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Chapter 136 - I know how it works

Lina then looked at Gen and saw that he was standing there looking over his shoulder.

She then said, "Gen, give it up. Let's wait for the wind.", and Gen then turned to her and walked toward them.

He then passed Lina and Briny and stopped next to Raja. He then took one foot off the ground, looked at the hole he had made, and then took a step forward, which made everyone's eyes widen.

Raja then held him back and said, "Are you crazy, Gen? Didn't you see what happened to me?"

And Gen said, "Let me go, Raja. I think I've found something. Let me test it."

"Are you sure?"

"No. That's why I need to test it."

Raja then let go of him and said, "Okay. Go ahead."

Briny then said, "Wait, Gen. If you miss, we will all get pulled in by the sand."

And Raja said, "Why would that happen?"

"If he misses, the labyrinth will change, and that will cause us to hit walls too, which will pull us in."

Gen then said, "But aren't you in the never-changing area of the labyrinth? In theory, you're not supposed to hit the walls even if I miss."

And Briny said, "Hm, that's true. You can try then."

"Okay."

Gen then turned and stepped forward. Some time passed, and nothing happened to him.

Raja then said, "Looks like you got lucky, Gen."

And Gen said, "I wouldn't say it was luck, but let me test a few more times to confirm."

Gen then lifted one of his feet off the ground, looked at the hole he had left in the ground, and took another step forward, but again, nothing happened.

He then repeated the process, took another step forward, and again nothing happened.

Lina then said, "Looks like Gen has found something."

And Raja said, "It must be his luck. The first time I came in here, I also took several steps forward, and nothing happened to me."

Briny then said, "That's right. It could be that he is getting lucky."

Gen then lifted his foot again, noted the hole he had left in the sand, and then took a step, but this time the step went to the left, not forward. Everyone looked at him intently, and he then completed the step, but nothing happened.

Briny then said, "Looks like he really found something."

And Raja said, "You never know, it might still be luck. Let's wait a little longer to be sure."

Briny then said, "Ok."

Gen then repeated the process and took multiple steps. The first was to the left, and then left, back, back, left.

After that, he stopped, looked in the direction of the other three, and said, "I understand how this place works."

And Briny said, "Really?"

"Yeah, it's simpler than it looks."

Raja then said, "How does it work?"

And Gen said, "Just look at the sand. It always goes in the direction of the path."

Raja then said, "What do you mean?"

And Gen said, "Take one of your feet off the ground."

Everyone had seen that with every step Gen took, he did this, so everyone followed what he said without questioning it.

Gen then said, "Now, look at the hole. Look at the direction the sand is going."

And Raja said, "What do you mean the direction? It is going into the hole."

"Yes, but don't you think there is something strange about the way it is going into it?"

Raja then looked again at the hole and said, "No, the sand is falling into it normally. What's strange about it?"

Gen then said, "The sand always falls into the hole from the same direction."

And Raja said, "What? What do you mean?"

"Lift your foot again."

Raja then lifted his foot, making another hole in the sand, and Gen said, "Now divide the hole into four parts, left, right, top, and bottom, and then look from which part the sand is entering the hole."

Raja then looked at the hole and said, "It is entering the hole from the bottom part."

Gen then said, "That's it. Now lift your foot a few more times, and see if at some point it will change."

Raja then started doing what Gen said, and after a few tries, he said, "The sand always enters from the bottom."

Lina and Briny were also doing the same, and Briny then said, "It's true. No matter what I do, the sand always walks into the hole from the bottom."

Gen then said, "Exactly. Now, it's simple: you just have to move in the same direction that the sand is moving. If it's coming from below, that means it's moving forward, so you also move forward. If it's coming from the left, that means it's going right, so you go right too, and so on."

Raja then said, "I got it."

He then lifted his foot, looked at the hole, and said, "The sand is coming from below, so I have to go forward."

He then took a step forward, and nothing happened. He then repeated this a few more times, moving forward and in other directions, and then said, "That's really how it works."

Briny and Lina then began to do the same process, and then the three of them got to Gen's side.

Lina then said, "Looks like you weren't looking at the sand for nothing."

And Gen then looked at her and said, "I told you there was something strange in it, but you didn't believe me."

Lina then crossed her arms and said, "Of course, you've been looking at the ground like crazy since we got here."

And Gen said, "I was looking because I knew there was something strange in the sand."

Raja then said, "Enough, you two, let's focus on the labyrinth. Even though we understand how it works, we still have to get out of it. Wait until then, then you two can 'fight' as much as you want."

Gen and Lina then looked at him with an ugly expression, and he said, "It's no use looking at me like that. Now get out of my way."

Raja then stepped between them and stepped forward. 

Seeing that, Gen said, "Raja, wait! I didn't find the direction yet.", but Raja then finished his step and said, "Damn ... Get ready."

They were then pulled through the sand below them, and then the four of them appeared beside the holes in the entrance, Gen being on top of Raja beside the right hole and Briny on top of Lina beside the left hole.

Raja then said, "Get off me, Gen."

And Gen said, "You! I should stay on top of you so you can stop being so careless."

"I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean to do that."

Gen then stood up and said, "Next time, I'll make you pay if you do something like that."

Raja then stood up, looked over, and saw Lina and Briny brushing the sand off their bodies.

He then started to approach them and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you dirty. Do you want me to help you?"

Lina looked at him with an angry expression, and then Raja turned away and said, "Never mind. You seem to have everything under control."

Gen then said, "Let me guide you through the labyrinth."

He then stepped between the two holes and started walking forward, testing the path with each step, until at one point, he stepped to the right and said, "Come closer. There are curves from here. We'd better stay close together."

The other three approached the entrance, and Raja then said, "Ladies first."

Lina then said, "No. You go ahead. I don't want you looking at my back."

And Raja said, "All right ...", and then he went inside and walked toward Gen.

The girls then came right behind him, and after everyone had arrived, Gen said, "Well, I'll just keep going ahead."

The other three then agreed, and he then continued to test the path, and little by little, they progressed along it.

After a while, Gen stopped at one place, and Raja said, "What's the matter, Gen? Did you get tired of going ahead? Do you want me to replace you?"

And Lina said, "Never. If Gen doesn't want to lead the way, you can let me lead the way."

Raja then said, "If you lead the way, I will see your back."

"Not if you close your eyes."

"Close my eyes? Are you crazy? I'm not going to do that."

"Well, I can close your eyes for you, but you might not open them afterward."

Gen then said, "Enough, pay attention. I stopped here because there is a problem with the sand."

Briny then said, "What problem? Did it stop showing the way?"

And Gen said, "No, but it is showing more than one way."

Raja then said, "What? Are you serious?"

And Gen said, "Yes, look here."

He then lifted his foot, and everyone looked at the hole he made in the ground. The sand was coming into the hole from the left side and the right side.

Seeing this, Raja said, "It's true. What do we do now?"