am-books Chapter 276: No. 50 Teleportation Labyrinth (2)
Chapter 276: No. 50 Teleportation Labyrinth (2)
Rattle, rattle.
Fragments of Dark Oobleck rained down like a torrential shower.
Everyone knew there was nothing good about coming into contact with it, and the mages quickly deployed protective barriers in time.
Sizzle—
Each time the black liquid touched the barrier, a continuous sizzling sound echoed, accompanied by acrid smoke.
As expected, it seemed to be strongly acidic and toxic.
Once the black rain stopped, Seo Cheong-yong waved his hand in the air, and the filth filling the room rapidly disappeared.
“Let’s take a moment to regroup.”
The battle had been so one-sided that there were no injuries and little need for rest.
Still, everyone checked their condition to rule out any potential surprises.
In the meantime, Seo Cheong-yong spoke to Lee Soo-dok.
“She must have noticed.”
“I’m sure of it. The scouts were taken out, after all.”
The Ooblecks they had just faced were akin to gatekeepers or scouts.
They would wait in the first room and would rush forward to self-destruct as soon as anyone entered the dungeon.
And that information would inevitably be relayed to the Witch of Corruption.
“She’ll try some tricks from the next room onward.”
“Not that it changes anything for us.”
“True enough.”
Lee Soo-dok’s calm response earned a nod of agreement from Seo Cheong-yong.
After all, they had entered fully aware that the Witch of Corruption had fortified this place and would resort to any strategy.
The only option was to keep pressing forward.
Seo Cheong-yong addressed the group.
“We’re moving to the next room. Prepare yourselves.”
As the mages spread their mana outward, magic circles began to emerge gradually on the floor.
Some were just large enough for one person to stand on.
Others were vast, filling the entire room.
The bigger, the better.
The larger and more complex the magic circle, the more powerful it becomes.
The teleportation magic circle, like others of its kind, allowed more people to move at once as it grew larger.
To transport all the dozens of members of the subjugation team, they naturally chose the largest magic circle available.
Since everyone had already mastered this basic strategy, we channeled mana into the largest magic circle in the chamber.
Before long, the ground beneath my feet began to glow brightly,
Fwoosh—!
And my vision flashed blindingly before plunging into sudden darkness.
We had arrived in the next room.
This space, at least, wasn’t entirely dark. Torches hung along the walls and they cast light throughout the chamber.
The room was much like the one before it, with old, weathered walls enclosing them on all sides.
The difference was that this room was completely empty.
“......?”
“......What? Nothing here?”
Just as everyone began to lower their guard,
I pointed upward and shouted.
“Above us!”
“!!”
Everyone’s eyes shot to the ceiling, where they spotted dark masses clinging above them.
In an instant, the Dark Ooblecks dropped down between the members of the subjugation team. They transformed into knight-like forms and swung their swords.
Clang!
The battle began with the first clash of swords as one member blocked an enemy’s attack.
Two dark Dark Ooblecks fell to my sides. One was slashing diagonally while the other lunged to stab.
I shifted my body slightly and stepped back half a pace, dodging their strikes.
The creatures pressed their attacks, trying to follow up, but—
Slash!
One was cut to pieces by Dang Gyu-young’s twin shadow blades, while the other was obliterated by Lee Soo-dok’s sweeping slash, leaving no trace.
The rest of the subjugation team, though initially startled, quickly regained their composure and engaged the Dark Ooblecks. Overwhelming them wasn’t difficult.
However, just like in the first room, the Dark Ooblecks’ forms began to crumble and their bodies dissolved into black sludge.
Boom!
They exploded in unison, scattering black liquid everywhere.
Because the explosions occurred deep within their formation, a few members were unable to dodge and were splattered with the substance.
Sizzle—
“Damn it...!”
“Argh!”
Their armor melted away almost instantly, and their skin turned black as the poison seeped in.
Boom!
In an instant, they were completely obliterated, leaving not even a drop of their black liquid behind.
As expected, he’s strong.
The strength of an A-rank hero.
It was clear why the academy had entrusted the subjugation to Lee Soo-dok and Seo Cheong-yong.
“.......!”
“.......!”
Everyone around looked on, half-shocked and half in awe.
But Lee Soo-dok who maintained his usual stoic tone merely said,
“Move out.”
***
Boom!
Each time Lee Soo-dok unleashed his blade, the Dark Ooblecks were erased without resistance.
However, even an A-rank hero couldn’t continuously execute such powerful attacks indefinitely.
He needed time to recover his strength.
Yet we couldn’t stay in one place for long, as there were magic circles that activated automatically after a certain time.
When that happened, no one could predict how many people would be transported or to which room they would end up.
Rather than staying idle, constant movement was the better choice. And while Lee Soo-dok recovered his strength, the rest of the subjugation team engaged in combat with the Ooblecks.
Fwoosh!
Each time the teleportation magic circles activated, our numbers dwindled little by little.
Sometimes half of the group was abruptly separated, and at other times only two or three people were taken.
As we continued to advance through the labyrinth, the number of remaining members dwindled to just seven.
Me, Lee Soo-dok, Dang Gyu-young, Jegal So-so, and a few faculty members.
“Move out.”
Lee Soo-dok commanded again, and the magic circle lit up brightly.
Fwoosh!
Everyone expected the next encounter to follow a similar pattern, but this time, the room was exceptionally spacious.
It was the “mid-boss room”.
Sure enough, more than twice the number of Oobleck knights and mages surrounded us, and among them emerged a huge knight.
He carried a shield in one hand and a mace as large as a person’s body in the other.
“.......”
Lee Soo-dok locked eyes with the knight for several seconds.
Then his energy surged dramatically, and he swung his blade diagonally toward the knight.
Crashhh!
The Dark Ooblecks nearby were all swept away, but the huge knight endured behind his shield which was expected from a mid-boss.
He then charged at incredible speed before slamming his mace down with devastating force.
Boom!
As Lee Soo-dok and the knight clashed, the Oobleck knights surrounding us began to close in from all directions.
I have to use it.
This was no time to worry about prohibited skills. I clenched my fist and focused my energy.
A crimson flame engulfed my fist, and I thrust it forward with all my might.
Whoooooooooooosh!
A blazing storm of fire tore through the enemies, leaving a gaping hole in their formation.
But their numbers remained overwhelming.
Some of the knights quickly filled the gap and closed in, but—
Slice—
They were suddenly sliced apart and cut cleanly into pieces.
Jegal So-so intervened and swung her sword.
Dang Gyu-young and the other faculty members also held their ground, fending off the relentless attacks from their positions.
Meanwhile, a little farther away, a group of Dark Oobleck mages was infusing mana into a teleportation circle.
There were more of them compared to the previous rooms, and as a result, the circle was being completed much faster.
It looks like it’ll go through.
Still, I had to try.
With that thought, I unleashed my Inferno Fist.
As expected, the Dark Oobleck knights swarmed together, forming a thick wall as if determined to protect the circle at all costs.
Boom, boom, boom—!
The storm of flames dissipated before it could reach the mages, and the teleportation circle was completed.
A bright light burst forth, engulfing me.
Flash—!
So they did it.
Up until now, the Ooblecks had activated countless teleportation circles but always stayed close to Lee Soo-dok. It seemed this time, they had finally succeeded in separating us.
At least I’m not alone.
I exchanged glances with Dang Gyu-young and Jegal So-so.