[Ding!]
[You entered a Modified Space: Dark Elven Labyrinth]
[As it is a Modified Space made by a Formation which encompassed the whole place, you are subjected to the restriction the Core User imposed.]
[Restrictions Received: 10% Stats Reduction, 10% Energy Output Reduction, 20% Daze Debuff]
[Daze Debuff: Gives certain chance to muddle your decision which can lead to losing your way]
[Only by destroying the Core will the restrictions be lifted]
[Your Adaptability has reduced the effect of the Restrictions in place by 70%]
70% reduced effect? Does that mean if I went in with my real body, this restriction will be nullified by my Adaptability?
Since the Formation was made and ran by utilizing the Energy from the Nodes and the Core, it still fell under my Energy Control.
Is that how I should interpret this? Or is it because it's not an offensive or a defensive Formation?
The Earthfire Essence which I gave Jayna was embedded as the core of a Formation back then. And even though there's only the two of us who tried, I could confirm that my Adaptability aka Energy Control helped me approach it. But even Yumiko might be able to get that.
Well, I will just have to try it on more Formations to see how my overwhelming energy control can affect it.
In any case, this is better than I expected. Though there's only 20% of that Daze Debuff, it probably made Yumiko wary if her stats lowered and her Energy Output lowered.
It's also a good decision to retreat when she's unsure of the danger. We still don't know if this Labyrinth only had this formation in place, after all.
After reading the various notifications the system brought up after entering the Labyrinth, I relayed everything to the ones following me.
"I see. I felt it back then, I kept choosing the wrong way so it made me wary of this place."
Yumiko said after thinking over what I relayed to them.
"Did you encounter the Dark Elves back then?"
"Yes, this place is divided into rooms and each room is different. I easily took care of them when they showed up though."
Well, that was expected, you're only restricted by 10%. Crushing the Dark Elf Mortals was as easy wiping the dust which accumulated on your table.
"I see. As you can tell, one can easily lose their way here. What we have to look for is the Core of this Formation. It should probably look like this."
I explained to them the concept of formation which I read in the Academy's Library. Even if it's a higher world's Formation, it wouldn't stray that far off from the ones they could create there.
With a place as big as this, the Core would probably be bigger than the artifact used for the Energy Gathering Platform at the top of the Noxian Tower.
As long as the Core got taken down, this place is as good as that ruins above ground. These Dark World denizens were probably biding their time inside this Labyrinth for the widening of the Portal. If not for that, they wouldn't stay cooped up inside this Formation-protected Labyrinth wherein the formation can only weaken a Transcendent to 10% of her total strength.
Upon hearing my words, Yumiko raised her hand to get my attention.
"Then I suggest that we split ourselves into three groups."
"This girl, why are you suggesting? Have you forgotten already?"
"… Ah. Right. We're equals. Let's split ourselves into three groups. The leader of the groups will be you, me and Jayn—"
Yumiko corrected herself. But before she could finish what she was saying, her eyes moved from Jayna to Yse. When I looked for the curious girl, she was already beside me, holding the sleeves of my shirt.
That was probably why she stopped naming the third leader. She gave way for the girl to be with me. Yumiko was always considerate like this with Jayna.
"… Yse, can I leave the third group to you?"
"No problem. Maybe my eyes can be a bit useful here. I didn't come last time but I can somehow see how special this place is."
Yse accepted it readily.
She's really the better choice than the Spirit King who's somewhat of a musclehead. She'll be able to lead the group better.
"Thank you, Yse. For our group, I will take Jayna, Jagu and Chee."
I thanked her for her understanding and she answered with a nod.
Upon hearing my words, Jayna was like a child as she instantly clung onto me.
Chee is Jagu's wife. If Jagu's true form is a jaguar-like spirit beast, his wife's true form is a cheetah-like spirit beast. Though she didn't come with us when we went out to close the portal traces, the same as Yse, her destiny was seemingly pulled up by him. And that led to her progress to be accelerated for a bit. Still, she's the one with the lowest cultivation here.
Well, I will be with them and back then I was also the one with the lowest cultivation. Jagu probably brought her to give her experience and she knew the risk she was taking.
Once the groups were decided, we separated at the first fork of the Labyrinth. Coincidentally, there are three paths we could choose from at the place we decided to separate.
We already passed through the places they've gone through before and by the traces left behind those rooms, even the corpses of the Dark Elves they killed were still left untouched.
Yumiko, together with the twins, Rei and Ren, picked the left path. Before they separated with us, I reminded Yumiko to always be careful. If possible I don't really want to separate with her. However, it's needed here for better efficiency. I needed to put some trust in their strength as well, right? Being too overprotective might be annoying especially when they had sufficient strength to rule over anyone in this world.
Yse, together with her husband Ezyn and Harlan picked the right path. Surprisingly, Harlan was on good terms with them. As the one heading the Council of Twenty, he's more in contact with them and according to the two, they already competed and sparred against one another.
And of course, as the last group, we picked the middle path.
With me at the front, Jayna and the husband-wife pair was behind me.
"We're approaching the first room. Prepare yourselves."
I said after my energy senses detected a blockade in front of us. The Formation also made the surrounding too dark. It was all for the sake of the Dark Elves who were stronger in the dark.
Upon hearing that, the three tensed up as we carefully approached the first door. It could be a trap or a group of Dark Elves waiting to ambush us after all.
2 minutes later, we arrived at another metal door. The door was blocking my senses to detect what's behind it. Because of that, we'll have to go in blind.
As I pushed open the door, a thick breeze of Dark Energy instantly passed by us.
The room was as dark as the passageway we've gone through but sparks and sounds of a battle could be heard from our left and right.
"This room is connected to the three paths…"
Jayna muttered the obvious. To think that we even chose to split ourselves into three, only to meet them again in the first room, I guess I kind of overestimated this place?
Though dark, I could make out the interior of the place. The room was larger than the other rooms we passed through.
Like the two groups, I instantly sensed the disturbance of energy as ten Dark Elves with the strength of a Rank 4 Mortal or in their terms 4-leaf jumped at us from the dark. They all had the dark and gloomy aura around their bodies which helped to conceal themselves.
Upon seeing that, Jagu and his wife promptly moved forward and took the five Dark Elves' attack head-on with the help of their conjured Rivers.
With both of my buffs opened, the two of them were enhanced significantly that they could contend with them even if the Dark Elves were in their favorable battleground.
Also, I didn't need to move at all, Jayna took on the other five all by herself. With her Earthfire covering her signature vines, all of their attacks were deflected and was subsequently burned by it.
While they were busy taking care of the enemies in front of us, I carefully observed the place and checked on the other groups.
Yse's group was locked in a battle against a few 4-leaf Dark Elves. They're matching their power despite the clear difference in strength.
With Harlan and Ezyn at the front, Yse was providing them support with the use of her Ocean and Spirit Domain.
Yumiko's group, on the other hand, already made short work against those who faced them.
She let the twins go first who instantly used their Spirit Transformation to stand their ground against multiple 4-leaf Dark Elves. However, they were overpowered due to the environment that was beneficial for these Dark Elves who liked to be sneaky. As soon as they retreated back, Yumiko just waved her gohei and one of her Seas took them down effortlessly.
Since she's already a Transcendent, her senses and Energy Control were also enhanced albeit not higher than me. However, that's enough for her to discover us not far away from them.
After making sure that there were no more enemies, she started moving towards our position.
We're just at the entrance of this room and there's probably more further in, regrouping now than going separately will surely be better. They will receive the enhancement from my buff skills that way.
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