Chapter 982 (1/2)

The dark underground maze was as dangerous and arduous as ever.

A dozen magical missiles flew across the air, critically bombarding the Golem Puppets in dazzling radiance. Their twisted metal body creaked before crumpling to the ground lifelessly. At this moment, the young lady put her hand down, letting out a sigh of relief. The group of apprentices around her slumped to the ground.

“Is everyone alright?”

Adella asked, turning to her schoolmates. On the other hand, a brown-haired young lady with a ponytail shook her head.

“Everyone is exhausted, Adella.”

“Alright, let’s have a break, but do watch your surroundings. Don’t touch anything strange or wander off alone, got it? I don’t want this to happen again…” Adella seemed frustrated. She clutched the magic staff, gnashing her teeth. This was the first time the apprentices explored the Deepest Labyrinth. The adventure started off smoothly and although they lacked battle experience, they were elites of the Mage Tower after all, and their powerful abilities compensated for it. Besides, the successful journey across the Enchanted Forest gave them confidence and they cleared the first few floors of the Deepest Labyrinth almost effortlessly.

But shortly after, they paid the price with their naivety.

In the pitch-black underground, there was no distinction between day and night. An experienced adventurer like Rhode knew to automatically calculate time and ensure the normal operation of his body clock. But the apprentices weren’t aware of it. They relied on their instincts, taking breaks when they were exhausted and continuing with their journey after resting. Nothing exciting happened in the beginning but they slowly felt unfocused as they ventured deeper. As a result… they paid a huge price for their ignorance.

Adella would recall that depressing scene whenever she closed her eyes: the ice-cold, bloody corpse that made her unable to consume any food. Their passion for this adventure was replaced by immense fear. If it weren’t for their drive as elites, they would have given up and headed back to the surface.

But now, they were almost at their limits too…

“Sigh…”

Adella slid down the wall on her back and sat on the ground slowly, rubbing her throbbing forehead. The creatures were getting increasingly stronger as they went deeper into the underground, just like the terrifying Golem Puppet they faced a minute ago. Not only was it huge and strong, but it also had high magical resistance. If it weren’t for Frey who tanked its attack, the three of them couldn’t have possibly defeated it. They were only on the fifth floor. If they went deeper… Wouldn’t they face even more terrifying creatures? Would they be able to survive and defeat them?

“Frey, any news on Richard and the others?”

The ponytailed young lady shook her head in response to her team leader.

“No. I’ve tried contacting him using the magic crystal but there is no news. But I think they should be safe.”

“I hope so…”

Adella let out a long sigh, before biting and forcing the ration down her throat. Even though her stomach was growling with hunger, she had poor appetite after the lack of rest over the past few days. She felt her head spinning and was unable to focus at all. As soon as she felt the ration went down her throat, she had the urge to vomit. Shortly after, she put away the ration and stood to her feet using the support of the wall. But at this moment, she noticed one of her team members standing in front of the Golem Puppet’s corpse and observing curiously.

“Clark, what are you doing! Get away from there, we don’t know if that thing has been destroyed completely yet!”

Adella yelled, sensing instinctively that something was amiss. The young mage named Clark turned around and waved his hand at her.

“It’s fine, Adella, I’m just checking on its condition. Don’t worry, I don’t feel any magic undulation from it!” The young mage tapped lightly on the Golem Puppet’s shell. What should have been an ordinary action turned out otherwise.

“———!”

Suddenly the lifeless metal puppet emanated a faint magical radiance, startling the apprentices. Adella’s heart sank immediately, running forward in large strides to stop the troublemaker who stood on the spot in disbelief. At the same time, an unprecedented magic ritual appeared in midair and before the apprentices reacted, the solid ground beneath their feet crumbled, collapsing like broken blocks and revealing a mysterious dark hole.

Gusts of wind whistled along with the horrified screams as they fell through the void. All Adella could do was to release a spell that would decrease fall damage. But the spell didn’t work out as she expected perhaps due to the exhaustion from previous battles. She felt her body lighten only for a split second, before being pulled down by the powerful force of gravity once again. Before she realized, the severe pain from the crash on her back struck her into a coma.

“Argh…”

When she woke up, she found herself in a dark, blurry place. She struggled to sit herself up, shaking her head to lessen the giddiness. Then, she groaned to the tremendous pain on the back of her head and at this moment, she heard a familiar voice.

“Adella, you’re alive! I’m so glad!”

“Frey? What…”

Adella turned around hurriedly and saw her best friend with her uniform covered in filth and blood. Adella’s heart sank and she had a bad hunch.

“How are the rest doing?”

“…”

Frey lowered her head silently. Then, after a few moments she answered helplessly.

“We lost two and there are only five of us left. Dina and Elijah are still alive… but Clark’s legs are broken. Elijah tried to treat his injuries but… we did our best. Perhaps Clark…”

Frey didn’t continue his sentence but Adella understood what she meant. Adella gnashed her teeth in frustration. She had lost half her team and to make things worse, Clark’s legs were also broken. The remaining apprentices couldn’t possibly continue the journey carrying him around. Even though Elijah was a male mage, he specialized in summoning and was a few years younger than Clark. He didn’t have the strength to carry him at all. Do I really have to abandon him? No, there doesn’t seem to be any options. Even if we bring Clark along, will we be able to reach the tenth floor in this state?

“… I’ve made up my mind, Frey.”

Adella gnashed her teeth, before saying unwillingly.

“I’ve decided to give up. Let’s head back using the teleport crystal.”

“Adella…”

Frey looked at her blankly. Of course, she knew how hard it was for Adella to make this decision. The main reason why they suffered through the hardships and came this far was because they would be prohibited from participating in another apprentice test over the next decade if they gave up this test. That would be devastating for them. If they couldn’t ‘graduate’, their abilities couldn’t be taken to the next level. Also, who would be willing to waste another 10 years?

“Alright then…”