The identity verification procedure was not much different from before. Participants entered the tent, had their identification and faces compared, and could only pass after registering one piece of match auxiliary equipment.

The difference was that the face verification was conducted far more thoroughly. After examining even the shape of the ear in detail, they were given a token with a number on it. The number was “20,” and it did not seem related to the participant number.

Contrary to expectations that they would immediately move to the match location through a portal like the previous match, the inspector opened an exit leading behind the tent. The space beyond it was literally the back of the tent. They had merely crossed one barrier; this was still inside the stadium.

Participants who had already gone through the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) procedure were also gathered in small groups, sharing information or chatting, apparently having received no additional instructions. Someone, perhaps impressed by Ero’s earlier bravado, suggested forming alliances mainly with those who looked strong. Needless to say, he was refused.

Leonardo stepped outside, flicking the token with his thumb, and frowned as he looked around the crowd. In the distance, Gillian and Beatrice caught his eye again. If they truly intended to aim for victory, then in the current situation—where it was not certain whether it was a team match—it was better to spread out and increase the probability that at least one of them would advance. It also drew less attention that way.

Perhaps they understood that as well, because they seemed to be deliberately keeping their distance without exchanging any particular glances. After withdrawing his gaze, Leonardo tilted his head toward the sky, where the sunlight was glaringly bright.

The roof of the stadium was completely open, but even considering that the sun should be positioned toward the south at this hour, the brightness felt excessive. Yet the temperature was strangely low. He had looked up at the sky outside earlier, but had it been this intense?

Tilting his head, he naturally lowered his gaze to his feet. His golden eyes narrowed.

The shadow....

Right then, a voice sounded beside him.

“Hyung, did you get this?”

Ero had already come out of the tent next to him and stood close by. Leonardo turned only his eyes to look at him. There was a token in Ero’s hand as well.

“Yeah. What number did you get?”

“Twenty.”

“Really? Same as me.”

“Is that so? I guess even others can see we’re a pair! That must be why they gave us the same thing!”

They probably gave the same one to everyone.

When Leonardo casually ignored the exaggerated reaction, Ero noticed his response and cleared his throat before asking,

“By the way, hyung. I’ve been curious for a while. What did you register as your auxiliary item? Do you have some secret weapon hidden inside that cloak or jacket?”

Thinking about it, someone who had stuck close to him since the middle of the Division One match would naturally be curious about the weapon of someone who fought almost entirely barehanded. Leonardo had been about to say he had nothing, but after a moment’s thought he nodded as if affirming the idea. Because of the choker that drained his magical power, the fact that he could not carry other tools could be considered a weakness compared to others. There was no need to reveal that already.

Fortunately, Ero seemed to believe him and leaned forward with sparkling eyes.

“Whoa, a secret weapon! The day our hyung pulls that out, won’t the entire arena floor flip upside down?”

Around the time Ero’s rambling chatter began to blur into the background, the strangely shining sky flickered.

A massive amplification magic circle unfolded, just like the one they had seen before. The long-awaited announcement had begun.

“Hyung, I think it’s starting!”

<Hello, test participants.>

The murmuring stadium fell silent in an instant. The atmosphere among the crowd, all lifting their heads at once, turned solemn.

<I am Dorian of the Council Xenogrand Task Force, responsible for conducting the Division Two test match at the Third Preliminary Arena. Thank you all for your hard work in completing the Division One match.>

Since the Division One match had been conducted in groups, participants had known from the beginning which group they belonged to. But this time there was no announcement about any group. Did that mean all of these people would be thrown into the same match?

Just as Leonardo wondered about that, the explanation began.

<The Division Two match consists of three parts. Each part is separated by sections, but they are not separate competitions—they are connected as a single match. The rules of each part will be explained in detail by the staff and signboards when you reach that section. If you pass through all three parts and escape to the final goal point, you will qualify to participate in the next preliminary match. This match will proceed for eight hours, and there is no limit on the number of participants who may pass.>

No limit, huh.

At the very least, that meant it was not first-come, first-served. On the other hand, it also suggested the difficulty was not so low that everyone could pass easily.

Perhaps Ero had thought the same thing, because their eyes met.

<We will briefly explain the rules of the first part. The first task is ‘escape the maze.’ Participants will enter the maze at set intervals while holding the token they have been issued. In this maze, every time you turn a corner or climb over a wall, the number on your token will decrease by one.>

<If two tokens are combined, the value will increase by the sum of the two numbers. If your number reaches zero or you lose your token, you will not be eliminated, but you will not be able to move beyond a radius of five meters from that position. Your objective in this part is to safely exit the maze while holding your token.>

Leonardo looked down at the token in his hand. This number was not just an identifier—it was the number of “chances” he had to turn corners.

In other words, the task was to escape before those chances ran out.

But twenty. The area of this stadium alone was easily over twenty-five hectares. If the space inside the maze was expanded by twisting the dimensions, it could be even larger.

If he wandered around without thinking, those chances would disappear in no time.

In the end, did it mean they were expected to fight and steal other people’s chances?

<Now then, before the Division Two match begins, please follow the guides and move to the maze entrance. Once you enter and leave the safety zone within a ten-meter radius, the match will begin. Good luck.>

The magic circle spreading across the sky vanished just as it was. As soon as the announcement ended, the participants began murmuring among themselves. It was unclear whether the rules seemed unexpectedly simple or whether they were startled by the restriction imposed by the token numbers. By the time they finished grasping the situation, they surged forward together without anyone prompting them first. That must be where the entrance to the maze was.

“Hyung, let’s go too!”

“Yeah.”

Prompted by Ero, Leonardo began walking leisurely toward the crowd ahead.

When he glanced back toward where his partners had been standing, the two of them were already gone, likely having joined the line. Although he had spoken coldly to Ero as if they meant nothing to him, Leonardo inwardly wished them luck before turning his head toward the spectator stands.

He felt as if someone had been watching him.

But there was nothing there.

Maybe Gillian was right that he had been too on edge lately... brushing the back of his head, he followed the other participants.

The maze had been constructed half-buried underground, so reaching the initial entrance required descending a set of stairs. However, the staircase—which he had expected to end after a certain distance—continued much deeper than anticipated. Following the zigzagging path downward behind the guide, the bright blue sky eventually seemed impossibly far away.

Accordingly, the walls forming the maze were much taller. They were roughly eleven meters high. If someone walked while looking straight ahead without lifting their head, their entire field of vision would be filled with yellow-brown stone.

Here and there were lower grooves where it was possible to cross to the other side, but even those looked difficult for an ordinary person to climb unless they possessed considerable jumping ability.

In addition, there was not just a single entrance but several scattered ones. The guide explained that this was simply to prevent traffic congestion and that none of them were more advantageous or closer to the exit than the others. In the end, choosing which entrance to enter was entirely up to the participant.

“Until you move ten meters from the starting point, you may not steal another participant’s token or combine token numbers. Now then, twenty participants total—begin. Please proceed inside along the path.”

At the guide’s command, the twenty people including Leonardo and Ero stepped between the towering walls. The moment they started, most of them immediately sprinted forward while watching each other warily. They seemed eager to create distance before getting dragged into unnecessary fights.

Ero hurriedly tried to chase after them, then stopped and turned back.

“Hyung, aren’t you coming?”

Leonardo flipped the hem of his cloak behind him and began walking from the very back with his hands in his pockets. He looked so relaxed that it was hard to believe the match had even begun.

“Don’t rush.”

Behind his shoulder, a single spark flared to life and shot into the air like an arrow. It moved so fast that Ero could not even follow it with his eyes.

“In places like this, moving fast isn’t always the answer.”