“Rog!” Rimold’s eyes widened in alarm once he saw the rogue collapse.

The rogue ran ahead to check on the man.

“H-He’s still breathing.” Rimold seemed relieved. He gazed over at Red. “Quick, give me some medicine!”

Red followed his instructions. He picked out a small packet from inside his pouch, where the boy had brought a lot of medicines and bandages, including a powder that acted as an analgesic. It was the same one he saw Narcha use on their trip a while back.

“This is all I have.” Red handed the items to the rogue.

“R-Right!” Rimold nodded and grabbed the medicinal objects. However, once he looked down at Rog’s injuries, he hesitated. “This… I-I don’t know what to do.”

Red could understand the rogue’s despair. The hunter’s injuries were more severe than a simple burn, and they covered most of his body. This wasn’t something that simple bandages and medicine could solve.

Rimold, however, seemed to suddenly have an idea. “Reinhart, w-we need one of those pills you used! Please!”

The knight, however, shook his head and pointed at his injured shoulder. “If I had another one of those, I would already have used it. Besides, I doubt one pill alone could heal that kind of injury.”

“You motherfucker!” the rogue cursed him. “I bet you’re holding back and you just want to see him die, right?! Wouldn’t that be convenient for you and Gustav?!”

Reinhart frowned. However, he just shook his head again and kept silent.

Rimold looked like he want to say more, but he gritted his teeth and looked back at Rog.

The rogue looked over the items in his hand. “I need to… I have to-”

Before the rogue could finish, the world around the group twisted in a familiar manner.

…

A moment later, they were back at the labyrinth.

‘Wait, that’s not right…’

Red observed his surroundings. Indeed, he was surrounded by the same stone brick walls. However, they weren’t back in the corridors. Instead, they found themselves in a sealed off square room, lit up by a handful of lanterns.

“Y-You guys are back!” Allen’s voice echoed from the other side of the chamber. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall while holding onto his ribs. “Y-You did it?! Did you kill the…”

The young master trailed off once he noticed Rog’s injured figure.

His eyes widened in disbelief. “I-Is that Rog?!”

No one responded to him.

“R-Rog! What happened to him?!”

Allen struggled to walk over, and no one stopped him. Once he saw the hunter’s state, though, his expression became pale.

“W-What happened?” the young master asked. “I-Is he…”

“He’s still alive, young master.” Rimold tried to assuage the boy’s concerns.

“Then, can you heal him?” some light came back to Allen’s eyes.

The rogue hesitated. “… I-I don’t know. I can try bandaging him, but without proper medicine I…”

“Congratulations on passing the labyrinth trial, cultivators!”

A foreign voice interrupted their conversation.

Everyone turned to look at where the sound was coming from. They saw nothing but the stone wall at first, but a few seconds later, something flickered in their vision. Then, out of thin air, a spectral figure appeared.

It was a hawk, standing in midair without even flipping its wings. The creature was only half a meter long, and the group could see through its body. Only the outline of its frame stood out and let them recognize the creature for what it was, but even then, they had a hard time making out some details.

“I am here to distribute your rewards and gauge your interest in participating in this trial further.” the hawk said, in a calm and composed voice.

Even though the words came directly out of the creature, it didn’t move its mouth as it spoke.

“W-Who the fuck are you?” Rimold asked with a shocked expression.

“I am the manager of this inheritance ground, of course.” the hawk nodded at the rogue with its animal head. “If you want to know more about the nature of my existence in specific, then I could tell you that I am a spirit created by my master to control these trials.”

‘A spirit?’

Red had heard about Spiritual Energy before, and he understood why it was called so. However, this was the first time he had heard the term “spirit.”

Rimold glared at the being. “So it was you who dragged us in here against our will?! It was you that almost killed us multiple times in these trials?!”

“That’s correct.” the hawk didn’t try to deny the man’s accusations.

The rogue seemed taken aback by his response. “And you don’t think there’s a problem with that?! We almost died!”

“I was merely following my master’s orders and fulfilling the purpose he created me for. I’d advise you to not waste your breath with trying to guilt me or make me apologize, because I simply cannot feel any regret or guilt over my actions.”

Rimold was once more shocked into silence by the hawk’s emotionless words.

“What are the rewards?” Reinhart interjected.

The hawk simply responded by waving one of its wings. A variety of items appeared out of thin air. One of them was a large bright red crystal, which looked surprisingly similar to the insectoid core that Red carried.

‘Monster core.’

The boy recognized what it was in an instant. Behind it, there were also five grey glowing stones set up in an orderly fashion. This time, it took Red a second to recognize what they were.

Reinhart, however, reminded him of it a moment later. “Spiritual stones…”

Red eyes widened. Once he reached the surface, he became aware of the worth of such spirit stones. They were used both as fuel for certain spiritual items and formations and as currency for rare cultivation materials, since normal money lost much of its value to cultivators. For one such stone, he could exchange for over a dozen Vein Opening Pills, and also no small amount of talismans.

“The monster core is yours by right. As for these spirituals stones, they are a reward for each of you for making it to this point.” the hawk said. “You may also use them to exchange for some other items, such as pills and talismans with me, if you so wish. Although what I can offer you for one spiritual stone is limited, I still have almost all types of items available, so you may tell me your need and I can almost certainly provide it to you.”

The group didn’t respond immediately, still processing the information.

Allen, however, was the first one to speak up. “Can you give us something to heal our companion?”

“Which companion?” the hawk asked, its voice still as calm as ever.

“H-Him.” Allen pointed at Rog.

The spirit didn’t respond, and instead waved one of its wings. A misty energy floated out from his spectral figure and travelled over towards the hunter. Rimold looked wearily at its approach, but before he could even react, the energy had enveloped Rog. A few seconds later, the mist returned to the hawk, while the hunter looked unchanged.

“I can exchange one spiritual stone for a medicinal pill that will heal this man’s superficial wounds.” the hawk said. “He will only make a partial recovery in that case, but he will still live to see another day.”

“What do you mean by partial recovery?” Red asked with a frown.

“It’s as I said. This pill will heal his burn wounds and allow him to live on, but his injuries aren’t as simple as they look. He has been wounded by the fire of a creature on the Lesser Ring Realm, and the Spiritual Energy of that monster seeped into his body, causing no small amount of damage to his organs, including his spiritual veins.”

“W-What does that mean exactly?” Allen asked, in concern.

“It means that even if he takes this pill, this damage won’t be healed. He’ll be unable to cultivate ever again, or exert much effort with his body in general. He’ll live, but he’ll not be much better than an invalid for the rest of his life.”

“T-That can’t be…” the young master seemed in denial.

“You bastard!” Rimold glared at the hawk. “He’s like this because of your stupid trials! And now you’re telling me there’s no way we can heal this damage?!”

“I did not say that.” the hawk shook its head. “There is indeed a way to heal his inner injuries. However, it’ll cost you more than one spiritual stone.”

“H-How much will it cost?” Allen looked hopeful again at the creature’s words.

“Twenty spiritual stones.”

The young master’s hopes were dashed.

“Twenty?!” Rimold seemed on the verge of exploding in rage. “How could it be that much?!”

“I am the one dictates the prices.” the hawk said. “Medicinal pills capable of healing injured organs and Spiritual Veins are exceedingly rare. Even if you find them in the outside world, I can guarantee you they will be far more expensive than twenty spiritual stones.”

“He’s not wrong.” Reinhart nodded in a nonchalant manner. “Last I heard of one was at an auction on the capital. It was sold for 40 or so spiritual stones.”

“Shut up, you bastard!” Rimold cursed at the man. He then looked back at the hawk. “Why are you even telling us this?! We clearly don’t have that many spiritual stones to exchange for it!”

“Would you be willing to exchange the core for it too?” Red asked.

The entire group looked back at the boy in surprise.

“Y-Yeah!” Allen nodded. “What about that monster core? Couldn’t we exchange it too?”

“I have no interest in the core.” the hawk shook its. “Even if you could exchange it, you would still fall short of twenty spiritual stones.”

Once again, another path was closed to the group. The only person who didn’t look bothered by it was Reinhart, who had a thoughtful expression on his face as he stared at the stones.

“You said you wanted to know whether we would like to continue on this trial, right?” Red asked.

The hawk nodded. “Right now, you have the option to leave with all your rewards or continue this trial. I must tell you, though, that the difficulty of your challenges will keep increasing.”

“Could we earn the necessary spirit stones to exchange for that pill if we continued?”

“Certainly.” the spirit nodded again. “You could earn that and much more.”

"… Are you also able to tell me who is still inside this trial?”

“Unfortunately, divulging that information would be against the rules set by my master.” the hawk shook its head. “I can only tell you’ll still be able to happen upon other people in the following trials.”

‘So, there’s no way to know if Narcha and Eiwin are still inside and there’s the possibility I’ll bump into Rickard too…’

Red nodded and turned around to face his group. “I have made my decision.”

Rimold frowned at him. “You can't be thinking of continuing these trials? You’ll die!”

“It’s our only choice.” the boy shook his head. “Besides, I’m not so selfless to be doing this only for Rog. I also hope to earn rewards that might help me with my cultivation through this trial. Not to mention, our other companions might still be in here.”

“Then I’ll go with you, Red!” Allen looked at his companion in concern.

The boy shook his head. “You’re wounded.”

“I-I can exchange my spirit stone for another pill!”

“That’s not the point. You would still hold me back. You and Rimold can go back with Rog. I feel more confident in doing this on my own.”

“On your own?!” the rogue scoffed at him. “You almost died against that stag! You need my help!”

“You can’t stay here.” the boy shook his head. “Rog and Allen might need your help on the surface with all those bandits, and you’re the only one able enough to protect them in their state. Besides, I might still be able to find Narcha and Eiwin and ask them for their help if they're still in this trial.”

“In that case, shouldn’t I stay and you go with them?!”

“Must I remind you what happened earlier during our fight with the deer?” Red frowned. “Do you still feel confident in facing all the dangers ahead by yourself?”

“Fuck you, kid!” Rimold gritted his teeth in anger. A few seconds later, though, he looked away. “Fine… If you want to die there on your own, who am I to stop you?”

“N-No way!” Allen still didn’t seem convinced. “We can’t just leave you here, Red!”

“Allen…” Red stared at the boy. “Do you remember what I told you before?”

The young master frowned and met his gaze with stubbornness. A few seconds later, though, he gave up and looked away in defeat. “I… I understand. But I need you to promise me something!”

Red frowned. “What promise?”

“Promise you’ll come back alive! Promise you’ll bring back the pill to save Rog! Promise you’ll also bring Narcha and Eiwin back safe!”

‘How could I promise you all of that?’

The boy didn’t even know if their companions were in there. He didn’t even know if he would live through these challenges. To make such promises would be utter foolishness.

And yet, Allen continued to stare at him, noticing his hesitation. “You need to promise me! Or else I won’t leave!”

Red sighed. “The only thing I can promise you is that I’ll do my best.”

“That is good enough!” the young master nodded in satisfaction. “I trust in you, Red! I know you can see this through!”

‘It seems you have more confidence in me than I do.’

Still, Red never planned to do anything less. He remembered Domeron’s words a few days back, as well as the words in the cave before they entered the labyrinth.

To move forward in this path, the boy had to have death as a friend.