Weak Class of Anti-Hero
Chapter 32: The Labyrinth of Doubt

Chapter 32: The Labyrinth of Doubt

I remained silent. The S-Rank Promotion Exam. It was the academy’s Holy Grail. The ultimate test.

Usually, only the ten students in the Top 10 were invited, once a year. It was an open secret that this was their way of testing and recruiting for my father’s secret organization.

"Me?" I finally said. "I’m only a C-rank. That’s impossible."

"Your official rank is meaningless now, and we both know it," the director replied. "Your actual power is far beyond that. You defeated a monster that some of my S-ranks would have struggled to handle."

He returned to his seat. "The exam isn’t a simple fight. It’s a series of trials designed to push a candidate to their absolute limits, both physically and mentally. Most fail. Some don’t come back."

His gaze grew more intense. "But those who succeed... they gain access to resources and information the rest of the world knows nothing about. They become the true guardians of this world."

He was giving me a key. The key to access the same world as my father. The key to get the answers I was searching for. The key to becoming strong enough for my revenge.

"Why me?" I asked. "Why now?"

"Because things are accelerating," he said, his face turning grim. "The Creators are getting closer. We no longer have the luxury of time. We need every ’anomaly’ we can find. And you, Kang Ji-Hoon, are the greatest anomaly I have ever seen."

He waited for my answer.

I didn’t need to think long.

It was dangerous. It was probably a trap. It might have been the stupidest thing I could do.

But it was also the fastest path.

"I accept," I said.

The director nodded, as if he had expected my answer.

"Good. The exam will take place in one month. Until then, you are relieved of all your usual classes."

He handed me a black access card.

"This gives you unlimited access to all of the academy’s facilities. Including the ’Sanctuary,’ the S-ranks’ private training ground. Use this time wisely. You will need it."

I walked out of his office, the black card in my hand.

The news of my participation in the exam spread within hours. This time, it wasn’t surprise or fear. It was total shock.

A C-rank was going to face the trial of Kings.

The ten S-ranks, whom I had only ever glimpsed, became my direct rivals. They ignored me, looking at me with utter contempt. To them, I was an impostor, an insect trying to join their banquet.

Yoo-Na, who was part of this exclusive group, was furious. Her punishment of being paired with me had been lifted, but her humiliation was now even greater. The "trash" she had tried to crush was now going to compete at the same level as her.

Only Min-Soo and Bora supported me.

"One month is short," Min-Soo told me, analyzing data from previous exams. "The success rate is less than 10%."

"You can do it!" Bora said, ever optimistic. "You’re the strongest!"

That month, I lived, ate, and slept training.

I spent my days in the Sanctuary. It was a massive underground complex capable of simulating any environment, any enemy. _{fre(e)webnove.l.c.om}

I fought against hordes of holographic monsters. I practiced the four pillars of Aura until they became second nature. I studied my father’s data, learning the weaknesses of the Abyss creatures.

And every night, I meditated, trying to master the layers of my soul. I could now maintain my spiritual body for several minutes. But the astral body remained out of my reach.

The month passed in a flash.

The day of the exam arrived. I was ready.

Or at least, I hoped I was.

We were gathered at dawn, in a huge underground hall I had never seen before.

There were eleven candidates.

The ten Kings of the academy. And me.

They stood on one side, a united and arrogant group, throwing me contemptuous glances. Yoo-Na was among them, her face a mask of icy hatred.

I was alone on my side.

The director appeared on a platform.

"Welcome, candidates," he said. "The S-Rank Promotion Exam begins now."

He gestured. The wall behind him opened, revealing a massive circular door, like a bank vault’s.

"The exam consists of three trials, which will take place on the other side of this door. In a pocket dimension created for this occasion. The goal is not to beat the others, but to overcome the trials. You can all succeed together, or you can all fail together."

He looked at each of us.

"First trial: The Labyrinth of Doubt."

"You will be separated. Your objective is to find the exit. The labyrinth will play with your mind, your fears, your regrets. Trust no one, not even yourselves. Those who succumb to doubt will be trapped forever."

The large door began to creak open, revealing a swirling darkness.

"Good luck," the director said. "You will need it."

One by one, the S-ranks stepped through the door. Yoo-Na shot me one last look before disappearing into the portal.

Then it was my turn.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness.

The door closed behind me.

When the light returned, I was no longer in the academy’s hall.

I was in a corridor. A hospital corridor.

The smell of antiseptic. The steady beep of machines.

My heart clenched.

I knew this place. It was Seoul National University Hospital. The intensive care unit.

I began to walk, my footsteps echoing in the silence. The corridors were empty. It was a labyrinth of white doors, all identical.

I walked past a room. The door was open. I looked inside.

And I saw myself.

A younger me. Sitting beside my mother’s bed. I was holding her hand, speaking to her softly. It was a scene from years ago, before her condition worsened.

"It’s an illusion," I whispered. "It’s not real."

I kept walking.

Another open door.

This time, the scene was the academy’s cafeteria. I saw myself arguing with Min-Soo. I could hear him, my own voice full of arrogance, calling him jealous.

Guilt twisted in my stomach.

"It’s not real," I repeated, louder this time, as if to convince myself.

I picked up my pace, trying to flee these memories.

But at every corner, a new scene awaited me. The Pit. Me, being beaten. The boiler room. Me, being humiliated. The alley. Me, naked in the trash.

The labyrinth didn’t play with monsters. It played with my regrets. My weaknesses. My pain.

With every door, it threw my failures in my face.

I started running, searching for the exit, trying to escape my own past.

And I arrived at a final door. The one to my mother’s room. On the day she died.

This time, I hesitated. I didn’t want to see this.

But I knew I had to. To move forward.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was exactly as I remembered it. The empty bed. The unmade sheets.

And in the middle of the room, my mother stood there.

Not the sick, frail mother. But the mother from my childhood memories. Smiling, healthy, full of life.

She looked at me, her eyes filled with an immense sadness.

"Ji-Hoon," she said, her voice soft and loving. "Look at what you’ve become."

Images flashed before my eyes. The bodies of the students in the Pit. The blood on my dagger. The hatred in my heart.

"This isn’t what I wanted for you," she continued, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I wanted you to be happy. To live a normal life. Not this life of violence and revenge."

She reached out her hand to me. "Stop, my son. There’s still time. Let go of this hatred. Stay here, with me. Forget everything. We can be happy, just the two of us."

Her offer was so tempting.

To forget the pain. To forget the hatred. To stay here, in this perfect memory.

A part of me wanted to accept. A part of me just wanted to collapse into her arms and weep.

But I knew.

I knew it wasn’t her.

It was the labyrinth. Its final, most cruel attack.

I looked at the illusion of my mother.

"You are not my mother," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "My mother would never have asked me to give up."

I took a step forward. "My mother would have wanted me to fight. To survive. To win."

I summoned my dagger.

"And my mother is no longer here. Because of them."

I raised the dagger, pointing it at the ghost of my past.

"And I will not stop until they have paid."

The illusion screamed, its beautiful face twisting into a grimace of hatred.

And I struck.

The room shattered like glass. The hospital vanished.

I was standing in a large, empty hall. In the middle was a single door. The exit.

I had passed the first trial.