141 Labyrinth of time and space (4)

The mage returned with a serious expression. Then, between the palms of both hands, a fireball appeared.

Unlike Amy, it was a single sphere, so it would be much easier to increase its density.

"She's going to concentrate the firepower, isn't she? She's so anxious to win."

As expected by Amy, the mage was tense. Of course, as she had never numerically calculated the power of magic, she didn't know how many points she would get.

But it seemed difficult to think she could unleash three times the power of Electric Arrow.

"Hah!"

The mage vigorously extended both hands.

In the Spirit Zone under the mage's control, inertia is ignored, so there's no need to perform a special movement to cast a spell.

Even so, taking a shooting stance was the mage's struggle to increase her concentration even a bit.

Amy followed the fireball with her gaze. While the Time and Space Labyrinth held the Fireball, a whirlwind of flames was unleashed.

The mage looked at the sphere with eyes full of expectation. But a moment later, her face changed to a somber expression.

The score was 1,330. It was only 310 points higher than Electric Arrow.

It was a big difference for a swordsman who was purely evaluated for his physical ability, but in the realm of magic that applied phenomena, there seemed to be a difference there.

"T-This can't be. No! This is because the firepower is distributed. I can at least score 2,000."

No one responded to the mage's voice.

The difference was too great. No matter what he did, he couldn't surpass Amy's score.

The archer thought it was already too late to pass through this place. The girl who scored over 3000 was expected to be the highest level here.

In the mercenary world, the so-called divine mage also scored 1,330. And the fact that he showed more than double his magical power meant he was at least the greatest talent in his age group.

Rian and Tess were thinking the same.

They didn't intend to underestimate Shirone's abilities, but Amy was Shirone's senior student at the academy. If she, a senior student, failed, they assumed it would be difficult for even Shirone to show more.

Amy was the only one who didn't think this was the end.

"Shirone, you need to take this seriously. Maybe because it's so narrow that I couldn't get through it."

"It's okay. I'll do my best."

The leader sarcastically curved his lips.

"Ha! What's the point of doing your best? Results have to come out. It's already over. Let's retreat and go back."

Shirone realized something by seeing the leader giving up without even trying. The Time and Space Labyrinth was called the Angel's Eye. Why on earth did he build such an altar?

But it was time to set aside the fleeting intuition for a while. Right now, the priority is to focus on the work of the altar.

Shirone closed his eyes and performed the sequence method. A faint point of light was born in front. Subsequently, an innumerable number of photons flooded the center and increased their size.

"What-What? Photon output? What impact do you have with that?"

Said the mage with an absurd expression. Despite this, the reason she couldn't take her eyes off Shirone was the strength that couldn't be seen with a normal photon output.

The moment Shirone opened his eyes after completing the sequence method, a white sphere the size of a fist began to vibrate as if it were about to die.

Shirone gritted his teeth and fired the photon cannon. A beam of light that extended at a speed slower than light struck the Time and Space Labyrinth as if to crush it.

The mercenaries, who initially didn't expect it, were fascinated by the beauty of the flash and trembled as they awaited the score.

4,783.

People's eyes widened as an unexpected number appeared.

In particular, the mage and archers who were well versed in magic were amazed. It was because Shirone's magical release was none other than the photon output.

Light doesn't have a special firepower. It's only defined by the product of speed and mass, the momentum.

Still, it scored 4,783 points. In comparison to his peers, it was said that the impact was equivalent to the shock of 20 warriors who chose a structure to enhance strength and struck with all their might.

"What, what the hell are those things?"

The mercenaries started to get anxious. They didn't know what the principle of Shirone's magic was, but they knew that none of them could withstand it.

But no one had time to think of anything else. This is because despite being hit with tremendous power, the Time and Space Labyrinth emitted a red light as if it was defiant and considered him unqualified.

Shirone felt exhausted. What the hell were these spheres?

Perhaps 5,000 points is the passing line. However, it seemed that the Photon Cannon couldn't increase its power more than this.

"I wish we could do it one more time."

Amy covered her mouth and laughed as if she had been waiting.

"Hoho! You understand my feelings, right? I felt the same way. But how many points do we have to pass?"

"I'm not sure. It might be okay to try it with a laser."

"Oh, right! Lasers can accumulate energy."

Shirone's laser makes molecules vibrate, resulting in increased destructive power over time. In theory, there's nothing it can't destroy, making it perfect for such evaluation.

"But we have another round. We'll have to try it after taking a round. What do you think? Aren't you going to do it?"

Shirone said to the leader. But he stood there with a chewed shit expression on his face.

Seeing the scores shooting up as the order progressed, he didn't feel like going out. As a swordsman, the only score he could give was around 200 points.

"Tsk! That's it. It's already over! There's nothing left but to leave."

The leader hurriedly walked towards the entrance. However, no matter how much he turned the doorknob, the iron door didn't move.

When the group looked back in surprise, the man with the white tattoo spoke.

"You're one. If one person is evaluated, everyone must be evaluated. You can't leave before that."

After hearing the archer's interpretation, the group finally understood. The rule wasn't just about integrating their wills, but aligning their actions.

"Ah! This is frustrating! Why are you asking me to do something that makes no difference?"

There was no end to the leader's complaints. But to get out of here, he had no choice but to show his skills.

"I'll be damned! I didn't know about this!"

Shirone felt a chill.

Why hadn't they known this until now? All the rules explained by the man with the white tattoo were based on one condition.

Trust Among Companions.

Upon reflection, there couldn't have been a stranger evaluation method. This was because, solely in terms of firepower, magicians held a much more advantageous position than swordsmen.

However, that didn't mean the swordsman was weaker than the magician. Even if the magician could destroy rocks and split the ground, swordsmen specialized in close combat and could strike down a magician with a single blow.

Furthermore, measuring magical power was an issue. If Amy, who specialized in long-range magic, had tried the Sniper Mode, her score would have been much higher. However, this place didn't consider such a variable.

The narrow octagonal altar where special means couldn't be used, and the eight spheres.

'Why eight? Just for balancing appearance? But didn't we, the eight, evaluate only one sphere?

The strangest thing of all was the language of God. The Labyrinth of Time and Space measured the amount of impact and expressed the value as a number.

Why on earth? What does it mean?

If it's to distinguish those heading to Kerugo, wouldn't it be enough just to indicate pass or fail?

Depending on the duration of the race, the deviation of the scores increased enormously. A structure where everyone must necessarily be evaluated in such a state.

The emotion that arose from there was one thing.

'Obsession with scores. You get anxious when a colleague gets a higher score than you. If you get a lower score, you'll be ignored. Without a perfect understanding of each other's roles, discord is inevitable. And what awaits at the end of that rule is...'

You can send one person through the sacrifice of another.

Shirone took a deep breath. What the heck is Miro thinking? This was an evaluation designed to kill each other.

"Shirone, let's leave when that person finishes."

Amy whispered. There was tension in her eyes too, as if she had the same thought.

Rian and Tess were also wearing serious faces as if something was wrong.

Since they emphasized camaraderie, it was natural to be sensitive to this atmosphere, and since the evaluation was clearly unfavorable for the swordsman, they would have quickly understood the intention behind the rules.

As expected, the leader didn't know what to do. He felt that the gaze of his mercenary colleagues was different from before.

"Yah, yah, euaaaaaa!"

The leader ran without even having a chance to catch his breath. He was charging, but to Shirone, it seemed like he was fleeing from something.

Is Schema used correctly? Where is the sword's location? What is the distance to the target? As he ran without knowing anything, his steps wobbled.

When he gave a small muffled cry and swung his sword as if crumbling, his accuracy dropped, and the sword hit the side of the sphere and bounced off.

"Darn it!"

The leader, who was trying to leave the Labyrinth of Time and Space and the altar, quickly regained his balance and looked back.

The number 32 was floating.

But no one laughed. Their companions' expressions hardened as if they had suffered great humiliation.

"What, what's the problem! We can't even pass! We did it, so it's done, right? Let's get out of here!"

The leader showed unnecessary bravado and left the altar. But his steps headed toward a place away from his companions.

'That party is over. It will probably dissolve once we leave here.

Shirone thought it was time to end things. It was a pity he couldn't challenge again, but there was nothing more he could do with the mercenaries whose trust had been broken.

"Can you translate for me?"

Shirone asked the archer. Even if he was leaving, there was one thing he wanted to confirm.

The archer also readily agreed, perhaps feeling a sense of emptiness in the current situation.

"Of course. What should I ask?"

"Has anyone passed through this door so far?"

The man with the white tattoo nodded decisively.

"It's a door for passage, not some kind of trap."

"How many points do we need to get in the Labyrinth of Time and Space to pass?"

"The eight eyes of the angel will judge you."

The man repeated what he had said at the beginning. In the end, everything was determined by the Labyrinth of Time and Space.

Shirone thought for a moment before asking the last question.

"What's the approximate passing rate for those who have come here?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Sometimes many people come, sometimes only one. From what I've observed, it seems that one out of ten times, people pass. Most of the time, the passing rate is higher when people come alone."

Shirone was startled. It was a much higher percentage than expected.

Initially, he thought there might not be any passersby at all. It was due to the assumption that Miro's purpose in designing this place was not simply to assess skills.

Of course, that opinion remained unchanged. However, the man with the white tattoos made it clear that there were those who passed. That too, at an astonishing rate of 10 percent.

The corner of Shirone's mouth trembled as he smiled. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Shirone, why are you suddenly like that?"

"The director... He's a real trickster."

"Eh? What are you suddenly talking about?"

Amy asked with a puzzled look, but Shirone was not in a condition to respond. Alpeas's voice seemed to echo in his head like an illusion.

["You should be able to get a rough idea of what kind of world Miro lives in."]

It wasn't a rough idea, but a clear understanding. It was saying that if one couldn't overcome an obstacle of this level, it was a message that one shouldn't try to learn about Miro.

"I'm sorry, director. But I ended up knowing."

Shirone didn't give up. He was determined to pass through this place during the travel period.

Amy guessed as she looked at Shirone, who didn't respond.

"You haven't given up, have you, Shirone?"

If so, she won't give up either. At first, she only followed to help Shirone, but now she really wants to know about the girl named Miro.