Battle for the Blue Feather

"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."

Henrietta looked at the room again. It has now truly returned to the messy state it had started in, the damages they did have completely disappeared as if it never happened. Henrietta once again damaged the wall, and seeing it stay damaged still, she shook her head.

"No, this isn't it…"

"Is there any way to detect where the center is, at least?"

"I can sense the magic in general, but right now, everything is muddled by the use of magic on both sides. What we could do, though, is use the illusion's recovery time,"

Henrietta explained, as she practically dashed towards another room a bit far from the initial one.

Boom!

Then, a crashing sound could be heard as she kicked another hole onto the room's wall. Dust fell from the ceillings as the place shook under the force.

"In short, illusions like this rely on a core, and the closer to the core a room is, the faster the room would recover when damaged, and we need to find a place where it recovers instantly," Henrietta said.

Charles looked at the room his partner stepped out of, noticing that the cracks furthest from the point of impact have started to heal. He then ran to the previous room, finding the holes Henrietta made has not recovered yet.

"It's probably in this direction, at least,"

They proceeded to destroy the rooms again, this time paying attention to the recovery speed. With each moment, they could feel they were at least getting closer.

While they were busy, it seemed that the others have progressed at least, with the notifications sometimes coming into view.

[Defeated Kobold Grunts: 932/1000]

"Dylan really is progressing quickly with this, huh?" Charles mused.

"Well, we can't lose to them, can we?" Henrietta smirked, and entered another room. As usual, it was the same as any of the other rooms, yet now that Charles and Henrietta have noticed the illusion, there was a heavy feeling hanging in the air. Charles felt as if there was invisible weights pressing upon his shoulder, a pressure of power that made it a struggle to even do the simplest tasks.

"This is the place, most likely. I could feel it."

She let her hand transform and did a quick swipe on the wall, then waited for a second while she watched it recover.

"Right, then… Charles?"

"Sure thing."

[Low-Class Boost]

[Your beast's stats have increased by 10%]

A shroud of multicolored aura covered Henrietta right as all her four limbs change into claws. Then, like a wild animal, she dashed up onto one wall and slammed onto the wall across it.

The massive hole punched onto that wall has started to recover, yet, Henrietta was determined not to wait and let it be done.

She slammed, tore, and destroyed the walls once again.

Then, it finally crumbled.

The false room dispersed, turning into ashes that fluttered away into nowhere. The veil of white light beyond the false room has also disappeared, revealing a massive, sprawling library with floating books inside.

It was almost like a fairy tale library, each book covered in blueish luster while they floated all around the place. Stairs made of piled up books were coiled all around a massive pillar, leading to a seemingly empty space on top of it.

"And here we are," Henrietta said, staring on top of the pillar. "Are you ready, Charles?"

"Sure thing,"

Charles glanced behind him, realizing the door they entered from has disappeared.

It was a silent confirmation that they would not be getting out of there until they were finished.

The ascension felt like an eternity, as the unnatural quiet of the mythical library made their heartbeats, footsteps, and their breathing echo and merge together. Henrietta walked behind him, claiming that it would be easier to deal with enemies from both directions while protecting him.

Atop the pillar, there was a circular space, where a kobold sat in a crossed-legs position. It carried a specter that looked more like a club, complete with a crude crystal on the center.

The moment the two took the last step, the kobold opened its eyes. Without saying anything, it opened its claws, showing a feather glowing in a royal blue color. White lights dance around the feather, adding to its otherworldly edge.

Then, before they could react, the kobold hurled the feather up, causing it to float in the air a few meters above them. A transparent hood extended from the feather, covering the place in a glass dome.

After that, the kobold disappeared.

"Watch out!"

Henrietta stepped in front of Charles, throwing the kobold away. The kobold's scepter had almost touched Charles' nose. As the kobold slid on the floor and regained its footing, a notification appeared in front of his eyes.

[Battle for the Blue Feather has begun!]