Chapter 21: Those Who Cheat in Exam Cheat Themselves

Nevan closed his eyes and opened them, a faint black glow flashed in his gray eyes. He removed his VR headset. It was a black room. Everything inside was black. But objects could be understood clearly. There were 40 stands, 40 hanging spherical balls around Nevan.

This was the labyrinth testing room but Black Nevan's "Dark World" version. Getting off the high stand Nevan looked around. This room looked exactly the same except there was an additional table. A miniature model was on the table. A model of a labyrinth.

All of a sudden, the spherical balls, the stands, the computer at the corner all broke into pieces. Except the table with the model everything inside the room turned to dust. They floated and then arranged themselves into words, "This is the base model of the labyrinth you need to solve. I have created this after seeing the map of the labyrinth."

'He really likes to be flashy, doesn't he? There's really no need to destroy everything here to make words.' Nevan thought as he saw Black Nevan destroying every stuff in the room just to create words.

Since only one Nevan could at a time exist in this world, because of Nevan coming here Black Nevan couldn't be here. So to communicate they would decide various methods. Writing words seems to be the best method. Though there's the option of video or voice recording available too.

There were many ways to write words when one could simply manipulate all objects in the world. White Nevan would simply make dents in objects when he wanted to write or use inks or something alike.

Black Nevan instead liked flamboyance. He would destroy the things in his surroundings and use them to make words. Though Nevan had to admit being able to destroy and create whatever you want, it looked cool and definitely felt amazing.

In front of the entrance to the labyrinth model, a small human-like figure appeared.

"This is your representation. As you enter the labyrinth I will guide you through the maze. With me being able to see the whole design you can easily cross the labyrinth."

"Nice." Nevan gave him a thumbs up.

Nevan closed his eyes. He opened them and once again he was in the real world wearing the headset he could see the labyrinth in front of him.

Before proceeding he thought of paying White Nevan a visit. He blinked his eyes and a white glow appeared for the briefest moment. Nevan appeared in a white world. White Nevan's 'Light World'.

Nevan removed his headset. As expected it was a white room. Nothing except white. Only the degree of whiteness varied, making objects' profile visible.

Looking around Nevan saw a model on the ground. The same labyrinth model of the test.

On the white ground a little bit dark shadows appeared as they made words.

"You are here?" It was a question. White Nevan and Black Nevan both after understanding the concept of this exam, had thought of this solution. After being shown the map, White and Black Nevan with their ability to manipulate the world would create an exact miniature replica. This way they would be able to 'cheat' or as White Nevan would say use their inborn ability to breeze through the entire map.

This was their way to cheat and get the top marks. Since Nevan had visited Black Nevan there was no need to come here so White Nevan had asked the question.

Taking a glance at the mini imitation of the labyrinth, Nevan said, "Just a thing."

"What thing?"

"Nothing."

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"...."

Saying that Nevan closed his eyes and as he opened he was once again in real life seeing the VR simulation of the labyrinth.

"Let's go."

"Hmm"

"Hmm"

Nevan headed inside. With his hand extended forward, moving it little by little he directed his avatar in this world.

"Left, straight, left, left again. Straight, left, right, left."

Continuous stream of directions came from Black Nevan. Nevan dutifully followed the instructions.

Slowly with this cheating method, Nevan got out of the labyrinth.

"Congratulations. You have passed the first of the 10 labyrinths. Do you want to start the 2nd labyrinth or rest a little?"

"Start the 2nd one."

"Commencing 2nd labyrinth."

A refresh. Another empty grassland. A map of another labyrinth with a different and harder formation appeared.

5 seconds.

The map vanished.

"Done?"

""Done.""

…..

"Congratulations you have passed the 2nd labyrinth. Launch the 3rd labyrinth?"

"Yes."

Another labyrinth map with more hard than the previous one. Yet-

"Copied?"

"Yep" "Yeah."

…..

"Congratulations. You have crossed the 3rd labyrinth. Do you want to begin the 4th labyrinth?"

"Yes."

A map of the labyrinth and its surrounding area appeared. It lasted for 10 seconds. It was double the size of the previous ones with much more turns and dead ends.

"Did you manage to copy it?"

"Yep no problem."

"Yes, without any issue."

Nevan entered through the entrance that was in front of him. He navigated left, right according to White Nevan's direction.

"Something doesn't seem right." Black Nevan worried. Right after 4 turns, a dead end presented itself in front of Nevan.

"Yep. Something definitely isn't right." Nevan approved.

"Bu-But there should be an opening here." White Nevan was a bit flustered.

"What were the steps again?" Nevan asked. "Left, Right, left, right." Black Nevan replied.

"...." Nevan.

"...." White Nevan.

"What are we, soldiers marching? Haha" Black Nevan laughed.

"But it's indeed left right, left right. Now it should be a right turn."

"Where is the problem?" Three of them wondered together.

"Let's check." Nevan decided to use the 'Up' command.

"Wait-" White Nevan stopped Nevan.

"Did you find out?" Nevan asked.

"Yes, the problem is-"

"There's three entrance." Black Nevan finished White Nevan's sentence.

"I was guiding you according to the middle entrance. But it seems that you have entered the left entrance." White Nevan explained.

"So when I spawn in another labyrinth I won't be placed in the middle but in front of any of the entrances? How did you figure out we were on the left entrance?"

"I went left right left right from each starting point and only the left access way's left right left right ends up in a dead end."

"I see, so let's head back."

There wasn't any rule that said you can't go back. The clock will continue ticking right after the map disappeares.

Coming back, Nevan noticed the grassland and the bushes around. He went to the middle entrance and rushed inside.

While moving forward, Nevan told them, "Next time draw the surrounding area too. This way we will recognize which entrance is which."

…..

"Congratulations. You have crossed the 4th labyrinth. Proceed to the next one?"

"Yes."

Five entrances! Map 1.5 times bigger than the previous one. Time to revise- 15 seconds.

"Did you copy everything?"

""Yes.""

"Let's start. Where am I?"

"The 2nd entrance from the left.I will guide you through." It was Black Nevan's turn.

Black Nevan and White took turns to direct him. The first one was guided by Black Nevan, the second by White. The odds were Black Nevan and the evens were White. For the 5th one it was Black Nevan's turn.

…

Inside the Dark World, no other color besides black existed here. Still all shapes could be seen and understood. It was extremely bizarre.

In this dark world- inside a dark room, there were 40 VR equipment. In a conspicuous corner there was a dark miniature model of a labyrinth on a dark table. Needless to say everything inside was dark so there was no need to add dark every time.

But one thing was worth mentioning. All objects could be perceived because their degree of black color varied. Only one thing couldn't be seen clearly.

A pure black silhouette that was on a chair beside the table. It was so black that its shape, its profile, nothing could be understood. The reason for this was because this thing totally consisted of all devouring black color.

One could only see something when light was reflected back from the object. But this abyssal dark thing, it seemed to consume every light, making it impossible to understand what the shape looked like or what it was made of. Only a vague understanding that it seemed to be humanoid.

It was sitting beside the labyrinth table, holding a human figure, guiding it inside of the labyrinth.

"Straight. Left." It said while moving the figure according to what was said. A familiar voice. Of Black Nevan.

In the real world, Black Nevan had the handsome body of a human with beige colored skin, black hair and eyebrows, black pupils. A very normal human.

But in this world, it was indeed the body of human but the dark that devoured light itself nothing human could be perceived. Not eyes, no nose, no mouth, nothing. Just a black humanoid existence.

Was this the true form? Or was that which could be seen in the real world the true one? Which was real and which was fake?

"Left." Black Nevan moved the piece to the left road but suddenly as if receiving a shock got up.

"What the fuck!" is what Nevan had said. Black Nevan had been guiding Nevan and it was now time to move to the left road.

White Nevan chimed, "There's no left! It should be right."

"I don't get it. A left turn should be there." Black Nevan was panicking. It just didn't seem possible.

Indeed there was no left road for Nevan. There was only right or front. What did it mean? Why were Black Nevan and White Nevan saying different things? One was saying left, one was saying right.

Nevan hurriedly blinked his eyes and appeared in the black world. Because Nevan appeared, the Black Existence or Black Nevan vanished. Nevan opened the helmet and hurriedly reached the table and checked the labyrinth model.

He then blinked and disappeared, appearing in the real world then blinked again. Going to White Nevan's world, he checked the map.

Looking at the model, he realized his worst fear had come true. He weakly fell to the ground. A weak laugh came out of him.

"Ah! Grandpa always said when we would cheat at home back then. 'Those who cheat, cheat themselves.' it seems our plan backfired. We can't cheat anymore."