Bermuda

Since the Division One match had been conducted in groups, participants had known from the beginning which group they belonged to. But this time there was no announcement about any group. Did that mean all of these people would be thrown into the same match?

Just as Leonardo wondered about that, the explanation began.

No limit, huh.

At the very least, that meant it was not first-come, first-served. On the other hand, it also suggested the difficulty was not so low that everyone could pass easily.

Perhaps Ero had thought the same thing, because their eyes met.

Leonardo looked down at the token in his hand. This number was not just an identifier—it was the number of “chances” he had to turn corners.

In other words, the task was to escape before those chances ran out.

But twenty. The area of this stadium alone was easily over twenty-five hectares. If the space inside the maze was expanded by twisting the dimensions, it could be even larger.

If he wandered around without thinking, those chances would disappear in no time.

In the end, did it mean they were expected to fight and steal other people’s chances?

The magic circle spreading across the sky vanished just as it was. As soon as the announcement ended, the participants began murmuring among themselves. It was unclear whether the rules seemed unexpectedly simple or whether they were startled by the restriction imposed by the token numbers. By the time they finished grasping the situation, they surged forward together without anyone prompting them first. That must be where the entrance to the maze was.

“Hyung, let’s go too!”

“Yeah.”

Prompted by Ero, Leonardo began walking leisurely toward the crowd ahead.

When he glanced back toward where his partners had been standing, the two of them were already gone, likely having joined the line. Although he had spoken coldly to Ero as if they meant nothing to him, Leonardo inwardly wished them luck before turning his head toward the spectator stands.

He felt as if someone had been watching him.

But there was nothing there.

Maybe Gillian was right that he had been too on edge lately... brushing the back of his head, he followed the other participants.

The maze had been constructed half-buried underground, so reaching the initial entrance required descending a set of stairs. However, the staircase—which he had expected to end after a certain distance—continued much deeper than anticipated. Following the zigzagging path downward behind the guide, the bright blue sky eventually seemed impossibly far away.

Accordingly, the walls forming the maze were much taller. They were roughly eleven meters high. If someone walked while looking straight ahead without lifting their head, their entire field of vision would be filled with yellow-brown stone.

Here and there were lower grooves where it was possible to cross to the other side, but even those looked difficult for an ordinary person to climb unless they possessed considerable jumping ability.

In addition, there was not just a single entrance but several scattered ones. The guide explained that this was simply to prevent traffic congestion and that none of them were more advantageous or closer to the exit than the others. In the end, choosing which entrance to enter was entirely up to the participant.

“Until you move ten meters from the starting point, you may not steal another participant’s token or combine token numbers. Now then, twenty participants total—begin. Please proceed inside along the path.”

At the guide’s command, the twenty people including Leonardo and Ero stepped between the towering walls. The moment they started, most of them immediately sprinted forward while watching each other warily. They seemed eager to create distance before getting dragged into unnecessary fights.

Ero hurriedly tried to chase after them, then stopped and turned back.

“Hyung, aren’t you coming?”

Leonardo flipped the hem of his cloak behind him and began walking from the very back with his hands in his pockets. He looked so relaxed that it was hard to believe the match had even begun.

“Don’t rush.”

Behind his shoulder, a single spark flared to life and shot into the air like an arrow. It moved so fast that Ero could not even follow it with his eyes.

“In places like this, moving fast isn’t always the answer.”