Labyrinth (6)

Edited by: Kuro and Lille

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After some rest in the restroom, they ascended to the next floor. When System 225 scanned the floor, it showed in the System Map that the entire floor was in the shape of a spiral. In the center, was the staircase to the ascending floor.

The floor was quite large. It coiled around 8 times before it got to the staircase they were at. According to System 225, the distance between this stair and the other one was about 8 hours. It made him wonder how the labyrinth was able to be so big…

There were no traps on this floor nor any signs of monsters, which was concerning. This was the first time this had happened since they got into this labyrinth.

"Let's proceed," Grey said looking at the other party members waiting for his command, "We will proceed with caution and at a constant pace. Stay in formation."

"Also, Lamine, be on the lookout for traps. Don't focus on the presence of monsters."

Lamine replied, "Understood!"

The group began their trek through the spiral floor. They didn't encounter any problems even after walking for 30 minutes. As they passed their first loop, Reyner felt his foot push a button on the floor. A 'click' sound echoed through the corridor, leaving the group unable to figure out where it came from.

'System 225, please check to see what happened.'

[Understood, scanning for anomalies… Grey, get everyone to run soon. There are giant stone balls almost the size of the hallway. You all will get crushed if you don't run now.]

Almost after System 225 finished explaining, they all heard a loud rumbling sound coming from around the corner.

"Everyone, run! Don't look back!" Grey grabbed onto Micah's and Reyner's hands and dashed down the hall. There were no other traps or monsters so he focused on running.

Andrea grabbed Felicia's hand while Genji and Lamine ran on their own. The four looked back and saw a giant stone ball rolling toward them. The floor of the labyrinth shifted slightly, helping the ball turn the corner.

"There's a small room up ahead! We will go there," Grey shouted as he led the group.

Reyner, the full tank build, was being easily dragged down the hall even with his heavy armor. He didn't say much but he knew that Edwin was extremely strong. Reyner may be hard to kill but he definitely was not good at killing.

He was also the slowest member of the group.

Grey, Micah, and Reyner were the first to get into the room. It was one-fourth the size of the safe rooms they had found. With all of them in the room, they wouldn't be able to lay down and relax but it was enough for them to stand and sit in.

Afterward, Genji and Lamine entered the room panting. It seemed they were running with their lives on the line so they didn't say much as they leaned against the wall. Lastly, Andrea and Felicia barely made it in. The stone ball rolled right past the room as soon as they entered.

It wasn't that Andrea was slow but Felicia didn't have enough speed, so she slowed him down. She prioritized power and accuracy rather than power and speed. She vowed to put some stat points into the speed stat once she got out of here alive!

Even though the stone ball went past the room, no one dared to go outside for fear of another one being just around the corner.

"This labyrinth is so crazy, no wonder no one has been past floor 20," Andrea cursed, staring toward the entrance of the room. It was like the creator of the labyrinth was in the doorway and Andrea was cursing to their face. His voice was full of grievances.

Grey ignored Andrea's complaint and stared at the entrance. He had System 225 count how long it took for another stone ball to go past. He just made it seem like he was doing so.

After five minutes, the second stone ball went by the room. Made sense as this labyrinth floor was quite huge, but it also meant that the interval between each stone ball was short.

"It took five minutes. It's not impossible to run to the next safe room, but who knows where that is…" Grey said out loud for the others to hear. "We should check to make sure each one is being released at set intervals."

They couldn't send anyone to see where the next room was because they wouldn't be able to come back. They could only hope and pray that the next room was closer… Well, the rest of them had to hope and pray. As for Grey, he knew the distance between the two rooms. If he ran with Micah and Reyner, it would take 30 minutes to get there. Running for 30 minutes was easy for him, but it was not easy for Reyner, who was a full tank… He wondered if he had to carry Reyner on his back. Micah would be able to, but he would be dead tired for the next couple of hours.

As for Genji and Lamine, they would be able to run the distance. It was the same for Andrea, but it wasn't the case for Felicia. She could barely run the 10 minutes to get to this room. Running at full speed was tough, especially with armor on.

He could also have Reyner take off his armor and shield and put it in his "system bag" but there were no such things as item bags in this world. It was the only thing that was not like a video game. There was no space-time magic or dimensional magic, just the basics like wind, water, fire, and earth. They also had healing magic, and buff/debuff magic. If he suddenly made things disappear in front of people, the world and the Gods of this world would know, and they may even eject him out.

The Gods were active in this world and were always watching Andrea, the Hero they chose. If he got kicked out, that would mean he failed the mission and he would have to do a world that was similar to this one.

Anyway, if things don't work out well, he could strip Reyner, have him wear some loose clothing, and drag him and his armor for 30 minutes to the next room.

"Is everyone ready to go run?" Grey asked the others who were resting on the floor.

"Almost ready…" Andrea said as he looked at Felicia who still had sweat dripping down her forehead.

"We may have to run for a long time, so Andrea, if you are strong enough, you should carry Felicia on your back. I can carry your stuff."

Andrea was shocked to hear Edwin offer that. Edwin was usually annoyed at him because of Felicia, but when push came to shove, Edwin was not one to abandon people when they were in trouble. He had mixed feelings about Edwin.

"I… Thank you for the offer. I will take you up on it."

Felicia was his childhood friend. He knew that she couldn't run far, so it would be best to carry her. Edwin was fast even when dragging Reyner and Micah, so he should be able to carry Andrea's stuff as well. He didn't know how much strength Edwin had, but Andrea knew the other was much stronger than him. He wouldn't be surprised if Edwin was actually the Hero instead of him…

"No need to thank me. I don't want any of us dying in this labyrinth. We will make it out alive." I want you both to live so I can complete my mission without failing it, was what he really meant.

It was at this moment that Andrea saw Edwin in a different light…

*****

After everyone rested, they waited for the next stone ball that was supposed to come. As they rested, the labyrinth never stopped sending them out as though they were constantly being reused. It was never-ending.

Once the next giant round stone ball came, Grey, Micah, and Reyner were the first to leave. They left hand in hand and ran just behind the stone ball. Genji and Lamine followed right after while Andrea, with Felicia on his back, was the last to leave. Andrea was running much faster with Felicia on his back.

Even though Grey was carrying most of the stuff, it didn't stunt his speed as he powered through. Micah and Reyner were panting from trying to keep up, but they felt like they were dying! How far away was the next room? How long did they have to run?!

30 minutes later, they all made it into the next room with a second to spare.

Everyone but Edwin collapsed on the ground gasping for air. Running at full speed with the thought of impending doom behind them was literally the worst. Their adrenaline kept them alive, but the moment they got to rest, they wanted to pass out.

"Let's rest here for a few hours," Edwin said as he sat down in between Micah and Reyner. He wasn't tired but he knew the rest of them were. It was best to regain their strength before going out again.

The first two rooms were 30 minutes away, the next two were 40 minutes away, then back to 30 minutes. The interval between rooms was in this sequence. There were ten rooms in total before finally getting to the staircase. Luckily, they didn't have to worry about traps, treasure chests, or monsters. It was just running, but even that was daunting without the other stuff. They would probably be stuck in here for a while if the other members couldn't get used to it. He couldn't tell them how far the rooms were, but he was able to let them rest for as much time as needed. It was the best he could do to help them.

After eating and resting for a few hours, the group decided to run to the next room.

Before they left, Grey couldn't help but say, "I have a feeling that this distance is gonna be longer than the one before. Be prepared to keep on running if I am correct." They all knew his instincts were always on point, so this wasn't suspicious of him to say.

Everyone couldn't help but groan in despair as they heard that, but they knew they had to run. If they wanted to get out of here alive, they must run as though there was no tomorrow.

Once again, they all ran out of the entranceway in the same order they left last time.

As they ran, they realized that Grey was right! They felt like they were running for a whole hour straight before finally getting to the next room. No one wanted to talk, nonetheless, waste their breath. They were trying to catch their breath and couldn't even think.

Grey was okay, but even he felt a bit tired from running for so long.

"I don't ever want to do this ever again." Genji was finally able to complain after an hour of rest.

Lamine, who rarely talked, couldn't help but agree with him and complain along with him. "I don't want to run ever again." She knew that was impossible but it was nice to say out loud.

Even Andrea, the Hero, wanted this to end. "Once we get out of here alive, I'm going to sleep for three days and three nights. No one better wake me up."

Felicia, who barely said a word since the curse was lifted, finally responded to Andrea and the others with more than three words. "I am going to put more points into speed after this. I will become a speedy mage from this point forward."

The other party members couldn't help but agree with her. They finally realized how important the speed stat was.

Edwin had a decent amount of speed and strength, as that was what he put a lot of points into. The next stat was int (or intelligence) which was beneficial for magic users. He had no problems, so he didn't complain along with the others.

Their legs felt as though they were on fire, so they rested in the room for several hours. In the meantime, Edwin gave Genji and Lamine pointers with the sword and trap finding. Lamine also wanted to know how to increase her sensitivity to danger, so he did his best to explain some ways to help.

They rested as much as they could because Grey knew that they had seven more rooms to go before they would finally reach the staircase…