“I was thinking about breaking camp, but since we’re lucky enough to have our healer alive, fine. You’ve got plenty of work to do.” Maxat clapped the wounded hunter on the shoulder. The warrior winced but bit back any complaints. “And that one,” the blood mage nodded towards a far corner of the cave, “just your type—hopeless.”

The warrior, abandoned by everyone, lay half-reclined on the ground. He didn’t move even when the squad captain pronounced his fate. His empty gaze was fixed on a single point, as if he were watching the gates to his next life open before him. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, Maxat wouldn’t have mentioned him at all.

Imber blocked the way. “No need. He’s empty.”

But Suri gently pushed Imber aside and knelt beside the wounded man. Beneath the layer of dust and dried blood on his face, she could barely recognize him. During the descent, this man had ruthlessly shoved his own squad members aside, securing the best position as the suppression intensified and slowed them down. How long had he been underground? His appearance had changed beyond recognition—serene, detached from reality.

The smell of blood near him was unbearable. Suri covered her nose with the collar of her tunic, but it made no difference. The thick, cloying scent of death filled her lungs with every breath, seeping into her gear, her hair, and even her skin.

“At least I don’t flinch at the sight of blood anymore,” she mentally praised herself. Steeling herself, she lifted the edge of the cloak thrown over the warrior and gasped in horror. In the background, there were chuckles and some utterly ridiculous, hollow comments. “I’ll never get used to this,” she thought.

The warrior’s abdomen was wrapped in bandages—haphazardly done, with narrow strips of cloth soaked through with blood. There was no sign of any other treatment. Amidst this bloody mess of entrails and torn flesh, like a precious gem, a frozen blue spark glimmered, visible only to Suri. The warrior’s internal energy wasn’t moving, evaporating drop by drop from his body.

“What’s wrong with him? His core is intact, so why isn’t he regenerating?” she wondered. Pouring energy into him was pointless; his core was already overflowing. “For some reason, his body is rejecting the energy from the core.”

Suri hugged herself. A man was dying before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it. The taste of helplessness was bitter and metallic in her mouth.

“Pfft,” Maxat snorted, amused by the young blood mage’s reaction. The warrior was a newcomer, having only recently joined the first rank. The death of one or even three such hunters wouldn’t affect the squad as a whole.

Unlike the captain, Imber understood her better. “There’s no helping him. The suppression broke him, took away his will as a hunter. He’s still breathing, but he’s already dead,” he said.

“The Labyrinth’s suppression? And what about Cass?” Suri’s eyes involuntarily fixed on the slender figure of a girl, who was energetically patting a young, scarred warrior on the shoulder. Her delicate finger pointed at one object, then another. Avalon patiently listened to everything, apparently more than satisfied with his role. Even the sharp remarks from other hunters didn’t bother him. Imber also found his sister with his gaze.

“She’s adapting well. For now,” the man replied.

“Imber,” Suri began hesitantly, “I saw my tomb. And I’ve decided to go all the way.”

“Do you want us to go back?” asked the former captain of the third rank.

“I do. Take any opportunity you can,” Suri said, emphasizing each word.

“Your bracelet once demanded a debt repayment, didn’t it?” a slight smile played on Imber’s lips. “Don’t bring this up again. I knew what I was getting into from the start. As for Cass, try to talk her out of it. She doesn’t listen to me anymore.”

“You had a fight?” Suri raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Seems like the first one in our lives,” Imber chuckled, ruffling his hair. “I always thought I knew my sister better than anyone. But it turns out she’s more stubborn than a rock.”

“I’ll find a way to make her go back,” Suri promised, secretly hoping it wasn’t too late.

“You’re quite the optimist,” Maxat shrugged, making no effort to hide that he’d been eavesdropping. “Since you haven’t learned anything, go deal with the others so we can move on. Nothing too difficult for you—just patch up the worst of my men’s wounds.” He squatted down and spread out a map before him, clearly done with the conversation. But as time passed and Suri didn’t move, Maxat shot her a cold look.

“There won’t be a special invitation. Do your job,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“I can’t do it.” Suri’s voice was too calm for someone defying not only her captain but also the senior blood mage.

“Must be that woman’s influence messing with my head, because I could’ve sworn you said you can’t. Can’t what? Heal?” Maxat bared his white teeth in a grin that was anything but friendly. “What nonsense is this? How did you manage to get the third rank back on his feet, then?”

What was Suri supposed to say? That “silver blood” was nothing like the wounds inflicted by monsters? That she wasn’t a healer, but let them think so to get into the Labyrinth?

“Haha,” a woman’s laugh echoed through the cave. “I can’t believe I’ve lived to see this. So, how does it feel, snake, to be in someone else’s shoes? What, things didn’t go as planned?” A woman in leather armor, which accentuated every curve of her body, lounged lazily on a pile of discarded gear. Her pose might have been seductive if not for her bloodless, bluish lips and swollen, dull brown eyes. The dark leather of her armor hid the blood, but the area around her thigh was torn, and the tanned leather glistened suspiciously.

Maxat whirled towards the woman and growled, “Shut your mouth and die. That’s all you’re good for now.”

The woman grinned, baring her teeth. She wasn’t going to give up so easily. Her voice was almost sweet, like an enticing spell, when she said, “That door opened.”

“What did you say?” Maxat straightened up, and the conversations around them fell silent. The hunters all turned to the woman in unison, hanging on her every word. It seemed as though the woman had let something slip, revealing a glimpse of the secret to eternal life to mere mortals.

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In the deafening quiet, a soft female whisper followed: “I’ll tell you what’s there if you get me out.” Exhaling heavily, Ide propped herself up on her elbow.

“I can make your death far more painful than you can imagine,” Maxat hissed through his teeth.

Ide’s plump lips curled into a faint smile. Her eyes locked on her comrade, filled with mockery.

“Nothing compares to the pain I’ve already endured,” she snorted, then beckoned Suri with a finger. “My offer applies to all the blood mages present.”

“A door? What does she mean? And what’s happening to her?”

Cassia grabbed Suri’s hand, stopping her from getting any closer. “She’s already tried to kill you once,” Cassia said.

“And which blood mage hasn’t?” Suri replied. She wasn’t trying to persuade or reassure Cassia. On the contrary, she wanted her to stay alert, especially in the company of other hunters.

Maxat narrowed his eyes, perfectly content to let someone else handle the situation. He stepped aside, allowing things to unfold on their own.

From a distance, Suri hadn’t noticed, but as she approached, she saw a perfectly round hole in the blood mage’s slender thigh. The rough skin around the wound, like the wound itself, was coal black, blending with the armor. The wound didn’t seem serious. Perhaps Ide might need help walking, but it wasn’t life-threatening.

“The energy in her body is draining away,” Suri marveled at the discovery.

When she had previously encountered the blood mage, the woman had two sources of power within her. Since then, her sweet floral scent hadn’t changed. What had changed was that now only one blue spark burned within her. The last remaining core was pulsing frantically, but with each beat, the energy it produced grew weaker and weaker. Something had stripped the blood mage of a core. And if some monster could do this, it was undoubtedly far stronger than the queen of needles.

“What was it?” Suri asked, concerned.

“It’s obvious you’re still wild,” Ide snorted. “So, what’s it going to be? Will you give me your blood mage’s word?”

“I’m descending to the lower level. I can’t promise I’ll get you out,” Suri stated plainly. Her words shocked the other hunters. Though many spoke of reaching the bottom of the Labyrinth, after the first descent, no surviving hunter dared to say those words aloud. In the depths of that cursed place, they sounded almost blasphemous.

“Haha,” Ide laughed. “I’m not that arrogant. Even a snake isn’t that thick-skinned. Fine. So, what can you offer me?”

Ide was struggling to keep her head held high. She was dying, and she would die before the warrior forgotten in the far corner of the cave. Yet her lone core continued to beat tirelessly, keeping her alive like a second heart. The arrogance and stubbornness hadn’t left her eyes.

“The Judge… Blood mages… There couldn’t be a worse company for demonstrating the Thorn,” Suri thought bitterly. She could chastise herself for cowardice all she wanted, but she confidently said aloud, “I’ll restore your strength. Then you’ll lead your people out yourself.”

Ide’s pupils shrank to the size of beads, but she quickly composed herself. Suri even doubted whether she had truly seen the momentary flash of fear.

“Let my word be sealed in blood, until my last breath fades into the depths. Whatever you ask… I’ll tell you everything,” Ide rasped, barely able to breathe. Her faint words were filled with a certain power, an echo of true speech. Ide believed in what she said, and her belief made the oath unbreakable.

Suri nodded. “I need a core,” she said, turning to the other hunters.

“Is this a joke? Sister, am I hearing things?” Maxat reacted. “You’re not serious, are you?” He had expected her to find a way to extract information, but instead, she made impossible promises. He briefly considered torture again, though he knew full well that it would be a waste of time with Ide.

Suri interrupted his thoughts, urging, “The core. Quickly.”

Maxat threw up his hands, momentarily stunned by her audacity. “As if I have one!”

The Judge stepped away from the wall and headed toward the motionless warrior. None of the hunters noticed when he drew a black blade. At the last moment, the Judge hesitated. He knew how to take a life, but how to do it without damaging the core? His gaze shifted to Suri. He still couldn’t understand how she did it, but soon enough, she sensed something and turned to him.

“Where?” his lips parted.

“No, he’s still alive! Don’t kill him!” Suri shouted, rushing to the far end of the cave.

“Where?” the Judge asked a little louder, and Suri shuddered at the tone of his voice. She slowed down, afraid to get any closer.

“He’s still alive,” Suri whispered.

Maxat grunted in understanding and leaned over the warrior to check his condition.

“Alive. A good exchange if such a trifle loosens a stubborn tongue.”

“We could catch a needle or some other beast. He’s one of us!” Suri frantically searched for any option that might save the man’s life.

Maxat gave her a cold look and then asked, “Can you save him?”

Suri covered her mouth with her hand, fearing that if she spoke, only curses would come out.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, then she was turned around and wrapped in a strong embrace.

“Broken hunters don’t live long. This place drains your soul. And even if we could get him back to Azur, he’d die before we made it out of the Labyrinth,” Imber’s soothing voice reached her ears.

The Judge’s blade flashed. A barely visible red line appeared on the dying warrior’s neck. In seconds, the man’s chest stopped rising and falling, as if his body had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

The Judge squinted, his gaze never leaving the girl still held in a tight embrace. Golden sparks flickered in his black eyes. He was losing control.

A powerful suppression surrounded Suri’s body, squeezing her like a vise. The others might not have known the Judge’s true power, but it turned out their fear was justified. She quickly pulled away from Imber, so he wouldn’t get hurt.

“Yes. His question,” Suri thought, biting her lip as she looked at the warrior lying on the ground. “Ah, it’s all over.” Her mind was blank. The sensation emanating from the warrior hadn’t changed at all. The hunters were right—this man had died a long time ago. Perhaps when he entered the Labyrinth. Or maybe when he decided to become a hunter. The saddest part was that the eager gaze of his true killer loomed over each of them.

Reaching out, Suri whispered, “Core.”

The bracelet on her wrist reacted instantly, releasing multiple silvery tendrils. They easily pierced the warrior’s body, extracting a small, blood-stained orb with a squelching sound. When the bracelet coiled back around her wrist, the orb had already absorbed all the blood, taking on a crystal-clear blue hue.

“It’s not for you,” she said calmly, addressing the bracelet.

Now it was Ide’s turn.

Large drops of sweat beaded on the woman’s forehead. It seemed that just one glance at the delicate wooden bracelet was enough to sap her courage. “So, you have to use this… thing? No other way? Can’t you do it yourself? With your hands?” her voice wavered, rising and falling with anxiety. “Are you sure it won’t kill me?”

Maxat sneered, “If you want to go back on your word, then tell us what you know first, and then die. We’ve already wasted too much time here.”

Ide shot him a murderous glare. “You have no idea what it’s capable of.”

“Then we’ll see,” Maxat replied, with no intention of stopping his taunts.

“Snake… Aaaah!” Ide screamed as the Thorn pierced her body through the wound. Suri’s involvement wasn’t needed beyond ensuring the Thorn didn’t overstep its bounds. The blue spark leapt from the silvery tendrils, sinking into the blood mage’s body. The energy from the new core swirled, merging with the overall flow.

“Adjusting will be difficult, but not impossible,” Suri thought as she withdrew her hand. The Thorn acted as an extension of her hand, obeying flawlessly. Suri was pleased. Each time, it took less time to interact with the Thorn.

Before their eyes, the wound on Ide’s leg scabbed over. None of the hunters had ever seen such rapid regeneration. But who could say whether this power belonged to Ide or Suri?

Tilek sat away from the main group, tossing a dagger into the air, his brows furrowed. He noticed how Maxat’s eyes gleamed at the sight of the new blood mage’s abilities. His teeth ground in frustration. After such a display, he would have more than one rival. And while ordinary hunters didn’t concern him, competing with a blood mage—especially one so formidable—was a different matter entirely. Then there was the Judge. Just one look at him sent chills down his spine. Fortunately, the dungeon was unpredictable. He had missed one chance, but that didn’t mean another wouldn’t come.