Labyrinth

It was a foreign object suddenly gouged into the world, a repository of resources, and a cavern of magic where the laws of the surface did not apply.
This labyrinth yielded treasures beyond imagination—gold, silver, and jewels, rare plants, and even ancient relics.
And as if to guard these treasures, creatures of extraordinary menace, unlike anything on the surface, emerged from its depths.

"It is truly another world, isolated from our own."

Those who ventured into the labyrinth and returned alive all spoke in unison.

It had been a long time since labyrinths began appearing in the world and encroaching upon human society.
Now, humanity had grown so dependent on the near-infinite resources they provided that survival without them was nearly impossible.

Drawn by the allure, many threw themselves into these dimly lit caverns, disregarding the dangers.
A labyrinth was a place where hope and despair coexisted in equal measure—

"Well, to a certain extent, anyway..."

A gaping hole, as if the mountainside had been gouged out, stretched before my eyes.
This was the entrance to the labyrinth dungeon managed and overseen by the Academy of Magic and Swords.

During my first life, I had entered this place several times, but to be honest, I had never felt any enthusiasm for stepping into such a lunatic’s playground.
And now, standing before this massive hole, that sentiment remained unchanged.

"There is a saying: 'The labyrinth has a will of its own and strikes with malice the moment it senses an intruder’s vulnerability.'"

Such was the danger of the labyrinth—a place where death loomed ever near.
It was an abnormality so ingrained that it had become the norm.
Of course, as mentioned before, there were undeniable benefits, but in the end, whether one valued their life over wealth and fame dictated their willingness to challenge it.

—Even considering all this, I still had no desire to enter a labyrinth.

"Each faction, have you received your magic tools?"

Lost in thought, I barely noticed as the staff member, who had guided us to the entrance, began distributing small, round, golden orbs to everyone preparing to enter the labyrinth.

I recognized this magic tool.
During my first life, I had lost count of how many times this tool had saved my life.
It had protected countless students from death.

—The Labyrinth Fairy, Dungeon Pixie.

This tool transmitted the user’s location and sent out a distress signal if their life was in danger.
Additionally, the Dungeon Pixies distributed today had an extra function—they would observe and relay footage of our expedition to the audience remaining in the training grounds, projecting it onto a massive screen.

"Just one of these must be worth a fortune..."

The thought alone sent shivers down my spine.
Even nobles could not easily acquire such magic tools, yet the academy loaned them to students without hesitation.
Unlike a tool that simply produced fire or hot water, these small orbs were infused with magical engineering far beyond my comprehension.
As expected of the nation's greatest academic institution.

While listening to the staff member explain the tool's usage, we finally stepped into the labyrinth.

"This is a competition, but do not let yourselves get carried away.
Your own survival is the top priority."

"Yes!!"

With those parting words, the staff member bid us farewell.
From this point on, it was a true battle—a scramble where only members of the competing factions remained.

"Now then, let the Rank Advancement Trial—Labyrinth Conquest Dungeon Attack—begin!!"

"!!"

At the staff member's signal, all factions dashed forward simultaneously.
At the same time, the Dungeon Pixies activated on their own.

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!!"

Following suit, we charged into the labyrinth.

This academy’s labyrinth contained countless entrances.

Even after each faction had chosen their own, many others remained, as if deliberately designed to confuse the challengers.

Seeing so many misleading paths at the start could easily lead one to suspect that a shortcut to the lowest floor was hidden among them.
However, in reality, no such path existed.
It was all just for show—a deliberate ploy by the labyrinth itself to mislead intruders.

First-time labyrinth trainees often fell for this trick, wasting time as a result.
It had become something of a tradition at the academy.
However, in this case, all participants were well aware of the labyrinth’s nature, rendering its deception ineffective.

Of course, I, too, remembered this from my first life.

—For once, my past knowledge actually proved useful.

Moments like these gave me a small sense of satisfaction.
Though I wouldn’t mind more opportunities to capitalize on my past life’s experience, dwelling on that too much would only lead to unnecessary frustration.

"Well, setting that aside..."

It had already been ten minutes since we entered the labyrinth.
As we ran down what seemed to be an endless, straight passageway, I took a moment to review the layout of this labyrinth.

"Alright, pop quiz! How many floors make up the Academy’s hidden labyrinth?
Freesia, your answer?"

"Eh!? Um… Three! Three floors!"

"Wrong. Weiss?"

"Four, right?"

"Correct."

Rather than just explaining outright, I framed it as a question to keep things engaging.
Unfortunately, the battle maniac who had devoted her second life to sheer combat prowess found it a bit too difficult.
How unfortunate.

"Muuu!!"

"If you're going to pout, just remember it next time.
It’s not even that complicated."

Freesia puffed out her cheeks in a rather adorable manner.
It might have seemed like she wasn’t taking this seriously, but considering that being overly tense would be even worse, this was fine.
Glancing at the rest of the group, I met the prince’s gaze.

"Clay, could you go over our route one more time?"

"Of course."

Despite this being his first labyrinth expedition, the prince remained as composed as ever.
His nerves were truly remarkable.

I nodded and continued.

"The labyrinth’s structure is quite simple.
By choosing the right paths, we can minimize encounters with monsters.
First, we continue straight ahead until we reach a large chamber.
From there, another fork—"

Thanks to my memories from my first life, I easily recalled the labyrinth’s layout.
Along with that, bits of additional information surfaced in my mind.
Reaching the fourth and lowest floor should be no problem.

"—Once we reach the connecting passage to the third floor, it's a straight shot from there."

"Huh, sounds easier than I expected!"

Freesia’s words were carefree, but—

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple."

This wasn’t just an ordinary labyrinth expedition.
It was a competition.
There was no telling when another faction might try to sabotage us.

—In fact, that was practically guaranteed.

Well, nothing had happened yet.
While foresight was important, dwelling too much on the worst-case scenario would only breed paranoia.
It was best to proceed with a balanced mindset.