The Kingdom of Shan was a nation that thrived on its commerce and agriculture—though small in size, it was renowned for its immense wealth. Among its citizens, Duke Sharen was particularly influential, using his vast fortune to exert significant influence all across the world.
Ssss…
“Here it is.”
Under Duke Sharen’s orders, a group of about twenty assassins began cautiously advancing toward the labyrinth located in the northern region of Heins Territory.
- We can’t possibly assassinate Prince Davey. Even the slightest failure will shake the core of the kingdom.
Despite being hailed as a hero and saint of the continent, those familiar with Davey O’Rowane knew about his wicked temper. The Pallan and Holy Empires had already given up trying to deal with him. It was unlikely that the small Shan Kingdom would fare any better.
However, his target was not Davey—he instead aimed for the commoner Tadia, who frankly wouldn’t normally be even a miniscule blip on his radar. Duke Sharen was more infuriated by the damage to his own reputation than by the condition of his son. To avoid risking a direct confrontation with Davey, he chose to direct his anger toward Tadia in vain consolation instead.
There was a saying that money could even make a dead person rise again and get to work for the paycheck. Using his vast wealth, the duke hired assassins to enter the labyrinth and kill Tadia.
- Make sure that bitch dies. If you fail, take your own life immediately. Leave no trace of evidence behind.
Following his orders, the assassins moved carefully, consulting a stolen map of the labyrinth as they proceeded.“Stay alert. This is the labyrinth of the infamous Saint,” one of them muttered.
As they ventured deeper, their faces turned even more tense. They soon heard a chorus of screams.
- Aaah!
- Kyaaa!!
- Nooo! Spare me!
- Muscles! Nooo, muscles!
“Muscles?”
The screams were so desperate they reverberated even through the thick stone walls, making the assassins even more uneasy.
“Stop. Monsters ahead,” one assassin signaled.
From beyond the stone wall, an eerie chuckling sound echoed. Dozens of goblins, each bearing strange markings on their foreheads, appeared in front of them.
“Take them out as silently as possible. We’ve only got thirty minutes to complete the assassination. It sounds like a lot, but finding the target will already eat up most of that time. Let’s move.”
About fifteen assassins scattered with the leader’s command, each moving with precision.
Kieeek!
Keeek!
The goblins launched vicious and frantic attacks, but they were still just goblins. The assassins, with their honed skills, swiftly and silently took out every last one, finishing the last by stabbing a dagger into its neck.
“If this is the level of monsters here, we shouldn’t have too much trouble,” one assassin remarked, exhaling a sigh of relief.
As they continued pushing forward, the labyrinth twisted and shifted. Monsters appeared as if they’d been waiting for their arrival. The monsters were still no match for their skills, yet the leader’s expression darkened. ȑＡＮỗᛒЕṧ
“Boss, the monsters are getting tougher than anticipated,” one of the assassins reported.
“Where are these things coming from? It looks like the rumors about the Saint controlling and managing monsters might actually be true.”
“If word of this spreads, his reputation could crumble.”
They wiped the blood off their weapons and paused to catch their breath. The narrow, single-path corridors limited them from taking full-advantage of their abilities. In a sprawling maze, they might’ve had an advantage and effortlessly prevailed, but this confined space was another story.
The assassins were closing in on the area where the students were supposedly undergoing their trials when… it happened.
Squelsh!!
A strange sound echoed through the corridor. One of the assassins turned, immediately sensing that something was off.
“Charlie. Charlie Twelve, respond.”
But there was no reply. Two of their comrades had vanished without a trace.
Every assassin in the group was an elite. They weren’t just there for the money; they were psychopaths that enjoyed killing and had refined their skills to perfection. Surely neither the monsters nor students in the maze could have possibly been a match for them. It was inconceivable to think that something could silently take out even a single one of them who was isolated, let alone a team of two.
“Stay sharp. Something’s not right.”
Ssss…
“Another two are gone.”
The remaining assassins drew their darkened daggers, modified to prevent the reflection of light, scanning their surroundings with grim expressions. Four of their comrades had disappeared as if snatched away by some invisible and inconceivable force.
Ssshrik! Kaang!
As the leader looked around, he suddenly felt danger and instinctively swung his weapon. Being on alert, the assassins finally caught a glimpse of their attacker for the first time.
“Hmph?!”
“What in the…?”
“Kyuuu?”
They couldn’t tell if the being that was tilting its head was a monster or not. Fear swallowed them whole. Even if it were a monster, it was unlike any other they had ever seen.
It was larger than a human, with grotesque bulging muscles. The only thing it wore was a tight, small piece of underwear. Its veins throbbed unnervingly, and its powerful physique radiated a menacing aura.
“Is that… a rabbit?!”
It was a humanoid rabbit, standing tall on two legs.
“Kyuuu.”
It tilted its head in curiosity. Veins bulged on its face, with its small crimson eyes glinting dangerously. It then lunged toward them at an even faster speed than before.
BOOM!
One of the assassins was instantly hurled into a wall, flung with such force that his insides practically crumpled on impact. He spurted blood as he collapsed to the floor with shallow breathing.
“Kyuu?”
The rabbit cocked its head, almost quizzically—as though it was testing the limits of its strength. The look on its face seemed to wonder why the assassin hadn’t died from its attack, contemplating whether to turn things up a notch.
“Retreat! Fall back!”
‘Everything has gone horribly wrong!’
The leader could immediately tell that the monster wasn’t even taking them seriously, simply toying with them as it gradually increased its exerted strength.
Tap, tap, tap!!
The group scattered in all directions, true to their experience as professional assassins.
‘What is this monster? Could it be one of those legendary creatures in ancient books?’
The leader believed that perhaps, if there were only one of them, maybe they could escape. He soon came to realize that his hope was futile.
Bang! Bang, bang!!
The rabbit shattered the stone walls—they couldn’t even make a shallow cut in with their blade energy—with its bare hands. Then, more grotesque muscle-bound rabbits began pouring in.
Bang! Bang!
The number of rabbits skyrocketed in a heartbeat, surrounding the assassins before they could react. They turned pale, faces drained of all color.
“This… This is impossible…”
“What the hell is this place?!”
The rabbits advanced toward them as their abject despair sunk in. This was the only end afforded to those who dared tread into the labyrinth without knowing what lay ahead of them.
* * *
“Aaaah!”
“Maribel! No!”
“It’s too late! Run!”
Dukai could only watch in horror as one of the massive muscle rabbits snatched Maribel squirming and wriggling in their grip. Tears of frustration welled in his eyes as he took in the sheer absurdity of the scene.
‘That crazy Headmaster. Davey O’Rowane!! What kind of monster did you put in here?! And what was it you said? We won’t die? It’ll just be a bit difficult?!’
He knew this was something even veteran knights wouldn’t be able to handle.
“Run! Don’t look back!” Dukai shouted as he bolted away, holding a student from the Medical Department under his arm.
He briefly glanced over his shoulder to see that the rabbit wasn’t pursuing them. Instead, he saw the grotesque creature towering over Maribel, its face inches from hers as it worked on its biceps with a massive dumbbell in each hand.
“Maribel! We’ll always remember your sacrifice!”
“Get back here, you bastard!” Maribel desperately cried.
But none of them had the guts to return for her. What awaited her was beyond their capacity to handle.
Left alone, Maribel cried in despair. She was practically scared to death; the rabbit wasn’t just repulsive—it evoked an existential loathing that made her very bones tremble.
“Kyuu?”
Accompanied by a cute, tearful voice, the rabbit leaned in. Trembling and turning her head away at first, she eventually mustered the courage to look directly at the rabbit.
The rabbit extended its massive forearm, as large as her face, and wiggled it right in front of her in apparent response. As if that wasn’t enough, it then took a step back, clasped both of its hands near its abdomen, and flexed while tilting its head. At the same time, its left chest muscle twitched.
“Kyuu?”
This time, it moved its right chest muscle. It rhythmically flexed its alternating left and right chest muscles.
“Aaaah! Nooo!!” she screamed desperately, filling up the labyrinth.
She had joined the others in their symphony of terrified cries.
This wasn’t the lair of a Demon Lord—it was a living nightmare, the kind of hellish pit described in forbidden ancient texts.
“Kyuu?”
Satisfied with its display, the rabbit offered the dumbbell to Maribel. Feeling its obscene weight, she tried to drop it. But the moment she faltered, the rabbit’s face darkened as veins began bulging across its forehead.
“I-I’ll hold it! I’ll hold it! Please don’t kill me!” she sobbed, barely managing to lift the dumbbell as tears and snot streamed down her face.
The rabbit nodded approvingly and lifted its own dumbbell, gesturing for her to mimic its movements.
[Alright! Repeat after me!]
It didn’t speak, but its gestures and demeanor were enough to get the message across.
“Sob… Sob…”
She slowly raised and lowered the dumbbell as per its instructions. The rabbit made a satisfied face and resumed its flexing, its arms and chest twitching in a bizarre display of physical prowess.
Maribel’s only thought was of giving up on the maze and escaping the hellhole.
* * *
"More than half have already given up on staying. Don’t you think the rabbits might’ve been a bit much?"
Illyna peered into the crystal orb, her expression clearly showing how disgusted she felt. She was absolutely abhorred by the presence of the Killer Rabbits.
"At least they don’t commit outright slaughter."
While the elves were protecting the cadets, the ones truly safeguarding the students were those insane muscle-bound rabbits. Of course, they did impose extreme trials on them as compensation.
If caught, they made the students go through a hellish bulk-up program. If they tried to resist, their captors simply adjusted their attacks to match the level of resistance. That would have normally played a big part in the trial, but the issue was that their horrifying appearance was more likely to make the cadets scream and flee than actually fight back.
"Training exercises should feel like real world situations. There’s still about three days left."
"What? I thought you said you’d let them out if they gave up."
"Let them out? Sure. But only to throw them back in again."
“...”
Davey had never promised to let them go completely. If they gave up, they’d just be made to try again. He envisioned this to be the foundational tradition of Heins Labyrinth.
The Demon World Princess Arita had asked Davey to do something about those muscle rabbits, so he brought them in to try them out. To his surprise, they turned out to be quite useful.
For the next three days, the muscle rabbits tormented any captured students for a period before eventually releasing them. They’d then cruelly resume their hellish game of tag. If the students resisted, they’d match their energy. If they ran, the rabbits would eventually catch them.
The outcome was always the same.
Some time into the trial, Davey activated the magic circles he had set up in the labyrinth.
The overwhelming fear, resistance, anger, and sorrow pouring out of the labyrinth created an immense wave of negative emotional energy. Davey carefully purified it, channeling the raw, unrefined emotional energy into his own power source. The purified energy, though significantly reduced compared to its original volume, was gathered cleanly.
"Gathering this much emotional energy isn’t easy,” he remarked.
"What are you planning to use it for?" Illyna asked in return.
"Evangeline is an ancient dragon that uses psychic-type powers, so I figured this could help with her growing pains."
Saying that, Davey took the energy and transferred it to Evangeline, who was cradled in Perserque’s arms. Just as he had hoped, it was providing substantial relief to her as it amplified her power.
Of course, Davey’s true goal was improving the students’ performance, but he couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to get two birds with one stone.
"Besides, having too much negative emotional energy around isn’t good for the students either. So, regular extraction like this is necessary to keep things manageable."
There was enough food and water to last them the full trial, and the safe houses remained intact.
As Davey observed the monsters roaming the labyrinth and the rabbits periodically herding and terrifying the students, he couldn’t help but smile.
"This works pretty well. I should send students in here on a regular basis."
If the students trapped inside the labyrinth heard what he said, they’d probably foam at the mouth.
With each hellish day that passed, Davey witnessed a surprising transformation.
ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts
Editorb’s Thoughts
Tbh I’d appreciate bigass bunnies helping me design a workout routine to stay fit. They even show the students proper form! What more could a person ask for?!?!?
Pic included is me at the gym.
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