Chapter 302 Out of the labyrinth?
White Dragon Labyrinth Exploration Arc.
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(POV: Akashic Records)
In the heart of the labyrinth, as the Imperial Dragons' presence faded from the labyrinth, the pressure in the labyrinth relaxed.
Grome, Garret, Ress, Lance, and Aidan found themselves trapped, their every instinct screaming at them to flee.
They ran like their lives depended on it... Because well, it did...
They sprinted through the maze-like corridors, desperately evading the relentless pursuit of towering insectoid monsters.
Their hearts pounding in their chests, Aidan couldn't help but voice their mounting frustration.
"Come on, guys! Aren't you supposed to be the legendary adventurers, the ones who can take on anything? Can't you handle these oversized bugs?"
Grome, his voice strained with exertion, shot a weary glance in Aidan's direction.
"First of all, we're not legendary adventurers, we're 'barely getting by' adventurers."
"Still doesn't count as an excuse!"
"It's not that simple lad. One or two of those critters? Easy. A dozen? The same. A hundred? Maybe manageable considering our numbers. But when we're facing a swarm of over a thousand..."
Ress then shouted at the top of his voice. "YOU RUN!!"
He didn't even need to finish his sentence before Lance cut in, a hint of panic edging his voice.
"Are you saying this is going to be the end of my handsome existence? I refuse to let my good looks go to waste like this!"
"Even now, you're still praising yourself...!" said Aidan, running with each word pronounced.
Garret had reached his limit.
With an enraged expression, he abruptly came to a stop, drawing his sword with a swift motion.
Dark fire crackled and surged along its blade, as if it hungered for the destruction it would soon unleash upon their tormentors.
"That's it. I've had enough. I'll take em? all down myself!"
"Idiot!" said Ress. "He's courting death!"
Before his strike could find its mark, however, reality seemed to twist and warp around them. The labyrinth rumbled ominously, and without warning, they were violently expelled from its depths. Spiraling through a vortex of disorientation, they found themselves suddenly sprawled across the lush forest floor of a small vegetative region near Argentia.
Coughing and gasping for breath, they each managed to rise to their feet, their bodies and minds reeling from the adrenaline-fueled chaos they had just escaped.
Beads of sweat clung to their furrowed brows, and Lance, being the first to find his voice amidst their collective awe, let out a disbelieving scream.
"I'm... sweating!" he exclaimed.
Without hesitation, he rushed towards a nearby babbling brook, desperate to wash away the grime and exhaustion clinging to his face and hair.
The others watched underwhelmed.
In a progressive manner, Garret, Grome, Ress and lastly Aidan, said this:
"So, we got chased by gigantic demonic fire ants..."
"Had to run through several aisles that shot deadly mythril spikes..."
"Held our breath for almost twenty minutes passing by the poisonous mist room..."
"And all he's worried about..." Aidan slammed the palm of his hand on his head. "Is his face..."
Following suit, the others also did a heavy face-palm.
After Lance had finished rinsing his hair and cleansing his face, he confidently rose to his feet, turning towards his companions with a graceful flick of his luscious golden locks. A serene smile adorned his face as he elegantly brushed his hair back, as if he was starring in a shampoo commercial.
"I must say, I'm looking rather beautiful, even on my worst day," Lance said with a self-assured expression.
The four men exchanged lackluster glances, their response falling short of Lance's expected excitement. "Yeah, great," they mumbled collectively, clearly unimpressed by his self-proclaimed beauty.
They were more concerned with how this idiot didn't care much about other things.
...
Meanwhile,
The group of ladies had crash-landed deep within the ArAuMer forest.
Anastasia found herself once again landing on Luna's lap, her hands inadvertently clasping onto her huge breasts for support.
Amazement filled her voice as she exclaimed, "How are they so big?"
Curiosity got the better of her as she gave Luna's breasts a purely experimental squeeze, her hands seemingly sinking further into the soft, weighty flesh.
"I can't believe they're this big!"
Luna, exhausted beyond the point of moaning, pleaded with Anastasia, "Are you done already?"
"Oh, sorry, hah~"
Realizing her oversight, Anastasia hurriedly apologized and swiftly removed her hands from Luna's breasts.
Meanwhile, Stellaria, who hadn't been subjected to the crash landing, floated above them, stretching her arms languidly while letting out an exhausted yawn.
"I'm so tired," she murmured.
To her, it was like their situation in the labyrinth never happened.
Anastasia retreated to a secluded corner, fixated on her own "much" smaller breasts as she mentally calculated its size in comparison to Luna's.
With utter disbelief, she marveled, "Whoa, they're like four times the size of mine, or maybe even more!"
Relieved to be out of their previous predicament, Ruri exhaled a sigh of relief and expressed, "I'm so glad we're finally out of there."
Ruri made her way towards Anastasia and Luna, joining them in their secluded corner.
The three girls gathered, they looked a tad exhausted.
"It's unimaginable," Genevieve whispered, she was still in a bad mood. "To think that there're still dragons of that magnitude, lurking in those depths."
One would think powerful ancient dragons would've exited the dungeon and labyrinth system of living since the wars several centuries ago ended.
Fanatio nodded in agreement, her expression grim.
"Indeed, it's hard to believe that such immense power still exists to this day. I doubt the kingdom even knows..."
As the weight of their encounter settled upon them, Genevieve and Fanatio exchanged glances, their moods growing darker.
They silently walked away from the group, their steps heavy with the weight of their thoughts.
The sudden understanding of how insignificant they were.
That thought alone sent streaks of nightmares through their minds.
Stellaria and Ophelia remained behind, unsure of what had caused this sudden change in atmosphere.
"Hm?"
Ophelia noticed they were leaving and walked forward a bit.
"Where are you two going?"
Genevieve and Fanatio lowered their heads, their fingers tightly clenching into fists. The pain from Fanatio's injured arm was evident, the cracking sounds of her bones echoing in the air as she squeezed her hand.
"Be careful," Ophelia warned. "Your arm hasn't fully healed yet."
Fanatio let out a bitter chuckle.
"What does it matter? Should a useless arm like this even mean anything to me? I don't think so..."
Confusion crossed Ophelia's face.
"I don't understand what you mean."
Genevieve sighed heavily.
She was frustrated.
"If it weren't for Stellaria, we would have... we would have died. We were completely helpless, unable to do anything."
Stellaria, hovering above them, let out an exhausted yawn. "She's right," she interjected with her usual bluntness.
Genevieve's words lingered in the tense silence.
"I thought I'd already accepted how pitifully powerless I was since the attack on Zarbon city, that I was simply not strong enough to protect others. But now... now it's become even worse. I can't even save myself when it truly matters... just nothing but a helpless spectator."
A loud silence settled into the atmosphere.
Ophelia slowly lowered her head. "I suppose you're right..."
"( Hmm, this might be good for them... )"
Stellaria casually watched them as they accepted their powerlessness.
Their inability to protect what was precious to them.
To Genevieve, it was her life and that of others.
To Fanatio, her pride as a warrior.
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