47: Separation

The interior of the Tria Labyrinth appeared to be a typical dungeon.

The monsters encountered were generally ranked between D and C—similar to those found on the first to fourth floors of the Septem Grand Labyrinth.

While the spawn rate was notably high, which might pose a challenge for average adventurer parties, for us, it was only a matter of time before we progressed.

Several hours into the labyrinth, we reached the tenth floor and found ourselves battling a horde of orcs.

“Flare, one’s coming up behind you!”

“Got it! Leave it to me—hyaaah!”

With a single slash, Flare felled three orcs, then seamlessly turned to cleave through the one closing in from behind.

Her swordsmanship had clearly become more refined through past encounters with formidable foes like minotaurs and hydras.

“All done here, Ike!”

“Nice work, Sheena.”

Not only Flare but everyone else had efficiently dealt with the orcs assigned to them.

We had made it this far without taking a single hit—something I could hardly have imagined back when I was in Nord’s party.

...Speaking of them, I wonder what they’re up to now.

Since Nord challenged me to a duel in town, I hadn’t had any contact with them.

Maybe they’ve managed to clear the fourth floor of the Septem Grand Labyrinth by now.

“Well, no point in me thinking about it.”

“Huh? Did you say something, Ike?”

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s keep moving.”

Responding to Sheena’s curiosity, we pressed forward.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at that space.

“What is this place…?”

We found ourselves in a massive circular chamber about 100 meters in diameter.

Other than the path we had come through, the entire area was encased in gray walls.

Having reached this space after progressing smoothly through the tenth floor, I had expected to find stairs leading further down or perhaps a fitting finale for the dungeon—but there was nothing.

“Could this be the end of the labyrinth?”

Lycia voiced the question we were all pondering.

Normally, such an idea would be dismissed outright, but this time it couldn’t be so easily discounted.

After all, we had heard a certain testimony.

“That’s right—the earlier party said there was no boss monster or treasure in the lowest layer.”

I hadn’t doubted them, but seeing it with my own eyes was still surprising.

They had supposedly searched the tenth floor thoroughly and found nothing. Still, we decided to investigate ourselves.

“Let’s split up and search for any clues.”

The others nodded at my suggestion, and we began meticulously combing the area.

It wasn’t long before something unusual caught our attention.

“Ike! There’s something embedded here!”

“This is… a red magic stone?”

Flare called out, and as I rushed over, I noticed a red magic stone embedded in the wall.

Amidst the dull gray surroundings, its presence felt distinctly out of place.

Standing beside me, Elle examined the stone with a contemplative look.

“This feels… strange. It doesn’t seem like an ordinary magic stone.”

“Yeah. There might be some sort of enchantment or mechanism tied to it.

Let’s avoid touching it for now.”

The consequences of interacting with it were unknown.

First, we needed to see if there were others like it.

“Master! There’s another magic stone embedded here!”

“The flow of magic is different in this spot!”

Lycia and Sheena, investigating separate areas, called out.

As I approached, I found another red magic stone embedded in the wall, identical to the first.

“So there’s another one…

If we’ve already found two, there are probably more. This definitely means something.”

Sure enough, while I pondered, Tetra waved at me from a distance.

Could there be another one over there?

As I made my way toward Tetra, I noticed a pattern emerging.

“If there’s another stone at Tetra’s location…”

The three stones we’d discovered so far were positioned equidistantly.

Connecting them with lines would form a triangle.

Could that really be a coincidence?

“Look, Ike. Over here.”

“As expected.”

Tetra pointed to yet another red magic stone embedded in the wall.

At this point, it was clear these stones had been placed intentionally.

The real question was: why?

As I wracked my brain for answers, it happened.

“What the—!?”

“Ah!”

Suddenly, the entire chamber began to shake violently.

Simultaneously, red magic energy spread from the stones along the walls and floor, forming circular patterns.

Within these circles, magic formations began to materialize beneath each of us: one under me, one under Tetra, and one under Flare and Elle, as well as Lycia and Sheena.

The formations were unmistakably teleportation magic.

“Damn it, so that’s how this works!”

I couldn’t tell what triggered it, but the teleportation trap had been activated.

There was no escaping it now.

I quickly locked eyes with Flare and Lycia.

Both nodded resolutely.

Even if this trap separated us, I trusted they would be fine.

Before I could say another word, red magic engulfed us, and our bodies were whisked away.