Chapter 152: Simple Way
Chapter 152: Simple Way
After taking their rest and being relieved that no enemies appeared during that time, they found themselves in a pitch-black environment. Linfel had to use his Magic Energy to conjure a small but highly concentrated fireball. It consumed a good amount of Magic Energy, but Linfel could keep up with it with his absorption skills.
Looking at the map, everything was also black. However, the map on their MCOMs at least showed them where was north. Judging from where they came from and the map from the floors above, they had a small idea of which direction to go. It's just that they didn't know what they would find.
However, several minutes passed, and not a single soul could be seen. Then half an hour, then one hour, two hours, three hours... So far, they haven't found a single Magic Beast or one of the Controlled Golems and Elementals. Everything was completely empty.
"Could it be that the sixth floor doesn't have anything?" Alvin couldn't help but ask.
"Perhaps because the Ventis Sect never expected anyone to come here, they hadn't added any Magic Beasts or anything else. We haven't found a single trap either," Milia added.
Linfel didn't think that to be the case. Magic Beasts don't really follow any logic since they don't have intelligence. The only reason he thought for none to live here was because all the 'food' was on the top levels. It didn't mean they wouldn't find any during their travels.
As they kept walking, Linfel began to grow tense. He could feel that something wasn't right, although he simply couldn't tell what. The Magic Energy flow was pretty much stagnated, so using it to guide himself wasn't an option.
It was then that Linfel's expression changed. "We need to go back."
Alvin and the others were taken aback. "What?! Why? It took us one hour to get here."
Linfel shook his head. "Just follow me." Without explaining, he began to float back from where he came at high speeds. Everyone was forced to use their Magic Energies to the maximum just to keep up with Linfel.
However, they didn't need to do that for long. In just two minutes, they arrived at their destination. "This..." Seeing the passage ahead, Alvin and the others finally understood why Linfel asked them to go back. "But we have been walking for over three hours!"
Linfel felt like an idiot. "I knew it. It is not that the sixth floor is empty; it is just that we barely left the area where we arrived at all."
They were back exactly at the place where they fell. The caved passage was still there, and so were their footprints. "How is this possible?!"
Linfel now understood why he felt something wasn't right. "It isn't that hard to guess, right? Back in the Magic Control Exam Building, the entire building's insides were manipulated by Spatial Magic Arrays. A room that was supposed to be no more than a few meters wide extended for over a kilometers when you got inside.
I think it is safe to say the entire Sixth Floor is being manipulated by a similar array."
It was possible. The entire Dungeon already had Magic Arrays controlling the Golems, Elementals, and Magic Beasts. Why couldn't there be a floor where Spatial Arrays were used?
"I'm starting to think that perhaps it was better if this floor simply had Level Five Magic Beasts or the equivalent of those controlled puppets," Milia couldn't help but comment.
"Forget that," Zandel tried to reason things. "Perhaps this isn't a bad thing. If the sixth floor is dedicated to Spatial Array Traps, perhaps there is a way out without having to fight anything. We just need to find a way to do that."
Alvin and Nori agreed. "He is right. Level Five Enemies would definitely be more dangerous, especially if there were many of them. Still, how exactly will we find a way out? We walked for over three hours, going up, down, right, left, you name it."
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"We took several different paths," Linfel explained. "And yet, how many divisions of path have you guys seen on our way back?"
Only then did they notice. "None... It was a straight line all the way here, with no different paths."
Linfel was happy that he wasn't the only one to notice it. "Then perhaps the trick lies behind the paths we chose. We are quite lucky already. It only took us three hours to notice this problem. How long would other groups take to notice it? Let's go out again.
We need to gather more information."
Everyone nodded, and they followed Linfel. After a few minutes, they found the first division of paths even though there was no such thing on their way back. "Okay, there are three paths to choose, but the number isn't always the same. We saw divisions with only two paths and others with four or five paths to choose from. We need to find something that would tell us which direction to go.
Spread out and see if you can find any clues."
Everyone began to look at the different entrances, using their Magic Sense up close to find any information. Linfel, obviously, did the same, and his Magic Sense could go deeper into the walls than anyone else's. Unfortunately, all they could see and feel were rocks and more rocks. Dirt and more dirt. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary there.
"There is nothing here," Alvin finally gave up looking.
Zandel, Milia, Nori, and Kefin eventually did the same and returned to the center. "Nothing for us either."
Finally, Linfel joined them. "I can't find anything different. And that's the problem."
"We know," Alvin shrugged. "We are looking for clues, after all. Finding nothing isn't a good thing."
"That's not what I meant," Linfel shook his head, though. "There is a Magic Array trapping us in this place, and yet, I can't catch anything different with the flow of Magic Energy in the surroundings. In fact, there isn't any flow at all. For the Magic Array to work on us all, there was supposed to be some difference in the Magic Energy Flow that feeds the Magic Array and keeps us in the same place.
Since even I can't feel it, we must be missing something, anything."
"Can we disrupt the array somehow?" Alvin asked out of curiosity.
Immediately, Linfel's eyes lit up. "That's it! Alvin, you are a genius!"
"I am?" Alvin didn't hear those words often. "Sure... but why am I a genius?"
*Zush!*
Suddenly, several rolls of thin thread reels, like the ones used for fishing, appeared on the ground, coming straight out of Linfel's Spatial Storage.
"I meant to ask it a few times, but I guess now is better than never," Zandel commented after seeing that. "Just where are you keeping all these things?"
Kefin nodded. He had been curious all this while as well.
"I'm more curious about why you keep fishing line with you..." Alvin asked, and that was something Milia and Nori had to agree they were curious about.
"I'll explain later," Linfel didn't answer, though. "Grab one each and knot them together. There is a very simple way to disrupt this Spatial Magic Array."