We hit the ground running. The transformed campus stretches before us – a nightmare of twisted architecture and purple-veined walls. My ability immediately starts its assault:
[Basic Information Sight]
Current Access: 2.5%
Status: Involuntary Display
Control: Unavailable until 5%
Note: Information overload constant
"Left side!" Seo-yeon shouts. Electricity arcs from her hands, illuminating something lurching from the shadows. My vision floods with data:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: A
Status: Test Subject
Distance: 15m
Basic Traits: Enhanced Speed
Current Action: Flanking
Warning: Pack Behavior
Sung-min pushes Professor Lee behind him, enhanced muscles tensing. The creature isn't alone. More shapes emerge from the twisted corridors, each one triggering new information windows:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: A
Status: Coordinated
Distance: 12m
Basic Traits: Strength Type
Current Action: Surrounding
Warning: Multiple Threats
"They're herding us," Min-ji says, weak flames flickering around her hands. The maze walls pulse with purple light, casting shadows that make it hard to count our opponents.
The Scholar's voice drifts down from somewhere above: "Lesson one – proper group dynamics under pressure. Do pay attention to your positioning."
A creature lunges. Seo-yeon's lightning catches it mid-leap, but another uses the distraction to circle behind. The information comes faster:
[Basic Information Sight]
Current Access: 2.6%
Status: Involuntary Display
Control: Unavailable until 5%
Note: Combat data processing
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: A
Status: Attacking
Distance: 8m
Basic Traits: Adaptive Defense
Current Action: Strike
Warning: IMMEDIATE THREAT
Ji-ho's wind blast catches the flanking creature, buying us seconds. The maze corridor branches ahead – three paths, each pulsing with different intensities of purple light. Screams echo from all directions as other groups face their own tests.
"We need to move," Professor Lee manages, still unsteady but thinking clearly. "They're forcing us to choose a path."
The creatures press closer, their movements too coordinated to be random. This isn't just a test of strength – it's an exercise in decision-making under pressure.
"Middle path!" Seo-yeon commands. Her lightning creates a barrier between us and the creatures, but each blast seems weaker than the last. My ability tracks her condition:
[Basic Information Sight]
Current Access: 2.6%
Status: Involuntary Display
Control: Unavailable until 5%
Note: Combat data processing
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Park Seo-yeon
Threat Level: A
Status: Power Strain
Distance: 3m
Basic Traits: Lightning Mastery
Current Action: Defense
Warning: Energy Depleting
We run. The maze corridors shift as we move, walls rippling like liquid metal. Min-ji's flames provide uncertain light, casting shadows that make every corner look like an ambush point. Sung-min half-carries Professor Lee, his enhanced strength the only thing keeping our pace steady.
"Above!" Ji-ho shouts, his wind barrier deflecting something that drops from the ceiling. New data floods my vision:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: A
Status: Evolved
Distance: 5m
Basic Traits: Wall Integration
Current Action: Ambush
Warning: New Attack Pattern
The Scholar's voice echoes through the maze: "Interesting choice of path. Though perhaps you should pay more attention to your surroundings."
The floor beneath us suddenly transforms, purple veins spreading like cracks in ice. Creatures emerge from the walls themselves, their forms blending with the architecture. My ability struggles to track them all:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: A
Status: Multiple
Distance: Varying
Basic Traits: Structure Fusion
Current Action: Surrounding
Warning: Tactical Formation
"Circle up!" Seo-yeon orders. We form a tight group – her lightning, Min-ji's flames, and Ji-ho's wind creating a perimeter. Sung-min places Professor Lee in the center, taking a defensive stance.
Through gaps in the maze walls, I catch glimpses of other groups. Some are fighting, others running. A few have stopped moving entirely. The Scholar watches from above, making notes in its glowing book as students pass or fail its twisted curriculum.
"They're testing our formation," Professor Lee observes, his voice stronger but still strained. "Each attack pattern is—" He's cut off as the creatures launch a coordinated assault.
Lightning flashes. Wind howls. Fire casts wild shadows as our defenders try to hold the line. But with each attack, the creatures adapt, learning our patterns, finding our weaknesses. My head pounds with constant updates:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: A → A+
Status: Adapting
Distance: Multiple
Basic Traits: Pattern Learning
Current Action: Strategic Attack
Warning: Growing Stronger
The Scholar's voice carries a note of academic interest: "Group cohesion under pressure – a crucial survival skill. Though perhaps you might want to start moving again. The maze does so enjoy... rearranging itself."
As if on cue, the walls begin to shift, threatening to separate our group. We have seconds to move before the path splits us apart.
"Move!" Seo-yeon's shout galvanizes us forward. The walls continue their transformation, metal and concrete flowing like water. My ability keeps updating despite my pounding headache:
[Basic Information Sight]
Current Access: 2.6%
Status: Involuntary Display
Control: Unavailable until 5%
Note: Combat data processing
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Park Seo-yeon
Threat Level: A
Status: Leadership
Distance: 2m
Basic Traits: Lightning Mastery
Current Action: Group Protection
Warning: Power Fluctuating
We sprint through narrowing corridors, the maze actively trying to separate us. Sung-min practically carries Professor Lee now, while Min-ji's flames grow weaker with each step. Ji-ho's wind keeps the worst of the creatures at bay, but even he's showing signs of exhaustion.
The Scholar's voice drifts down: "Time check – thirty minutes remaining. Do note that your current pace is... concerning."
A screech echoes through the maze. Something big is moving parallel to our path, its presence setting off constant alerts:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: S
Status: Hunting
Distance: 20m
Basic Traits: Maze Integration
Current Action: Pursuit
Warning: EXTREME THREAT
"Left tunnel!" Seo-yeon commands, her lightning illuminating three choices ahead. "The right and center are—"
The creature bursts through the wall before she can finish. It's massive, its form a horrible fusion of transformed students and maze architecture. My vision floods with data:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: S
Status: Test Guardian
Distance: 10m
Basic Traits: Multiple Fusion
Current Action: Blocking Path
Warning: IMMEDIATE DANGER
Seo-yeon's lightning strikes it dead center. The creature doesn't even flinch. Ji-ho's wind barely ruffles its surface. Min-ji's flames cast shadows across its too-many faces, each one wearing an expression of frozen agony.
"Ah yes," the Scholar comments, appearing at the end of the corridor. "The practical portion of your exam. Do demonstrate proper ability coordination."
The creature moves with impossible speed for its size. Sung-min barely manages to pull Professor Lee away from its first strike. The wall where they stood simply ceases to exist.
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Entity
Name: The Scholar
Threat Level: SSS
Status: Observing
Distance: 30m
Basic Traits: Reality Control
Current Action: Evaluation
Warning: DO NOT ENGAGE
"Remember," the Scholar adjusts its glasses, "this is merely the tutorial. Consider this creature a... teaching assistant."
The monster charges again. Seo-yeon's lightning, Ji-ho's wind, and Min-ji's flames combine in desperate defense. The corridor fills with energy, power, and the sound of reality tearing.
"Run!" Professor Lee shouts over the chaos. "The left path! Now!"
We break for the tunnel as the creature recoils from our combined attack. The Scholar's voice follows us, carrying the precise tone of a lecturer concluding a point:
"Time remaining: Twenty-five minutes. Do hurry – the next lesson involves practical applications of survival theory."
The maze shifts again, and we run deeper into the test.