"What do you want?" I asked, trying to pull away, but her grip was surprisingly strong.
"Relax, little lamb," she chuckled, her voice a honeyed trap. "Let the darkness guide you." The doll's eyes seemed to bore into me, its voice echoing in my mind, "Indeed. Let us see what secrets you hold from me"
Is she a chunni? I thought.
The labyrinth twisted and turned, each corridor more disorienting than the last. I walked through the walkway, moving carefully while trying to sense the magic while the girl carefully followed me as she smiled creepily from behind.
I don't get what is the problem with her.
"Aren't there anyone else beside us " I asked her.
"Fufufufu. I don't see why people would be brave enough to take dark labryinth and survive. " She smirked with smug face.
"This is the first I saw someone except myself embracing darkness " She said with smile that was very creepy.
I sigh.
The first trap sprung unexpectedly. A section of the floor crumbled beneath my feet, the floor a pit filled with razor-sharp spikes. I reacted instinctively, conjuring a platform of water made using coiled steel springs, to cushion my fall and propel me back to solid ground by ."
Are they seriously trying to kill participants? " I asked annoyed.
"Fufufufu~ This is a cakewalk " She said as rearranged the floor blocks into a escalator with the floor making her move, while she remains stationary. She reached me and gave her smug smile.
She is getting on my nerves.
The second challenge was more insidious. An illusion of my mother appeared before me, her face contorted in agony, begging for my help.
"Please at least find a better actor" I said as I used [Waterform] And created a long tape enough to shut her up.
Even a child would know that my mother would never beg, especially in front of her child.
And she was out of character too.
As I ventured deeper into the labyrinth, I encountered a series of increasingly bizarre and dangerous creatures.
Shadow wolves with glowing eyes lunged from the darkness, their fangs dripping with venom.
I used [Waterform] again to create a pressurized bomb, and threw it it created a blast and the poison was gone and the wolves were knocked aback by resulting explosion not only knocking them back but also rupturing their organs with the intense pressure. Water pressure can be dangerous.
But the wolves were just the beginning. A swarm of spectral bats descended upon me, with their heavy screeches.
Thank god I have water buds. Their wings beating with a sickening thrum, they created a huge wind and threw it to me.
I simply created [Aqua shield] To create a water barrier which absorbed the wind.
I guess I should stop now, I have been fighting for a while. Let's force the girl to use her magic. I want to know about her.
I want to check how she is." Oh, so you want to see my magic, do you?" she whispered, with her voice dripping with a sweet, sadistic tone. "Very well, then. Prepare to be amazed~."
She raised her doll, with it's face twisting into a grotesque grin. "Arise, my pets," she chanted, her voice echoing through the chamber.
"Feast on the living!"Dark energy pulsed from the doll, flowing into the corpses of the fallen shadow wolves.
The wolves' eyes snapped open, glowing with an unholy light, Darkness. They rose to their feet, their bodies twisted and contorted.The reanimated wolves lunged at the spectral bats, their jaws snapping shut with sickening crunches.
The bats fought back, their claws tearing into the wolves' flesh, but they were no match for the sheer violence of the undead creatures.It was gruesome, She even turned some of the bats against their own kind.
The enchanted creatures tore into their former companions, their sharp teeth ripping through the spectral flesh. I could even see some tears on the bats as they fell down.
Wait! Since when creatures like bats have emotions.
"Impressive, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with delight"Okay " I said defusing my barrier and walked.
"Your magic is so cool. It was similar to mine, What was your name " She asked while placing her hand on me and sweetly whispering in my ear.
"Ethan," I replied.
"Ethan. Ethan. Ethan" she repeated, savoring the sound of my name on her lips.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ethan." She said lifting her skirt a bit
"My name is Lillian, nice to meet you" She said as leaned closer to me while having a strong grip on me
She leaned close, her hand went inside my shirt with her fingers tracing around my chest as she breathed in my ear moaning my name. A tingling sensation spread around me.
She chuckled, a low, throaty sound that sent another shiver down my spine. "Call me Lily," she whispered, her breath hot against my ear. "It's more... intimate."
She faced moved and closer to me, her lips dangerously close to my mouth, and I can feel her breath.
"What do you want? " I asked pushing her aside, that was good enchantment and seductive techinque from her.
"You aren't charmed. You don't want to be my friend " Lillian said surprised to me talking normally and restrain myself.
"Actually enchantment of that level only works on boy with low level magic levels, How shameless " I said uninterested.
She was a good enchanter, but it seems she will trouble to deal with.
"Don't try to play coy with me, little prince," she warned, her voice shivering.
She raised her doll, its painted eyes glowing with an eerie light. "You may have resisted my charm, but don't think for a moment that you're immune to my magic."
The doll's mouth opened, and a wave of dark energy washed over me. I felt a strange pull, a seductive whisper in my mind urging me to surrender to its power.
I would be very scared of these voices if I were 8 years boy.
She really thought good mages won't be prepared to deal with enchantments. Did she really think experienced mages wouldn't be prepared for enchantments? A careless mistake
I closed my eyes, focusing on not my mana but Lillian's mana. I reached out with my magic, not to push back, but to pull.I threw a chain created by my hand and bindded Lillian with it and chanted "How... how did you...? KYAAH" she stammered, trying to break free."Aha, WHAT? Kyaah!" Her voice rose in pitch, a mix of fear and thrill.What? She was thrilled?"Don't move. This is my dark magic [Manahole]. The more mana you have, the more it sucks your magic. And it won't break free until it sucked everything out of it like a black hole " I explained.Actually that was half truth, the chains aren't draining the mana, I just coated the spell within chains and left it. That was the least potential variation of my spell. Dark magic conjuration spell.I explained to her as I wanted it to be known. I want some of magic to be known while hiding the trump cards. To be fair I want to be known as strong mage, so I can gather strong army easily. Basic Kingdom building."You!" a strange expression crossed her face – a mixture of anger, frustration, and... arousal?. "You'll pay for this. Mark my words, Ethan Blackwood, you will be mine."She was indeed a freak. Is she that kind of woman, who likes pain?Her doll, still on her lap, tilted its head, a sly smile on its lips. "Oh, my dear Lillian," it cooed in its eerie voice, "you've never been so flustered by a boy before. Perhaps this is what you've been missing all along."Lillian's cheeks flushed a deep crimson, but she didn't deny the doll's words. Instead, her gaze intensified on me. "Okay I am leaving, I have seen everything " I said waking away from her towards my final challenge."W...wait" She whispered while panting heavily as she breathed erratically aroused. Indeed she was confirmed to be sheltered antisocial mage.The final challenge was the most bland challenge. A massive, shadowy figure blocked my path, its eyes burning with violent intent. It was a creature of pure darkness, a guardian. It lunged at me, its claws outstretched.
I simply created a chain and used it's own momentum to throw a pit. And I threw 5 water bombs in it and walked towards the exit.
Hopefully I won't encounter anyone strange.
"Congratulations " A cute lady examiner came to me as I had exited the door.