No one had expected the assessment to end this way.
The examinees in the maze had more or less imagined that once the final node was cleared and the exit opened, there might be a grand race to fight for placement; or perhaps many squads would go all in for points, resorting to force and brawling... With such scenarios in mind, many examinees had been extremely tense.
So when the chief examiner's announcement rang out, informing them that "first place has already been claimed," many people did not react at first.
Once they did, surprise and confusion were swiftly followed by urgency.
Perhaps some more particular examinees would wonder whether this "first place" had been won fairly, but most had no time to think about such things. Because once the exit opened, the final competition had already begun.
The ones at the greatest disadvantage were probably the squads still clearing nodes. They had believed they controlled when the exit would appear, so they had chosen more conservative tactics, hoping to gradually wear down the Aberrant Beast while minimizing injuries and withdrawals—after all, not every examinee squad had the strength to handle a Pupa Stage opponent with ease. Yet before their battle of attrition had even reached its midpoint, the sudden announcement disrupted their rhythm.
—How had the exit opened? Who did it?
That was their first thought.
—Could they still afford to take it slow now? Did they have to go all out?
With roughly the same thoughts in mind, the members of those squads all turned toward their captains. The captains exchanged glances, communicating solely through their eyes before confirming their next move.
"Damn it... We can't drag this out anymore. Let's do it! Charge!"
Filled with resentment and anger toward the suddenly emerged "first-place winner," the captains shouted