Stranded [Pt 2]

A week had passed since the start of the Grand Conquest, and almost the same amount of time had passed since the Mass Teleportation Incident.

So much had happened since then, and Rey, sighing as heavily as he possibly could, didn't want to start thinking about it.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any choice in the matter.

"Let us begin our Emergency Meeting." He said, looking around him to observe the faces of the competent Adventurers he had in his camp.

About six Master Rank Adventurers, Esme, and Noah Sherlock--who they just met the previous day--were the people present for the meeting.

Everyone else was asleep, and rightfully so. It was clear that exhaustion had reached the maximum limit.

Unfortunately, that wasn't even the peak of the problem.

'After spending a week, scouring this entire place--even with the aid of my duplicates--and yet not making any progress locating the Boss Room or the Entrance, I no longer have my doubts...' Rey's thoughts trailed as he gazed emptily into space.

'The position of Zones in this entire Dungeon is changing.'

The rest had noticed it too, though a lot later than him. For one, they ended up encountering the same corridors or Zones a couple of times despite already passing and marking them.

Also, even with the Dungeon being so massive, it couldn't have an infinite amount of space and Zones. Yet, it seemed impossible to make any real progress.

They were trapped, in every sense of the word, and there didn't seem to be any way out.

'Even if they're not at prime power, my duplicates have used [Ascended Godspeed] to try to find the exit, but they never find it.' Rey felt his heart tighten.

He even tried using Teleportation, attempting to return to the ground floor, but his Spatial Magic identified a particular place he had been based on its location.

And so, anytime he tried to teleport there, he just ended up in a random Zone.

That was irrefutable proof that space was shifting, and constantly.

'Other than Noah's party, we've not encountered any group in days. It's safe to say that we're not far away from the rest, since the Zones keep changing...'

That left just two options.

Either the others were dead, or they were also in an organized group, trying to navigate their way through the Dungeon. It was obvious which option sounded the most appealing.

'Adonis should have rallied everyone on his end, so maybe they're with him.' Rey had good reason to believe this, but sometimes a gnawing feeling would tell him that he was just engaging in wishful thinking.

'Even if the others are still a bit inadequate, Adonis is strong and fast enough to handle the Undead in this Dungeon. I should give credit to the rest as well...'

The fact that he hadn't encountered a single one of his classmates simply meant that they were together.

'It's a lot harder for two groups to meet up among over a thousand shifting locations than it is for multiple ones...' That was Rey's theory, and he hoped it was correct.

"Today was supposed to be the last day of the Conquest, which means the Dungeon might be gone once the day is over."

As Rey began, he stared into the unkempt faces of his allies. Their gaze was lowered, but their expressions were hardened.

All of them knew this much.

"There's a chance we might get stuck here forever if we don't find the exit today." Rey said, though this was a lie.

He could easily leave the Dungeon by opening a portal to a stable location that he had been to. With this ability, he could even take everyone with him.

... But what of the rest?

As long as he couldn't find Alicia and the rest of his classmates, Rey couldn't simply escape from this place with the people he had now.

'Though that might become inevitable…'

"The food supply has run short, even with the quota management system we employed. After one last round, there'll be nothing to go around." Another person spoke up.

She was one of the Master Rank Adventurers, and the one in charge of food distribution.

"Thanks for bringing that up, Beverly. I suppose we'll address that too." Rey strained a smile as she nodded back at him.

He had more than enough resources within his [Grand Inventory], so he wasn't really worried about anyone starving. Even if he didn't want to share, he could just send everyone back to the outside world and let them get food themselves.

In all likelihood, they really weren't stranded—at least, in Rey's perspective.

'The real issue is the Miasma, and how it's causing weakness among people. They don't know this, but I constantly purify the air so they can have an inflow of Mana into their system…' Rey rubbed his chin as he looked around him.

If it wasn't for this intervention, most of the Adventurers would have died already.

Rey wasn't expecting some sort of thanks for his deeds. After all, there were ways he could be a lot more benevolent in, which he chose not to be.

But, none of those were his concerns.

'The only problem on my mind right now is how to link up with the rest!'

That was the one thing Rey couldn't do—the single problem he was yet to solve—and it drove him crazy.

He became more and more convinced that Adrien had to be behind this somehow.

'This is like a puzzle. He wants me to figure out the game, doesn't he?' Rey gritted his teeth.

'But I don't get it!'

An aura of frustration nearly surged from him, but one glance at Esme caused him to calm himself.

'If, by the end of today, we make no progress, then I'll just send everyone back outside and do this myself.'

By everyone, he meant Esme as well.

'Whatever your plan is, Adrien, I don't care.' His eyes burned bright as the picture of the boy in the white mask appeared in his mind.

'You should have just left me and my friends out of it!'