Chapter 275 A problematic labyrinth situation?
White Dragon Labyrinth Exploration Arc.
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(POV: Akashic Records)
Traversing through different sections of the labyrinth, Fanatio and her party moved with focus, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence.
Meanwhile,
On a separate path, Ophelia and her class briskly made their way deeper into the dark labyrinth.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.
The air became uneasy as Laura snapped her fingers, setting off a chain of events that none of them could have expected.
The entire labyrinth bathed in a haunting shade of crimson, casting an unsettling glow upon the walls.
Lumiere glanced down and noticed the unusual transformation.
"What's happening?" he questioned.
Ophelia?s brows furrowed. She replied with uncertainty, "I... I have no idea."
Grome immediately lamented, "Dammit, I knew we should've turned back while we had the chance."
The ground beneath them began to quake and tremble, intensifying their fears.
Realizing the need for action, Lumiere turned to the lazily hovering Stellaria.
"Stellaria, keep the students together!" he urgently commanded.
"Hm, sure."
With a nonchalant yawn, Stellaria slowly turned and extended her hand, attempting to use her spatial abilities to create a protective barrier. However, to her surprise, her powers faltered, failing to respond to her will.
Panic entered Lumiere's voice as he questioned Stellaria's failed attempt.
"What's going on Stellaria? Set-up the barrier!"
"That'll be a problem..."
"Wh... What're you..."
"My powers don't seem to be working."
"Eh?"
In that moment, Stellaria ceased hovering and gently landed on her feet, the usual confidence in her eyes replaced by confusion.
She shook her head fighting away another yawn, "Yeah, something?s definitely blocking my abilities."
However, Lumiere wasn't convinced. Instinctively, he raised his right hand, conjuring a magic barrier around the students. Yet, to his disbelief, it too failed miserably, his mana inexplicably blocked by an unknown force.
"What's happening?" Lumiere muttered to himself, completely frustrated.
Anastasia chimed in, "I don't know what's going on... but when the labyrinth turns red and rumbles like this, it's never a good thing."
Lance lowered his gaze from the mirror. "Well, it seems this could be the end of my handsome existence," he mused.
Luna raised an eyebrow at his remark.
"This isn't really the time for that."
The labyrinth continued to tremble, its unsettling rumbles echoing through the air, causing the ground to quake beneath their feet.
Simultaneously, on the other side of the labyrinth, Fanatio and her party found themselves trapped in the same harrowing situation.
Fanatio?s eyes narrowed.
She tried to make sense of their predicament.
"What is happening here?" she wondered aloud.
Garret looked back and forth. "I don't know, but it doesn't look good."
Even with the rumbling of the labyrinth, she still stood calmly, trying to think.
"I think it's so—"
Before Genevieve could complete her sentence, a blinding flash of crimson light engulfed everyone, momentarily disorienting their senses. In the chaos that ensued, the students, teachers and adventurers were forcefully scattered and teleported across the labyrinth to random locations.
...
...
...
When the light finally faded away, Anastasia regained her senses, momentarily stunned by the disorienting experience. Her hand came into contact with something soft, and curiosity got the better of her.
"What is this?" she muttered, gently squeezing the soft, fleshy object.
A low moan escaped the unknown entity, further piquing Anastasia's curiosity.
"It's so soft..." she murmured, applying another gentle squeeze.
As a louder moan escaped, realization struck her.
"That sounds like Lu... Luna!"
Anastasia exclaimed, finally recognizing the voice.
Luna, her eyes still squinted shut, managed to speak through the discomfort.
"Can you please stop touching me there?" she managed to muster with a strained voice.
Panicking, she quickly withdrew her hand.
"Sorry Luna!"
Anastasia was quick to react, carefully moving away from Luna as she stammered an apology.
"I... It's fine..." Luna told her.
Anastasia stole a glance at her own modest chest, then cautiously comparing it to Luna's noticeably larger breast.
"Wow, your boobs are unnecessarily large."
Luna?s face immediately flushed as she wrapped her arms around her breasts.
"They are not!"
"Sure, they definitely aren't."
Anastasia, deep in thought, rose to her feet and rested her hand on her chin, her emerald eyes scanning the dimly lit labyrinth.
"I wonder where we are," she mused.
Luna, still seated on the cold ground, replied, "We must've been separated from the rest of the class. Or perhaps everyone's been scattered."
Anastasia nodded in agreement.
Just then, they heard footsteps.
Their gaze shifted towards the?source of the sound.
"That sound... What is it?" Anastasia questioned, her brows furrowing in concern.
Luna pointed a finger behind them.
"It's coming from over there."
Turning their attention to the noise, their eyes widened as they spotted two strangers approaching them in the labyrinth's eerie glow.
"Stay back," Anastasia exclaimed.
Luna, quick to react, extended her hand forward, conjuring ice particles in her palm.
However, Fanatio, one of the strangers, calmly interjected before Luna could unleash her magic.
"Don't waste your time... Magic doesn't work in this labyrinth."
"W... What...?"
Luna's face contorted in frustration as her attempts to manipulate the elements fizzled away into nothingness.
Nevertheless, both Luna and Anastasia remained on their guard, their instincts urging caution.
With a slight raise of her hands, Genevieve stepped forward.
"There's no need to worry. We're not going to hurt you."
Fanatio, arms folded across her chest, added calmly, "It's not like we have a reason to either."
Luna took a hesitant step backward, her blue eyes narrowing as she questioned the newcomers.
"If that's the case, then how did you end up in this labyrinth?"
Naturally, the two believed their class were the only ones that should be in the labyrinth at the time.
No one else.
Genevieve exchanged a knowing glance with Fanatio before explaining their predicament.
"We're adventurers," Genevieve began. "We entered this labyrinth through a dungeon gate. But after a sudden flash of red light, we got separated from our party members."
Luna, feeling a sense of empathy, relaxed slightly.
"The same thing happened to us," she admitted in a softer tone.
Anastasia chimed in, "Their story does check out."
She lowered her guard down a bit, her suspicions alleviated.
"So, how do we escape this labyrinth?" Luna asked.
Genevieve, her demeanor calm and collected, responded, "Initially, we thought there was no way out, but the people we woke up next to might just have the answer."
Anastasia uttered, "Hm?"
Suddenly, emerging from the shadowed corners of the labyrinth, Ruri, Ophelia, and Stellaria made their appearance.
Upon seeing Ruri, both Luna and Anastasia exclaimed in unison, "Ruri!"
Overwhelmed with relief, they rushed forward, embracing her tightly.
"Are you alright?" Anastasia questioned, worry etched on her face.
Ruri smiled warmly and reassured them, "I'm fine, no problem at all."
Luna, still holding onto her shoulders, beamed. "That's wonderful."
Meanwhile, Ophelia approached Anastasia and Luna.
"Are the two of you alright?" she asked.
Luna nodded, a small smile gracing her lips. "I'm fine," she reassured.
"Me too," Anastasia added.
Ophelia's worry instantly dissipated. "That's a relief," she said.
While arms still folded across her chest, Fanatio turned her attention back to Stellaria.
"You mentioned earlier that you could lead us out of this labyrinth. How exactly?"
Stellaria, her left eye closed and yawning lazily, nonchalantly replied, "Indeed, all you need to do is follow me."
Fanatio raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound too difficult."
Observing the interaction between Ophelia and the familiar faces of Luna and Anastasia, Genevieve's curiosity got the better of her.
"You know each other?"
Ophelia nodded. "Yes, they are my students."
Genevieve's expression softened. "I see."
Stepping forward, Stellaria, already impatient, directed their attention.
"Can we please get going? I've been standing or nearly two minutes now, my legs are killing me..."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l