Chapter 422: Cristobal’s Labyrinth

Everyone has finally arrived inside the labyrinth. The others who have yet to see the labyrinth all basked in its gory.  The others had to take a second for them to get used to the area as this is not the normal dungeons that they have been through.

"Are you guys ready to move on?" Adrian asked.

"As you have said, this labyrinth is grotesque in nature." Mariposa stated as she used a skill called Mapping Swarm.

The spell makes her conjure up a hundred thousand bugs that scattered throughout the labyrinth. The bugs spread and the areas they search will become a map for Mariposa. The map might be temporary, but it is accurate as can be.

The only problem with the spell is that if her bugs became eaten then nothing would be mapped. This is only a rare occurrence, but it happens. This time, it is that time for that rare occurrence. The bugs that Mariposa released were all gone after a few seconds of traversing the labyrinth on their own.

"Those bugs were probably eaten. There could have been a venus flytrap monster or something that guards the labyrinth now." Adrian conjectured.

"We should form up then. Everybody in positions. The main tanks will be on the front while the summoners and healers in the middle. The mages will be at the back with half of the warriors protecting them. The other half would be dealing dps." Anastacia ordered and everyone went into position.

"Greater Summon: Sirius. Greater Summon: Kanlaon, Greater Summon: Saena, Greater Summon: Charon, Greater Summon: Dodu." Adrian stated as he summoned all of his soulbounds.

Dodu might not be much of a fighter as of yet but the skill that the slime has received trough leveling up to 80 has been promising as a tank. The only downside is that there has been no evolution path that the slime has yet to possess.

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Skill: Damage Transfer

Tier: Rare

Type: Absorption 

Effect: Transfer the damage of a chosen target and the Baby Slime will absorb the damage. Physical damage is nullified while magic damage is 50% effective. Can be toggled and chose an individual as it is toggled. The skill will activate once the chosen individual take damage.

Cooldown: 15 minutes

Duration: 10 seconds

Mana Cost: None

Cast Time: None

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The skill is great, but Adrian noticed that Dodu got that skill when he consumed an absorbing flower. The absorbing flower's skill is actually called Enduring Bomb. It was a skill that negates 50% of the damage taken during the duration and then releases that stored damage into a bomb.

Adrian wanted to experiment with this and tried to let Dodu eat anything that he slays but luck did not come. It seems that something triggered the skill into fruition, but he does not know the trigger mechanism. 

It was a handy ability as it could save Adrian from surprise physical attacks that he cannot detect. With Charon being able to nullify magical spells, he will have the two perfect tanks when Dodu becomes stronger.

Mariposa also summoned her soulbounds but she was greatly envious of Adrian's soulbounds. She especially liked the cute slime bouncing beside Adrian. Bug monsters are not exactly the cute looking type and the cute ones are usually the weak ones.

She summoned a giant armored beetle, a praying mantis with a body made of jade, a large butterfly that seems to release powders of different colors. She only summoned these ones as her other soulbounds are rather immobile like the Giant Queen Bee.

The giant queen bee also brings her hive when she is summoned so Mariposa only brought out three. She may have only brought out three, but their levels are all 175 which makes them stronger than Adrian. The lowest leveled one in the entire group is actually Adrian.

Adrian did not get much leveling due to all the errands and missions that did not reward him of experience points. Meanwhile, all of his friends have been clearing missions that gave them one level as compensation for a medium difficult task.

"So, do you have any other way to navigate the labyrinth?" Anastacia asked as they thought that Mariposa's skill will work.

"I have a guide, so you do not need to worry. Kanlaon turn into your human form as you will not fit the entrance if you use your real size." Adrian stated as Kanlaon turned into his human form.

Adrian ordered Kanlaon to just burst out the basic spells in his arsenal. Adrian procured spell books with no cooldown for Kanlaon. The damage might not be great but Kanlaon's title immediately makes him a master of fire and ice attribute spells.

He has yet to enter the Summoner's Tower in order to but skill for soulbounds so he used what he can. Sirius stayed inside Adrian's shadow as he is not cut out for tight spaces. So, in actuality only four of his soulbounds are battle ready.

"Can you feel the Sun Dias?" Adrian asked the sphinx on his shoulder.

"I can feel my sibling not the Sun Dias. It seems that his form is released but it also feels like he is polluted." The sphinx telepathically stated.

"If that is the case then we must hurry because an infected guardian will be difficult to handle." Adrian stated as he told everyone to proceed inside the labyrinth.

"I have yet to know of an infected guardian because we are beings born of free will yet by the will of the universe. It also means that if we no longer have a code as you call it then we cease to exist. That is the reason why some relics do not create guardians.

It is not they failed to create a guardian, but they tried to break away from the laws of the universe. That cannot happen because we are given will by the universe despite being able to bend its existing laws. We exist outside of the universe but are basically slaves by it." The sphinx stated.

Adrian could feel that the Sands of Time Guardian has seen countless relics trying to break away from the universe. There is one question in his mind, and it would rather pass the time. The enemies coming at them are being easily dealt by the mages because all of them are below level 150.

"What happens when a relic manages to break free from the universe's control?" Adrian asked as he knew a relic as old as the Sands of Time would have seen it.

"All other guardians that were successful from escaping the universe's grasp became a being of their own. The universe no longer had a hold of them but that also meant that the universe could not tolerate them. The gods broke all relics that broke free because we cannot be gods as we were made from fallen gods." The sphinx answered.

Adrian could only feel sad for the fate of the relics. They will forever be treated as nothing more than objects that other people will use for their own avarice.

"Your weapon should be careful as well because it got a will of its own accord. Weapons with egos are born due to the maker or wielder passing its will while yours just got a will because it can. Your weapon has probably caught the eye of several crafting gods, so you better be wary." The sphinx stated.

"Yo! Adrian! Are you fine?" Levin Cloud asked as Adrian has not been participating in the battles.

"Ah! I am sorry as I was too focused on the map. I do not want us to get lost after all." Adrian replied and Levin Cloud just looked a bit worried for his friend.

The whole group moved in a rather stable pace as they were walking. The enemies that are charging towards the are elementals that became corrupted. The ones who are really bothered by this are Vayu, Soleil, and Alder.

It seems that the three of them are close to elementals that they could feel both their happiness and pain whenever they kill an abomination. 

"If it goes like this then we would finish this dungeon in record time." One of the vanguards commented.

"Do not jinx it!" A female vanguard warned.

As if cliché, the pulsing walls started to pulse faster. A few seconds later, mouths of different sizes started to appear on the muscle walls. The mouths let out a screech first before they could finally speak.

"I see that I have visitors in my labyrinth, and some are even returning. Welcome to my labyrinth! I never knew there were stupid people that wanted to go back. You escaped with your tail behind you back last time, but it will not happen again. Hahahah" The mouths simultaneously stated.

"We will pay you back for what you did to all these elementals!" Alder shouted.

"He cannot hear you. He used mouths instead of ears." Adrian stated and it made Alder blush a little.

"If he can manipulate the labyrinth this way, what is to stop him from crushing us to death using the walls." Cersei asked.

"You do not have to worry as that thing that he did should be a one-time thing because controlling a dead body of a god is not energy friendly. I should know as I have been possessed by one." Adrian stated which made everyone other than Levin Cloud exclaim in shock.