Chapter 393 - Variables (1)
When Verden, whose consciousness had settled into the mental body, regained his sight, what filled his pupils was not a city, but a vast expanse of rugged green earth.
Around him, the participants murmured.
"Where is this? Where have we been transported?"
"Hmm, judging by the look of it, I don't think it's another continent. My guess is the Rages Plateau."
"The Rages Plateau… isn't that the one next to the Desert of Silence?"
The Rages Plateau was a space located in the southwestern part of the central continent, while the Desert of Silence was the land dividing the western continent and the central continent.
The latter, especially, was so well-known that even children knew of it.
And the lands between continents made up most of the uncultivated regions scattered across the world.
In the Desert of Silence, between the western and central continents, not only Mages and airships, but even Transcendents could not tread the skies.
Between the central and eastern continents lay the "Demonic Realm" and the "Sea of Demons", places said to harbor unimaginable mysteries and monsters.
A hundred years ago, a red dragon recorded in history had annihilated many cities and subjugation armies, only to vanish leisurely into the Demonic Realm.
'But there doesn't seem to be any labyrinth here.'
Verden turned his gaze all around, but no structures were to be seen.
If it were of the scale Ignacia had mentioned, it should have been visually obvious, but there was no trace of human touch to be found.
Only nature spread across heaven and earth.
"...!"
At that moment, an overwhelming presence struck their nerves.
Not only Verden, but all the participants felt their bodies stiffen in unison, and then turned their eyes toward the same direction.
On one of the tall hills adorning the plateau, stood two shadows.
One belonged to Ignacia's follower, and the other to Ignacia herself.
Ignacia, now in her adult form, clapped lightly with a smirk.
"Hee, as expected of the prize itself, quite a few near the fifth tier have gathered. They said the tiers and abilities would be limited, but I guess it doesn't matter?"
"To me, they only look like ants blinded by bait."
"Hey now, don't say it like that. That too requires its own courage and resolve. And besides, whether it's forced or voluntary, those who step forward of their own will are always more fun to watch!"
Their voices, carried on magic power, spread across the surroundings.
It was meant to be heard.
"..."
Some participants frowned at being belittled as ants, but none spoke out or openly protested.
Strictly speaking, such a view was not entirely wrong… most participants consoled themselves with such reasoning.
"Well then! You must have been surprised to find nothing here after all that spatial transfer, right? Don't worry! The labyrinth you're going to enter will be created from this moment on."
…Created from now?
Instantly, the murmuring swelled. Though their words differed, the ultimate question was the same.
How exactly was a labyrinth, large enough to contain four hundred participants and numerous monsters, and to host an auction for four days, going to be prepared?
This place looked no different than a barren plateau.
'Could it be.'
Verden, Rovellin, and a few others grasped Ignacia's true intent.
Thus they swallowed nervously, unable to take their eyes off the figure standing at the hilltop.
"You don't get to see this every day, so watch closely, everyone."
Ignacia brought her hands together.
The five fingers of her left hand, and the five fingers of her right hand, pressed against one another.
A vast amount of magic power began to stir with the dignity of a Transcendent.
"O───"
At once, all sound disappeared.
Even when they tried to speak, their mouths only opened and closed like fish. Even their personal power was suppressed, making resistance impossible.
The spring breeze brushing against their skin ceased. The clouds drifting across the sky froze in place.
A scene as if time itself had halted filled their vision.
'This is Ignacia's dignity…'
It was on a level far beyond the partial manifestation possible to a Quasi-Transcendent.
If Verden was destructive passion, Ignacia was tranquil silence.
In this muted world, Ignacia spoke of the remaining rules.
"In the labyrinth, you'll find something called a spatial scroll, which I was lucky enough to procure. It can only be activated once the labyrinth starts collapsing, and it's pretty flashy, so use it carefully."
A way to escape the labyrinth.
"Also, whatever comes from treasure chests can be taken outside, but not used inside. The distinction is absolute, so if you don't believe me, try it. A piece of advice—remember that the bolder you act, the more precious and powerful the treasures and equipment you'll obtain. Though the risk of dying will also increase!"
The division between equipment and treasure.
"Lastly, when you enter the labyrinth, each of you will be assigned a random starting point. So, the sooner you reunite with your allies, the higher your chances of survival. From an external standpoint, it's all fair, so if you get unlucky, don't blame me, okay?"
The beginning of the labyrinth.
Once again, there were no questions.
What objections could be voiced when even voices could not be made?
At most, they could only flail their limbs.
Having said her piece unilaterally, Ignacia stretched both arms forward.
Six fingers, from the middle to the little fingers, parted from each other.
Each thumb and index finger formed a triangle aimed forward.
Ignacia's eyes and hair shone brilliantly.
As her Transcendent magic power melted into that light, the surroundings were dyed in deep violet and countless radiant colors.
The dreamlike sky gazed down upon the participants.
"Well then..."
A being revered as beyond the world, for she traversed the boundary between illusion and reality.
The Transcendent of Illusion, Ignacia smiled.
"May you enjoy the auction."
She broke apart the triangle formed by her hands.
A superlative spell.
The world transformed at once.
The darkness entangled in space surged toward the participants.
Resistance and reaction were meaningless.
From every direction, a milky way rushed down and engulfed the plateau where the participants stood.
"Now then, Asher. Will you achieve what you desire within the labyrinth?"
The labyrinth of ants, begins.
***
Darkened vision returned.
As Verden reflexively raised his upper body, a massive, dark, and damp passage yawned open before him.
Only a single torch hung on the wall illuminated him.
At some point, he had entered the labyrinth.
Finishing his assessment of the situation, Verden let out a sigh of disbelief.
"These superlative spells are nothing like the ones I knew."
To think she could manifest a false space as reality.
The superlative spells cast by the Administrator and Leonil had been incomplete in a sense, focused only on destructive power.
Compared to them, Ignacia's flawless superlative spell felt mysterious, even unnatural, to Verden.
Magic beyond tiers.
The power to interfere with the world itself.
Verden pondered the meaning of superlative spells as he rose to his feet.
When he tried to dust off his clothes, the shabby state of his body caught his eye. He was clothed only in rags.
'So this is what she meant by fairness on the external side…'
It was a late realization, but unavoidable.
In this mental body, Verden did not possess the always-active Ring of Rune, Exceed.
He could not even exert the insights born of his true realm.
He was no more than a third-tier elemental Mage, restricted further to second-tier magic.
His heart contained only the usual amount of magic power, and his mana circuits were utterly ordinary.
'If anything, I'm weaker than when I first achieved Defying the Heavens.'
At least his casting speed and spell formation remained the same as his true body's.
That much was possible only because Verden himself was directly controlling the mental body.
Well, this was good enough.
All the other participants were under the same conditions, after all.
...Step.
Just then, Verden sensed unfamiliar footsteps.
Judging by the lightness of the sound, it didn't seem to be a human.
While keeping vigilant and activating his mana circuits, a green Goblin appeared.
[Kieeeek!]
The Goblin bared its teeth and charged.
More aggressive than expected. Was it because this was the labyrinth?
Thunk!
The Goblin, its eye pierced through, collapsed onto the cold ground.
Instant death, without mercy.
"Hm?"
In that moment, an anomaly occurred.
Fwoooosh.
The Goblin turned into light.
Soon, in the place where its corpse vanished, lay a worn-out spear.
Verden carefully approached and picked up the weapon. It was nothing more than an ordinary, crude spear.
'So when monsters are killed, items drop… this is how it works.'
The labyrinth and the monsters.
Verden once again realized that none of this was truly real.
Only illusions, indistinguishable from reality.
Whoosh, whoosh.
He lightly swung the spear, memorizing its weight. Then, in the other hand, he held the torch.
He had to save as much magic power as possible, he couldn't just squander
Steps light but cautious,
Verden began his full exploration of the labyrinth.
And some time later.
"Don't move."
He came face to face with Rovellin.
***
Verden avoided unnecessary battles as much as possible, focusing instead on exploring the labyrinth efficiently and securing equipment.
Thanks to that, by hunting demi-humans and magical beasts, he obtained a proper metal spear and a set of leather armor sturdy enough to block chipped blades.
He had also collected a few potions.
There were no magic-related items befitting a Mage, but that wasn't much of a concern.
Disguising himself as a warrior would lull his opponents into letting their guard down at long range.
Especially for Verden, whose casting speed was overwhelming, this was even more effective.
Without borrowing the sight of his true body, he used a watch he had found along the way to check the time.
It had already been nine hours since entering the labyrinth. So far, everything had gone smoothly.
But in a confined labyrinth of this size, it was impossible to keep avoiding clashes among four hundred participants forever.
Whizz!
A bolt fired from a crossbow grazed his shoulder.
He had lowered his posture in advance, so it didn't hit directly, though the armor was damaged.
A direct hit would have been fatal.
"Keh, I knew you'd come this way."
"Anyone would, if the path had no corpses. Hey, if you don't want to die, stay still. No matter how quick you are, you can't dodge this."
A man and a woman stood on either side of the passage.
Both wielded crossbows, aimed precisely at Verden's upper and lower body.
Their tone was rough.
They looked like lowlifes.
Certainly not Mages of a magic tower, nor envoys of a great power… most likely mercenaries hired in Gargant.
Judging by how they had left corpses on another path to lure their prey, they were fairly experienced.
"We don't like killing people for nothing, got it? Hand over everything you have, and we'll let you go. First, drop your weapon."
Why weren't they trying to kill him immediately?
The answer was simple.
They didn't have many bolts left.
They wanted to hunt participants with as little consumption as possible.
"If you don't listen to me right no───"
Taaat.
Verden dashed straight at the man.
The steel bolt fired from the front, he deflected with the shaft of his spear.
The bolt from behind, he barely avoided by throwing himself to the side, then quickly rose to continue his charge at full speed.
The man and woman began reloading.
They were skilled, but Verden wouldn't give them another chance.
Double Casting.
"…A Mage?!"
Ten flames split into two groups, five each, raining down upon the man and the woman.
Thrown off balance as they tried to evade the sudden magic. The man, panicking, dropped his crossbow.
Empowered, Verden closed the distance.
The man clicked his tongue and pulled a plain longsword from his belt.
"Damn it, a Mage?!"
Craaaack!
The spearhead thrust out by Verden tore through the man's neck.
Even if his body had grown weaker, his technique remained intact.
Besides, Verden had trained in barehanded combat and spear arts by sparring against knights at the Rodenmeyer County of the Duchy of Riviant.
This was only natural.
Then, gripping the bloodied spear in reverse, he hurled it with all his strength. The distance was short, but he accelerated the throw with
The woman screamed as her shoulder was half torn apart.
But she did not die.
Forcing herself to endure the agony, she staggered away to flee.
Those who hunted participants had to be eliminated as much as possible. Only then would Rovellin's chances of survival increase.
Verden picked up the crossbow and loaded a bolt, pursuing her.
At that moment.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"
The woman was engulfed in a fireball, flailing before she collapsed.
Had a Mage intervened?
Sensing approaching magic power from ahead, Verden aimed the crossbow.
Moments later, a red-haired woman emerged from the darkness, staff in hand.
"Don't move."
She exuded confidence, certain that a mere bolt could not harm her.
Moreover, her staff seemed to let her use a fraction of her original power, the magic swirling at its tip was of the third tier.
Her robe bore clear signs of several battles.
'Rovellin… I didn't expect to meet her this soon.'
He had thought they might cross paths on the third day of the labyrinth, or on the final day.
Rovellin jerked her chin.
"Throw the crossbow forward. And don't even think of casting."
Had she been watching the fight nearby?
Verden obediently tossed the crossbow away and raised both hands, as if to show he wouldn't resist.
There was no worry.
Because he had not failed to anticipate a situation like this.
'A Mage is one who prepares.'
He would never assume he simply wouldn't run into Rovellin.
No matter how unlikely,
Of course he had prepared countermeasures for many scenarios.
Verden spoke calmly.
"An honor to meet you for the first time, Lady Rovellin."
"…?"
"But I'm glad you're safe. It was worth the effort to find you."
Rovellin blinked.
To suddenly be recognized by a Mage she had never met, and in the middle of a labyrinth no less, was enough to make her falter.
"You, what are you? No, who sent you?"
"You already know."
Verden bowed politely.
"Lord Rayshen sent me."
To be honest, Verden didn't think himself talented at lying. That was his belief.
But he did know one thing—
To deceive someone, you had to know them well.
And Verden knew too much about the Bohemirn Magic Tower, about Rayshen, and about Rovellin.
***
Rayshen drew out a short staff, one used to track forced magic circles.
Using it now was useless, since he couldn't leave Gargant anyway… but it felt wasteful just letting it sit idle.
Its reuse cooldown of five days was far too long.
It was better to use it whenever possible to at least check the direction of Isabella's position.
"Now, let's see…"
Rayshen activated the tracking staff.
Leisurely seated on the sofa, he slowly turned his body, adjusting the staff's direction bit by bit.
And then—
Fwoooosh!
The staff flared violently.
Stronger than ever before.
"Huh?"
Isabella Argyle was nearby.
Very close.
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