pages of rebellion

Noah feels something pinching his cheeks. As he awakens in the real world, he finds his little sister, Yana, pinching his cheeks.

"Wake up," Yana says, pinching his cheeks even harder.

Noah takes Yana's hands and holds them in his own.

"I'm awake. You can stop now," he says, his cheeks already red.

"Did you sleep the whole night on the chair?" Yana asks, a little worried about Noah.

"I think so," he replies. Since the special training took place while he was asleep on the chair, it seems like he spent the entire night there.

"It's already morning..." Noah thinks to himself as he looks at the window through its crimson-red curtains, watching the soft morning breeze gently sway them. The bright weather outside and the morning sunlight creeping into the room confirm that a new day has begun.

"Anyway, you have a test today. You're already late!"

"A test?" Noah asks, confusion filling his eyes.

"Did you forget? It's the 'Echo of Tide and Ebb' test," Yana says, surprised that Noah forgot such an important exam.

"D-Damn! I completely forgot!" Noah panics, rushing to change his clothes, get ready, and dash out in a hurry.

"G-Goodbye..." Yana says softly as she watches him leave.

Outside, Noah runs toward the high school. His body feels light, unlike usual, and he moves with newfound speed and agility.

A system screen appears before him:

[Name: Noah Grace, Age: 18, Gender: Male, Level: 7

Strength: 15, Speed: 18, Agility: 16, Intelligence: 24, Luck: 12

Skills: 'influence field' (S-Rank), 'Foresight' (C-Rank)]

"With my stats increasing, I've improved a lot. Maybe with these stats, I'm at the level of an E-Rank Hunter," Noah thinks to himself while continuing to run toward school.

In the school's exam hall, on a slightly elevated platform, two examiners stand.

One has messy red hair, resembling a hedgehog, with a scar on the right side of his lips. His crimson eyes scan the hall, analyzing every student. He wears the official Hunter uniform, bearing the symbol of arrows pointing in four directions, and carries an arrogant expression.

Beside him stands another man with long black hair reaching his back and dark, tired eyes. A black aura surrounds him, emphasizing his exhaustion and laziness. He wears a black hunter's cloak with the same four-arrow emblem. He yawns from lack of sleep.

"I don't see any talent here. Looks like we wasted our time coming," the black-haired man says.

"Noctis, we're not here to find talent but to wake them from their slumber and free them from their restraints," the red-haired man replies.

"Rael, since when did you start speaking in proverbs?"

Rael chuckles slightly. "I'm doing this to find someone who can entertain me in a real fight!" His voice carries a hint of aggression and excitement.

Noctis thinks to himself that it was a mistake to ask this musclehead anything.

Among the gathered students, whispers spread about the identities of the two men.

"Isn't that Rael veldric?!"

"You mean the A-Rank Hunter "The red hawk"? The crazy guy who prefers fighting over everything else?!"

"And the other one… isn't that Noctis Vinye?!"

"The guy who supposedly sleeps through his missions but has never failed a single one?"

"Wait, do you mean "Dusk", the forgotten hunter?!"

The whispers spread like wildfire among the students. Some stared in awe, others started to feel nervous, while a few realized this test wouldn't be easy at all.

"Why are two high-ranking hunters here?" one student asks in a hushed voice.

"I heard A-Rank Hunters rarely participate in student exams. What's going on here?"

Near the entrance, Blake and his group stand, waiting for something.

"Damn it, hasn't that bastard arrived yet?!" Blake grumbles in frustration.

One of Blake's companions, Victor Garth—a burly guy slightly taller than Blake, with brown hair and green eyes—looks worried.

"What if he doesn't show up?" Victor asks.

"He will…"

A familiar voice speaks from a short distance away, accompanied by approaching footsteps. It's Liam.

"What makes you so sure?" Blake asks.

"I know him better than anyone here…" Liam replies, his expression serious and unwavering. Blake feels a slight chill of unease.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go. We'll find him during the test. And even if we don't, he won't make it out alive."

Blake and his group leave, abandoning Liam behind. In the last moment, Blake smirks arrogantly, as if relishing the thought.

Liam thinks to himself, "I have to warn Noah before he participates. That bastard Blake hired someone to kill him…" A wave of anxiety and urgency floods Liam's mind.

"Alright, you little bastards, gather up! We're starting the test now!"

Rael's voice booms across the hall, calling the students together. They all move toward the platform to begin the exam.

"He hasn't arrived yet…" Liam thinks, believing that this might be a good thing. If Noah isn't here, he won't be in danger.

Just then, the doors swing open, and Noah enters, leaning against the doorframe, panting heavily, trying to catch his breath.

Everyone turns to look at him, and whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire again.

"What's that loser doing here?"

"Why is he panting so much? Disgusting."

"Does a failure like him really think he can pass the test? What a joke."

Rael and Noctis silently observe Noah.

"Excuse me, but can I still take the test?" Noah asks, still struggling to breathe and covered in sweat.

"Who is that kid?" Rael asks Noctis quietly.

"No idea. But the test hasn't started yet, so he can still join," Noctis replies with another yawn, feeling too lazy even to cover his mouth.

"Don't make a big fuss. Let's get this over with—I want to go back to sleep," Noctis adds as he turns away. With a snap of his fingers, a dark dimensional gate opens, and he steps through it. The students stare in shock.

"That's his skill, Black Distortion," one of the students mutters in amazement.

Suddenly, Rael vanishes from sight, only to reappear right in front of Noah in an instant.

Shocked, Noah instinctively steps back.

"Since you're late, you go in first," Rael says with a smug smile, his crimson eyes glowing faintly.

"O-Okay…" Noah replies nervously, walking past the crowd, following Rael.

From a distance, Liam watches with growing concern.

"Damn it, I can't warn him in front of everyone. And that hunter's aura makes it hard to approach them," Liam thinks, desperately trying to find a way to reach Noah.

Noah and Rael step onto the platform, and Noah stands before the portal.

"This portal… It leads to the ruins guarded by the school—Daedalus Labyrinth," Noah realizes, feeling both excitement and nervousness.

"Enter."

Rael pushes Noah forward, and the moment Noah steps into the portal, he vanished

The students watched in shock as Rael pushed Noah inside.

"Alright, brats, hurry up and enter! The exam has begun!" Rael shouted, announcing the start of the test.

Minutes later, the students lined up to enter. Among them was Blake with his group.

"Damn it, that bastard went in before I got to him!" Blake thought to himself, his face twisted in annoyance.

"That jerk, I can't believe he entered before us!" Victor added, mimicking Blake's expression.

"It doesn't matter now," Blake said as his annoyance vanished, replaced by a smug grin. Covering his mouth, he thought to himself, "I hired someone to take care of him. Someone very skilled!"

—

On the other side of the portal, the moment Noah stepped through, he felt a cold breeze pass over him.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, the world around him changed.

It felt like sinking into a pool of ink and then emerging into another reality.

Noah blinked against the sudden shift, his breathing quickening as he tried to comprehend his surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was the eerie silence. No wind, no distant whispers, no rustling leaves—just an oppressive stillness inside the labyrinth.

The ground beneath his feet was uneven, covered in ancient stones that glowed with a faint, unnatural light. The towering walls stretched high out of sight, seemingly made of sharp rocks and polished obsidian, glimmering under the dim, unknown light source.

The architecture felt both familiar and alien, as if it belonged to another era—or another world entirely.

Something tapped his shoulder.

Noah jumped in fear, turning around—only to see Noctis standing behind him