“Ah, such bad luck! He was caught!” Olim exclaimed, his voice echoing through the arena. The audience erupted into a mix of gasps and murmurs, their attention fully captured by the sudden turn of events. The screen displayed Ludwig standing frozen, his beacon now in the hands of the shadowy figure who had outmaneuvered him. The crowd was flabbergasted, their earlier admiration for Ludwig’s resilience now tinged with disbelief.
“That is quite impressive,” Vastion remarked, his tone thoughtful as he leaned back in his seat.
“What is?” Cymoria asked, her brow furrowed. “The fact that Ludwig survived so long, or the fact that he was captured so easily?”
“Neither,” Vastion replied, his gaze fixed on the screen. “It’s the fact that Kuro was able to control his shadows so masterfully that he never revealed his own presence. In case you all missed it, he had purposefully become a hunter.”
“Indeed!” Olim chimed in, his voice brimming with excitement. He gestured to the screen, which now split to show a replay of an earlier scene. The footage revealed Kuro, the shadow manipulator, standing calmly as another hunter took his bracelet. “Most people were too focused on Ludwig and forgot about the other participants. But this happened earlier,” Olim explained, pointing to the screen. “Kuro allowed himself to be captured, becoming a hunter. From there, he began tracking Ludwig, tagging a shadow behind him to constantly follow his movements.”
The audience watched in awe as the replay showed Kuro’s shadow slithering behind Ludwig, unnoticed by the undead mage. “No wonder,” Olim continued. “Since he was tracking Ludwig with a shadow, he personally never needed to move from where he stood. The bells were irrelevant to him because he could simply swap his position with his own shadow and touch whoever he wanted.”
“Quite the tricky opponent,” Van Dijk said, his voice calm but with a hint of admiration. He crossed his arms, his sharp eyes never leaving the screen.
“Ah, you shouldn’t feel too bad about it, Master Van Dijk,” Vastion said, a sly smile playing on his lips. “After all, no one can predict everything. Ludwig had done well, but with only half an hour left and everyone extremely wary and ready for hunters, I doubt he’ll be able to secure another bracelet for himself.”
“It’s not over until the timer is up,” Van Dijk replied, his tone firm. He refused to count Ludwig out, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
“The Tower Master is right,” Olim said, nodding in agreement. Despite the odds stacked against Ludwig, he believed the undead mage could still pull off a miracle. The arena fell silent as the audience turned their attention back to the screen, where Ludwig stood alone in the labyrinth, seemingly speechless at his predicament.
***
“What now?” Thomas’s voice echoed in Ludwig’s mind, breaking the silence.
“I’m thinking,” Ludwig replied, his tone calm and measured. Despite the setback, his mind was already racing, analyzing the situation and plotting his next move. Anyone else might have panicked, but Ludwig’s undead nature kept his emotions in check. Meeting a prey in this labyrinth was already difficult, and hunting them was even more challenging. Ludwig knew he had to act fast.
“I never expected that,” Thomas admitted, his voice tinged with regret. “I should’ve noticed the shadow earlier.”
“Me neither,” Ludwig said, his eyes narrowing as he replayed the events in his mind. “I thought all hunters with bells would be exposed. The fact that Kuro could track me without making a sound… it’s a terrifying ability.”
“My bad, man,” Thomas replied, his tone apologetic.
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Ludwig said, shaking his head. He began stretching his limbs, his body preparing for the next phase of the trial. “What’s done is done. Now, we move forward.”
“Are you going on a hunt?” Thomas asked, his voice curious.
“Yep,” Ludwig replied, his tone resolute.
“Well, you better hurry then. I think the beacons will light up soon,” Thomas said, his voice urgent.
“Nah, I’m not hunting students,” Ludwig said, his lips curling into a faint smirk.
“Wait, why?” Thomas asked, his confusion evident. “You’re not planning on hunting another lion, are you? The first one was a fluke, you know.”
“I know,” Ludwig said, his tone calm but determined. “But consider this: it’s the last few minutes. No one is going to be easy prey, and everyone will be running away. I might be able to catch someone, sure, but it’s risky running around. I’m not used to being a hunter, so I basically have no experience in this event. Learning from scratch would be redundant. And the difference between the lions and the students is that the students will be running away from me, while the lion will be coming at me. I’ll have an easier time taking down something that fights back than someone who’s adamantly running away.”
Just as he finished his words, the sound of a beacon echoed in the far distance, its faint ringing barely audible through the labyrinth’s twisting corridors.
“Damn, that’s very far away,” Thomas said, his voice tinged with frustration.
“Yes, that means in this area, we’re probably the only ones here,” Ludwig said, his tone calm. “Even better,” he added, a determined glint in his eye as he began moving.
Ludwig was scorned, but he wasn’t about to get stuck thinking about it. For now, he needed to figure a way out of his current predicament before he could even think about getting his “revenge.” He began sprinting through the labyrinth, his sword in hand, tapping at the walls as he moved. The metallic clang of his blade against the stone echoed through the corridors, creating a cacophony of noise.
“What’s the reason for this?” Thomas asked, his voice puzzled.
“I need to make some noise. The lions should hear it,” Ludwig replied, his tone focused.
Not long after, a deep, guttural roar vibrated through the labyrinth, signaling that a lion had caught on to Ludwig’s presence and was now coming after him. The ground trembled slightly as the massive stone creature bounded through the corridors, its glowing eyes locked onto its prey.