Chapter 33: Maze of Peril

I spent my time crafting various dolls.

Occasionally, whispers announcing someone’s failure echoed in my ears.

Some people returned to the clearing to rest.

While they recovered, I promoted my dolls to them, earning a few extra points.

However, there was no news of anyone discovering treasure.

Instead, coffins began to arrive at the clearing one by one.

***

The first one to arrive was severely damaged, as though it had passed through several traps.

Its body was pierced and mangled, and even four of its legs had been torn off, leaving traces of a brutal ordeal.

Despite this, the coffin it carried on its back remained mostly intact.

We quickly retrieved the doll that had barely managed to reach the clearing and opened the coffin.

Its interior, unlike its battered exterior, was remarkably stable.

Inside was a bloodied man.

One of his legs was torn off, bleeding profusely, while a massive hole in his chest revealed the other side.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of battle he had been through.

The dolls carefully pulled the man out of the coffin.

The moment he left it, blood poured out of him.

I hurriedly sealed all his wounds with magic.

His body, pale from blood loss, lay limp.

Half-opening his eyes, he looked at me.

I held his hand with a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry. Just close your eyes for a bit, and you’ll be fine soon.”

I began drawing a magic circle.

A quick examination showed that half of his internal organs were missing.

The preservation magic in the coffin had barely kept him alive, but death was inevitable without immediate intervention.

I instructed the dolls.

The most critical parts were his heart and lungs.

The dolls opened themselves, taking out artificial organs that I had previously prepared.

Each one was carefully matched with his mana.

Some were met with severe rejection, while others didn’t align with his magical resonance.

By swiftly testing each one, I found the most suitable replacements and connected them to his body.

***

On the outside, he looked grotesque.

Since all the artificial organs were externally attached, it seemed as though wriggling appendages clung to his body like parasites devouring him.

Yet, despite this unsettling appearance, his internal condition stabilized.

For a mage, mana was all that mattered; the body was just an accessory.

These artificial organs eased the burden on his body, allowing his mana to flow steadily.

Soon, his previously faint magical energy surged powerfully, flowing through his entire system.

It began wrapping around his damaged parts.

His missing limbs started to regenerate, bones grew from his legs, and the hole in his chest gradually closed.

The artificial organs I had attached were pushed out as his mana filled the void, replacing them.

The dolls assisted by drawing healing magic circles to promote growth and regeneration.

Slowly but surely, he regained his original form.

Eventually, the man stood up, though slowly, and with his eyes closed, he gathered his mana.

Lowering his head, he spoke.

“Thank you. You saved my life.”

“Oh, not at all. If I’ve earned precious points, I have to deliver on their value, don’t I?”

I helped him up, leading him to a table in one corner of the tent.

Pouring tea in front of him, I smiled gently.

“Sir, please rest here for a while. We still have plenty of time.”

“I’ll take a moment to recover then. My name is Jun. Feel free to call me that.”

Jun.

I searched my memory.

I had memorized the profiles of all the students.

He had been enrolled for seven years but was still on the first floor.

“Ah, Jun. I’m Evron. Please, just call me Ron. Rest well.”

I said this as I stood up.

He nodded slightly before closing his eyes, absorbing the surrounding mana to heal.

***

While he rested, I inspected the coffin doll he had used.

The core magic circle was intact, meaning it could be reused.

I replaced its broken legs and tidied its damaged body.

When I finished, it looked as good as new.

The doll moved around, testing its body.

Satisfied that there were no issues, it shrank down to fit into my hand.

Jun, now recovered enough to move, watched quietly from beside me.

I held out the doll to him.

“How do you feel about it? This little guy brought you here safely. Would you like to rent it again?”

Jun silently nodded, extending his ring.

I received the points and handed the doll to him.

Without waiting for full recovery, Jun left the clearing again.

‘What an impatient man,’ I thought.

***

This cycle continued.

People rented the coffins, and those who saw them return in one piece began to use them too.

Watching my points accumulate, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

Now, it was my turn to move.

Not that I planned on leaving the safety of the clearing—only my dolls would venture out.

If there were no customers, I would simply create demand.

It was a lesson worth a thousand points, learned at orientation.

I scattered insect-like dolls everywhere, with larger ones trailing behind.

They mapped out the labyrinth, revealing its complex and ever-changing structure.

The paths split and merged repeatedly, creating a bewildering maze.

The dolls followed the trails of others who had already passed, avoiding most traps.

Though some dolls were destroyed by traps left behind, it wasn’t a significant loss overall.

Eventually, the dolls found an injured person—a mage impaled by tendrils descending from the ceiling.

I recognized him as someone I’d seen in the clearing before, though he hadn’t rented a doll.

The tendrils drained the mage’s mana voraciously.

Approaching cautiously, the dolls attempted to intervene.

The tendrils quivered but didn’t react aggressively to their presence.

The moment the dolls touched the mage, however, dozens of tendrils descended from the ceiling.

They skewered the dolls instantly, breaking through all their defensive magic.

Red patterns began glowing on the dolls’ bodies.

These patterns absorbed all the mana from the dolls, etching a massive magic circle on their remains.

The tendrils, sensing danger, tried to destroy the dolls, but the magic circle activated faster.

The dolls erupted in a massive explosion.

The tendrils were momentarily thrown off, though not severely damaged.

I hadn’t expected much; I only needed an opening.

Using the explosion as momentum, a coffin doll shot forward, rapidly expanding.

The doll slammed itself into the tendrils that were devouring the mage.

The impact knocked the mage to the ground, and the doll swiftly sealed him inside its coffin.

The tendrils, furious at losing their prey, lashed out at the coffin, but the doll rapidly moved its four pairs of legs, escaping the danger.

It returned to the clearing where I waited.

Opening the coffin, I saw the mage was barely clinging to life, in a condition similar to Jun’s earlier state.

If the tendrils had drained any more of his mana, he would have been eliminated.

I quickly began treating his injuries, restoring his body as I had with Jun.

His mana started flowing again, accelerating his recovery.

As he regained consciousness, he opened his eyes and met my gaze.

I smiled at him reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe here. This is the starting point of the labyrinth.”

“Urgh… Thank you.”

I waved off his gratitude.

I had simply provided a service; there was no need for thanks.

Extending my hand to him, I gestured toward the ring on his right hand.

He looked at me in confusion, but I gently grasped his limp hand.

His ring shimmered faintly as I pressed my own ring against it.

“The rescue fee is ten points,” I said with a calm smile.

His expression turned to one of shock.

“But… the rental fee for a doll is only two points…”

I cut him off and handed him an invoice.

It detailed every effort I had made to save him, along with the associated costs.

“That’s the base rental fee for a doll. But here, you’re being charged for the effort to locate you, the mana expended to transport you, and the replacement cost for damaged dolls. It all totals to ten points.”

I then handed him the coffin doll that had brought him back.

“In case something like this happens again, would you like to pre-rent another doll? It’s only two points.”

He reluctantly took the doll, handed over twelve points, and prepared to head back into the labyrinth.

I stopped him before he left.

“Oh, and do you find navigating the labyrinth difficult? I have something for you—a special doll. These are the same ones that helped save you earlier. They’re designed to trigger traps and explode when necessary.”

With that, I managed to squeeze three more points out of him.

Watching him leave, I smiled in satisfaction.

Truly, opportunity always follows danger.

These rescue operations were an efficient way to earn points.

There were plenty of coffins, and even more people.

***

About six hours passed.

By then, I had amassed enough points to build a small hill—not a mountain, but still impressive.

While the growing number brought me joy, I couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.

Retrieving the coffin dolls was proving harder than expected.

More than 10% of them failed to return.

Even when I tried to track their signals, they were completely lost.

Though I had anticipated some losses, the value of each coffin made every one of them painful to lose.

Each one was like a piece of a turtle shell—priceless.

In terms of materials alone, each coffin was worth over ten points.

I unfolded a map.

It was a rough sketch of the labyrinth’s structure, created from the paths mapped by the dolls.

Though most areas remained uncharted, I had thoroughly mapped the vicinity of the clearing.

The labyrinth continued to shift, but the changes weren’t drastic—just a few paths being added or disappearing.

Judging by the map, progress in the labyrinth was over halfway complete.

Most traps had been dismantled, and very few people were falling behind now.

A sense of unease crept over me.

‘Would the professors really allow us to proceed so easily?’

There was no chance.

Feeling the danger, I quickly summoned the turtle doll.

It expanded to the size of a carriage, lying flat before me.

I transferred my tent onto its back, preparing to leave at a moment’s notice.

***

However, no immediate calamity occurred.

The labyrinth continued to be explored, and soon the dolls reached its edge.

But there was no treasure to be found.

The unease inside me grew stronger.

I minimized my belongings, packing everything into a spatial pouch.

Inside the tent, I left only a few dolls, cleaning up the rest.

It wasn’t long before my fears became reality.

The labyrinth began to tremble violently.

At first, I thought it would be like previous tremors.

But I quickly realized I was wrong.

The shaking grew stronger.

The ground and ceiling flipped upside down, and pathways were torn apart.

Even the clearing where I stood was no exception.

The ground cracked, and stones rained down from the ceiling.

The turtle moved frantically, dodging the falling debris.

But more rocks poured down, imbued with mana and aimed directly at me.

Of course, this had to be the professor’s doing.

They clearly didn’t like how comfortably I had been operating here.

The turtle darted around, avoiding the projectiles, but they changed direction midair, relentlessly targeting me.

There was no way to escape while staying in the clearing.

I had no choice but to flee into the unstable pathways.

As I left, the entrance to the clearing was sealed by collapsing rocks.

Before I could catch my breath, the space I was in began to shake violently again.

Clinging to the tent with mana, I endured the relentless quaking.

When it finally stopped, and the labyrinth stabilized, I stepped outside to assess the damage.

I could only smile wryly.

The familiar labyrinth was gone, replaced by an entirely new structure.

This one was broader, exuding far stronger mana.

It was clear this new labyrinth would be far more dangerous.

From beyond the paths, I could sense a murderous aura.

Whether it belonged to monsters or something else, one thing was certain—it was dangerous and drawing closer.

It was a presence I couldn’t hope to face.

I had to flee before it reached me.

The turtle bolted forward, its legs moving quickly.

I didn’t know what traps awaited, but for now, all I could do was move.

The malicious intent of the professors seemed to permeate every corner of this new labyrinth.