On the other side of the maze, Lero Ro successfully catches up to Yuri, who had reached a dead end.
Staring blankly, she contemplates whether to smash the wall or not. Certainly, smashing would solve the problem—but can she actually do it in the first place?
"Hmmm…?"
Yuri tilted her head back and forth. Then, she spread her footing and clenched her fists, preparing to punch the wall.
Seeing this, Lero Ro panicked and tried to stop her.
"Wait a minute! Lady Yuri, I think it would be better if we just went back and changed our path instead of destroying this.
The examiner didn't tell us how we could pass the exam, but I think finding the right path will do…"
Lero Ro tried to reason, but Yuri only gave him a subtle glance before attacking the wall.
"That's why this is more convenient. Because destroying the obstacle solves the problem! " she said with a wide grin. "Now then, let's go! "
Ka-BOOM!
Yuri's fist landed on the wall. However, instead of shattering completely, her punch only caused a spiderweb-like crack on the surface.
"Huh? This wall is quite sturdy! Let's do it again! "
KABOOM!
Yuri continued punching, but due to the wall's thickness, she couldn't break through. At best, she could only slightly dent it. On the other hand, her actions caused quite a disturbance.
A creature about ten meters tall—slim, black, and clad in ragged clothing—was moving toward them. Descended from the wall, drawn by the commotion.
Lero and Ro stood agape, unaware of the lurking beast behind them.
Its long, slender legs moved like a catwalk, and its body swayed like a mindless zombie. When the beast reached about fifteen meters away, Lero Ro subconsciously looked to his side after noticing a shadow in his peripheral vision—but before he could process anything, it charged toward them at an unbelievable speed.
Lero can only follow the creature with his eyes as it appeared behind Yuri, whose attention was still focused on the wall.
"Shit! Lady Yuri, behind you!!! " Lero Ro screamed in terror.
"…What?"
Yuri turned her head, only to be met by its claws. The beast grabbed her head and slammed it against the wall, sending her crashing all the way to the other side. The wall was already on the brink of collapse, and the beast happened to deliver the finishing blow.
However, on the other side, a monkey standing in a daze caught sight of a white figure with twin tails crashing through. It reacted immediately, blinking to Yuri's side before smacking her down.
The wall Yuri had been trying to destroy was connected to the path where Cheondung and his team were.
Although Cheondung had guessed the monkey's ability, he only got it half right. It was true that the monkey could match speed, but its power worked differently—it registered the fastest entity it encountered and permanently matched that speed.
In other words, the speed of Cheondung's bullet, which surpassed that of most regulars, became the monkey's default speed. And if the monkey encountered someone faster, it would immediately match that speed as well.
This made outpacing the monkey impossible. The only way to stay safe was to navigate the area within its speed limitations.
And now, Yuri found herself sandwiched between those two monsters.
Looking at Pudidy as he rode the owl, he couldn't help but exclaim,
"To think you're "controlling" a Shinheuh of this caliber? What a talented person! "
*Still, I couldn't just go easy on you, could I? After all, this is an exam.* He muttered silently, then gave a command to his Shinheuh.
The examiner crouched and leaped toward Pudidy, who was gazing and scouting above.
Seeing this, he summoned a number of baby red-eyed owls to defend and commence an attack.
Of course, not feeling the slightest threat since he was fighting regulars, he didn't think much and took Pudidy's attack head-on, which turned out to be a big mistake.
His surroundings turned to void; not even the slightest noise remained. He couldn't speak, nor could he hear anything other than the voices inside his head.
Normally, people would panic when they experienced this, but being a Ranker, he was quite confident. He could hold his own against someone of similar rank—compared to regulars, it was nothing noteworthy.
*Fascinating… to think his ability could counter mine.*
He didn't rush to attack and chose to wait instead. Normally, this type of attack would have a follow-up. As someone who used similar abilities, he was aware of the pattern.
"It works! " Pudidy shouted. Making sure to take advantage of his opening, he immediately commanded the owl.
"Dobo! Now's our chance—take him down! "
Dobo only gave a nod before clawing at the petrified examiner. But before he could touch even the hem of his clothes, the examiner disappeared, switching positions with the monkey.
"Huh!?"
Dobo couldn't stop his attack, and it landed on the monkey's fur, entangling his claws.
The examiner, who had teleported some distance away, watched the scene with amusement.
"Although you're quite impressive, you're still green," he said with a smirk. "Kong, punch him along with his bird! We're going to have teriyaki today~"
"Shit! Dobo, let's retreat immediately! "
Pudidy and Dobo tried to flee, but Dobo's claws couldn't move—they were stuck fast in the monkey's fur.
"What is this!? Why can't Dobo break free!? "Pudidy," he grumbled, staring at the examiner.
"Heh! " The examiner only chuckled in response.
"Since you're curious, I'll tell you. My Shinheuh has multiple abilities," he began.
"Its fur can be used for both offense and defense. Being durable, the monkey can also control every strand as if it were his own fingers…"
His mouth curved into a sly smile.
"Additionally, it can divide itself into multiple clones. Although it can generate hundreds, there's a catch—the clones' strength is divided, meaning the more there are, the weaker they become.
However, the clones can only inherit one of its abilities and have simple minds."
He then gave his teammates watching in the back a subtle glance. There was something explicit in his tone and actions that caught Pudidy's attention. Realizing something, he looked back and warned his teammates:
"Everyone, becareful! !"
At the same time, two monkey clones jumped down from the wall and attacked his allies. Warned by Pudidy, they took it to heart and prepared themselves to defend.
However, a loud siren rang throughout the maze, interrupting them, followed by an announcement:
"Ahem... Attention, regulars! A Ranker from the organization named F.U.G. has invaded the exam and released all the trapped beasts in the nest. I will immediately open the path—everyone should proceed for safety evacuation.
THE EXAM HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY HALTED! I REPEAT, THE EXAM HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY HALTED! !"
The examiner frowned upon hearing the announcement.
"F.U.G. invaded the floor? What are they thinking? Still, if the Animas were released, it could be dangerous—every regular might die…"
He looked at Pudidy, who had just been released from his shackles.
"Hey, you. Take your teammates and proceed to the exit. I'll see what's going on above," he said, jumping onto the monkey's head and commanding it to float.
Seeing the chaos unfold as regulars rushed in panic, the announcer Luine smirked.
"Well then, go on—to the open passage where I released hundreds of Shinheuh.
It's going to be a bloody maze!Zehahaha! !" he shouted, laughing hysterically.