Similarity

"Q is usually pretty straightforward, so if they say riddle, it is going to be something we have seen," Henrietta said. "Say, do you all notice something about the rooms we passed before? Anything will help."

"They're mostly similar in looks. Simple, with scratch marks and other signs the place has been thrashed," Charles answered first as he walked towards one random room. When he opened the door, the sight that had greeted him was exactly as he had described.

"Same thing on my end, too," Dylan added as he peeked to another random room, finding a similar one.

"So, in other words, except for the places where the parties happen or where the bosses were in, we have no clues right now," Marie concluded, "Not only that, we have to contend with the waves hunting us as well."

"At least the waves are beneficial for one objective," Nora said.

"Wait, I have an idea. Right now, we have three objectives. Find your last teammate, hunt down the remaining kobolds needed for the second artifact, and find the blue artifact. I propose we split up." Charles said, "That way, we could move easier in smaller groups and get something done at the same time."

"I agree," Dylan immediately answered. "I can take the kobold-slaying duty, if you agree. They're just small fry anyway."

"It is not the safest option, but that may be for the best," Charles said after a bit of deliberation. "You can move quickly and avoid attacks while dishing damage."

"I can join him," Nora spoke up. "That way, he'd be safer at least."

"No, neither one of you could endure too much hits. Ideally, we'd need someone who could distract you from the enemy's counterattacks, but sending three of you would defeat the purpose of splitting up."

"I have an idea," Marie said. "I agree with letting Dylan go alone for the kobold objective, but let's use this as well."

A white magic circle appeared on the floor she stood on, attracting all the metallic pieces all around her. One by one, the metal pieces gathered into three pendants shaped like dog tags, each glowing in a soft red, black, and light blue color.

"These things are very hastily made, but think of it as an SOS button," Marie explained, "I'll go with Nora, Charles with his partner, and Dylan alone, but if anything happens, break the tag, and we will get a glimpse of where you are."

Charles took the black tag, and slipped it into his pocket while Dylan took the red one. Nora kept the remaining one, hanging it on her scepter for easier access.

With that, the mission to finish the floor and rescue the final teammate has started

--

Charles and Henrietta took the duty of searching for the blue artifact, a feat which proved to be easier said than done.

Everywhere they looked, except for a select few rooms, everything was the same. Claw marks, broken furniture and destroyed beds, and splintered ceilings were easy indications of unimportant rooms. They had tried to inspect one room closely as well, only for them to find nothing.

One room became two, and before long, they examined ten rooms, finding nothing but broken remains and wasted time.

"What is the purpose of having the same rooms like this, anyway? These things probably could sleep at the floor and they would act like they got the best rest," Charles grumbled, almost slamming the door out of frustration as he walked out of the room. His hair was slightly ruffled from his movements.

He did a quick check on the sigil on his arm, and a notification appeared in front of his eyes.

[Defeated Kobold Grunts: 821/1000]

"Even the one working alone in this plan gets the objective done." Out of frustration, he kicked open the door to another plain room, seeing the same scenery.

As the door slammed to the floor, Charles looked at the room inside, and then realized something.

"Wait… Henrietta, come here,"

"Hm?"

Curious, Henrietta decided to approach, staring at the room Charles seemed to be interested in.

"Doesn't this look… the same to you?"

"Well, after all, they are rooms made for the same purpose…"

"That is not what I am concerned about- Okay, let's try this. Henrietta, can you punch a hole into the wall in this room?"

"I don't know what you are planning, but sure,"

Without further ado, Henrietta turned her right arm into a claw and struck the wall, forming a hole along with spiderweb-shaped cracks spreading outward. From the force of the punch, it might as well be a wonder that the wall did not outright collapse.

Bright white light shone in from the hole, bright enough to obscure whatever was outside.

"Done, and now?"

"That's it, now let's go."

Henrietta raised one of her eyebrows, her crystalline eyes conveying a question. Yet, she raised no concerns and walked out, her limb turning back into a hand with each step she took.

Charles took a small piece of junk and harshly scraped it onto the floor of the room, creating distinctive grooves. Then, he left with his partner.

From then on, he did similar things after passing a random number of rooms, creating random marks in addition to the already scratched up walls.

Eventually, they reached the other end of the hall. After a short rest, Charles and Henrietta went back to the rooms they had marked.

First, Charles opened up the room he destroyed last. As he expected, the room still looked the same as he left it. He said nothing, and went to the second last room he destroyed.

This time, there was a difference.

He only told Henrietta to create claw marks at a specific part, creating a random triangular symbol. Each side was made of five lines from Henrietta's claws, yet now, some of the lines had disappeared, creating the impression of a faded triangle.

The moment Henrietta saw it, her eyes lit up, and a grin decorated her beautiful visage.

"Oh, so that is how it is, hm?" She nodded, touching the marks she had left for confirmation. "How did you know, Charles?"

"I don't, actually. All I noticed was the rooms all looked the same. It'd be one thing if they were all destroyed, but I just remembered the condition of the wall across the door, and they all looked the same. However, there was no further proof, so I can't really proceed."

"Magic really isn't my thing, either, but one thing is clear. In an almost building-wide illusion like this… there has to be a center."