--[Notification, notification.] [The members of Squad 629 and Squad 971 worked together to clear Maze Node 11 and received the corresponding rewards.]
When the notification announcing the fall of another Maze Node rang out, most candidates initially had little reaction.
A small number of candidates lagging behind in reward points could not help but complain a little.
But more Magical Girls merely kept their heads down and continued with their work. After all, at this stage of the assessment, something as fortunate as "clearing a node" was enviable, but no longer particularly novel.
However, the tense calm did not last long. Soon, the entire maze stirred because of the notification's next sentence:
[Only one node remains in this assessment. Candidates currently solving puzzles, please hurry and submit your answers as soon as possible.]
That single sentence set even this seemingly boundless structure humming.
Some candidates let out long sighs of relief, simply because this assessment, which had lasted nearly an entire day and might soon stretch to a full day and night, was finally nearing its end.
Others felt fortunate, because the intense search through the maze and puzzle-solving had drained too much of their energy. With the assessment nearing its end, the advantage they held in points would be secured.
But even more candidates fell into the same anxiety as someone whose exam was about to end while their paper remained unfinished.
Whether they were solving puzzles, lost, or secretly confronting other squads... everyone sped up their progress without prior agreement.
Naturally, Xia Liang was among them.
--"What do you mean? You're saying they even threw in a survey map when they sold you the information?"
At that moment, Xia Liang feigned surprise as she chatted with the three unfamiliar Magical Girls before