By Zephyria 
“Why? What’s there?”
Herman, who had been attached to the front, slowly moved and approached. I stared at the switch and pointed at it as if to show Herman. Herman craned his neck and looked, and his eyes widened when he found the switch.
“A switch? Was it… made to be pressed?”
Since something like that was suddenly attached in such a place, most people would think so. Herman, who was flustered, carefully examined the switch again and then showed a reluctant expression.
“It could be a trap, so it’s best not to touch it….”
I lightly ignored that advice and pressed the switch.
“Wait, Ray!”
Just as Herman shouted in surprise.
Whether it was a reaction to pressing the switch or not, the King piece began to turn in some direction. The heavy tremor echoed for a moment due to the aftermath of that movement.
I wondered if it was going to move directly, but the King piece only turned and did not move. After a while, the jewel embedded in the center of the King piece’s crown glowed faintly.
The light was shone long as if indicating somewhere. There was no piece in the place where the light last stayed, but after a while, letters began to appear on the floor.
“Letters? It looks like something is written on the floor?”
Herman narrowed his eyes and said.
I quickly approached and checked the letters on the floor.
The phrase written there was this.
[If you press two switches at the same time, you will succeed.]
[The hint is to discuss after the two people have seen it together.]
Two switches at the same time.
The hint is for two people to see together.
There were two things that could be inferred from that. One was that there was one more ‘switch to press’. It was presumed that the switch would be in the opposite camp. The other was that the separation of me and Herman from the other children was all ‘intentional’ by someone. In other words, it meant that we were being guided to act in pairs from the beginning.
‘If the opposite camp is the same as here, there will be other hints there as well. And since the hint said to see it together, it’s troublesome, but I have to go to the opposite camp together.’
I told Herman that fact as it was. Herman, who heard the story, looked back at the queen piece that was prowling around.
“Then we have to get out of that guy’s attack range first…. Still, it seems fortunate that it doesn’t attack any further if we move beyond a certain range from the King piece.”
“I’ll run when I signal. Get ready.”
“Okay.”
I surveyed the movements of the Queen piece. It was when the Queen piece turned its body to the opposite side of the King piece and moved forward a few spaces.
“Now!”
Immediately after the signal, Herman, who had been separated from the King, ran, and I ran alongside him. The Queen piece, eerily noticing our movement, turned its body back this way. The Queen piece, transformed into the Queen wielding a spear as before, charged at us, who were still within its range.
Kugugugugu!
A rough tremor echoed as the Queen’s spear plunged down. This time, Herman, without my help, dodged the attack in time and ran, keeping some distance from me. As the targets widened the distance, the Queen hesitated for a moment.
Seizing that opening, I pointed my finger at the arm of the spear-wielding Queen piece. The lump of red Mana gathered at my fingertip flew like a bullet, cleaving through the air.
It was Destruction, the most basic of Evocation System magic, but the amount of Mana I infused was considerable, so its destructive power was extraordinary.
Paang!
As the launched Mana lump struck directly, the Queen shattered into pieces rather than just cracking. It immediately began to repair itself, but it seemed it would take much longer than when it had only cracked.
The Queen is picking up the fallen spear with her remaining hand.
But by that time, we were already quite far from the formation, and thanks to that, the Queen piece was just standing there, looking at us, without chasing us any further. Herman, who had been anxiously looking behind, soon let out a sigh.
“To think we have to do this again at the opposite camp.”
“Save your complaints for after this is all over.”
I retorted to the guy who always nagged me, and Herman swallowed a groan. Afterward, arriving at the opposite camp of black pieces, we avoided the attack of the black Queen piece as before and grabbed the King.
While Herman held the King, blocking the Queen’s movement, I pressed the switch on the back to get a hint.
[The exit Portal only opens in the black camp.]
[The exit Portal operates for about 5 seconds after opening.]
Gathering all those hints….
Success requires pressing both switches simultaneously, meaning that to open the ‘exit Portal,’ both switches must be pressed. The exit Portal, opened with such difficulty, only operates for 5 seconds, meaning that whoever goes to the white camp cannot use the exit Portal.
‘Abandon one person… is that it?’
Space Transition or Blink magic cannot be used due to low proficiency, so there was no other way. They were blatantly inducing division and conflict. Making us cooperate in pairs and then making us fight each other at the end.
‘Truly a malicious act.’
Meanwhile, the hint that two people should look and discuss together came to mind, making me think even more so. No matter how much two people put their heads together and discuss, most will not find a way here and will end up fighting. It was quite a difficult challenge for the lowest level White Class Certification Exam.
“Ray! Did you get a hint?”
Then Herman, holding the King, shouted from afar. He seemed to wonder what was going on since I was dawdling.
I returned to Herman for now. And I told him what I had seen.
“The hints were ‘The exit Portal only opens in the black camp’ and ‘The exit Portal operates for about 5 seconds after opening.’ Only one person can exit through the exit Portal.”
Herman’s expression hardened severely upon hearing that.
“So, one of us… is eliminated.”
I didn’t affirm it separately. I just watched to see how Herman would react. After a while, Herman, who had been lost in thought, raised his head and looked at me.
“Ray, you should stay in the black camp.”
“……”
“You have the skills to go higher than you are now. I’ll just train a bit more and take the exam again.”
And he smiled as if it were nothing.
I cannot know what his true feelings are.
However, regardless of how he feels, I was dissatisfied with this method. I usually try to go along with the rules since I’m taking the exam, but if they’re calling this kind of ‘malicious prank’ an exam, I have no intention of obediently following it.
“Herman.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you accepting this exam method?”
Herman frowned slightly.
“Are you giving up so easily, and are you really satisfied with that?”
He distorted his lips and clenched his fist tightly.
A moment of silence.
As I waited quietly, Herman’s mouth opened, and the first word that had been building up in his throat was forced out with difficulty.
“Of course! I can’t accept it either. What does making colleagues conflict have to do with becoming a Hunter in the first place? But, it’s also true that there’s no other way. So….”
“If that’s the case, don’t concede. You don’t have to.”
“Ray.”
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not some touching story about me conceding the exit to you.”
A puzzled look appeared on Herman’s face.
I smirked and raised the corners of my mouth into a smile.
“Who do you think I am?”
It’s Mephisto, the one called the magical genius of the century.
Looking around and sensing the flow of Mana, I began to decipher the structure of the magic Formula that made up this entire space. Before long, I was able to figure out the nature of the magic that made up the space.
‘As expected, it was a space separated by Cycle Shackling Space.’
As it was a fairly high-level magic, the form of the Formula was also complex. While I was carefully examining the Formula from beginning to end… Herman, wondering if something was wrong with me standing still, expressed his question.
“What are you trying to do?”
I answered him while deciphering the Formula.
“Mana combined in a certain form is called a Formula, and when a Formula forms a Magic Circle, that’s magic.”
Herman nodded once as if he understood.
I continued the explanation.
“And the Formula of this Magic Circle is also a very precise and delicate link of Mana that can only activate the magic if there is not even an inch of error.”
“……”
“What do you think will happen if you touch such a sensitive Formula?”
“…It won’t be able to withstand it. The Magic Circle.”
“That’s right. The principle of Reverse Magic Circuit is exactly this.”
After thinking about it carefully, Herman’s eyes widened as he looked at me. He seemed to have properly understood my intention.
“Are you… trying to forcibly break out of this space?!”
I nodded in affirmation.
But the horrified Herman couldn’t believe it.
“No, of course, it’s theoretically possible, but… deciphering the Formula of the Magic Circle in the first place? That would be impossible without mastering magic. Is that really, possible?”
The end of Herman’s voice trailed off as he asked that.
He might be thinking it’s strange again. But since he was already suspicious of me anyway, I decided to be brazen instead. If hiding and deceiving doesn’t work, it might be better to appeal that all these aspects are ‘the real me from the start.’
“If you don’t know, remember it from here.”
Soon, having succeeded in completely deciphering the Formula, I raised my hand. The flowing Black Mana was surging.
“I am an existence that makes ‘such things’ possible.”