🔥 Chapter 45
"Some doors should never be opened. But what if… you are the key?"
🌪️ Scene: A Moving Dungeon Appears – Crimson Labyrinth
Just when students thought they had time to prepare, a sudden alert echoed through Sinjai Academy:
"A Class-S: Crimson Labyrinth has emerged near the border of Fallenhollow Cliff!"
This wasn't just any dungeon. This one was alive. It shifted locations, swallowed terrain, and evolved with every new seeker who entered. No one had ever cleared it. Most never returned.
"This... wasn't supposed to happen yet," whispered one of the diamond-tier instructors.
The principal declared it would become the final arena for the last round of the 1st-year competition.
Only the top 10 teams would survive. And only one team would sit atop the Crownless Throne.
🏫 Scene: Tensions at Sinjai Academy
Students were panicking.
Some tried to drop out of the competition.
Others attempted to form alliances, even with rivals.
Rumors spread that a "chosen one" had already entered and shattered parts of the Labyrinth from inside.
Meanwhile, Anshi and Aeren trained harder than ever.
But something had changed.
Anshi noticed Aeren's calm was unnerving—his eyes sometimes reflected memories he hadn't lived yet. His power was growing too fast.
"Aeren… what did you see in your dream?"
He looked at her… and lied.
"Nothing important."
But the mark on his back had begun glowing at night.
🧠Scene: Aeren's New Power Develops
Aeren discovered something new:
He could analyze complex battle moves just by watching them once.
His mind could decode enemy weaknesses in real-time.
He could sense emotional shifts—sometimes even thoughts.
His Mind-Reading + Combat Analysis combo made him unstoppable in mock battles—but he never used it to win. He stayed in the background.
"They must not know yet…" he whispered to himself.
What even he didn't realize: his body was starting to absorb temporal fragments from the dream realm, making him unpredictable—even to monsters.
⚔️ Scene: The Entry to the Labyrinth
All 15 teams were teleported to the Crimson Labyrinth.
The walls pulsed with blood-red light.
The ground shifted like skin.
Screams echoed from corridors that weren't there a moment ago.
Suddenly, a massive holographic face appeared—featureless and terrifying.
"Only those who bleed may proceed."
The Labyrinth separated all teammates. It wasn't just a battle for power now—it was survival.
Anshi landed in a fog-choked hallway… where a shadow resembling her own mother began walking toward her, whispering lies.
Aeren… appeared in the throne room.
But it was empty.
Except for the same cloaked man from his dream—standing by the edge, staring down at the kneeling monsters.
"You again," Aeren muttered.
The man didn't turn. He only said:
"You carry the Crownless Mark, child. The throne knows your name."
And vanished.
🧩 Scene: Final Setup
The game was no longer just a tournament.
The Labyrinth was testing who could awaken fully.
The dark organization was watching.
And Aeren… was beginning to remember things he never lived.
🧠Coming Soon — Chapter 46:
"When the Labyrinth Bled Back"
A mysterious girl claims to be the Guardian of the Crownless Throne
The deeper layers of the Labyrinth awaken Varnyx's ancient kin