"This guy seems to be falling quite well. Hoho!"
It was when Augustine, holding his hands behind his back, was gazing contentedly below the cliff.
"Oops! I came just in case... And look, you've had an accident. Is this even acceptable?"
Augustine turned his head at the voice from behind.
An old man who looked slightly younger than Augustine.
However, his demeanor was quite peculiar.
He was riding atop a white tiger, boasting a size larger than most houses.
But that wasn't all.
On his shoulders were two different birds, including a double-headed eagle revered as symbols of power in the southern continent, and the purple hawk, which is very rare in the East.
Around his neck hung a boa constrictor said to swallow an elephant in one gulp, while above his head was a brown-furred weasel.
Gility Tenz, the Beast King.
Once a notorious revolutionary army executive who shook the empire, but now he was a guest and elder of the Nerester family.
He and Augustine shared a close bond, owing to a past favor Augustine had done for him.
"Are you here?"
"No, but can't you just stay still and do nothing? I've heard he is still a novice who hasn't even started learning magic seriously for less than half a year!"
"Rumors say he has been honing his skills even before that."
"Still, it's a fact that he hasn't had a proper teacher!"
Gility was dumbfounded.
And rightly so, because he had been observing right next to Augustine when Augustine exclaimed, 'I've finally found the successor to the Night's Chronicle!' and rushed out of the room.
Gility knew very well that whenever Augustine made such a fuss, trouble followed.
So he had come out of concern, but it seemed a bit late.
However, Augustine was still standing there with his hands behind his back, simply snickering.
"Hmph! Didn't I tell you? This old man finally found his successor. He is not a kid who would falter in such a trial."
"Indeed."
"No, really?"
"How many times have you said that already? Even vaguely remembering, it must be at least a dozen times. Wasn't it a year ago, when you said you found a good talent and then dropped them here, they fell headfirst and the lower half of their body was crippled! I and the head of the family went through a lot of trouble to treat them because of that!"
"...Well, I mean, who would've thought there would be a protruding rock right nearby, right?"
"And before that, was it nine years ago, or six years ago, when you brought the twins and dropped them...!"
"Enough! That was then, this is now!"
Augustine waved his hand as if he didn't want to hear any more.
Gility still wore a displeased expression.
"As requested earlier, please release only the dire wolves below."
"But what if they develop a taste for human flesh...?"
"Oh, that won't happen, really! If you can't trust me, just look down there!"
Gility chuckled at Augustine's confident declaration.
Then he leaned over the edge of the cliff and looked down.
"Don't see anything? Has the poor guy already become wolf food?"
"Not there! Look straight down! Towards the cliff!"
"If there's someone there, they might get caught on a rock like last time... Huh?"
Gility had to widen his eyes midway through his grumbling.
A bit further away. There was a long icicle jutting out from the cliff. At the end of it, a young man was hanging limply.
"He's actually alive, isn't he?"
The young man glanced upwards briefly, then, apparently deciding against it, began to move slowly downwards.
Although minuscule, there was a slight trace of mana streaming into him.
"Hah! Heard of Melvinger, but that lad sure is something."
There was a hint of envy in Gility's voice.
Teaching a talent like that was indeed a dream shared by all magicians.
"The Labyrinth. How many levels do you think he'll last?"
"Level 3."
"Hmm! That much, huh?"
The Labyrinth of Blue Fog.
It is a training place that Night's Chronicle is proud of, and applicants are tested in a total of 5 levels.
The True Palace of Blue Fog had such a formidable reputation that it was even built based on the fundamental structure of this place.
Of course, for someone like Augustine or Gility, it would be a place where just a flick of a finger would end it all.
Still, for beginners—by their standards—there was no better place to develop their abilities.
Considering that disciple about which even Gility bragged-about was found dead at level 2 after entering, it meant the place held an extremely high level of difficulty. But there was deep trust in Augustine's weathered eyes.
"Let's see. That kid is undoubtedly capable of fulfilling the sorrowful wishes our school has held for over a millennium."
Augustine's wrinkled pupils were filled with profound trust.
***
"Here... Doesn't seem possible, does it?"
『If you think you can do it, give it a try. If you fall, the one who hurts is you, not this king.』
"Damn it."
Elric stood atop the firmly frozen icicle jutting out perpendicular from the cliff, looking upward.
He wondered if he could climb back up again, but it seemed he had to let go of that idea.
Unless he could manipulate mana freely, attempting such a feat in his current state, where he could barely draw mana from the air, would likely result in nothing but Icarus with melted wings.
In the end, Elric decided he had to descend while slowly forming ice stairs.
He vaguely thought he saw another elder besides Augustine, but for now, escaping this cliff was the priority.
Finally reaching the surface of the ground with trembling legs, he couldn't help but collapse.
"If I fall back down the cliff again, I'm not human."
He had once jumped into a crevasse to reach his family's hideout, but back then, it had been of his own volition. Now, it was forced upon him.
The difference was significant.
After taking a couple of deep breaths, Elric felt calm returning.
Thanks to that, he could now see the surrounding terrain more clearly.
『This place is as foggy as the Labyrinth of Blue Fog. Can you see anything?』
"Just a moment."
Fortunately, Mind's eye didn't require mana. While having mana would allow him to see more, it wasn't essential.
Moreover, Elric had already found the solution to the Labyrinth of Blue Fog.
Fortunately, this place seemed to have a similar structure.
"A maze... it looks like."
『A maze? Wasn't the true palace like that too?』
"No, it's a bit different. That was just an illusion created by various spells intertwining, here, the terrain itself is a maze. Damn it, this."
The cliff wasn't unique to where Elric had fallen.
The black cliffs stretched out like screens.
As a result, the visible area consisted only of narrow and steep valleys and the paths connecting them, amidst the dense fog.
The problem was that the fog was so thick that it was difficult to see clearly, and it was so desolate that it was difficult to find even a single blade of grass.
Even though some green moss grew in the crevices of the cliffs, it was uncertain whether it could be used as food.
No water or food sources around.
What on earth could he do here?
'Was there a place with such terrain near the Imperial Capital? Why don't I remember?'
If he could figure out where he was, he might estimate a route.
Despite probing his knowledge of "Continental Geography," which had earned him an A+, he couldn't recall where he might be.
In the end, Elric stopped thinking and considered how to escape from here.
First and foremost, he seemed to need to regain his mana....
At that moment.
[As expected, you have no difficulty in accepting the situation as anticipated.]
Augustine's voice resonated from above, and Elric lifted his head.
[Can you hear this old man's voice clearly? Why did you pretend not to hear when you were in the true palace?]
"I almost died."
[Yes, I am still watching.]
It wasn't clear whether he was saying not to worry about dying because he's watching, or if he meant to focus on the test because he's monitoring.
His inner thoughts were unclear.
[This place is called Labyrinth of Blue Fog.]
"Labyrinth..."
[As the name suggests, True Palace of Blue Fog originated from this place. More precisely, you can think of the place you've just entered as the initial stage of the Labyrinth.]
At that moment, Elric's expression changed.
As expected.
And that meant he could further develop the 'True Palace of Cruelty' he had stolen.
[Haha! Your expression has changed indeed. From now on, you must survive here for a hundred days.]
"What? Stay in this cramped place for a hundred days? Insane...!"
Mephisto looked incredulous as he glanced upward, but unfortunately, Augustine couldn't see him.
"But there's no water or food here?"
[You'll have to find that yourself. This old man can't take care of that for you.]
『How about it?』
[And don't get bored during that time. I'm thinking of releasing a few Dire Wolves for you to deal with.]
『What?』
Elric also had a surprised expression like Mephisto's.
Dire Wolves were wolves in name only; they were actually different species, often categorized as monsters due to their fierceness, roughness, and size, which was three times larger than regular wolves.
[There are three ways to pass the level 1 test.]
The first is to survive for 100 days as previously mentioned.
The second is to train or hunt down the Dire Wolves that are released.
And the third…
[...escaping through the exit. Haha. But it won't be easy, will it?]
Elric could tell from Augustine's words that the 'exit' he mentioned was right above, in the sky.
[It's up to you to decide what to do. I'll be expecting great things from you.]
Augustine's voice ended there.
And then.
Creak, creak!
As if they had been waiting, two Dire Wolves slowly emerged from around the corner.
Their eyes glowed ominously, and saliva dripped from their mouths.
It was clear they had been starving for days.
Elric was taken aback.
He thought he'd have time to explore the terrain and make a plan, not be thrown into this situation out of the blue.
'I just wanted to learn some magic spells, not deal with this! I didn't sign up for this!'
Having already had his fill of excitement from the encounter with Otto Han, he was hoping for a smoother ride this time.
But it seemed the world wasn't going to make it easy for him.
Growl!
One of the Dire Wolves pounded the ground fiercely, followed by another rushing forward.
"Damn it!"
Elric turned and started to run.
This might make him look like prey, but bravado only worked when he was exploring, not when facing hungry predators like these.
"Weapons! Shouldn't there be weapons available?"
Elric yelled out to Augustine, but there was no response.
It seemed to imply that he was on his own with this.
***
"Huh? How long has it been since the start, and you're already throwing in two of them? This is getting serious!"
Knowing well the terror of facing Dire Wolves first hand, Gility jumped in place.
Normally, Dire Wolves would be introduced into the test after a day.
During that time, the examinee would explore the terrain, find hidden 'sanctuaries' for food storage, and craft weapons.
And then, only one Dire Wolf would be released.
But Elric's test was proceeding in a way that was completely incomparable to the usual difficulty.
However, Augustine remained silent, his eyes gleaming as if squeezing out Elric's limits to see how far he would go.
And then.
"Uh, uh?"
Gility's eyes shook as he watched.
Elric was running well, but suddenly he tripped over a rock and fell. And the dire wolf didn't want to miss that chance, and the dire wolf running ahead jumped forward and attacked Elric!
Thinking it could be a serious problem if Elric stayed down, Gility stood up.
Thunk!
"...Huh?"
Gility widened his eyes.
Because the dire wolf that attacked Elric had a blue ice blade sticking out from its back.
Though the blade broke easily due to its weak structure, it was enough to make the Dire Wolf recoil, spilling blood and causing it to collapse sideways.
It seemed Elric's fall was actually a trap to lure the Dire Wolf in.
Such quick thinking in such a dire situation.
Gility turned to Augustine with an expression of disbelief.
"I told you, didn't I? He's different," Augustine chuckled as if amused by the turn of events.