Field Study (4): The Compass Guardian
As the escorts split left and right, Allen naturally locked eyes with the heavy armored soldier on the left. Since they were already inside the clearing—the defensive outpost—there was plenty of room to maneuver.
Without hesitation, Allen aimed his mana bullet launcher.
Thung!
A brutal yet smooth launch sound echoed, reverberating off the clearing's walls before it even faded, and the heavy armored soldier's body shuddered.
That was it. The mana bullet with [Penetration] and [Explosion]—the one that had torn off the gatekeeper's arm—was blocked by a blue barrier. The heavy armored soldiers that appeared from the 19th layer onward were indeed different.
The creature staggered briefly before regaining its stance and glaring at Allen. It wasn't a simple stare. The light from its single eye intensified steadily.
'The gatekeeper needed time to warm up...'
Even in the sudden turn of events, Allen responded calmly. His chest grew slightly warm, but it wasn't the heat of battle—it was his hunger for the knowledge he'd gain from toppling this heavy armored soldier.
The barrier it used was ultimately a function of mana. Among the mana bullets Allen had prepared were ones designed to disrupt that very process.
Click!
One virtue of a magitech engineer's hands was speed. Allen swiftly reloaded the mana bullet and slammed in the magazine.
"It looks dangerous. Should I step in? Heavy armored soldiers are completely different from gatekeepers, so if you prepared bullets tuned for the gatekeeper, they might not work."
"I'll give it a try anyway."
The runes etched into this mana bullet were [Confusion] and [Infiltration]. It had a similar effect to a mana pulse grenade.
There were two bullets loaded. As Allen channeled mana into the grip, they fired in sequence.
The barrier reacted swiftly once more, but sparks erupted at the first bullet's impact point, punching a clean hole through. The second slipped right inside and smashed into the heavy armored soldier's single eye.
Kaboom!
Even a mana bullet specialized in destroying mana circuits packed some raw power, jerking the heavy armored soldier's head back. When it lifted its head again, the eye's glow had extinguished.
"Oh!"
Taking Professor Oros's short exclamation as his cue, Allen reloaded another bullet and aimed at the charging heavy armored soldier.
Thung!
The barrier's broken now. This one should get through, he thought as he fired.
Bam!
The bullet was swatted down by the heavy armored soldier's swing, hitting the ground and exploding.
Allen's mana bullets and launcher were prototypes, a bit slow, but witnessing that scene bruised his pride. The humiliation quickly turned into motivation to improve.
'Need to tweak the firing speed. Maybe overload it this time so it detonates on even light impacts.'
As Allen raised his launcher again, a massive bulk blocked his view.
Oros, standing directly in front, placed a hand on the barrel and angled the muzzle downward.
"You've done enough so far. Leave the rest to me."
Oros loomed ahead like a castle wall. Spreading his arms wide made his already enormous frame seem even larger.
"Knowledge gets stored in the brain."
Oros tapped his temple with a finger.
"No body part is unimportant, but it's especially crucial for scholars. To safely protect that repository of knowledge, the body must be sturdy."
At the same time, sounds of ripping and tearing fabric filled the air. Green muscles writhed menacingly through the frayed seams and torn cloth.
Thud thud thud!
The 3.5-meter heavy armored soldier closed in right up to their faces.
Standing in its path: a 2.1-meter elderly orc.
The orc threw a punch without hesitation. There was no technique—just pure power and confidence.
Kwang!
The deafening crash—unbelievable from flesh, bone, and outer armor colliding—rang through the clearing.
The sound was so immense that even Allen, whose expression never changed, furrowed his brow slightly.
And that was the end. A single blow silenced the heavy armored soldier. Red fluid leaked from the hole punched through its torso.
"Thanks to Explorer Allen shattering the barrier and draining its mana."
Was it really? Allen shook his head inwardly. Even without him, Professor Oros had the strength to silence a heavy armored soldier with one punch.
There was a reason students calmed down at the sight of the professor's muscles.
Just then, the escorts finished off their side's heavy armored soldiers, and the students entered the clearing. Their eyes sparkled—whether from loot or eagerness to learn, Allen couldn't tell.
"Oh dear. My clothes are torn."
Professor Oros's explorer suit was a wreck.
'Was that suit something you could just tear open at will? And with raw muscle alone?'
The glimpses of muscle straining through the rips were too ripped for an old man's body.
Oros grinned at Allen.
"Labyrinth Studies requires mastery of both pen and sword. Watching you, Explorer Allen, I've thought you're just the right talent for it..."
Oros's words cut off abruptly. Following his gaze, Allen spotted an unfamiliar sculpture.
It was a skull pieced together from scrap metal and junk, about the size of a drum barrel. A crystal embedded in its eye sockets emitted a red glow.
Oros, who had acted the leisurely gentleman until now, rushed over and planted himself in front of the skull.
"So this is what it was guarding. I never expected to see one during field training—our students are really lucky."
"What is this?"
"Just as we seal toxic mana waste, the underground dwellers store objects they fear in this manner."
As students gathered beside Allen, Oros gripped the skull's upper and lower jaws with both hands.
"Hup!"
His explorer suit strained as if it might rip again, and with a creaking screech, the jaws were forced open.
Oros plunged his arm into the mangled interior and pulled something out.
Inside a transparent sphere—seemingly made of glass or crystal—needles floated as if in zero gravity.
Gazing at it, Oros said,
"What we've found this time is a compass. Some students may be seeing one for the first time, others may know it already. Carlson, you know it, right?"
"Yes. It's an Oparts that points to the door leading to the next layer. Useless in mazes or caves where doors are fixed, but incredibly handy below, where they shift slightly."
A compass was a tool that reacted to the planet's massive magnetic field, with its needle pointing both south and north—pair it with a map, and navigation was no issue.
But a compass in the labyrinth? As if each layer's entrances and exits aligned north-south. They didn't.
So this Oparts merely borrowed the name "compass"—it was something entirely different.
Oros shook the round, transparent crystal. Even the vibration from his thick forearm didn't stir the floating needles inside.
"These needles use mana stones or mana essence stones as fuel. For example, absorb a mana stone from a 40th-layer monster, and it'll point to the door to the 41st. You must use that exact layer's mana stone to find the next one—keep that in mind."
"That seems off. Doesn't the labyrinth try to block explorers from entering? So why leave a compass that reveals door locations?"
Oros raised a finger at the student's question. His wrinkled eyelids couldn't hide the spark in the orc professor's eyes—pure curiosity and thirst for discovery.
"Exactly. Monsters placed to block explorers, a compass pointing downward—a blatant contradiction. Some theorize the labyrinth itself is a trial. A training ground set by someone. If so, what reward awaits those who prove themselves? Perhaps even ownership of the labyrinth."
"Professor, isn't that too optimistic? Too many people die for it to be a training ground. Too harsh for a test to select an owner. Even if true, the creator who drowns people in desire's whirlpool has antisocial tendencies. The rewards would be twisted too."
Oros just smiled and listened to the rebuttal, as pleased as when he'd found the compass.
"Thanks for the differing view. You're right—such opinions exist. But all debates end when someone reaches the labyrinth's bottom. You students have more chance than I do. If you're inclined, join a famous explorer guild or party and keep diving."
"Professor, we're scholars. Will they accept us?"
"What do I always say? Scholars can't hole up in buildings. Master both pen and sword. Remember that—it's your goal."
No student argued. Excuses wouldn't fly before a living testament to both.
Oros was a professor in Maze City's Labyrinth Studies department and a Depth 5 powerhouse. Now focused on teaching, but a decade ago, he'd explored zealously.
Depth 1. Barely worthy of the name. With magitech and magitechwear widespread, anyone could reach it with enough time.
Depth 2 was different. Possible with magitechwear alone sans mana heart, but demanded extreme discipline and combat talent.
From Depth 3 onward, it grew brutal. Explorers here possessed mana hearts—self-cultivated or implanted.
Depth 4 weren't even human anymore. Faster than predators, keener than prey, outputting machine-level power from flesh and bone.
Depth 5 was Oros's realm. A magic-armed tank was just fish on a cutting board before them. The max for those lacking talent, fortune, or effort.
So student complaints fell on deaf ears before a Depth 5 like Oros—or maybe those massive forearms scared them off.
With the fight over, it was time to gleefully collect loot. Escorts led groups of 2-3 students around the clearing.
Professor Oros stuck right by Allen as he diligently disassembled automatons.
"Even the outer armor comes apart like this. I never knew."
Allen wedged a pry bar from the cart into the armor gaps and twisted; plates detached easily each time.
The result of his enhanced vision and intimate knowledge of automaton structures.
"How do you do it, Professor?"
"Me? Like this..."
Oros placed a hand on the lion-like automaton's belly and ripped it open left and right. The eviscerated lion looked like a frog in a dissection lab.
"A sharp mind spares the body, a strong body spares the mind. Embarrassing to say, but I qualify on both..."
"Can't get simpler than that."
Allen envied Oros's sturdy physique.
"With a body like that, you could pull all-nighters reading and still be fine, right?"
"Haha, spot on. But our brains need rest. Never forget: proper sleep maximizes focus."
Oros laughed heartily, then fell silent, watching Allen's disassembly show. He outpaced six students combined—an absurd hand speed.
At this rate, he'd finish all the class's share, so Oros intervened.
"Explorer Allen, aren't you tired?"
"No reason to be if I'm enjoying it."
"Hm... irrefutable logic. Still, give us some time—for the students too."
Allen turned to see several undergrads staring, oily hands clasped hopefully for a demo.
But as Oros's forearm muscles twitched their way, they jolted and refocused on loot.
"We dragged a returning explorer here by force—you must be exhausted."
Oros clapped a hand on Allen's back—too firm for his exoskeleton to brace—and guided him to the mana stone lantern spot. Allen gave up and followed meekly. Lighting the nearby heater brought a soothing warmth.
"Something to say?"
"Straight to the point? I like guileless talk. Other professors and bigwigs prattle endlessly..."
Scrap metal crumpled into