Tale of Discovery

Chapter 335: Testing ; Labyrinth

For some reason, despite the extremely loud crash-landing I just made, the two monsters continue to battle against each other without seeming to notice me.

Shortly, the bizarre battle comes to an end as the bear runs its claws through the oversized rabbit's skull, efficaciously killing it.

'Hey, Satoru.'

[Seriously? You just cut me off like that and then hit me with a casual 'hey' as if nothing happened?!]

'Alright, alright, calm down. It's not that I wanted to cut the mental connection off, but was forced to by the situation.'

[What do you mean?]

'Didn't you see the goblins and skeletons? Apparently, one of the skeletons was an abnormal one that could turn black and was much more powerful than the rest.'

[So? What happened?]

'I fought against it, but at the last moment, that formation on the ground teleported me into some cave.'

As I mentally say that, I wish for my vision to connect with Satoru's, which is immediately followed by an outburst.

[Woah! What is that bear? I don't recall there ever being such a monster in YGGDRASIL]

'I have no idea either. When I reached this location, I found a giant rabbit fighting against that thing.'

Hah~ What a useless guide

[Are you going to fight it?]

'Yes.'

As if sensing my intentions, the bear which had its head down and was biting into the rabbit's corpse suddenly raises its head and roars.

[Hey, it seems to have noticed you.]

'I know.'

Now then, how do I deal with this thing? Considering what happened in the forest, it would be better for me to keep my distance from anything here.

In that case, the most suitable method of fighting would be to make use of my Overlord profile's skills and abilities.

From what I know, the abilities are mostly ranged ones, after all, the character that Satoru used was a 'mage' type - a class that specialized in magic spells. Specifically, necromancy spells such as summoning and commanding the undead.

{Magic Arrow}

The moment I cast the spell, ten arrows made of fiery blue energy appear on top of me and launch toward the bear.

The arrows easily pierce through the bear's skin and deeply penetrate its flesh before vanishing.

As a response to this, the bear releases yet another roar, this time one of agony.

Focusing my senses on my surroundings, I try to sense if there are any other creatures nearby, only to find none.

Having made sure that the bear is the only enemy in the area, I quickly dash toward it and cast another spell.

{Create Low Tier Undead.}

Following this, a black mist escapes from my right hand and moves toward the giant rabbit's corpse and completely enveloping it.

Shortly after that, the rabbit's body twitches as it releases a ferocious growl before swiftly moving its head and biting into the wounded bear's left hind foot.

Expectedly, the bear reacts to the sudden assailant as it roars and tries to kill it the same way it did before. However, in contrast to the previous time, the undead rabbit releases the bear's leg and easily dodges its claws as it hops a few meters away.

{Maximize Magic - Fireball}

Having cast the third spell, I come to a halt as I raise my right arm and aim my palm at the bear, following which a fireball twice as large as the one I cast arena appears and launches toward the bear.

Sensing the danger from the flames, the bear releases a panicked roar as it tries to move out of the fireball's way.

Alas, its speed is nowhere near enough to accomplish such a feat as the fireball blasts into him and explodes.

Fiery flames cover the bear's body completely as it begins thrashing around in a crazed manner.

"Finish it," I command, immediately after which the undead rabbit lunges at the burning bear and bites into its neck while ignoring the flames spreading to its body.

Satisfied with the results of my small test, I disregard the dying bear as I look around the cave.

Soon, I notice something in the distance.

Moving closer, I realize that there is an arrow engraved on the wall pointing to the right.

Looking to the right, I see that there is a somewhat narrow fissure in the stone.

[I don't think you should follow that.]

A little startled by Satoru's random remark, I question, 'And why is that?'

[Isn't it obvious? You arrived in this place through forced teleportation. Whatever that sign is pointing at, it's definitely not going to be anything good.]

'Even if you say that, what about the rest?'

[The rest?]

'I came into the forest with five humans and my familiar, all of whom are missing.'

[You believe that they got transported here as well?]

'Yes. After all, they were standing in the formation as well at the time of its activation. In fact, the formation seemed to get activated only when one of the girls stepped into it.'

[I take it as you wish to save them if they're here?]

'Not at all. The only one I care about is my familiar. Whatever becomes of the humans is not my business.'

[You say such cruel things rather casually, don't you think?]

'Well, yes, since this isn't the first time I have had to disregard the lives of numerous humans.'

That's right. I have never cared for the lives of those I don't deem interesting, and I don't think I ever will.

[Help!]

All of a sudden, a voice reverberates within my head as I feel a sudden gust of wind rustle my clothes.

[Did you hear that?]

'Yeah, I did.'

Looks like if I am sharing my mental connection with Satoru, he will be able to hear mental messages as well, which actually makes sense.

Leaving that aside, the voice I am sure of it; it's the same voice that I heard in the forest prior to getting transported here.

Unlike last time, however, I can tell that the owner of the voice is female and sounds to be that of a child's at that.

This makes me wonder What would a little girl be doing in this place? She mentally contacted me twice, and both times she was calling for help.

Shaking such thoughts aside, for now, I focus on the other side of the fissure before casting a 7th tier spell.

{Greater Teleportation}

As usual, AI's voice reverberates within my head as my vision blips and I find myself where I wanted to be a moment ago.

It takes a few seconds for my vision to completely stabilize, and once it's done, I spot a few monsters in the distance.

"Lizards?" I mutter.

The creatures do indeed seem to be lizards, albeit giant ones.

"Is this place just going to be filled with oversized creatures?" I mutter exasperatedly as I raise my arm in preparation to cast another spell.

{Lightning}

Sparks of light spread from the tip of my finger as a thin bolt of electricity surges out in the direction of the giant lizards.

Due to the sheer speed of the attack, the lizards are unable to react at all as the bolt of lightning passes through one of them, earning me a pained cry from the monster as it gets fried by the heat.

Alarmed, the three other giant lizards hurriedly look around for the assailant, only to spot me the next moment and growl aggressively.

[Since you're up against lizards, ice-elemental attacks are more likely to be effective.]

'Is that so?'

{Iceball - Dragon Lightning}

Casting two spells in a row, I keenly watch as a ball of ice launches toward the remaining lizards and explodes into a white mist, freezing the three reptiles.

Immediately after this, a bolt of lightning much more powerful than the one earlier surges out of my finger and finishes them off.

A disgusting stench wafts from the corpses, but I pay it no heed as I begin walking forth.

--

After a rather long time, I finally come across another 'sign'.

This time, the sign is made up of symbols making up words instead of an arrow pointing somewhere.

Nevertheless, an arrow would be unnecessary to find out what direction I will be taking, after all, there is a worn-out staircase right below the writing on the wall.

[As I suspected This place is a labyrinth.]

'A labyrinth? I presume they were present in that game you played?'

[Yes. I have not seen any like this, but I am sure of it now. The way monsters appear, the signs, and now this.]

'So, what am I supposed to do? Clear the labyrinth?'

[That is something you could do. There could be two things awaiting you down there, and I trust that you know what they are.]

'Of course. It's either a strong foe or a great reward. Perhaps, even both.'

[Do you recognize those words on the wall?]

'Does it seem like I do?'

[Yeah, you don't.]

I shrug with a wry smile on my lips as I begin walking down the stairs.

Unexpectedly, after a few steps, a weird sensation overwhelms my body as an image appears in my head - A dark room. Multiple pillars on either side of the room stand tall. What stands out most about the room is a giant cube at the end of the room. For some reason, my enhanced vision is not working, so I can only barely make out the silhouette of a humanoid being stuck into the cube.

[Help me!]

For the third time, the voice reaches me. This time, it's much clearer than ever before, and instead of it being in my head, it almost feels like I heard it.

I try to talk, but before I can open my mouth, my vision blips as I find myself back on the staircase.

'Satoru, did you see that?'

[Huh? See what?]

So he didn't

'Nevermind. Must've been my imagination.'

[No, no, no! That's a flag right there! Don't say such ominous things so casually!]

'As I said, it's nothing. Forget it.'

[No, you listen to me. Take that back and tell me what you saw!]

A little annoyed, I sever the mental connection as I continue walking down the staircase while keeping my senses focused as a precaution against traps.

~~~~~

A/N:- Was planning stuff. A picture of my pain will be attached as a paragraph comment...