Chapter 34 Being Separated
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"Ugh..."
A red-haired boy was groaning on the ground. One of his hands was supporting his body while the other was covering his face.
He slowly opened his eyes and realized his vision was blurry. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his sight.
"Where is this?"
As soon as his vision cleared, he looked around. He was shocked to realize that his two teammates had disappeared. Even the surrounding scenery was not where he had been resting before.
"Danz! Livy! Are you two there!!"
Briar shouted in the hope of receiving an answer from his teammates, but the only response he got was silence.
'There's no one...'
Briar now understood the effect of the trap that Livy had accidentally activated. It teleported people within a certain range to any place in the dungeon. And that meant the three of them were currently in different places.
'Danz! He hasn't woken up yet!'
Briar remembered that Danz was still in a resting state. He didn't know where Danz was or if he was in danger. But remembering that Danz also had Hollis's life-saving item, Briar felt somewhat relieved.
He took out a badge-like item from his storage space, with the academy's logo engraved on it.
As long as a student's life was in danger, this badge would automatically erect a shield and teleport the student back to Hollis. It could also be activated by infusing mana into it and saying "Return".
Briar guessed that Livy and Danz would choose to activate the badge in this situation. Because right before entering the dungeon, they had agreed to activate it if they were accidentally separated. This was the best way to preserve their lives, who knew what dangers they would encounter when they were alone. There was no guarantee that they would be able to find each other in this maze.
Briar clenched the badge in his hand and poured mana into it, he let out a breath and said, "Return."
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There was a long silence and Briar was still standing there, not returning to Hollis. His gradually calm mood was now in turmoil again.
For some reason, the badge wouldn't activate. No matter how many times he tried, the result was the same. Briar was getting more and more impatient.
He was extremely worried, he was worried that Livy, who was alone, would not be able to handle a large number of monsters. She was an archer, so being attacked in succession was her weakness.
But what made Briar more worried was Danz. He was still sleeping right now, in a state where he was completely defenseless. What if Danz was teleported into the middle of a group of monsters and the badge didn't activate like his, then it would be a disaster.
Briar's expression changed from shock to a grim one as he realized the gravity of the situation.
Without hesitating for too long, he quickly determined a direction and dashed off. He didn't know if he was on the right path, but he believed in his luck - the thing that helped him overcome so many hardships and achieve today's achievements, despite the fact that he was just an orphan with no support.
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In another place, a petite girl with short orange hair was also in a similar situation to Briar. Her badge also couldn't be activated.
Livy regained a bit of her composure after a moment of panic, she relied on her intuition and chose a direction and dashed off. Her face showed many complicated emotions such as worry, fear, etc.
She wasn't too worried about Briar because she knew he was very strong, fighting beyond his level was just a daily occurrence for him. The person she was really worried about right now was Danz.
Of the three, Danz was the weakest. If you asked who was most likely to die in the dungeon, it would be Danz. Especially since he was currently in a defenseless state.
Livy was very scared, she was afraid that he would be teleported to a dangerous area. She was afraid that Danz would die.
"Please, don't let anything happen to you, Danny." Livy said earnestly.
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In a certain corridor, a skinny boy with black hair was sleeping soundly. After more than an hour, he finally started to wake up.
"Hmpp~ so refreshed!"
He stretched, easing the tension in his body. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized something was seriously wrong.
"Huh?"
He looked around and couldn't see his teammates anywhere.
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'Where is everyone?'
'And where the hell is this place???'
What the hell happened while I was sleeping? Why am I alone in a strange place like this??
I tried to urge my brain to work, an idea popped up that made me panic a bit. But I quickly regained my composure. But a part of me was also a bit worried. My intuition told me that this situation was not good at all.
I was pretty sure that while I was sleeping, one of the other two had activated some kind of trap and separated us. P-Assi had warned me when I chose this dungeon.
There were several traps in this dungeon that could teleport people, but I didn't know which one we had activated. I just hoped it wasn't the worst. If we got caught in it, the chance of dying was very high.
I took out Hollis's life-saving badge from the Storage Space, intending to activate it. After all, our group had agreed to use it when we were separated.
"It's a bit of a shame, but there's nothing I can do about it now..."
Looking at the badge in my hand, I feel a bit sorry for it. It was a one-time-use item. Once it was used, it would be ruined. I could buy a new one, but it's quite expensive. It costs a whopping 100 contribution points.
Actually, that price wasn't exactly expensive compared to a human life. But it was still a pity.
"Haizzz"
I clenched the badge in my hand, poured mana into it and chanted. "Return"
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"Huh?"
"Return!"
"Return!"
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What the hell...
"Am I really that unlucky?..."
Through this situation, I was able to determine the trap we were caught in. It was the most dangerous of all the teleportation traps in this dungeon.
Its appearance rate was extremely low, so I took my chances and ignored it when P-Assi warned us. Now look what happened, the whole group got hit by it, just great.
This trap would teleport everyone in its range to a random place in the dungeon with a side effect. It would disable other equipment or items with teleportation features. And Hollis' badge was one of them.
That means this badge now has nothing left except for the one-hit kill protection function. The most important function, teleportation back to Hollis, has been deactivated.
The situation is really serious now, no joke. If we can't teleport out, we have to kill the boss or return to the dungeon entrance to get out of here.
Our initial plan was to return to the entrance to exit the dungeon. But now this idea is completely unfeasible; we were teleported to a strange place, so we have absolutely no idea how to get out.
Fighting the boss is even more impossible. Not knowing where the boss is is one thing. Even if we find it, how can we fight the boss alone, at least we have to gather together.
Well... if it's Briar, soloing the boss is not impossible. He's only second to Karen. But Liz is different, she can't. And neither can I.
After thinking it over, the best option I see right now is for me to move and regroup with my teammates. I guess they will do the same.
It was fine to sit still and wait for them to find me, but what if they couldn't find me? It was best if I moved on my own.
'Alright, let's go find them'. I made my decision and quickly chose a direction and dashed off.
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On the way, I activated Sharp Gaze to observe hidden traps, avoiding activating them. Occasionally, I encountered a few monsters that were lonesome and managed to kill them. It was just that it was very tiring.
But what made me happy was that my fighting skills had improved greatly. I was able to stab straight at a point with greater accuracy and discovered some small tricks while moving and using my sword. It was true that only actual combat was the best way to practice.
"I kept repeating the process of detecting traps, fighting, and then detecting traps again. If I got exhausted, I would stop to rest for a bit. I realized the importance of resting properly when attacking a dungeon.
On the way, I came across a human skeleton leaning against a wall. Based on the clothing and a few other details, I could conclude that this person was not a Hollis student but just a regular Awakener who went exploring and unfortunately lost their life. I didn't find any traces of this person's teammates nearby, so I guessed that they also triggered the teleportation trap and got separated.
"Huh?"
An object lying next to the skeleton caught my attention.
'What is this? A book?'
It was an old, tattered book covered in dust. I curiously picked it up and started reading.
"P---'s Diary". I frowned because of the stain that covered the name of the diary's owner.
*Rustle*
[February 4, 298]
A dungeon? This is my first time registering for a dungeon. So exciting!
My friends kept asking me to go, so I decided to give it a try. Besides, I've been curious about what the inside of the dungeon looks like for a long time.
Especially being able to go with Vivi, no matter how dangerous it is, as long as I can go with her, I'll do it.
I'm leaving tomorrow, just thinking about it makes me so excited that I can't sleep. I heard there are a lot of cool things in the dungeon.
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[February 5, 298]
Vivi told me to do the porter duty because she was worried that I was weak and couldn't fight. Oh my god, she's worried about me, so happy la la la. She looks cold on the outside but I know she's worried about me.
And Vivi is so incredibly skilled, her trap detection is really amazing. Thanks to her, the whole team hasn't triggered a single trap since entering the dungeon. How can someone be so beautiful and talented, it's just unbelievable!
But why is that bastard here too? Are you trying to take Vivi from me??
Vivi, don't be fooled by his handsome face. I'm the one who likes youuuu.
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Holy shit, this guy entered the dungeon because of a girl and then realized his rival was in the same group? What a dramatic story.
But I have the feeling that Vivi likes that handsome guy and not the diary owner.
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[February 6, 298]
Fighting is so tiring, but as long as Vivi is by my side, anything is fine, hehe.
That bastard got injured, I suddenly feel so relieved. But Vivi told me to give him some potions...
Why didn't she worry so much when I was injured... never mind, it's probably because my injuries weren't serious.
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This guy is beyond help. That girl named Vivi clearly likes his love rival.
He's really blinded by love.
I kept flipping through the diary until I reached an important detail.
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