MAZE - The Endless Quest

The recruits were all waiting nervously inside the classroom. No one even tried to make small talk.

They were excited, nervous, worried, and anxious. This was the last step. The last thing they needed to do before becoming full-fledged explorers.

When the teacher walked into the room, the recruits held their breaths. The man carried a stack of paper.

"Good morning to ye all, and welcome to yer last day as recruits. This final test is split into three parts. First, we will do a written exam. Then a small quest inside the maze. Last, learning yer role skill. Well, get into the details of the last two later, for now, grab a sheet and pass the rest along. Ye all have three hours to finish this. If you finish earlier go to the classroom on the other side of the hall and wait there." The teacher gave one small stack to each of the recruits in front of the class.

It was an oddly familiar feeling. All the recruits had to take these types of tests during their school years. This, however, was more specific. Hera read a few questions. They were all about survival or dangers they could encounter inside the MAZE. The only problem was the number of questions. She had to answer over 50 questions. Most of them were basic, but some asked very about very specific things like asking which of the rare plants was edible.

The recruits stayed silent during the test. When Mark complained about a question, Mr. Greyson's stare was enough to make them all understand. They shouldn't be talking during the exam.

Bonnie was the first one to finish, followed by Anaya, Kenjiro, and Alex. Mark and Hera finished almost at the same time and left toward the other classroom.

"Finally, what took you two so long?" Bonnie asked when Hera walked in.

"Sorry, the ones about specific knowledge gave me some trouble," Hera replied.

"Ignore her, she's just testy because she thinks she got a few questions wrong," Alex intervened.

"Which ones? I have a few that really messed me up. Like, what is the name of the place where you can find more than a hundred doorways? I can't remember if it was in the city of Kalidor or Andron," Mark complained.

"I think you got it wrong. The name of the city wasn't Ianua?" Alex replied.

"You are both wrong. Ianua is the name of the building, the city is called the City of Dzviery," Bonnie said with absolute confidence in the answer.

"What about you Hera, what was your answer?" Alex asked after rolling her eyes at Bonnie.

"I... I thought it was more of a philosophical question... I answered 'inside the MAZE'," she replied, lowering her head. During the test, she completely forgot about that city.

"Well... you are not wrong... But it's kinda like saying that the main reason for divorce is marriage," Mark said.

The three girls stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"Mark, honestly, how do you do that?" Alex asked.

"It's a skill," he replied, scratching his cheek.

"No, seriously. That is amazing. I wish I could do that on my family dinners." Bonnie stopped laughing, trying to compose herself.

"When I figure out how I got the skill I'll let you know."

He sat down on a chair beside them while he spoke. It seemed like another joke, but Mark's face seemed a bit more serious than that.

"Mark. Do you really have a skill for that?" Hera asked.

The recruit only gave a weak nod in response.

"Wow, skills can even do that?" Hera was impressed. It was one thing to have a skill that improved her strength. Having one that changes something like how funny she is, just seemed unreal.

Sometime later, the rest of the recruits finished the test. With Blue being the last one to arrive.

"Wasn't part of the idea of being an explorer not having to worry about exams?" Blue complained as soon as she saw her friends.

"That's just wishful thinking. There are a lot of things we need to know. Of course, there would be a written exam," Bonnie scoffed.

"Oh, bite me. Not everyone gets horny just by seeing books like you," Blue replied, rolling her eyes.

"Well, maybe you should. That way you can be more than just a meathead," Bonnie said while getting up from her chair.

Alex quickly moved in front of the two girls and pushed them back

"Stop bickering for one day, the test is still not over."

With a commanding tone, she stopped the two of them from fighting. Inadvertently, that line also made the recruits feel tense. She was right. It was still far from over.

A few minutes later, Mr. Greyson opened the door.

"Alright, Ah' can't grade yer tests right now. It's too much work to be done quickly. Follow me, yer starting with the second part while Ah finish grading this."

As quickly as he walked in, the teacher walked away moving towards the elevator. During the last month, the recruits got used to this behavior, and they were ready to follow.

When the entire class was inside the elevator, Mr. Greyson placed his bracelet on the scanner. With a blip sound, the screen that showed the floor they were heading to, changed.

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MAZE Doorway

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The recruits got excited, looking at each other eagerly to arrive. They could tell the elevator was going down, but it took quite a while for them to arrive. They were going deep underground.

When the door opened, they weren't in a small hallway. But a big open space that looked like a reception. The walls were decorated with light green paint and many weapons, armors, and statues of unique types of creatures spread around in shelves.

The room had one hallway on each side and in the middle of it a circular reception desk. If they paid attention, the recruits would be able to hear the sound of a large hammer hitting a steel plate coming from the left hallway. However, their attention was on someplace else.

In front of the elevator, on the other side of the room, there was a large 7 meters tall doorway. With a pearl frame that seemed to be filled with small glowing lights. On top of it an intricate design, with a seedling sprout in the middle, and its roots growing and spiraling until they created a circle around it. In the middle of the doorway, there was a heavy-looking set of wooden doors with large iron rings in front of it.

"This is the doorway to the MAZE. If ye ever visit another guild, it will look the same, but it will take ye to a different room. This one leads to a room called Brinefront but that won't be the place yer all going today."

The teacher explained while they walked towards the reception desk.

"Today, yer are going inside another simulation. But this time, is one made inside the MAZE, not just based on it. Yer also will get yer first quest made by the guild so ye can understand the procedure. Helena, here will help with that."

Mr. Greyson pointed at the guild clerk when he finished talking. Helena opened her best greeting smile.

"Welcome to the doorway to Brinefront explorers. I hope we can count on you in the future."

Being called an explorer made Hera's heart beat faster. It was finally happening. She was so close to going inside the MAZE. Helena then continued.

"After you passed the test, you are free to enter the MAZE as you please. This room is where we gather the materials, items, and anything you choose to bring with you when you come out. We can appraise everything for its value and buy the materials from you. But if you want to sell to someplace else, you are free to do so. If what you want to take away from here is dangerous, we will just ask for either a small transport fee or for you to buy a safe container. But that's a talk for some other time," Helena said, winking at the recruits.

She then activated a screen behind her by tapping on a keyboard.

"What you need to know is about the quests. Aside from the quests that the system will give you, you can also take one from the guild. These are always posted by a client who is a civilian or an explorer, and the requirements vary wildly. Some ask for basic things like collecting items or killing monsters. While others may ask to discover secrets and even find ancient artifacts long forgotten. Of course, the harder and more complicated the task, the better the pay is. Some even offer specific rewards along with a sum of gold. The one you guys are getting today is this one."

Helena selected the quest and send it to the recruits. They all got a notification on their tablets.

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Explorer's Exam. Client - Explorer's Guild

Find and retrieve a golden chalice inside the simulation.

Reward:

Passage to the last part of the exam.

Do you accept this quest?

[Yes] [No]

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"You always have the choice of accepting a quest or not. Well... I say always, but there were two cases of mandatory quests. The Great Invasion and the Devil Hunt. According to our records, all explorers received those two quests when they showed up. But those were very complicated circumstances. Anyway, I'm rambling."

Helena shook her head and tapped a few more keys on the keyboard.

“Back to the main subject. The second part of the test is a group effort. All of you will go to the same place and you need to find the chalices, there is at least one for each of you inside. When you get it, you can go to the next part of the exam,” Helena explained while the screen behind her showed a picture of a gem-encrusted golden chalice.

"The last part of the test is about learning your role skill. Or getting your item if you are trying to be an explorer. You will go alone on that part. And you also will receive a grade based on your performance. The better the grade, the better the reward you get. I say reward but consider it a bonus on your next paycheck. Don't expect much, even an A grade will only give you 1 000 gold or so. There are many other ways to get that money."

Helena smiled looking at Hera. The skills the recruit found were already enough to surpass that amount.

"One last thing. Do any of you have any pets that need feeding while you're gone?" Helena asked the group.

"I have a goldfish, but my parents help me feed it. But why? Are we going home that late?" Bonnie asked.

"Well... not quite. The group dungeon will be done in just a few hours, but learning your role skill has a time limit of one week. And trust me, you will need at least five days to get it," Helena replied with a smile, trying not to discourage the recruits.

Sadly, it wasn't very effective. The group complained, but the teacher quickly silenced them.

In the next minutes, they received the last instructions about how to operate the doorway and what to do in case something went wrong, as well as giving information on any pets that would need tending during the test.

With everything ready, the recruits were lead towards the doorway. The other explorers in the room gathered around to watch them enter. Before starting, Mr. Greyson said had a few words for his students.

"Ye spent a month training, and years hoping to become an explorer. This is yer shot. But it won't be yer only shot. The MAZE is a dangerous place, monsters, traps, and sometimes even rooms will try to kill you. At the same time, ye will find places, creatures, and people that make life worth living. Ah don't know a single explorer who regrets becoming one. But remember, yer just starting out. Don't bite more than what ye can chew and don't waste yer life doing something pointless. Whatever the result, know that Ah'm proud of what ye all achieved this month."

Hera felt like she was about to go skydiving. Mr. Greyson's speech calmed her a bit, but at the same time made her even more worried. The teacher pressed a key on his tablet, and a secondary doorway appeared inside the main one. It had the same blank card as the kobold simulation, but the surrounding design mirrored the one at the top of the big doorway. The smaller door opened, and the teacher stared at the recruits.

“Give them hell. Next week we are all going out to drink, my treat,” Mr. Greyson said with a smile.

The explorers in the back clapped and cheered.

"Not you lot! Bunch of vultures. That's just for my recruits," The teacher quickly replied. Being answered only by boos and groans.

Hera looked back and saw Helena giving her a thumbs up and a big smile. The recruits walked inside the doorway and vanished into the white light.

The second the door closed, a short man with a long mustache started speaking.

“Ok, you all know the drill. Lena throws the recruit's feed on the big screen. I'm betting 100 that we have two criers and one who forgot to go to the bathroom, who else?”

The seasoned explores started to bet on various things, while Helena sends the live feed to a big screen on the side of the reception. She wasn't a fan of the betting, but she really wanted to know how much Hera had improved.