32 Chasing the End

The walls collapsed on one side.

The debris didn't hit the ground and pile up. Instead, it was absorbed. The space was as clean as ever.

Only, there were three holes in the walls. One that would be enough to fit in an entire human.

"Three.. paths?" Aria analyzed the three sections that were now open.

Aria tapped her finger rhythmically. She continued to observe the paths.

'So it really was sealing fragments.' Aria huffed her breath.

Sealing fragments. In truth, it was just clusters of high, potent mana crystals. One that was manipulated to serve the creator's purpose.

However, it could only be done in a place where a select element was powerful- more than the other elements.

Especially if the change was as large as warping an entire dungeon.

Just like the earthen conditions and the matching sealing fragments, Dianthe would also be able to conjure up her own space in a place with high water elements. Creating a cage similar to where she was put in just now.

Her spells would also get stronger in the right place.

With just these clues, Aria predicted that she was about to face something that was proficient in the Earth element. There were a lot of candidates for it, but she was leaning towards a spirit. Something similar to Dianthe, just from the Earth element.

'But how am I going to know which path is it..' Aria analyzed the paths, not finding any difference between those three.

Just as she was planning on sitting down to further discuss the matter, the walls started to move once more. Trying to trap her once more.

"..Fucking bullshit," Aria widened her eyes in horror.

'So I'm not even given time to think, huh?' There was no way of knowing what was beyond the paths.

Intuition? That could very well get her to dive into certain death.

If she went to the wrong path and didn't find Jin-kyung..

Aria clicked her tongue, watching as the walls moved towards her. The crackling sound was bizarre, as if it was reminding her of the dreadful scenario that was about to happen.

"LEE JIN-KYUNG! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, SHOUT AS LOUD AS YOU CAN!!!" Aria shouted on top of her lungs, inching away from the closing walls.

This was risky. The scream wouldn't only notify the girl, but also every single monster within the cave.

However, she had to take the risk if she wanted to leave without casualties.

She couldn't afford to recklessly choose any paths, but if Jin-kyung really couldn't respond, then it would come down to her instincts.

The walls were cornering her. If she didn't go to any of the three path, she would be crushed.

"LEE JIN-KYUNG, SHOUT IF YOU ARE ALIVE!!" Aria tried once more.

It was like holding to an already thinned out rope. There was only a slim chance that Jin-kyung could hear her.

Moreover, there was nothing that guaranteed whether Jin-kyung was still alive or not.

'Damn it all.' Aria decided to wing it. Anything beyond the path she chose, she'd face with all her might.

Just as Aria was prepared to jump in whatever path it was due to Jin-kyung's lack of reply, a voice entered her ears.

It was faint.

And the sounds of the moving walls almost covered it whole. If not for Aria's superb hearing, the cry wouldn't have been heard.

But she heard it. Lee Jin-kyung's voice.

"HERE, SAVIOR-NIM!!" Jin-kyung's reply came in clutch.

Aria repeatedly blinked. This was the second time she was addressed by the title 'Savior-nim'.

What was she supposed to do? She met two hopeless parties right after her rebirth.

Regardless of the title, Aria now knew where the girl was located. It was faint, but her hearing was enhanced. She could tell where the direction it came from was.

Just as the walls were about to hit her, she slid into the path that Jin-kyung's voice resonated from.

It was the middle path.

Aria marched towards the opened path.

It was another square room. The room locked once more, trapping her inside a square space.

"Again??" Aria pressed her temples. This dungeon was troublesome.

Using her mana detection skills, she quickly found the four fragments once more and released a charged attack to destroy them.

The paths opened up once more. The same three paths. It was just like she reverted back in time.

The walls behind her started moving, wanting to crush the room.

"So... another screaming session?" Aria furrowed her brows. She had to reach Jin-kyung in time.

She coughed once to clear her throat, preparing to shout.

"JIN-KYUNG! KEEP ANSWERING ME WHENEVER I CALL YOU!!"

"YES, SAVIOR-NIM!" The girl's voice was shaky, but she exclaimed in a large volume, making it easy for Aria to know where she was.

Rushing into the correct path, she escaped the moving walls and moved to the next section.

The process repeated around six times before Aria was able to hear her voice as clear as day.

Jin-kyung no longer needed to shout.

Aria was near the girl.

She no longer needed the girl to scream. Jin-kyung's last cry was enough for her to detect her exact location because of the close proximity.

However, one more shout rang.

"S-Savior-nim... SAVIOR-NIM!"

This time, it wasn't a shout that served as a notifier. It was more of a panicked shout.

'Did the monsters get to her already?' Aria sped up her tracks.

Granted, she had spent more than ten minutes moving through the new rooms and maintaining the communication with Jin-kyung. However, she hadn't seen any creature at all in her path.

It was only the repeating rooms, no other lifeforms were there.

Aria got ready to battle once more. [Halvargg] was drawn, held within her tight grip.

At this point, Jin-kyung's cry was audible. A cry for help, the bad kind. Not a signal for her location. A distressed, fearful one.

Monsters must've appeared.

"Dianthe, rush ahead of me!" Aria knew that Dianthe could go faster than her.

"Protect the girl!" She ordered.