After somehow managing to defeat the four stone guardians without suffering any major injuries, Noah and Damien continued deeper into the labyrinth.
Damien had taken care of two of the guardians with his overwhelming physical strength, while Noah had dealt with the remaining two by combining his swordsmanship with his Ice Creation ability. Although the battle had not been particularly difficult, it had drained a noticeable amount of their stamina and mana.
Still, neither of them slowed down.
The ancient corridors stretched endlessly before them.
Time and again, they reached intersections where several passageways branched off in different directions. Each time, Damien relied solely on his intuition to choose a route, while Noah silently followed behind.
More than once, they encountered hidden traps concealed beneath the stone floor or within the walls, but thanks to their growing caution, they managed to avoid most of them before any real danger arose.
The labyrinth never remained quiet for long.
Every now and then, another stone guardian would emerge from the darkness, forcing the two young men into battle once again.
Hours passed like that.
All they did was fight and walk then choose another path.
Repeat.
Eventually, even Noah began to lose track of how many corridors they had crossed.
Finally, both Noah and Damien collapsed onto the cold stone floor inside another unfamiliar passage.
Neither of them had the slightest idea where they were anymore.
"This place..." Damien muttered between heavy breaths. "...It’s like an endless maze."
Noah leaned against the wall and let out a tired sigh.
"You’re only realizing that now?"
Damien chuckled weakly.
"How many hours have we been wandering around?"
Noah looked up at the stone ceiling.
"Six... maybe seven."
He paused for a moment before shaking his head.
"...Or perhaps even longer. I didn’t bother checking the time when we entered."
Damien groaned dramatically.
"Seriously... how did Master Morgana explore this entire labyrinth and come back within a single day?"
Noah folded his arms.
"She probably used some mysterious witchcraft that pointed her toward the correct path."
Damien immediately rolled his eyes.
"Master doesn’t know any magic like that."
He looked at Noah with complete seriousness.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Noah merely shrugged.
"I was just making a guess."
Silence settled between them once again.
After a few moments, Noah spoke.
"Should we take a proper break?"
He stretched his sore shoulders before continuing,
"Your master did mention that clearing this labyrinth might take us several days. I hope you brought enough food and supplies."
Damien puffed out his chest proudly.
"Of course I did."
He tapped the storage ring on his finger.
"I came fully prepared."
"Good."
Noah nodded with satisfaction.
At least they would not starve inside this endless stone prison.
The two of them took out several preserved meals, bread, dried meat, and bottles of water from their storage rings before quietly eating together.
For the first time since entering the labyrinth, neither of them spoke much.
The silence was strangely comforting.
After finishing his meal, Noah stood up and pulled a travel bag from his storage ring.
He placed it on the ground before lying down, using it as a pillow.
Damien remained seated with his back against the stone wall, his sword resting across his knees as he kept watch over the corridor.
Someone had to stay alert.
The labyrinth was far too dangerous for both of them to sleep at the same time.
As Noah closed his eyes, Damien suddenly broke the silence.
"By the way... Noah."
"Hm?"
Without opening his eyes, Noah answered lazily.
"Did you ever know anything about Mary’s family?"
Noah remained quiet for a brief moment before replying.
"No."
He slowly shook his head.
"Apparently, she was an orphan."
A faint, complicated smile appeared on his face.
"To be honest... even I didn’t know that while she was alive."
He spoke quietly.
"I never asked about her family... and she never brought it up either."
His voice gradually became softer.
"So... I never had the chance to know."
Damien lowered his gaze.
"So... there really wasn’t anyone waiting for her."
Noah didn’t answer.
He simply kept his eyes closed.
The corridor became silent once again.
Only the faint crackling of the mana torches echoed through the ancient labyrinth as the two friends rested before continuing their uncertain journey deeper into the endless maze.
---
"We did it?"
Damien looked around the enormous chamber, his voice carrying both relief and disbelief.
"It... seems so."
Noah slowly scanned the surroundings.
"This is the first place we’ve seen that’s different from all the endless corridors."
It felt like they had spend one whole day or maybe more time to find this place.
The chamber was far larger than any they had encountered before.
Ancient stone pillars lined both sides, supporting the high ceiling overhead. At the very end of the chamber stood a colossal stone door covered with intricate carvings. Unlike the other doors they had passed, this one possessed an ancient, imposing aura.
Damien pointed toward it.
"That door...It probably leads to the next floor."
Noah nodded.
"That’s what it looks like. we might go more underground."
A faint smile appeared on both of their faces.
Perhaps they had finally found a way forward.
Just as they prepared to move.
Screech!!
A sharp, ear-piercing cry echoed above them.
"What?"
Both young men instinctively looked upward.
Something enormous dropped from the ceiling.
BOOM!
Two gigantic spiders landed heavily on the stone floor.
Their bodies were covered in thick black chitin, each standing nearly three meters tall. Eight crimson eyes glowed ominously in the dim chamber, while massive fangs continuously dripped with dark green venom that hissed whenever it touched the ground.
Unlike the stone guardians, these were living monsters. They possess flesh and blood.
Creatures of flesh and blood. The spiders let out another terrifying screech before charging.
Damien grinned.
"One each?"
Noah calmly drew his sword.
"Sounds good."
Without another word both of them dashed forward.
Damien rushed toward the spider on the left.
Noah chose the one on the right.
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