The monster immediately opened its enormous jaws.
Screech!!
Its grotesque mouth expanded unnaturally before spitting a massive stream of sticky webbing directly toward Noah.
Whoosh!
The web shot through the air at frightening speed.
Noah’s expression remained completely calm.
Slash!
His sword flashed once.
The mana-coated blade sliced cleanly through the incoming web before it could reach him.
The sticky strands fell harmlessly onto the stone floor.
The spider barely had time to react.
With nothing more than a single thought, more than thirty ice weapons materialized above the battlefield.
Swords.
Spears.
Daggers.
Lances.
Every weapon shimmered with an icy blue glow as they floated silently in the air.
The giant spider instinctively looked upward.
Its crimson eyes widened.
Noah calmly raised his free hand.
’Go.’
The instant the command left his lips every ice weapon shot downward simultaneously.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The chamber filled with piercing whistles. The barrage descended like a rain of frozen death.
The spider tried to leap away but it was already too late.
Schhk!
Schhk!
Schhk!
One weapon after another pierced through its hard exoskeleton.
The creature let out a painful screech as countless blades tore through its flesh, pinning its enormous body to the stone floor.
Dark green blood splattered across the chamber. The monster struggled violently.
Its legs thrashed wildly. But the weapons had already locked it in place.
Noah slowly raised his left hand.
Then he calmly clenched his fist.
Crack!
Every ice weapon embedded inside the spider exploded at once. Jagged ice crystals burst outward from each blade, rapidly spreading through the monster’s body.
The frost raced across its flesh.
Its legs froze solid. Its movements slowed.
Within only a few seconds, the gigantic spider had become a motionless sculpture covered in thick layers of crystal-blue ice on many parts of body where those ice weapons clashed.
Noah walked forward without hesitation. His footsteps echoed softly through the chamber.
The frozen monster could no longer resist.
He raised his sword. Then brought it down in one clean motion.
Slash!
The blade severed the spider’s head effortlessly.
Its massive body trembled once before collapsing completely.
Dead.
Noah calmly shook the blood from his sword before looking toward Damien.
On the opposite side of the chamber...
Damien had already finished his own battle.
Golden mana still flickered around his body as the corpse of the second giant spider crashed onto the stone floor.
He rested his sword on his shoulder and smiled.
"Looks like we’re done."
Noah returned his sword to his side.
"That was easier than the golems."
Damien nodded in agreement.
"Living monsters are much simpler. They don’t hit nearly as hard."
The two exchanged a satisfied glance before turning their attention toward the enormous stone door waiting silently at the end of the chamber.
Both walked toward it and stopped.
Damien stepped toward the enormous stone door and placed both hands against it, preparing to push it open.
"Let’s see what’s on the next floor."
Just as he was about to apply force.
"Wait a minute, Damien."
Damien paused and looked over his shoulder.
"What?"
Noah walked closer, his blue eyes fixed on the massive door.
"I mean... look at it properly."
Damien frowned before following Noah’s gaze. Only then did he truly observe the intricate carvings engraved across the ancient black metal.
His eyes slowly widened. The door itself was a masterpiece.
Countless elegant patterns intertwined across its surface, depicting mountains, clouds, and forgotten runes whose meanings had long been lost to history.
But what drew both of their attention the most was the colossal dragon carved into its center.
The dragon covered nearly the entire door.
Since the door itself was forged from black metal, the dragon possessed the same obsidian appearance. Yet somehow, it stood out from everything around it.
Its scales had been carved with unbelievable precision.
Every single scale looked razor-sharp, layered perfectly upon the next, as though they would move if the creature suddenly came to life.
Its enormous wings spread majestically across both halves of the door.
Its powerful neck stretched upward while its jaws remained wide open in a silent roar that somehow still carried an overwhelming sense of dominance.
The craftsmanship was so lifelike that it almost felt alive.
The most striking feature, however was its eyes. Two crimson gemstones had been embedded into the dragon’s eye sockets.
Even after countless years, they still gleamed faintly in the torchlight.
Noah stepped closer.
Without saying a word, he reached out and rubbed one of the crimson gems with his thumb before trying to pry it loose.
It refused to move. Not even slightly.
Damien watched with amusement.
"...It’s really beautiful."
He continued staring at the magnificent carving.
"And overwhelming."
Noah nodded in agreement while withdrawing his hand.
"Yeah."
His gaze remained fixed on the dragon.
"But... Why a dragon?"
Damien folded his arms. "Maybe the one who built this labyrinth was a dragon."
Noah slowly turned his head toward him. His expression became completely deadpan.
Damien scratched the back of his head.
"...What?"
Noah sighed.
"Damien... If a dragon—or any other mythical creature of that caliber—had created this labyrinth..."
He looked back at the gigantic carving.
"...do you honestly think two weak academy students like us could clear it?"
Damien blinked.
"...Hmm."
After thinking about it for a moment, he nodded.
"That’s true."
Dragons weren’t ordinary magical beasts. They were mythical beings that existed only in ancient legends and the oldest historical records.
It was said that every true dragon possessed the potential to naturally reach the Mythical Rank.
As far as Noah knew, no human in recorded history had ever possessed Mythical Core potential except for the legendary Hero stories, and Damien himself. Also Noah included.
Yet even that wasn’t what made dragons truly terrifying.
According to the myths, dragons weren’t limited to the Mythical Rank.
They possessed the ability to surpass it and step into an even higher realm—a level so mysterious that no human, elf, beastman, or demon truly understood what lay beyond.
Whether those legends were true. Noah had no idea.
Still, one thing was certain. If a genuine dragon had truly created this labyrinth it would have been impossible for people at their level to survive inside it.
Damien chuckled awkwardly.
"I guess I didn’t think that far."
"You rarely do."
"Tch."
Noah smiled faintly before placing both hands against the enormous door.
"Anyway... Let’s head to the next floor."
Damien nodded and stepped beside him.
"Right."
The two of them pushed together. The ancient door trembled before slowly beginning to open.
A deep metallic groan echoed throughout the chamber.
Rumble...
As the gap widened, cold air drifted out from the darkness beyond.
Noah stared into the pitch-black passage waiting on the other side.
’I wonder... Do dragons still exist somewhere in this world? After all... they’ve become nothing more than gods’ legends and ancient fairy tales.’
---
After walking down to stairs they came to underground floor.
"Now... what are they?" Damien asked.
Noah sighed and replied.
"Mirrors."
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