Smiling subtly, I quickly pocketed the glittering gem while making sure that nobody saw it.

Not that I was trying to steal it or anything, on the contrary. After all, it was me who finished off the shadowy creature, so I had every right to it... It was just that I didn't yet fully trust our newfound companions.

Sure, they looked nothing but upstanding and didn't give me any reason to doubt their intentions. But from what I have learned so far, there was a clear hierarchy between the students, and seniority ruled above all in the Tower's hallowed halls.

So, if the apprentices demanded that I hand over the gem, I would have no other option but to obey unless I wanted to create a heap of problems for myself down the line.

Therefore, hiding it from them seemed like the best course of action in order to avoid any unnecessary squabbles over it.

With that, I took one last look over the crystalline cave to make sure I didn't miss anything important before joining the rest of the party, as it was finally time to head back to the surface.

"So, do you have a map or something?" I asked Lucien as we carefully navigated through a series of narrow passages that branched out from the main cavern.

He nodded, pulling out a worn parchment from his satchel. "It's not entirely accurate, but it should help us find our way back to the main shaft."

I peered over his shoulder, trying to memorize as much of the layout as I could. The maze-like network of tunnels and caverns in this region of the Labyrinth was nothing but dizzying. Still, I could make out a general path leading upward.

The journey back was long and tedious. We were often assaulted by the various monsters inhabiting these parts, but being accompanied by four experienced seniors, 'well more like three since Reinold was still unconscious...' we somehow managed to make it back relatively unscathed.

"That was... incredible," Gil suddenly whispered at one moment, right as we were scaling up the tunnel that, according to the rough map, should lead us up to the fourth floor, his eyes wide with awe. I still can't believe I actually used magic. How did you know that would work?"

It looked like he finally came out of the daze he fell into following his awakening, his usual chattiness returning, which was a good sign.

I shrugged, keeping my voice low. "Well, I told you I knew a certain girl who did that exact same thing, but to be honest, I wasn't quite sure whether it would work or not."

Gil blinked, looking confused. "You didn't know? Wait, so what would you do if that horrid creature swallowed me whole?"

"It didn't, did it? And now you are a true mage because of it, so stop dwelling on the unimportant details and instead look on the bright side!"

"Hmm, if you say so..." My roommate still didn't look entirely convinced, but at least he stopped complaining and instead focused on trying to invoke one of the basic incantations for earth manipulation, but it seemed like he didn't have much success so far.

'It looks like he will need a lot more practice before he will be of any use...' I reasoned, watching him from the corner of my eye. 'Well, it doesn't matter; it looks like we are already out of the worst of it, so he will have plenty of time to master his craft after we make it back to the dormitory...'

However, right as I finished that thought, Lucien, who was walking in the front, came to an abrupt stop. 'Oh, crap! Did I just jinxed us?'

Anxious, I cautiously looked ahead, and it looked like the tunnel we were walking through suddenly ended.

My first thought was, 'Is this a dead end?' But looking closer, it became evident that what I was looking at was the site of a recent cave-in.

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It turned out that the main access shaft seemed to have collapsed on this side, too, which subsequently forced us to take a lengthy detour. 'Crap, just my luck...' I cussed.

The winding tunnels seemed endless, each twist and turn bringing new challenges. More than once, we had to hide from prowling monsters or navigate treacherous terrain.

But then, the tunnel suddenly opened into a vast space, with a massive, ornate gate blocking our path at the far end.

We've made it! The Loading Bay was just a stone's throw away. The warm glow of enchanted lanterns bathed the rough-hewn walls in flickering light, starkly contrasting the eerie phosphorescence we'd left behind in the tunnels below.

"Good thing you had that map." I addressed the smiling Lucien, who nodded in acknowledgment, all too busy to get back into civilization.

As we approached the gate, we said our goodbyes to the apprentices and went our separate ways.

It looked like since they had just returned from an expedition, they had to first unload their loot and give their report to the Overseer before they could continue upstairs.

I offered to accompany them in hopes of learning more about the expedition process, but they politely refused, saying we should go ahead and enjoy our well-earned rest.

So that's exactly what we did. 'At least I gained new acquaintances in Lucien and Elise...' I happily noted. There was also the quiet girl, Therese, and the injured one, Reinold, who recently came to his senses, but they mostly kept to themselves, so I didn't get the chance to get to know them better.

Nevertheless, in the end, this little outing wasn't a total waste of time. Not only did I learn more about the Labyrinth and its dangers, but I also gained another rare essence gem to boot.

So I couldn't help but smile as we made it across the spacious cavern, heading for the same narrow staircase we used when we first made our way down here.

Although we were gone for only about half a day, give or take, it seemed like an eternity. Similarly, Loading Bay underwent a drastic change in our absence.

The air felt suffocating as the massive cave was now swarming with dozens of mages, with Master Wulfric ruling over the organized chaos.

Luckily, there seemed to be contingency plans for something like an army of crawlers breaking through the containment wall, which made me wonder what sort of calamities the Tower had faced in the past to warrant such robust preparations.

The Loading Bay itself withstood the siege relatively well, with only minor damage. However, the same couldn't be said about the accompanying shafts, which meant that our food situation would be a bit strained for the time being before the maintenance crews were able to clear all the debris.

As we made our way back to the Assignment Hall to make our report, I noticed that Gil was unusually quiet. It took me a moment to realize why that was, but when I did, my previous joy gave way to a strained smile. 'Oh, right...'

I almost forgot why we went down there in the first place. Not only did we fail the job we were given, but we even lost the precious cargo in the process.

Besides, looking at the clock, it was already approaching midday, so we spent the entire night and most of the morning in the Labyrinth, completely missing our morning class.

Skipping one night's sleep wasn't that big of a deal for an aspiring mage. However, the idea of having to face Master Ayleth's disapproving gaze made me shudder.

I grimaced, trying to come up with an appropriate excuse, but then I simply shrugged my shoulders and decided not to worry about it.

What was done was done, so there was no point in lamenting the past. I would simply have to tell her the truth and hope she would be reasonable.

Deep in thought, the long ascent to the fifth floor passed quickly, and we were soon standing before the familiar counter where the same girl as yesterday regarded us with a deep frown. "Oh, it's you two..." She scoffed.

'What's that supposed to mean?' I blinked, taken aback by her brazen attitude.

"Well, we didn't finish the job and lost the cargo, but as you were undoubtedly told, there were unforeseen circumstances beyond our control..." Gil began, trying his best to salvage the situation.

I simply nodded along, letting my quick-witted friend take care of dealing with the aftermath. 'After all, it was his idea in the first place...'

The girl, whose name I remembered was Aileen, regarded us with a cold indifference, and the awkward silence that unfolded after Gil finished his explanation stretched out for a long time, making us both uncomfortable.

But then she burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I was just messing with you. You should see your face!"

She then did a complete one-eighty and presented us with a bright smile. " In fact, there won't be any penalty at all. On the contrary, by rescuing your fellow students, the Overseer deemed you worthy of receiving a special reward for your efforts."

To Gil's shock and my pleasant surprise, we were then presented with a list of choices. However, I completely disregarded the presented options. Instead, I looked Aileen straight in the eye and said.

"I have just the thing in mind... I want an access token for the Great Library!"