Blade Wolves Breach the Maze
The thorn boars surged endlessly, day and night. But surprisingly, no overwhelmingly powerful beasts appeared to lead them. They just kept coming in greater numbers—far greater numbers. To match, I kept simplifying and reshaping the labyrinth. The Turtle went beyond mere repairs, compressing even more potent mana into its shell. The maze stabilized further, and we started gaining some breathing room.
The real problem came from disposing of the massive corpses. My puppets hauled the beast bodies out, but with tens of thousands already dead, the piles formed their own colossal barricades. For someone like me who needed to manipulate the maze freely, it was a major obstacle.
The solution came while studying the boars' thorns. If the corpses were in the way, why not turn them to my advantage? I began crafting puppets from the boar carcasses themselves, with their thorns at the core. These unstable flesh-bodies were prone to bursting even at rest—but that's what I liked about them. They charged straight into oncoming boar packs, detonating in massive explosions that dwarfed my previous blast spells. I grinned in satisfaction.
Everything stabilized like this, and the days passed smoothly up to the sixth. Whether endlessly slaughtering beasts qualified as "smooth" was debatable, but that's how it went. It wasn't until the seventh day that things finally shifted.
Puppets scouting far into the mountains suddenly shattered. As my reconnaissance network collapsed, I hurriedly investigated. Giant hawks were swooping from the sky, crushing puppets hidden in the trees with their immense size and speed. Flying beasts—and ones this strong—were beyond what my puppets could handle. I could only watch helplessly as my dolls scattered across the forest and mountains vanished one by one.
But it wasn't just the hawks. From the woods emerged new threats: wolves with razor-sharp blade fur and deer clad head to toe in iron armor. Larger and more mana-rich than the thorn boars, they exuded a crushing presence as they advanced. The arrival of these three beast types complicated the mountain's situation immensely.
The giant hawks were no concern of mine. They aimed straight for the summit, flying in flocks. I had no way—and no intention—of dealing with them. I ignored them completely. My labyrinth was designed solely for ground beasts; those aerial ones would shred themselves against Hongryeong's wind barrier. Knowing my maze's layout, he'd handle them effortlessly.
The blade wolves were different. Unlike the boars flooding into the Turtle's embrace, they didn't charge blindly. Amid the massive tide, they cooperated to slip free of the maze itself—all while hiding their intent. Unlike the straightforward thorn boars, they scanned their surroundings, employing their own tactics. They timed their strikes for when I reshaped the maze, pooling power to smash through walls and escape.
I only realized this after it happened. Tracking their movements late, I tensed up. They bypassed the boar corpse piles and charged straight for me, eyes gleaming with obsessive ferocity. The immediate, intense threat made me backpedal.
"Damn, got careless."
I urgently activated my defensive barrier. As the pre-set spell enveloped me, one blade wolf slammed into it body-first. The impact shook the barrier violently, hurling me backward. That single blow half-shattered it. Damn it—I should've prioritized my safety more thoroughly. Things had gone too smoothly; I'd let my guard down. Their intelligence and coordination were far beyond expectations.
I reinforced the barrier relentlessly, blocking their assaults. But before I could catch my breath, more beasts leaked through the breached wall. The maze's finely tuned flow began unraveling, monsters swarming my barrier. The entire structure groaned. It felt like the colossal edifice was crumbling.
At the center was an iron-armored deer. Where boars created shockwaves via self-detonation, these used their armored bodies to widen the breach. They impaled boars on their antlers and rammed the wall. The unimaginable impact started collapsing it.
"No...!"
Despair surged. But only briefly. I coldly assessed: what I could do, what I couldn't. Saving the whole labyrinth was impossible. Protecting the core and minimizing the structure to regain control came first. I commanded the waiting suicide puppets. Hundreds, thousands raced to the breach, blindly colliding with the beast horde. Countless explosions erupted among them. That would buy time.
Seizing the moment, I repositioned the Turtle. It had been optimally placed to avoid overload before, but no luxury for that now. The Turtle pulverized the maze outright, barreling toward the breach. As I focused every nerve on spellcasting, instinct screamed a warning. Simultaneously, shadows fell over me—from above, where the barrier was weakest. A pack of blade wolves leaped off an iron deer's back, targeting the vulnerability. Claws shattered part of the barrier.
"Damn these bastards."
I hastily repaired it, but several wolves dropped inside. No puppets or barriers remained around me. They lunged immediately. I hurriedly built circuits, drawing a magic circle. No time for a full shield. As massive claws descended, I triggered the spell.
"Explode!"
The circle detonated, blasting away the air around it. The shockwave repelled the wolves—but only momentarily. They charged again. A claw slashed my waist deep, spilling guts. Swallowing the agony, I stacked another spell. Another explosion. But not at them—this one at myself.
"Gah!"
The blast shredded my body like it was tearing apart. But the force propelled me far away, creating distance from the blade wolves. Gulping blood, I rapidly wove more spells. Layered defenses formed a sturdier barrier than before. The wolves tore at it furiously, but I poured every ounce of mana into more layers.
In this crisis, the Turtle finally arrived. It demolished everything blocking it, sealing the breach with its body. Only now could I breathe. Seeing the wolves panic at the Turtle, my eyes flashed.
"My turn now, you mongrels."
With no reinforcements, puppets swiftly cleared the area. Endless blasts felled most beasts. Only straggling wolves remained, scrambling to survive. I'll turn you four into puppets as a lifelong lesson, I swore through gritted teeth.
Boar corpses littered the ground, perfect material. I quickly crafted puppets from them, herding the wolves into a trap. They thrashed to escape but perished in the puppets' suicide blasts. Roughly cleared.
For a moment, my strength failed, nearly collapsing me. But I bit my tongue, forcing myself up. The maze needed repairs. The Turtle's blockade was temporary. Repair puppets rose, filling the collapsed walls. Corpses already piled before the Turtle. Any delay, and they'd overflow again.
I sealed my grievous wounds using the seedling roots inside me—treatment later. Delicately manipulating puppets and spells, I rebuilt the maze's flow. The rushed reconstruction was unstable, but it restored the basic framework. The Turtle returned to the clearing, and the beast flow resumed.
I spent the next few days and nights stabilizing it. Wolves breached walls or clogged flows a few more times, but I countered thoroughly. No more carelessness. By the tenth night's end, stability returned. Only then did I collapse, losing consciousness.
I woke a full day later. Shocking news had unfolded. One had finally fallen: Siger's fortress breached.
Aili and Hongryeong noticed first. Giant hawks—Hongryeong called them thorn-flower hawks—assaulted the hourglass. Their prepared spells repelled them easily, but the breach was undeniable. Hongryeong stepped up, sealing Siger's sector flawlessly with his magic. He messaged the team, summoning everyone to the hourglass.
Having passed out, I joined late via a puppet's eyes at the hourglass—my body in no state to move. Aili, Hongryeong, and Shaking Rope waited. Siger stood aside, forcing a bitter smile. I positioned the puppet before them and bowed deeply in apology.
"Sorry. A crisis hit my sector; handling it delayed my response."
"It's fine. As long as it didn't breach, no issue."
Hongryeong smiled, then explained: Siger's fortress had fallen. I gave a wry smile. Fair enough—I'd nearly breached too.
"Heh, you survived? I thought our puppet master friend was done for."
Aili laughed. Beneath her, a blood pool rippled—dark as ink from devouring countless beasts, like living shadow.
"Thanks to your concern, I barely made it."
"Yeah, yeah. Blade wolves are the type you die to if unprepared. Rare even for wanderers."
My predictions off after so long. Aili smirked. Intense killing intent laced her smile. Cold sweat trickled down my back. That shadow-blood pool—I'd heard of it somewhere.
"What's wrong? See something scary?"
I'd failed to mask my expression. Aili teased playfully.
"Haha, no. Just recalling the last few grueling days."
Excusing myself, I dug through memories. An old rumor surfaced: among wanderer mages, tales of a hunter stalking wizards for a century. Victims left with a thick, blood-scented shadow. That must be her spell. So Aili's the hunter? Why take the exam?)
I cut the thought. Whoever she was, whatever her goal—it wasn't my concern. Just pass this exam. Smiling naturally, I continued chatting. As the mood settled, Hongryeong spoke.
"Siger's sector fell. We need someone to cover it."
Silence. Aili and Shaking Rope seemed disinterested. I'd just survived my own crisis, no spare capacity. Hongryeong waited, then nodded at the lack of response.
"Then I'll handle it, including his. Ebron?"
He looked my way. I inclined the puppet's head.
"Could you explain how you and I divided our sectors with Siger? I'd rebuild similarly."
"Of course. I'll detail it post-meeting."
"Appreciated."
Siger smiled bitterly.
"This drove home my inexperience. Ground beasts were manageable, but I skimped on flying ones. They penetrated to the center."
He bowed to us.
"Few in my area, so I stuck to routine. No face left for you all."
"Aw, as long as the hourglass holds, right? Tighten defenses from now on. Exam's not over."
I consoled the dejected Siger. Empathy hit hard—same boat. Our fortresses were similar: my maze, his walls, both relying on one massive force. Ignore that power, and breaches inevitable. Without prior teamwork with Hongryeong, I'd have fallen like him.
Siger shook his head.
"No, I'm not passing material yet. Need more polish. I'll fully cooperate rest of exam."
Silence. A de facto surrender. He'd join Hongryeong, who now held his sector—majority votes secured. Tension rippled across faces. Aili yawned hugely, bored.
"So, meeting over? Can I go?"
Hongryeong nodded lightly. Aili rose, glanced at me, pondered, then slyly sat.
"Puppeteer, stronger ones coming?"
She asked. Propping her chin, she grinned.
"Yeah. Trials ramp up toward the end."
I explained the exam structure.
"These task exams are strings of easy ones, hard bosses last. Process over results—avoid mid-exam penalties key."
Aili nodded, eyes sparkling.
"Oh, you know your stuff."
I smiled wryly.
"Haha, this is my eleventh try."
"Really? Don't look it."
"Without my professor, I wouldn't have reached here."
"Professor?"
"Yes. Gratefully, a university professor tutored me past year."
Sharp gazes pierced me. University professor carried weight—certified power and status. I revealed this strategically. Exam near end; my maze's vulnerability exposed. Others likely observed. Time to assert value. With professor backing, I'd remain useful post-exam. Hongryeong wouldn't discard me lightly. Majority votes in his pocket simplified choices.
Hongryeong smirked knowingly at my pitch.
"Heh, explains the intriguing spells."
"Too kind."
I summoned puppets, treating them to refreshments. Beasts still poured into sectors; everyone held. Meeting flowed wordlessly after. It ended once I briefed Siger on our sector layout.