The maze was vast, but rather than being divided into four separate sections, it was interconnected. After wandering for some time,Leoric and Freya noticed obvious signs of battle in the corridors. The walls bore scorch marks from flames, and the ground was scattered with broken bones and bows and arrows—evidently the remnants of defeated skeleton archers.

  Someone had already been here.

  As they ventured further, they found even more monster corpses along the way.Leoric was about to examine the wounds closely to try and guess who had done this when Freya suddenly called out, "Leoric, look at that."

  Leoric followed the direction Freya was pointing and, with the help of the light from his staff's tip, saw two tall and bulky figures embraced in the shadows ahead, standing motionless.

  Upon approaching, they realized it wasn't an embrace but two clay golems locked in combat, seemingly petrified mid-struggle as if hit by a paralyzing spell.

  However, clay golems couldn't be paralyzed; the spell only worked on flesh-and-blood creatures.

  The battle signs around the golems were evident.Leoric found a half-broken staff—identical to the one he was holding, the kind issued to fifth-year students by the school.

  The situation was clear.

  Before setting out, the professors had programmed the clay golems to obey only their respective masters' (including the four graduates and four assistants') commands via remote mental control. The sudden immobilization could only mean one thing: these two clay golems had suddenly lost all mental contact with their masters.

  Which meant their masters had lost consciousness—presumably being automatically transported back to Spiritshade City for treatment.

  Great, fantastic, wonderful.

  It was confirmed that they were down two opponents, which was naturally pleasing. It was even more pleasing that the monsters in the maze seemed to have been mostly wiped out by these two unlucky souls. But the biggest challenge remained unsolved.Leoric and Freya spun around and around, growing increasingly disoriented, almost unsure of where they were anymore.

  Ahead was another fork in the road, with two passages on either side.Leoric looked around but couldn't discern any clues. He was just about to take a chance and choose one when Freya suddenly grabbed his hand and said, "This way."

  Leoric was somewhat puzzled but had no choice but to trust her. As they progressed, Freya seemed to suddenly gain insight or some special ability, almost always clearly selecting the correct path at intersections—although there were a few wrong turns that led them in circles.

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  ToLeoric's knowledge, divination magic, which could seek guidance from the unknown, was usually only performed by high-level prophecy wizards. Although Freya was talented, she was still only a third-year student and shouldn't possess such abilities.

  But at this point, he could only trust her. Talent, after all, couldn't be measured by conventional wisdom,Leoric thought.

  Finally, they entered a passage, andLeoric was delighted to see light ahead.

  In this dark, narrow maze, light could only mean two things: either an exit or their destination.

  And the exit's light should be bright white, not iridescent and shimmering.

  So this had to be the iridescent ring glowing.

  Finally, they had found it!

  Suppressing his excitement,Leoric signaled Freya to cast the last prepared spell. The closer they got to success, the more cautious they needed to be. Every wizard should understand that one slip could ruin everything.

  A soft pink light emanated from Freya's hands, turning into mist and drifting towards the iridescent glow ahead.Leoric watched intently for any changes, but he didn't detect any anomalies.

  No traps were found.

  Freya commanded the golem to advance cautiously. The trap-detecting magic wasn't foolproof; cleverly set traps could evade detection. Having the golem lead the way served as a sacrifice and shield.

  At the end of the passage was a narrow room, empty except for a square stone pedestal from which the iridescent glow emanated.

  Freya was about to go and retrieve the ring whenLeoric stopped her.

  "Forward,"Leoric commanded the golem.

  Obeying, the golem took heavy steps, thundering loudly as it moved. It took one step, then another, but just as it prepared to take a third, the air ahead suddenly distorted and rippled.

  Out of the empty air, a black oval-shaped hole abruptly opened. A tall humanoid figure emerged with heavy steps from the elliptical darkness.

  The first thing that caught their eye was a huge bull's head, adorned with a pair of proud, curved black horns on either side. White steam occasionally shot out of its large nostrils. Its mouth was open, revealing two rows of sharp teeth, with slimy saliva hanging from the corners, some already turned into white foam. Its body was covered with reddish-brown hair, and its muscles bulged. It gripped a massive double-sided battle-axe, its blade gleaming coldly, sharp enough to chop off any creature's head with one swing. It wore no armor, just a dark yellow leather belt around its waist.

  Its upper torso barely resembled a human's, though excessively muscular, while its lower half was entirely bovine legs adorned with two golden ankle rings. Below the rings were hard hooves, split like dark iron blocks.

  It was a minotaur.

  The professors had said they might encounter goblins, skeleton archers, zombies, and minotaurs in the maze. Now it seemed that statement needed revising. Goblins, skeleton archers, and zombies were "possible" encounters, but minotaurs were a "certainty."

  This minotaur was clearly stationed here to guard the iridescent ring. Whoever wanted to take the ring would have to face this minotaur first.

  With a roar that shook the entire room, the minotaur, captured somewhere and imprisoned here for a long time, had been triggered by the preset magic upon someone's approach. The freed minotaur showed no intention of thanking its liberators; it obviously viewedLeoric and Freya as accomplices of the enemies who had captured it.

  Actually, that wasn't wrong. It must have been wizards from Spiritshade City who captured it, andLeoric and Freya did, in fact, look similar—dressed almost identically in black wizard robes. Not to mention the minotaur seemed to understand no human language; even if it did, it probably wouldn't listen to explanations.

  So... there was only one option left.

  "Kill it,"Leoric gave the clay golem a straightforward and clear command.