In a hidden location among trees eight meters tall and three-meter-tall bushes, there was a small opening in the trunk of one of the trees. Enrico grabbed the trunk and pulled it out of the ground along with its roots, which seemed to be buried deep underground. Then, he placed the tree on the ground, revealing a small door that began to grow slowly.
Beside him, Liam widened his eyes at this display of strength.
"What a monstrous physique! He didn't even use magic to increase his strength."
Beside him, Grakka gave a confident smile.
"My friend Enrico is very strong. He is definitely on the same level as us orcs!"
"Let's go in, everyone. I've already opened the way."
Enrico looked at them as if he hadn't done anything special. Then, he asked them to follow him and jumped into the opening, which had stopped growing.
Quickly, the other five jumped in after him, one after another. When Elian, the last one to cross, passed through the portal, the passage disappeared, preventing anyone else from interrupting their exploration.
The six appeared in a room where twenty cards floated in the air, moving as if they were being shuffled. Behind them, there was a wall with five drawings representing different locations.
Elian approached and noticed that something was written on a stone. Sylvia, who was right behind him, also came closer to read it.
"What's written there?"
"Let me see... From the looks of it, each of us needs to choose a card. Among these twenty cards, there are five different locations we can be sent to. The choice will be random, and we'll only discover our destination after picking a card."
"So everything depends on luck? That's bad! What if one of us ends up alone?"
"That means that person is very unlucky."
Enrico, who was standing behind them, felt that somehow, the person they were talking about would end up being him. Therefore, he was the first to pick a card.
After all, this dungeon didn't allow anyone to manipulate luck. The cards were shuffled randomly, distributing the destinations among the six participants. Depending on the result, they could end up together or separated, regardless of their expectations.
Even so, Enrico deliberately chose the card that led to the most difficult location in the original story. He wanted to make sure he would reach the correct destination.
"Enrico, what did you get?"
"I can't tell. I think the destination will only be revealed once everyone has picked their cards."
After exchanging glances, the others began approaching and choosing one of the nineteen remaining cards. When Caelan picked the last one, everyone began disappearing amid a green light.
"Wait! What's happening?"
"Don't worry. We must be getting transported to the chosen locations... See you later, then. Goodbye!"
Enrico waved his hand, disappearing with a smile on his face. Soon afterward, the others were also transported, although some still seemed desperate about what was happening.
On the wall behind the cards, the participants' names began appearing above the drawings of the locations. Some names were grouped together, indicating that certain people had been sent to the same destination.
In an unknown location, two people were together.
"So it seems we've become partners."
"Yeah. What do we do now?"
Caelan and Liam stood side by side in front of a corridor that seemed to stretch on endlessly. Behind them, there was only a wall, making it clear that the only available path was to move forward.
"I think we should follow the only path we have."
"You're right."
The two began walking down the corridor.
In another part of the dungeon, Sylvia was alone, maintaining an indifferent expression.
"I'm screwed."
With no other choice, Sylvia began moving. As she advanced, she started observing the place where she had been transported. The environment consisted of various stone rooms with pillars supporting statues.
Sylvia passed several of them without anything happening, at least until she reached one of the rooms. Suddenly, one of the statues moved and tried to strike her head.
"Vine Shield!"
A shield quickly appeared, protecting her head from the attack. Sylvia raised one hand and transferred mana into the structure, causing countless sharp vines to pierce the statue's body.
The vines pierced a Nartheis core, destroying the creature.
"It seems I'm in an area full of traps."
She formed a bitter smile and began retracing her steps. Since she was alone, she preferred not to risk moving forward without first understanding the dangers of that place better.
Meanwhile, in another part of the dungeon...
"It seems the three of us ended up choosing the same place."
Enrico, Grakka, and Elian were together. His two companions seemed excited about the situation, while Enrico observed the surroundings and realized they had been sent to the place where the dungeon's boss was located.
'Was I lucky when I chose this card and ended up bringing the two of them along to help me? Or is it just my bad luck dragging my companions down with me?'
[I would bet on the second option.]
The three were surrounded by stone walls. A simple glance around was enough to realize they were inside an enormous labyrinth, filled with different paths that made it difficult even to decide where to begin.
"It looks like we're in a labyrinth. What should we do, Enrico?"
Elian's question prompted Grakka to take a step forward with an idea of his own.
"In my tribe, they taught us that when we find a labyrinth, all we have to do is destroy every wall until we reach the end!"
Enrico tried to move to stop him, but Grakka had already advanced and easily destroyed the first wall. After all, unlike other dungeons, those walls weren't protected by magic.
Elian seemed to agree with the idea and prepared to do the same with his sword. However, the two noticed that Enrico had brought his hands to his face, displaying a certain degree of frustration.
"Damn it! My first plan failed."
"What happened, my friend Enrico? Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'm sorry!"
The two became worried about his reaction. Before they could continue the conversation, however, they heard a loud noise coming from somewhere in the labyrinth. It sounded as though something was running toward them.
Enrico immediately raised his head slightly toward the direction from which he had heard the roar, grabbed the two by their hands, and began running in the opposite direction from where the noise had come.
"What is that noise, Enrico?"
"The boss! It can sense any damage inflicted on the labyrinth and always chases down anyone it finds until it finishes them off!"
"Shit, Grakka! You messed up!"
"I'm sorry, friends!"
Elian seemed to have forgotten that he had been about to do exactly the same thing, but there was no time to argue now. The three needed to run.
When they looked behind them, they finally managed to see the creature chasing them: a red minotaur with black lines scattered across its body, charging toward them at a terrifying speed.
"Try to keep up with me as much as you can! Since we destroyed part of the labyrinth, it has entered a state of fury and is stronger than usual!"
Enrico activated Charged Impulse and forced the two to keep up with him as he accelerated. Elian used his wind magic to increase his speed, while Grakka relied on his own physical strength to avoid falling behind.
Behind them, the dungeon boss's eyes glowed with red fury.
Name: Asterion
Rank: Faizes Two
Magic: Earth, Stone, and Fury
Unique Ability: Living Labyrinth