Splitting Up

The smooth edges of the circular hole left in the rock wall by Fern's Ordinary Attack Magic allowed the dim firelight from the opposite stone chamber to shine through.

Several people walked through one by one.

The stone chamber was empty, with only traces of the battle—scattered stone chips on the floor, scorch marks on the walls, and a few inconspicuous dents. Duncan's squad had vanished without a trace, and the lingering magical fluctuations in the air were so faint as to be almost imperceptible.

"They're gone." Wirbel looked around and grinned. "Yeah, it took us quite a while to deal with those three clones. That wall really didn't look easy to break through. They probably thought we wouldn't be able to get through here anytime soon and assumed we'd take another route."

Ehre carefully sensed the residual magic in the air and nodded. "The battle ended some time ago. The magic traces are very faint, and the direction it went is towards the depths of the labyrinth."

Frieren stood in the center of the stone chamber, her emerald eyes calmly sweeping over the marks before finally settling on the dark, downward-pointing passage at the other end of the chamber.

"It seems Duncan and the others left first." Her voice was flat. "Then let's continue."

Fern put away her staff and stood back beside her. Kanne and Rabiñe exchanged a glance and nodded. Sense, still with his eyes drooping, stood at the end of the line like a quiet shadow.

Without another word, the group steadied themselves and then stepped into the deeper darkness in the direction Duncan's team had left.

The passageway extends downwards, with a gentle slope, but it is winding and meandering.

Duncan walked at the front, the hem of his mage robe swaying gently in the dim light. His steps were steady, but his brows were slightly furrowed, and his cloudy eyes held a thoughtful expression.

"In a place like this," he began, his voice muffled in the narrow passage, "The restrictions on mages are still too great."

He paused, as if speaking to his teammates behind him, or perhaps to himself.

"Ultimately, modern mages are not suited for fighting in labyrinths... The space is cramped, many powerful spells cannot be cast freely, it's easy to accidentally injure teammates, and it's also easy to damage the structure and cause a collapse."

Lichta followed half a step behind him, her deadpan eyes scanning the rock walls on either side, and added, "That's why you need a team. If you're alone in a place like this and get ambushed by a clone, you won't even know how you died."

Duncan hummed in agreement.

He walked a little further, then suddenly remembered something, turned his head slightly, and looked at Edel in the middle of the group.

"By the way, Edel. That copy of 'Elder' from earlier... your Mental Magic really doesn't work on it, right?"

Edel was flanked by Bly and Dunster. Upon hearing this, she raised her eyelids, her pink mushroom haircut revealing a languid expression on her face.

"That's right." Her voice was also a little slurred from sleep. "My 'voice' has absolutely no effect on that thing. It's not like it's immune to anything... it's more like it simply doesn't have any 'spirit' that I can influence. It's like singing to a moving stone."

Laufen, walking on Duncan's other side, interjected, "It's fortunate that Methode can use Goddess Magic. Otherwise, after Bly was cut by the gravel, it would have been very difficult for him to continue."

As she spoke, she stretched her arm, which had been scraped by "Elder's" dirt but was now completely healed.

Methode walked beside Länge, smiled gently at his words, her mature and sophisticated aura undiminished even in the dimly lit passageway.

"I'd be happy to treat you," she said softly.

Laufen quickly waved his hand. "I'm already cured, there's no need for that."

She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist her curiosity and asked, "But why does the Goddess Magic require physical contact? I've seen monks cast Goddess Magic from a distance before."

Methode's smile remained elegant, her tone natural. "Who knows? Perhaps my Goddess Magic is a bit special?"

Laufen glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions.

The group continued their journey in silence. The sounds of footsteps, breathing, and the occasional faint whistling from deep within the rock walls—whether from the wind or something else—formed the only background noise in the labyrinth.