The woman wears fitted hunting gear, her long ponytail tied high. "Let’s dissect the B-rank predator," she orders, gesturing to one of the hunters beside her. Though she’s the only woman in the group, the others follow her lead without question.

  She turns to Finn, a casual generosity in her tone. "You can have the C-rank. You did kill it, after all."

  Still recovering, Finn waves a hand. "Take them both. I wouldn’t be alive without your help."

  "If you insist, we won’t say no." She accepts his offer without pretence.

  "Lucille." She extends a hand. "And you?"

  "Finn." He grips her hand, standing with her assistance.

  She studies him, an eyebrow raised. "Alone? You must be confident."

  "Just a disciple magician." Finn shrugs. "In the red, so… trying my luck."

  His excuse isn’t great, but he says it without missing a beat.

  Lucille laughs. "Then why not join us? We’re heading to the third floor, but our magician got injured and was sent back to The Sanctuary. We were considering turning back, but since we found you…"

  She turns to her comrades, introducing them. "Esta’s one of our magicians. Alan—her husband, also a magician. Patrick and I are Gladiators."

  A well-balanced hunter party. Actually, it’s rare for a Sanctuary healer like Rathen to go out hunting—if not for his daughter. Most healers treat people within the walls of the Sanctuary, and their numbers are few.

  Finn greets them and cuts straight to the heart of the matter. "I don’t mind joining. But how do we split the spoils?"

  A question fitting for a cash-strapped adventurer. It might also lower their suspicion of a lone disciple magician roaming the maze freely.

  Lucille doesn’t hesitate. "Four to one, given the numbers. Fair?"

  Finn grins. "I like working with straightforward people."

  "Glad to have you, then." Lucille laughs, shaking his hand firmly.

  “I think we should talk somewhere enclosed. What do you think?” Finn shakes her hand firmly.

  “Agreed. My comrade should be done dissecting the carcasses by now. Let’s retreat to a room we passed earlier,” Lucille replies with enthusiasm.

  With blood and predator remnants likely to attract roaming predators, it’s a wise decision to go into a room rather than lingering in the open tunnel.

  They scurry to the nearest door, and Lucille checks its safety before ushering everyone inside. The moment Finn steps in, he pulls out a healing stone and presses it against the back of his head, recovering from the earlier impact.

  Following Lucille’s lead, the team instinctively falls into their roles. Esta casts a cleansing spell around the room, Alan follows with a masking spell, and Patrick sits down to inspect their weapons and supplies.

  Once the pain subsides, Finn surveys the room before turning to Lucille. “How long have you been on the hunt?”

  “About two months. We were planning to reach the surface, but one of our magicians was injured and had to use a transportation stone to return to town.”

  “How did the magician get injured? If it’s related to the predators we’re hunting, I need to know what happened,” Finn suggests.

  Lucille nods in agreement. “Esta can explain best. She was right beside Neo when we faced the predator.”

  All eyes shift to Esta, who stiffens under the sudden attention. “A-Ah! Allow me to share, Mr Finn!” Her voice wavers, rising in pitch.

  Finn chuckles lightly. “Just call me Finn. We’re going to be comrades. I’m not as terrifying as the predators outside, am I?”

  His humour eases Esta’s nerves, if only slightly. “Alright, Finn. We encountered a B-rank tiger predator near the entrance to level three. Though still classified as B-rank, its magic field was unstable—it was on the verge of evolving.”

  “Our leader and Patrick took it head-on, while Alan flanked from the side. Neo and I stood together, casting spells to restrict its movements.”

  She pauses, swallowing hard. Finding reassurance in Alan’s gaze, she continues. “We had to take turns casting slippery and twigs-binding spells. The beast was too strong, breaking free and getting back on its feet in an instant each time.

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  Judging by their spell rotations, they must be ranked at “Scribe” at best.

  “But the predator grew frustrated. Instead of fighting off Lucille, Neo, and Alan, it turned its sights on us. It ignored the attacks and lunged straight for Neo and me.”

  “Neo tried to shield us… but he couldn’t cast in time,” Esta whispers, voice trembling.

  Alan steps in, resting a steady hand on her shoulder. “I’m grateful to Neo for saving my wife. I don’t want to imagine what could’ve happened otherwise.”

  “A brave man,” Finn says quietly. “I hope the Sanctuary healers can help him make a full recovery.”

  “We’re all hoping for the same,” Patrick adds, his tone solemn.

  Lucille clenches her fists, eyes burning with determination. “The best we can do now is avenge our comrade!”

  “That’s right!” The group echoes in unison.

  Finn grins. “But first—are you guys hungry? You can’t fight properly on an empty stomach.”

  Lucille teases. “Oh? Volunteering to be our chef for the night?”

  “No problem! Consider it my thanks for saving my life.”

  “No complaints here,” she laughs. “But you’ll save our appetite if you cook something fresh.”

  Finn pulls a dead rabbit from his storage stone. “Luckily for you, it’s only my first week in the maze. I still have some meat in store!”

  Meat is a luxury in the labyrinth. Storage stones cannot preserve food's freshness and are usually reserved for vital supplies and predator remains, given their limited space. However, having stumbled upon trapped animals, Finn saw no harm in keeping some for the journey.

  He expertly skins and cleans the rabbit while the rest set up a fire, watching eagerly as Finn seasons the meat and skewers it over the flames.

  They wait with bated breath, as if they haven’t had a proper meal in years. Nearing the end of their expedition, they’ve relied on canned food that is easy to carry, needing neither fire nor water to cook, which is a lifesaver in the depths of the maze where every spark of magic is precious.

  With a final twirl of the skewer, Finn announces, “It’s ready! Just be careful not to scald your mouth.”

  They barely hold back, blowing on the skewers before biting in. The moment flavour hits their tongues, their eyes widen, bliss written all over their faces.

  “Oh, Finn, I’m so glad you joined us!” Lucille says between mouthfuls.

  Finn gives a playful bow. “The feeling’s mutual.”

  With food in their bellies, the crew relaxes, drawing Finn into easy conversation. He learns that Patrick is a Gladiator skilled in swordplay, while Lucille excels in long-range combat with a bow and can handle short-range fights with a dagger.

  A side note: the ranking system doesn’t include an ‘Arrowmaster’ title. Instead, ‘Swordmaster’ is used to encompass all combat-type masters, as the Regent, the creator of the newest ranking system, deemed having too many ‘Master’ titles cumbersome.

  Esta is a Disciple magician, Alan a Scribe. They have a young child, left in the care of Esta’s mother while they hunt.

  Finn continues roasting meat until the tray is filled.

  “Whew! I’m stuffed. It’s been ages since I’ve had such a delicious meal!” Patrick groans, rubbing his stomach as he flops onto his sleeping bag.

  “You could be a professional chef,” Esta laughs.

  “Glad you enjoyed it! We can save the leftovers for breakfast,” Finn replies, satisfied.

  They agree readily, knowing they need rest for tomorrow’s battle.

  After cleaning up with cleansing spells and ensuring the masking stone is still active, they drift off into much-needed sleep.

  It’s generally safe to rest on floors one and two with a masking stone, but deeper levels require night watches unless one possesses a B or A-grade masking stone or a high-ranking Wizard to cast a masking spell. With neither, they cherish this rare night of uninterrupted rest before facing the dangers ahead.

  They wake up the next day refreshed. Finn gathers the leftover meat skewers scattered on the tray and reheats them. They finish the leftover meat, its fragrance lingering and just as tasty as yesterday’s.

  After finishing their meal and tidying up, Lucille gathers the group to discuss their team formation and objectives.

  "Thanks, Finn. It’s been a while since we had a warm meal before sleep. I think we should take on more predators to digest all the meat we’ve eaten!" she says, turning to the others. Everyone agrees enthusiastically.

  "Now, before we decide on our strike and defence formation, we need a better understanding of each other’s magic spells and skill sets. Why don’t we start with our newest comrade? Finn?" Lucille asks directly.

  "Sure! As I mentioned before, I’m a ‘Disciple’ magician. I can cast sound- and smell-masking, vision-camouflaging, twig-control, flash, fire, and water-purification spells. I recently added a cleansing spell to my list as well."

  "Then I’ll go next," Alan says. "My attribute is flame, and I know the basic fire spells taught in my family."

  Disciple magicians are taught basic skills that mainly serve daily living needs, with no restrictions imposed by veteran magicians. However, starting from the Scribe and Gladiator levels, magicians and swordsmen begin to discover their natural attribute—be it flame, water, wood, wind, metal, or the rarer light (specialised in healing magic) and dusk. More niche-specific attributes branch out from these seven main elements, becoming apparent and refined as one advances to the rank of Wizard or Swordmaster.

  Advancing from Disciple to Scribe or Gladiator demands more than talent alone. Some are fortunate enough to be guided by seasoned magicians of their own attribute, often wise elders within their family, as in Alan’s case, which is in a flame-attribute lineage where the gift passes from parent to child. Others, blessed with opportunity or fortune, journey to the capital to hone their skills at The Academy.

  After Alan, it’s Esta’s turn. Like Finn, she’s well-versed in the basic spells.

  Then comes Patrick, who enhances his sword strikes by wrapping the blade in flames.

  Last is Lucille—nimble and sharp, she fires air arrows and swings her dagger with swift, precise cuts.

  With everyone’s strengths now clear, the team swiftly shifts their formation. Since Neo matches Finn’s rank, only a few quick tweaks are needed.

  The discussion flows effortlessly, wrapping up sooner than anyone anticipated. Finn seizes a moment to ask if anyone has heard of a girl named Risa, but as expected, the name draws only blank stares. With supplies stowed and weapons ready, Lucille glides to the door, pausing to sweep the dim corridor with a sharp gaze. After a heartbeat, she nods, beckoning the group to slip into the waiting shadows of the tunnel.