Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

Chapter 120 Maze Development

"It's a negative status, right? Doesn't that mean she has a cooldown time?" Aiden asked, his mind racing for a solution.

"There is. Thirty minutes," Jett replied, still expertly dodging the shadow spikes and Elora's relentless attacks. "I've already used a debuff skill on her to slow her down. We just need to survive until the effect wears off."

Aiden nodded but wasn't feeling much relief as he narrowly avoided a spike shooting up from the ground. "Thirty minutes feels like a lifetime right now."

The duo sprinted through the maze, with Jett using his [Link Levitation] to avoid the worst of the ground traps. Meanwhile, Elora's bloodlust was palpable, dark energy swirling around her as she launched a barrage of ice shards and shadow tendrils. Jett and Aiden dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding fatal strikes.

Every few seconds, Jett would glance at his timer, gritting his teeth as the seconds crawled by.

"What's her deal anyway?" Aiden panted. "You said she's stronger than you, but this is crazy!"

"Yeah, I underestimated how much of her power would be unleashed," Jett muttered, dodging a shadow spike as it grazed his leg. "Her cursed state amplifies both her ice and dark attributes. She's not holding back."

Time stretched on painfully as they kept running, barely avoiding the deadly traps and Elora's onslaught. Jett's stamina was holding, but he knew even he couldn't keep dodging forever. Sweat poured down his face as he activated.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jett glanced at the timer. "Thirty minutes. It's done," he muttered under his breath.

As if on cue, the dark energy surrounding Elora dissipated, her dark eyes fading as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The shifting environment around them paused, the maze retracting as the familiar heat of the lava lands returned.

"We made it…" Aiden exhaled, bending over to catch his breath.

Jett rushed over to Elora, watching her carefully. Her body was limp, but her breathing was steady. "She's out cold," Aiden said, moving to pick her up. "I'll carry her."

"Wait, I'll do it." Jett interjected, his voice firm as he stopped Aiden from lifting her.

"What's the difference? Don't tell me you've got the hots for her," Aiden mocked, raising an eyebrow.

"Say that one more time and I'll bury you here myself," Jett threatened, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Aiden raised his hands in mock surrender. "I was joking, man. Seems like you're the only one allowed to joke around."

Jett huffed, glancing at Elora. "If you carry her, she'll burn up. You won't be doing her any good that way."

Aiden blinked in confusion. "Burn up? What do you mean?"

"Her body's still under the effects of the dark and ice attributes," Jett explained. "If you touch her, the heat from your own body could mess with her. Just focus on leading the way, and I'll carry her."

Aiden shrugged. "Fine, you've got a point. I'll lead the way. Try to keep up, and, you know... don't get hit."

Jett gently lifted Elora into his arms, careful not to disturb her further. "Don't worry, I won't." His gaze hardened as he looked ahead, determined to get her to safety.

With Aiden leading the way, the two of them made their way back through the ever-shifting maze, the oppressive heat of the lava lands rising once more.

After a while of running, Aiden noticed that the relentless attacks from the maze had lessened. The shadow spikes and dark tendrils no longer threatened them at every turn, so he took the chance to check his skills.

"Let's see..." he muttered to himself, his interface lighting up as he scrolled through his skillset. His eyes widened in surprise as a new skill appeared on the list. "[Phosphorous Body]... Oh cool," he smirked, imagining how he could use it. His gaze briefly shifted to Elora, her peaceful face almost a contrast to the chaotic environment.

'I guess she must've gotten something similar too,' he mused silently.

"What?" Jett asked, noticing Aiden's focus in his direction.

"What?" Aiden quickly responded, startled.

"You were looking at me…" Jett raised an eyebrow, then glanced down at Elora. "Oh, it was Elora... Please don't tell me you have a sister complex." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Of course not! What gave you that idea?" Aiden asked defensively, caught off guard by the comment.

"Whatever you say, man," Jett replied with a teasing tone before looking ahead. "At this rate, we might actually make it before the estimated time."

Aiden grinned, feeling a little more confident. "Cool, and it seems like I'm finally getting the hang of this."

Just as Aiden started feeling like they might be in the clear, the maze shifted again, this time transforming into an icy wasteland. Cold winds whipped around them, and the temperature dropped drastically. Frost coated the walls and ground as snow started to fall, making the air bitterly cold.

"It's freezing again, but she's still unconscious," Aiden sighed, his breath visible in the cold air.

"This is bad," Jett muttered, his expression growing serious. "We can't go anywhere without her [Snow Guide] skill."

Aiden's confidence waned, and he shared Jett's concern. "That's true… without her, we're stuck here."

Jett clenched his fist, frustration bubbling inside. 'I've already copied a skill from her, so copying another one is impossible right now. Damn these restrictions… I miss being able to copy skills whenever I wanted,' he complained internally, his eyes scanning their icy surroundings for any sign of a way forward.

Time was running short, and now, without Elora's help, they were trapped in the frozen maze, with no clear path ahead.

They had no choice but to wait it out.

The cold gnawed at them, and with Elora still unconscious, it felt like they were stuck in the worst possible place. But waiting wasn't going to be easy. Slowly, from the snow-covered ground, around fifty snow monsters began to emerge, their massive, icy forms lumbering toward them with menacing intent.

"Are those snowmen?" Aiden asked, flustered at the sight. "They don't expect us to fight that, right?"

He knew exactly how much of a disadvantage they'd be at. In an environment surrounded by endless snow, fighting monsters made of it seemed like a futile task.

"Twenty-five minutes left," Jett reminded Aiden, his voice calm yet focused. "We just have to hold out until then."

"This is going to be a long twenty-five minutes," Aiden muttered, steeling himself for the battle ahead as the snow monsters inched closer.

Without any form of hesitation, Jett activated one of his defensive skills.

[Divine Defence]

A shimmering array of shields materialized around the three of them, forming a protective barrier. The golden energy from the shields flickered like flames, warding off the bitter cold.

"Forget about defense and just grind down the monsters," Jett instructed, his tone firm. He quickly swallowed some pills to raise his HP and MP, preparing for the fight ahead.

Aiden glanced at the shimmering shields surrounding them. 'That's not a skill a magic swordsman typically has,' he thought. The more he observed, the more questions arose. 'I'm probably overthinking this whole thing.'

With no time to dwell on it, Aiden charged forward. For the next ten minutes, he slashed and hacked at the snow monsters, cutting them down one by one. The snow creatures were relentless, reforming if not completely destroyed, but Aiden stayed sharp. Meanwhile, Jett unleashed a series of long-range attacks, his projectiles blasting through the air with precision.

As the minutes ticked by, Jett's defensive skill time elapsed.

Without hesitation, he activated another skill.

[Divine Protection]

A warm, golden aura enveloped all three of them, granting powerful buffs to all their stats. Their strength and agility surged, and the biting cold became more tolerable.

'These effects… they feel more like something people under Freya's class should have,' Aiden thought, his mind swirling with doubt. 'Am I missing something?'

Despite the confusion, Aiden continued fighting, his blade tearing through the monsters with renewed vigor, but the more he felt the divine aura around him, the more certain he became that there was more to Jett than he was letting on.

As Jett's [Divine Protection] spread through the air, the golden aura not only gave them strength but seemed to have another effect as well: Elora, unconscious for so long, began to stir. Her breathing became more even, her face gradually relaxing as warmth seeped into her body. The cursed state she'd been locked in started to fade, allowing her consciousness to return slowly.

Jett noticed the subtle shift, her eyelids fluttering ever so slightly. "She's waking up," he muttered to Aiden, who gave a small nod but kept his focus on the encroaching snow monsters.

*****

Meanwhile, in Lagia, the atmosphere was peaceful, almost too quiet for Jerry's liking.

Sitting in his office, Jerry shuffled the last few pages of paperwork with a sigh. "It's been really quiet lately," he said, the corners of his mouth curling into a soft smile.

Eva, who had come in to keep him company while she knitted, glanced up briefly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes, but…" Jerry paused, gazing out the window. "I have a bad feeling about these quiet times." He gave a soft smile again, but his expression hinted at unease.

Eva didn't look up this time, focused on her knitting, but she could feel Jerry's eyes on her. She was used to this by now: he had a habit of staring when he thought she wasn't paying attention.

"Stop staring," Eva said, her tone gentle but teasing as she concentrated on her work.

"I wasn't looking," Jerry said with a half-hearted defense, his gaze not leaving her face.

"I promised Cormac I'd supervise you so you'd get your work done without distractions," Eva sighed, clearly amused.

"Well, you're doing a bad job," Jerry replied with a smirk. "How am I supposed to work when I've got a beauty sitting this close to me?"

"Says the man who just denied staring at his wife," Eva countered, giving him a sly smile. "Nice confession, by the way. But I'm not letting you off easy, you've still got more work to finish."

Jerry groaned, grumbling at the thought of more work piling up. He stood up abruptly, startling Eva.

Before she could react, Jerry leaned down and scooped her up from her chair, lifting her into his arms effortlessly.

"Break time," he said with a mischievous grin.

"Put me down, muscle head! Stop trying to sway me!" Eva giggled, playfully slapping his shoulder as she wriggled in his arms.

Just then, a soldier burst through the door without knocking, freezing when he realized the scene he had interrupted. "My apologies, I'll just..." he stammered, starting to turn back around.

Enjoy exclusive adventures from mvl

Eva quickly slid out of Jerry's grasp, her face flushed, and rushed out of the office. "No, it's fine," she said, escaping the awkwardness of the moment.

Jerry, still visibly irritated by the interruption, crossed his arms. "What's the matter? Did you forget how to knock or something?"

The soldier, clearly flustered, managed to speak. "You have a message from the king, sir."

"That's not a good enough reason to barge into my office like that," Jerry growled, still annoyed.

"The message came with a red star seal, sir," the soldier added, extending a letter toward Jerry.

At the sight of the seal, Jerry's annoyance shifted into concern. He snatched the letter from the soldier's hand. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath as he broke the seal. "Why now? What do those bastards want?"

Without wasting another second, Jerry looked up from the letter. "Ready a horse and set up the teleportation platform. Now."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted before running off to carry out the orders, leaving Jerry standing there, his thoughts already racing ahead to whatever urgent matter had just been thrown on his plate.

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What could've happened?