CHAPTER 404: EARTH SHATTERING ROOM

Just like this, the group continued to rest and battle as their teamwork increased rapidly while also their strength consolidated.

Finally, after more than a week of travel, their path ended abruptly in an expansive yet completely empty chamber. The moment they stepped into it and began cautiously looking around, a loud rumbling echoed from behind.

Everyone turned sharply, watching in surprise as an immense boulder slid down from above, sealing off their exit.

"Fuck!" Just as Magi cursed, the ground beneath their feet suddenly fractured and shattered into countless fragments, sending everyone plummeting downward.

Orion reacted instantly, swiftly grabbing Magi by the collar to prevent his almost certain demise from such a drop, while the others adjusted their postures midair, stabilizing themselves with mana as best they could.

Landing firmly, Orion put a shaken but grateful Magi gently on the ground. The group quickly recovered their composure, swiftly taking in their new surroundings.

Before them stretched an enormous labyrinth, immense walls rising tens of meters high, composed of smooth, dark stone, radiating a powerful suppressive aura. The walls appeared impenetrable, imposing a sense of ominous oppression.

Orion stepped forward silently, his face grave, drawing the Realm Guardian sword decisively. Without hesitation, he swung his blade at the massive labyrinth wall, expecting at least to test its resistance.

A sharp, ringing sound echoed like metal colliding as his sword left nothing more than a faint scratch upon the otherwise unblemished surface.

Orion’s brows knitted tightly as he took a deep breath, silently attempting to lift himself into the air using his mana.

His eyes immediately narrowed further as he realized flight was completely restricted within this space, an invisible force pulling him back downward.

Turning to face his friends, Orion’s voice carried unprecedented seriousness, "This is no longer just exploration. We don’t have an exit, and flying or climbing is impossible. Our only choice is to move forward into this labyrinth."

Instantly, the atmosphere shifted. The group’s expressions turned deeply solemn, their eyes carefully scanning the towering maze before them. Yet the group didn’t panic as they had expected dangers to be here.

The most important thing to do right now was to remain calm and assess their surroundings.

Arya cautiously stepped beside Orion, inspecting the walls closely. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed sharply, and her voice filled with surprise, "Wait! Brother Orion, look closely here! These walls are covered in tiny runic inscriptions. They’re incredibly subtle, nearly imperceptible to the naked eye!"

Orion quickly moved closer, carefully scrutinizing the wall, mana gently enhancing his vision.

As Arya said, countless intricate runic inscriptions covered the labyrinth’s surface, masterfully embedded in patterns barely visible to normal sight.

Sylvia stepped up quietly beside them, her expression focused and contemplative, "These runes aren’t ordinary. They’re ancient and incredibly complex. Whoever built this labyrinth placed enormous emphasis on concealing its mysteries."

Emilia softly muttered, a hint of apprehension in her voice, "Why do these runic inscriptions seem so weird?"

Magi’s lips twitched, he was expecting dangers but not being sent to a labyrinth all of a sudden.

"Boss, does this mean someone deliberately built this place? It doesn’t feel like a random ruin anymore."

Just as Orion was about to reply, a voice echoed in his consciousness.

[Oh?? What do we have here? These seem like natural runes, created due to the influence of a Peak Empyrean Level Beast with a Divine Bloodline. Either a True Dragon or someone similar.]

Orion raised an eyebrow hearing Asteraxa’s voice after such a long time, ’Natural runes? What does this mean?’

Asteraxa mulled for a bit as if searching her slowly recovering memory,

[Hmm I can’t remember much, but seeing this labyrinth is still standing, there might be some descendant of that Divine Beast left here. And natural labyrinths like this... distort space of even the Prime Realms. You best be prepared for unexpected situations ahead. The only exit will be somewhere in the maze.]

’At the center?’ Orion asked in a helpless tone.

If he could, then he didn’t want to head to the center of the maze as he knew that’s the place which would hold the descendant of that Divine Beast.

Asteraxa softly giggled hearing his voice.

[Ara~ Young Master Orion seems unwilling to head to the center? Well, good news for you. The portal can be anywhere in the maze, and there can be multiple due to spatial distortion.]

Orion heaved a sigh of relief and seriously nodded his head before he said to the rest of the group, "Let’s head inside. There is no point wasting time here."

The group nodded seriously at Orion’s words, their previous tension quickly replaced by determination. Orion took a careful step forward, his gaze scanning the imposing walls one final time before decisively leading the way into the dark maze.

"We’ll follow the right-hand path all the way through," Orion announced calmly. "Stay close and alert."

Everyone exchanged silent nods, tightening their grips on weapons as they proceeded into the winding passageways.

Magi walked right behind Orion, gripping his katana tightly, sweat faintly dotting his forehead as he warily observed their surroundings.

The path twisted and turned unpredictably, the towering walls offering no glimpse of what lay ahead.

After several careful twists and turns through the increasingly oppressive maze, the group arrived at a particularly expansive junction.

Before they could properly assess their surroundings, a low, menacing growl echoed ominously from the shadows ahead.

Instinctively, Orion halted the group with a raised fist, his eyes sharpening immediately. From within the darkened path, a massive figure stepped forward, a dual-headed lion covered in thick, golden fur.

Its muscular body rippled with immense power, and an oppressive aura radiated clearly from its peak seventh-tier strength. Each of its two heads held intelligent, glowing crimson eyes, scrutinizing the group with predatory intent.

"Be careful," Orion warned quietly, drawing his Realm Guardian smoothly from its sheath. "Peak Tier 7 beast. Stay sharp."

Orion didn’t plan on dealing with the beast alone as the group needed to also improve. And this tactic was clearly useful as Nyss had reached the peak of Sixth Tier in the past few days while Sylvia was on the verge of breakthrough.

All they were missing was a period of time to gather mana in their SoC so they could break their Affinity Runes and reforge them.

The group’s expressions didn’t change much facing a Tier 7 beast as they had killed dozens of them in the past few days.

Arya calmly stood at the back as her staff radiated a subtle glow of light, empowering the rest of the group.

The rest of the group’s mana churned as they prepared for the battle. Magi, Rina, and Fiora stayed at the back of the group. Rina and Fiora decided to help if needed while Magi... he was Magi.

The lion roared deafeningly, shaking the ground beneath their feet as it lunged forward with astonishing speed for its size.

Its massive claws tore fiercely through the air, aiming directly toward Orion, who calmly deflected the attack with a precise sweep of his sword. Sparks flashed brilliantly from the impact.

"Now!" Orion commanded decisively, launching into a swift, powerful counterattack.