Chapter 58: Into the Burrows

"Is it really so surprising that the scion of the family who’s been known to throw their own sons and daughters into the wolves, would act like a wolf?" said Abe, the contempt in his voice adding gravel in his words.

"The Lindbergs are cutthroat. They prioritize strength over everything. And they like to lord it over everyone that they are superior. Magnus is doing just that. He’s showing that he’s better than everyone else by making sure that only he gets to advance."

Silence reigned amongst the group. It signalled their agreement with Abe’s assessment of the so-called most ’ruthless’ Prominent Family in all of Los Medes.

And they weren’t the only ones. Eren looked at everyone else in the campfire.

Their eyes spewed malicious glares at Magnus. Some angry, some jealous, some filled with admiration. And yet, they did nothing to stop him. Their heads subconsciously lowered whenever he came anywhere near, or when they felt his gaze coming towards them.

It wasn’t because of Magnus himself. But the last name that he carried with him implicitly.

It was indicative of the Lindberg’s reputation within the country. Indicative of the power that the Prominent Families held within everyone’s mind.

"They’re not all that bad," Ormann said, grasping Abe’s shoulder. "The Lindberg’s are the only reason why Los Medes even survived the Catastrophic Attack of 2019. Remember Astrid’s sacrifice at the rooftop?"

Hearing this, even Abe’s disdain for the Prominent Families softened. "...yeah. My father was one of the people they dug out of the rubble. But it still doesn’t excuse them hoarding all those Martial Manuals and Ascension Arts."

Ormann pursed his lips. "That... Well, can you really blame them? Back then, we didn’t know what those scrolls did. They were just making sure that they didn’t fall into the wrong hands. And as we have learned now, their caution was actually necessary.

How many times have you all seen the news reporting about people using Martial Manuals and dying because they didn’t know what to do?"

The argument was received with mixed responses. Eren just stayed silent, observing everything. Taking every single detail.

"You seem to know a lot about the Lindbergs," Eren noted.

Ormann awkwardly laughed. "I just did my research about them, hahaha. And I heard about it in passing."

Eren had heard about the Catastrophe in 2019. Los Medes almost fell to the hands of the Phantoms.

At that point, the United Governments’ Awakeners weren’t as organized as they were now, causing the entire city to be caught unprepared when a Catastrophe-level portal appeared in the middle of the city.

Dr. Reid called it the moment when the Prominent Families elevated their status to household names.

That brief instance of carelessness from the United Governments allowed these independent Awakener groups to capture good public perception.

"Can’t you talk to Magnus and tell him to give others a chance?" Sky pleaded with Ormann.

"I... have never even met the guy. I doubt my words would change his mind. Anyway, we should just focus on ourselves," Ormann said, quickly changing topics. "It looks like we’ll have to start going through the Burrows soon. Or else, we’ll get left behind."

Examinees around the campfire stretched their bodies and checked their sunspore reserves. Like soldiers double-checking their armor before war.

Their movements were hasty. Panicked, even.

Magnus’ spurred the dormant anxiety inside them that had been churning since the very beginning of the License Exam.

They’ve done all that they could to prepare. Now, it was time for action.

"How many sunspores do each of us have?" Ormann asked the group.

Sierra and the others gave answers ranging from 70 to 90 sunspores.

"We only have 40," said Celeste, answering for herself and Michael.

"Only 40? You mean you had nothing before we gathered those sunspores?"

She nodded with an exasperated look. "We got unlucky with our tunnel. There were no sunspores there."

Eren pointed backwards, showing Ormann the tunnel where they had come from.

For a second, Ormann’s face flashed with a bit of shock. But a moment later, it was gone and nobody was none the wiser. Except for Eren.

"Oh, that’s a shame. Don’t worry, we’ll share," Ormann said, rallying the rest of the group with enthusiastic words.

They rested for an hour and a half, eating Skyward Soup, eating water, and recovering their energy so that they would be fully prepared for their journey through the Burrows.

Examinees looked like ants climbing their hills as each of them tried to find a suitable tunnel for them to challenge. Eren and the rest joined them, choosing a tunnel that was less traveled than the rest in the hopes of discovering a new Burrow.

Most of the time they spent was dedicated to travelling. Not all tunnels led to a Burrow. And not all Burrows led to a Concrete Block.

Eventually, they stumbled upon a Burrow with a pedestal at the end, displaying a Concrete Block perched atop it.

A large chasm laid in between them and their coveted prize. The only way to traverse it was the thin islands of rock that were scattered through the darkness. Cracking stone and falling debris warned them that not all platforms would hold steady.

Unfortunately, they were not the only ones who discovered this Burrow.

Discarded sunspores laid scattered near the edge of the Chasm. Enough for twenty minutes, at least.

And yet, there were no signs of someone on the other side of the Chasm. The Concrete Block remained unbroken too.

Meaning, this Burrow had already claimed its first victim and was just waiting for its next.

"Should we try and get to the other side?" Sierra asked.

Eren immediately shook his head. "It’s impossible. Look at the last platform leading to the Concrete Block."

"There’s... nothing there," Sierra replied.

"Exactly. Whoever tried this Burrow failed at the very last jump. And he took the platform with him as he fell."

Meaning, this Burrow was literally impossible to complete. Well, unless someone could fly or jump twenty meters in one leap.

"Good catch," Ormann complimented Eren. His words had a hint of shock and surprise.