[Scarlett POV]
We had been walking through this labyrinth for almost an hour, yet somehow, we kept ending up at the same place every twenty minutes. Brian was the one leading the way, and I had to admit, he really wasn't talented when it came to finding the right path.
"Brian... We've already ended up at this red spider-patterned door three times, you know," Ariel said, apparently unable to endure going around in circles any longer.
"Ughhh... Fine. Let's think this through again," Brian said, touching his chin as though he were seriously pondering the problem. "On our first attempt, we took the right path at the first intersection, the left path at the second, and went straight at the final intersection."
With the route we had taken, the three of us eventually ended up back at this spider-patterned door. On our second attempt, we chose different paths at every intersection we encountered, yet the result remained exactly the same.
"And on our third attempt, we went straight every time we encountered an intersection," Brian continued. "But why do we keep getting the same result? We're just running around in circles in this damn place!"
His words weren't wrong. They were perfectly logical. Normally, if we changed our route during every attempt, we should have ended up somewhere different.
So why did we always end up back at this spider-patterned door?
We had an advantage when it came to navigating this labyrinth because two people in our group could cast light magic—Ariel and Brian. Yet even after using his magic for such a long time, Brian showed absolutely no signs of exhaustion or Mana Exhaustion.
I suppose this must be one of the abilities granted by the Codex he possessed.
Brian eventually sighed and started walking again.
"Let's keep exploring this place. Standing around doing nothing isn't going to get us anywhere," Brian suggested.
I glanced at Ariel.
She looked quite exhausted after walking for so long.
That was only natural. Unlike Brian and me, who were Knights with superior physical conditioning, Ariel was a Priestess. Her body simply wasn't trained to endure this kind of prolonged physical activity.
"Brian," I called out.
The blond-haired man turned around, his face showing genuine surprise. Perhaps this was the first time he had heard my voice since I became his companion for the second-stage examination.
"W-what is it, Scarlett?" Brian asked, strangely nervous.
"We should rest for a while. Ariel looks exhausted," I told him.
"A-ah, no. I can still walk," Ariel protested, but her condition was obvious enough that no one here could be fooled.
Brian looked at Ariel carefully. She was sweating heavily, her legs were trembling slightly, and her gaze had already begun to lose focus.
"I-I'm sorry, Ariel," Brian said, looking genuinely regretful. "I didn't notice how exhausted you were."
"Don't worry about it, Brian," Ariel said, trying to smile. "I think we can rest just before the first intersection."
"All right, then."
Seeing that Ariel insisted on continuing, we resumed our journey.
Not long afterward, we reached the first intersection. Three different paths stretched out before us.
"All right, we can rest here for a while," Brian said before handing Ariel a pouch of drinking water. "Recover your strength with this, Ariel."
"Thank you, Brian."
Leaving the two of them to talk, I walked around the surrounding area, trying to figure out where we had gone wrong and why we kept ending up in the same place.
It was then that I noticed several animal carvings on the walls of the labyrinth.
There were three different animals carved into the stone here: a Dog, a Bird, and a Wolf.
I had no idea what these carvings were supposed to mean.
Could they simply be decorations?
"...!"
Something happened.
Suddenly, the three carvings moved and shifted into a completely different formation.
What was the meaning of this...?
The original formation on the wall had been Dog, Bird, and Wolf.
Now, all three carvings had changed into Dogs.
Could this have something to do with the reason we kept returning to the same place despite taking completely different routes?
---
[Raul POV]
After spending an hour traversing the labyrinth, I finally found a door with the image of a spider carved into it.
Looks like we've reached the illusionary section of the labyrinth.
This labyrinth had been constructed by an illusion mage from the Kingdom of Kuwalid. Anyone attempting to pass through it had to memorize the formation of the carvings on each wall before every intersection if they wanted to find their way out.
"Raul, why did you stop?" Valeria asked.
"It's nothing. Let's enter this place."
We opened the door and began walking inside.
This labyrinth was approximately fifteen meters wide and twenty meters high. However, after passing through the illusionary area, the labyrinth would become much wider and considerably darker than before.
The monsters inhabiting this place were also accustomed to hunting their prey there. Fighting them would be extremely difficult if the battle dragged on for too long.
After walking for a short while, I saw three animal carvings on the wall: Dog, Bird, and Wolf.
This was a magical formation disguised by the labyrinth's creator to deceive anyone who entered this area. To the Players entering this place for the first time, the carvings were essentially an annoying puzzle.
"Raul, why did you stop again?" Valeria asked, confused.
"We'll wait here for a while, Valeria," I replied.
We had to wait until the carvings on the walls changed into the correct formation so that the illusion covering this area would disappear.
Anyone who passed through this area before the carvings changed into the correct formation would simply return to the spider-patterned door and continue going around in circles.
"Huh? Why? Is there something strange about these carvings?" Valeria asked again, her suspicion growing.
I didn't answer her.
Instead, I let her see what was about to happen.
"...!"
Valeria's expression changed when she saw the carvings on the labyrinth wall shift.
This time, their formation became Bird, Wolf, and Dog.
"What does this mean...?" Valeria muttered. "Raul, do you know what's actually happening here?"
"This is a disguised magical formation programmed to change at specific intervals," I answered.
I then explained to Valeria about the illusion magic stored within this formation and why the creator had placed it here.
"I see..." Valeria muttered.
Suddenly, she fixed me with a sharp gaze and began walking toward me.
I had no choice but to step backward until my back pressed against the wall.
Her face drew closer and closer until I could smell her natural scent.
"Raul, tell me the truth," Valeria said seriously. "How do you know all of this? There's no way information from a broker and books in the library could possibly allow you to know this much."
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Ughhh... Why do I always become such a blabbermouth whenever I'm talking about the game I created?
I need to be more careful from now on.
In this world, information was more valuable than anything.
I noticed the carvings change once again.
This time, their formation became Dog, Dog, and Dog.
"Hey, let's talk about this another time, okay?" I said, attempting to change the subject. "We need to pass through this section while the formation is correct and there isn't any illusion magic along the path."
Valeria still didn't take her sharp gaze off me.
She then took a step back, pouted, and began walking ahead of me.
"What a troublesome woman..." I muttered.
Her curiosity about everything was finally becoming a double-edged sword for me.
We continued our journey for almost another hour until we passed the third intersection.
After leaving the illusionary area, we entered a rather large area that was only faintly illuminated.
There was almost no light here at all, and our visibility was limited to only two or three meters.
"Raul, should we use light magic?" Valeria asked.
Light magic, huh?
She was right. There would be plenty of dangerous monsters roaming this area, and being able to see our surroundings with light magic would discourage them from approaching us.
However, this area was also much larger than any of the sections we had passed through before.
It would be dangerous if Valeria ran out of mana halfway through and became unable to defend herself when the monsters attacked.
That was why it was so important for Knights to train all five of their senses and learn how to use them in situations like this.
I wanted to deal with the monsters now while Valeria was still fresh and had plenty of mana.
However, fighting while simultaneously protecting her would be quite difficult here.
An environment this dark was a major weakness for a mage like Valeria, especially one who hadn't yet mastered detection and illumination magic.
"Valeria, use illumination magic now," I ordered.
"All right."
It would be better for me to fight near the labyrinth's exit, even without Valeria's assistance.
At least we'd have an easier escape route if something went wrong.
"Jade Light..."
A green light appeared in her hand, illuminating the entire area.
I saw several monsters crawling along the walls of the labyrinth immediately flee and disappear into the ground.
"Ughhh... There really are quite a lot of monsters here," Valeria said. "What are we going to do if my spell runs out, Raul?"
"I already have a plan for that," I replied. "How long do you think you can maintain this light without suffering Mana Exhaustion?"
"Umm... Probably a little over an hour."
"And how long does it take for your mana to regenerate enough for you to cast several second-tier spells or lower?" I asked.
Hearing my question, Valeria touched her chin as she thought.
"I'm not sure... Maybe around ten to fifteen minutes."
I see.
I could activate Night Vision and fight the monsters myself later.
However, my mana capacity would only allow me to maintain the spell for around ten minutes.
We continued moving.
The monsters we encountered began fleeing from Valeria's light.
Among them, I spotted a Phantom Dweller.
A humanoid monster with the head of a rat and long, razor-sharp claws.
It would be extremely troublesome if there were more than five of them in this area.
Let's hope there aren't too many of them wandering around here.
We kept walking through the pitch-black labyrinth.
The sounds of monsters following us from a distance made me slightly nervous.
Valeria seemed equally tense. She was probably afraid that they would attack us the moment her light disappeared.
After nearly an hour of walking, Valeria's light began to dim.
Sweat streamed down her smooth skin, a clear sign that she was already exhausted.
The path through the labyrinth had also narrowed again, now only about five meters wide.
That meant we weren't too far from the exit.
"Valeria, how are you holding up?" I asked.
"Don't worry. My spell can still last another five minutes," she replied softly.
Then I had to prepare myself.
The moment this light disappeared, these monsters would undoubtedly rush at us.
"Valeria, I want you to run straight ahead. Don't look back or stop, no matter what happens," I ordered.
"All right. What about you, Raul?"
"You don't need to worry about me," I replied casually. "Once you find a door, open it and wait for me for about ten minutes. Understand?"
Hearing my instructions, Valeria simply nodded.
It seemed that her negative impression of me had changed after spending five days together during the second-stage examination.
Five minutes passed.
The light in Valeria's hand began to dim.
It grew weaker and weaker until, eventually, it disappeared completely.
-Nyieeett...!
The sounds of monsters suddenly became much clearer the moment Valeria's light vanished.
"Run. Now!"
"Understood!"
Valeria began running as fast as she could.
I activated Night Vision and turned around.
Five Phantom Dwellers were rushing toward me.
Their mouths opened, revealing rows of terrifying sharp teeth. An irritating screeching sound echoed as the monsters clawed against the walls while running.
"Now... Come here, you pieces of sh*t."
I prepared myself to fight them.
However, this time, I didn't use my sword. There wasn't enough room to wield it effectively.
A dagger would have been much more useful here.
-Cyaaatt!
One of the monsters leaped toward me, directing its razor-sharp claws at my body.
I sidestepped and easily avoided its attack.
However, the monster immediately resumed running, attempting to chase after Valeria.
-Nyieeet!
The monster shrieked when I grabbed its tail and yanked it backward, throwing it hard enough to collide with another monster.
Another one charged at me.
This time, it attacked with both hands, attempting to slash me with its sharp claws.
I activated Temper on both hands and waited for it to make a wide attack so I could counterattack quickly.
The monster thrust its claws forward, leaving its defense slightly exposed.
I dodged to the right and immediately launched a fast right hook toward its temple.
-Crack!
The sound of breaking bone rang out as my fist slammed its head violently against the wall.
The monster's body went limp and it lost consciousness.
Two monsters then advanced at the same time.
Apparently, they had lost confidence in attacking me one at a time.
The monster on my left launched a stabbing attack.
I shifted slightly to the left and pushed its elbow, causing its claws to stab its own companion beside it.
-Crack!
I grabbed its neck from behind and locked it tightly until its neck snapped.
Turning around, I saw the remaining two monsters rushing toward me.
This time, they attacked one after another.
That didn't matter.
When I noticed one of them spreading its legs wide, I immediately kicked it hard between the legs.
-Aaughhh...!
It collapsed to the ground, clutching its crushed testicles.
Its companion quickly rushed toward me again, but I swiftly drew my sword and severed its hand.
The monster stumbled backward in agony, clutching the hand that had just been cut off.
A moment later, my sword cleaved through its neck, ending its life instantly.
I had defeated all five monsters with relative ease.
-Nyieett...!
-Nyieett...!
-Nyieett...!
I heard the monsters from somewhere ahead.
"You've got to be kidding me..." I muttered in disbelief when I saw the number of them rushing toward me.
Eight, nine, ten...
No.
There were nearly twenty of them!
My Night Vision spell wouldn't last much longer...
---
[Valeria POV]
Almost ten minutes had passed since I left Raul behind.
I was now standing in front of the exit of the labyrinth.
After opening the door, I hadn't expected to find ourselves at a high elevation on the mountain, with the slope descending at an angle of approximately thirty degrees.
We were still around 500–700 meters above the ground.
We would have to descend this steep mountain if we wanted to continue our journey.
I turned around when I heard footsteps coming from inside the labyrinth.
Raul was running toward me at incredible speed.
"Valeria! Get ready to jump!" Raul shouted.
"W-what do you mean, jump!?"
There was no way I was going to jump from a height like this!
Not long afterward, I understood why he had told me to jump.
A horde of monsters was chasing him from behind.
"Kyaa!"
Raul lifted my legs and body, carrying me in his arms like a princess before jumping out of the labyrinth.
I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck so I wouldn't fall.
His hands held my shoulder and leg firmly.
We landed relatively smoothly.
Raul immediately began running down the steep mountain slope.
"Hey, are they still following us!?"
I looked over his shoulder and saw the horde of monsters jumping after us.
They then began crawling down the mountain on all fours, moving frighteningly fast.
If this continued, they would definitely catch up to us.
"Yes! Ten monsters are following us closely from behind!" I answered.
"All right. Let go of me and shoot them with your magic!" he ordered. "I can't fight while carrying you like this!"
"All right!"
"Tell me when you're ready!"
I gathered mana into my right hand while trying to determine the monsters' positions.
"I'm ready!"
The moment he heard my signal, Raul jumped and turned around to face the monsters so I could aim at them more easily.
'Triple Fire Ball!'
Three fireballs appeared before my palm and shot toward three of the monsters.
Two hit their targets, but the third missed because the monster managed to dodge it.
Raul turned around again and landed with some difficulty.
I wrapped my arms around his neck once more, watching as he struggled to maintain his footing.
-Nyieett!
-Nyieett!
"Raul, four of them are approaching from each side of us!"
Because of what we had just done, our speed had decreased, allowing the other monsters to catch up.
I activated earth magic to trip the legs of two monsters on our right, causing them to tumble down the mountain.
-Nyieett!
Two monsters on our left suddenly leaped toward us.
Raul attempted to evade them by performing several maneuvers.
I heard him grunt in pain.
One of them had managed to slash his leg.
"Raul, yo—"
"I'm fine. Just focus on defeating them, Valeria."
I looked behind us.
There were still six monsters following us.
I had to take them all down at once.
"Raul, throw me slightly higher and farther forward," I suggested.
"Are you sure?" the black-haired man asked hesitantly.
"You'll catch me, won't you?" I replied with a smile.
"All right. Give me a signal when you're ready."
I gathered even more mana this time.
I had a feeling this would be the final spell I could fire today.
I had already consumed a considerable amount of mana after spending hours maintaining the light spell inside the labyrinth.
"Raul... I'm ready."
Hearing my words, Raul threw me high into the air.
I aimed my right palm toward the horde of monsters.
'Sparkling Fire!'
Six fireballs shot toward each of the monsters.
However, two of them managed to evade the attack before leaping toward me while I was still in the air.
I twisted my body and managed to avoid their attacks aimed at my vital organs.
However, they still managed to slash one of my legs and one of my arms.
An intense burning pain spread throughout my body.
But I had to endure it and fire my final spell.
Raul caught my body perfectly.
The two monsters that had attacked me also landed directly in front of us.
"Hasta la Vista, Baby..."
Two fireballs shot toward the monsters.
Their bodies caught fire, and they began rolling uncontrollably across the ground.
I had defeated those monsters once again...
A sense of satisfaction filled my heart.
Raul suddenly slowed down as we approached the bottom of the mountain.
However, because of the momentum from our rapid descent, he began losing his balance and fell.
-Bang!
Raul turned his body around to shield me from colliding with the ground.
Once again, I ended up on top of him, pinning his body beneath mine.
It was exactly the same position we had been in after I defeated the two Cricket monsters on the fourth day.
My heart was pounding rapidly.
My body was soaked with sweat and my breath was gasping because of the crazy action I was doing again with this man.
My hand touched his chest, this time I could feel Raul's heartbeat. His neck was covered in sweat from the battle earlier.
Lifting my head, I looked at his expressionless face.
Some of my hair fell onto his face. His empty black eyes were like an abyss ready to swallow me at any moment. I touched his cheeks with both of my hands, his expression change as I did so.
"Hey, Raul..."
Why was fighting with him always this exciting?
Why didn't I experience it when fighting with anyone other than him?
Fighting with him always made me feel more developed and gained more fighting experience.
"Once again, that was a very exciting fight," I said to him with a smile. "Let's do it again sometime, okay?"
Hearing my words, he didn't answer and just looked away.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter