Chapter 274 Impending death games of the labyrinth?

Chapter 274 Impending death games of the labyrinth?

White Labyrinth Exploration Arc.

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(POV: Akashic Records)

As they ventured deeper into the labyrinth, the group soon encountered their first corner. The path ahead had been straight and uneventful thus far, but now it was time to make a crucial decision. Grome suggested they take the path to the right, while Ophelia argued for continuing straight ahead.

Of course this was until Lumiere intervened.

"I have to agree with Grome on this one," Lumiere spoke up, his voice steady and calm. "This is the first turn we've come across. It might be worth exploring."

Ophelia shot him a dismissive glance.

"What do you know?" she retorted, her tone carrying condescension. "You're not even an adventurer."

Lumiere sighed, taken aback by her sharp words. "Fine," he acquiesced.

He slotted his hands back into his pockets. "Do what you want..."

Stellaria, who was lazily observing the exchange, let out a yawn and stretched her arms.

"To be honest, my [Spatial Detect] skill is picking up something in that direction," she interjected, pointing towards the path Grome had suggested.

Ophelia let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine," she relented, her frustration evident. "Let's continue in that direction then."

"You're not even an adventurer, what do you know.."

Lumiere quietly mimicked Ophelia beside Stellaria who gently laughed.

Ophelia shot her stare to the back and Lumiere froze.

Her gaze was fixed on Lumiere, but everyone felt like they were also in danger as well, so they equally froze up.

"That's what I thought.." Ophelia faced forward once again.

Lumiere then mimicked her by quietly saying those words.

Stellaria laughed again, but he immediately paused after seeing a stare from Anastasia and Ruri.

The group followed the alternate path, their footsteps echoing through the labyrinth's corridors. As they descended further, Ruri suddenly exclaimed, "I can see something up ahead!"

Excitement filled the air, but their hopes were quickly dashed as Luna let out a disappointed sigh. "It's just a dead end," she lamented.

"I knew we should've stuck to the normal path," Ophelia muttered, her frustration growing with each passing moment.

But Lumiere wasn't paying attention to the others' grievances. His gaze was fixed on Elise, whose usually vibrant face was concealed by her neck scarf. Lumiere called out to her. "Elise, are you alright?" he asked.

He knew now wasn't the right time to do it.

And yet he did.

Asking her such a question when they were still so many would make it a bit difficult for her to answer, but he'd been watching her so far and she seemed gloomier than usual.

Startled, Elise looked up, her hands trembled a bit. "I... Yes," she replied softly. "I'm fine."

He could see how difficult it was for her to give an answer.

But the fact she replied made him smile.

Ophelia, losing patience, interrupted their moment. "Lumiere!" she shouted, her voice reverberating through the walls. "We've found nothing here, just a dead end!"

Lumiere turned to Ophelia, his brows furrowing in thought. "That can't be right," he said. "If Stellaria sensed something, then there must be more to this dead end."

Ophelia crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "And what makes you so certain?" she retorted.

Lumiere hesitated for a moment before heaving a sigh. "Because," he began, his voice steady, "Stellaria's never been wrong before about things like this before."

Stellaria, hovering nearby, sighed audibly.

"Must I do everything?" she grumbled.

With a swift movement, she darted towards the dead end and pushed one of the rocks. To everyone's astonishment, the wall split in two, revealing a small room adorned with a mysterious teleportation circle on the ground.

Eyes widened in surprise, Luna asked, "What's that?"

Grome, grinned. "It's a leveler," he exclaimed.

"A leveler?" Anastasia echoed, also curious.

Ophelia sheathed her sword and folded her arms.

"Yes," she confidently began. "It's a convenient magic circle that teleports a person from one level of a labyrinth to another using magic power."

Aidan, always quick to pick up new information, eagerly jotted it down in her small book.

"Genius," he said. "It's a lot similar to the ones father told me about."

In the midst of the discussion, Ruri interjected, uncertain. "Do we... go in?"

Lumila, stepping forward, shook her head. "It's not like we have a choice," she stated firmly, her face indifferent. "I'm not interested in returning to the aimless, straight path. Let's see what lies beyond."

Ophelia raised her hand to pause Lumila's advance. "Wait," she cautioned. "Remember, this labyrinth is originally from the Dragon Continent. It's possible that the levelers work differently here."

"Well I hope so..." said Grome.

"Hm? Why though?" Anastasia asked.

"I'm guessing these levelers could fetch a fortune if they were sold as research materials." Ruri made a small guess.

Grome chuckled, patting Ruri on the head. "Well done, Ruri," he praised her, causing her to giggle. "You've got the right idea."

Elise watched this, and she looked even sadder than before.

She slowly placed a hand on her head and gently pat it before dropping it down.

Aidan nodded. "Absolutely," he chimed. "There're plenty of top research guilds that would pay a hefty sum to get their hands on something like this."

Lumiere, a bit curious, crouched down to examine the intricate details of the magic circle. "Hmm, it's possible that these levelers work similarly to Dragons' Gates," he mused aloud.

Luna joined Lumiere, crouching beside him. "You're right," she said. "Dragons' Gates transport you to different places through a time lapse dimension, right? And this teleportation circle seems to have the same enchantments."

Lumiere, his gaze lingering on Luna's delicate neck, blushed slightly before standing up. "Yes, you're absolutely right."

He left immediately, leaving Luna crouching alone.

Ophelia let out a sigh, her arms crossed in exasperation.

"Well, I suppose we have no other choice," she conceded. "Let's see where this leveler takes us."

With cautious steps, the group entered the teleportation circle, only to find themselves immediately squeezed into a tight space.

Lance groaned in discomfort. "It's too tight in here," he complained, his voice muffled.

Anastasia grinned immediately. "Look at the bright side, Lance," she teased. "At least you won't be able to see your gorgeous face in the mirror."

"There's nothing bright about that, don't be foolish," he said.

Lumiere, his brow furrowed, turned to Ophelia. "Do you know how this teleportation circle works?" he asked.

Ophelia let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, now you want my opinion," she quipped, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Lumiere struggled in the confined space, trying to get closer to Ophelia. "This isn't the time for that," he said, naturally, frustrated.

Ophelia shot him a pointed look. "What are you going to do? Lock us up in a labyrinth all alone?" she questioned.

Lumiere raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "How does that even make sense?" he retorted.

Ophelia let out an exasperated sigh. "It wasn't supposed to make sense," she admitted.

Lumila, who had been observing the exchange with a sigh, interrupted them. "Can you two settle your couple's problem outside? We have more important things to do," she interjected.

"We're not a couple!" Lumiere and Ophelia protested simultaneously.

"Whatever," Lumila replied dismissively, shrugging her shoulders as she turned away.

Aidan piped up. "Can we please get going? I don't want to suffocate in this cramped space," he pleaded.

Hovering above them, Stellaria chimed in. "Sucks to be you," she teased.

Ophelia decided to provide an explanation for their current situation.

"Levelers work in a simple manner. If we pour more mana into the circle, we'll be teleported deeper into the labyrinth. If we pour less mana, we'll be teleported to the outer edges."

Just as she finished her explanation, Luna felt a tight squeeze on her buttocks, causing her face to immediately turn red with embarrassment.

"Wh... Who touched my butt?!" she shouted.

Nonchalantly, Lumiere spoke up, his voice casual. "Oh, that was me," he confessed.

"At least say it with some remorse!"

Lumiere sighed, adjusting his hair as he spoke. "It's a tight space, Luna. It was bound to happen," he reasoned.

Luna glared at him, unconvinced. "That's a lie! I definitely felt a squeeze," she argued vehemently.

Lumiere simply brushed off her accusation. "Must've been your imagination," he replied nonchalantly.

Ophelia poured the mana into the circle and the group was suddenly enveloped in a blinding light. When the light finally subsided, they were in a new floor of the labyrinth, standing outside the leveler.

Lumiere's cheek still smarted from the forceful slap he'd received from Luna, leaving a red mark in its wake.

"Does it hurt, Professor?" Ruri asked, her head tilting a bit.

Lumiere rubbed his cheek slowly, grimacing. "More than you know," he admitted. "But it's fine, really. I deserved it."

Stellaria let out a small yawn. "Wait till Serena hears about this," she teased lazily.

"It wasn't my fault," he muttered under his breath. "The space in that leveler was just... never mind."

Unbeknownst to the group, hidden within the depths of the labyrinth, a woman of petite stature watched their every move through a floating orb. With her snow-white hair cascading around her delicate features and her pitch black eyes, she exuded an aura of regalness. Dressed in pure white garments, she sat gracefully on a small throne, her legs crossed.

"Excellent," she murmured to herself. "Let the games begin."

Beside the woman with the loli-like appearance stood a figure with long, flowing blue hair and piercing blue eyes. Her features were serene, as she glanced sideways at her companion.

"Our main objective is to capture the Curse King, is it not?" she asked.

The loli woman's white hair fluttered as she turned her attention to her companion.

"Indeed, he'll make a perfect follow-up in my collection... But there're other interesting specimens here as well..."

These two weren't your ordinary obstacles.

One was the Imperial White Dragon, Laura.

While the other, was the Battle God?s first seat, Aaron.