nodded their assent. The porter scratched his head but didn’t object.

With the majority in agreement, Hugo turned back to Yujin and nodded.

"Then we look forward to your company, Yujin. I’m Hugo, the leader of this party."

"Thank you, Hugo. I’m in your care."

Yujin shook the hand Hugo offered with a polite smile.

And so, the black-haired outsider, Yujin, temporarily joined Hugo’s party.