The plaza no longer sounded calm.
Whispers spread through the safe zone like wildfire.
Experienced candidates glanced toward Eokimo and Ashen before quickly looking away again.
Some looked nervous.
Others looked curious.
One group immediately stood up and left the area entirely.
Eokimo noticed all of it.
"…Why are they acting like we're bombs?"
Rye answered without taking his eyes off Ashen.
"Because Bonus Evaluations are bad news."
Ashen remained calm.
"Usually."
Eokimo looked between them.
"Okay, can someone explain things normally for once?"
Dagan finally stepped in.
"When the system becomes interested in something…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…it raises the difficulty."
Eokimo immediately frowned.
"What do you mean by 'interested?'"
No one answered immediately.
That silence alone made his stomach sink.
Then Sen finally returned.
She walked toward the group carrying several folded papers and what looked like a small pouch.
"The system likes anomalies," she said quietly.
Eokimo looked at her.
"And apparently we're anomalies now?"
Sen handed one of the folded papers to Rye.
"You specifically."
Rye unfolded it casually.
A map.
Eokimo moved closer immediately.
The map showed twisting corridors, circular chambers, and dozens of marked routes.
Some sections were scratched out entirely.
"…The labyrinth?"
Sen nodded.
"An old layout."
"Old?"
"The labyrinth changes every trial."
Eokimo stared at the impossible maze drawn across the page.
"…Then how is the map useful?"
"Patterns."
Sen pointed toward several circled areas.
"The structure changes."
Her finger moved toward the center.
"But certain locations usually remain."
Eokimo noticed one symbol marked repeatedly.
"What's that?"
Nobody answered immediately.
That was never a good sign anymore.
Finally, Dagan spoke.
"Dead zones."
"…Dead zones?"
"Areas where candidates disappear."
Eokimo blinked.
"Disappear as in die?"
Sen shook her head slightly.
"We don't know."
That answer somehow sounded worse.
Lira suddenly sat up from the bench she'd been pretending to sleep on.
"Well."
She stretched lazily.
"That's horrifying."
Eokimo pointed at the map.
"Why are there so many marked?"
"Because labyrinth trials are old."
Ashen spoke suddenly.
Everyone looked at him.
He stepped closer to the table, eyes scanning the map calmly.
"Some candidates believe the labyrinth remembers previous trials."
Eokimo frowned.
"…What does that even mean?"
Ashen's gaze shifted toward the glowing gate outside.
"Sometimes the maze changes before people reach certain areas."
The tavern grew quieter.
Even nearby candidates listening from other tables had stopped talking.
Eokimo slowly processed that.
"…You're telling me the labyrinth reacts to people?"
"No."
Ashen looked directly at him.
"It reacts to the system."
Rye clicked his tongue softly.
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that out loud."
Eokimo rubbed his temples.
"I miss when my biggest problem was almost getting killed."
Lira snorted.
"That's still your biggest problem."
The old tavern keeper walked over quietly and placed several small metal tags onto the table.
Each one carried a faint glowing symbol.
Eokimo picked one up carefully.
"What's this?"
"Safe markers."
The old man sat down slowly across from them.
First time he'd actually joined the conversation.
"That labyrinth interferes with system tracking."
Eokimo frowned.
"…Wait."
The realization hit him immediately.
"The system can lose us?"
The tavern keeper nodded once.
"Sometimes."
Dagan leaned back slightly.
"And that's where people vanish."
The old man pointed at the metal tag.
"As long as that remains active, the safe zone can still identify your location."
Eokimo stared at the tiny object in his hand.
"…So if it breaks?"
Silence again.
He hated when they did that.
Finally—
"You pray," Rye answered.
Outside, the labyrinth gate pulsed faintly.
The shimmering light inside it had grown darker now.
Less like energy.
More like depth.
Like looking into an endless tunnel.
Candidates continued preparing throughout the plaza, but the mood had changed completely.
Nobody looked excited anymore.
Even the confident ones seemed tense now.
The system window appeared once more above the safe zone.
[Special Notice]
Bonus Evaluation Confirmed.
Trial Difficulty Adjustment In Progress.
Eokimo froze.
"…Adjustment?"
Then the ground beneath the plaza trembled lightly.
Not violently.
Just enough.
Enough for everyone to feel it.
The gate shimmered.
And from deep within the glowing labyrinth entrance—
Something growled.