Finral's Spatial Magic transported the three of them to a forest near their destination.
"I'll head back first. You all, be careful."
Finral darted back, and the distorted portal vanished.
His final glance at Ryoma was filled with complex emotions, carrying a hint of sympathy.
In the forest, the three of them easily found the entrance to the abandoned mine shaft.
The cave entrance was pitch black, and even before they got close, a dizzying surge of mana washed over them.
The mana seemed to be twisted into a knot, and the light appeared to unnaturally distort at the entrance.
"Oh! Is this it? It feels like the guy inside has strong magic."
Luck's smile grew brighter, and tiny electrical arcs were already dancing around his body.
"Hmph, just a bunch of rats hiding in a hole."
Magna clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly, and then a ball of fire ignited at his fingertips.
"Watch me blow them and this rotten hole to kingdom come."
Ryoma raised a hand, stopping the two in front of him. "Wait."
"The data needs to be brought back, we can't just destroy it."
Ryoma closed his eyes, trying to analyze the chaotic magic flow in the air.
The structure of this barrier was more complex than he had imagined. It wasn't merely an illusion, it also involved spatial and mental aspects, making it a composite barrier.
"I need to analyze the structure of this barrier first, to find..."
He hadn't finished speaking when a voice boomed.
"Analyze? Too much trouble."
"Just find the guy who's casting the barrier and blast him away, won't that work?"
Luck's figure instantly transformed into a flash of lightning, carrying a crazed, excited laugh, and he shot into the pitch-black mine shaft.
"Hey! You battle-crazed idiot!"
Magna stomped his feet in anger, cursing loudly in the direction where Luck had disappeared.
But then he turned his gaze towards the depths of the mine shaft, his face filled with unyielding stubbornness.
"Damn it! How can I lose to that guy?"
"A man must always charge forward!"
Magna roared, instantly conjuring a fiercely burning fireball in his hand, and followed him inside.
"..."
Ryoma silently lowered his hand, which had been suspended in mid-air.
He watched the disappearing backs of his two teammates and fell into a three-second silence.
Damn it!
What else is left in those two guys' heads besides fighting and being a man?
Muscles?
Ryoma felt his temples starting to throb.
He suddenly felt that if Asta were here, it would be better than being with these two.
However, he did not stop them. Rather, he hadn't expected to stop these two problem children from the start.
Then, he calmly turned around, faced the mine shaft, and extended his hand again. Countless invisible tiny ice crystals formed in his palm, then silently floated into the depths of the mine shaft with the airflow.
These ice crystals were an extension of his magic, "Path of Frozen Dust."
Having no life, no five senses, they naturally wouldn't be affected by the barrier.
The two idiots who rushed in were like two boulders thrown into a calm lake. Though reckless, they were enough to stir up sufficiently violent ripples. And he just needed to quietly wait for the result.
Ryoma's lips curled slightly upward. "Go on, make as much noise as you want. The more commotion, the better."
...
Inside the mine shaft.
The lightning flash that was Luck sped through the labyrinthine passages.
However, not long after, he felt the scene before his eyes begin to twist and blur.
The walls seemed to come alive and writhe, and the ground beneath his feet sometimes turned into a swamp, sometimes into a mountain of sharp blades.
"Oh? Interesting."
Far from being afraid, Luck became even more excited.
Just then, his magic sense detected a powerful aura.
That magic power was violent, destructive, and filled with a scorching heat.
A tall figure, engulfed in flames, appeared at the corner of the passage.
"Found him!"
Luck laughed wildly, launching an attack without hesitation!.
Lightning Magic: Thunderclap Crumbling Orb!
Countless bolts of lightning converged into a dazzling sphere, blasting towards that "enemy".
At the same time.
Magna encountered the same situation. In his eyes, the entire mine shaft had become a space interwoven with lightning.
A figure, wrapped in terrifying lightning, was approaching him rapidly with a sinister smile.
The speed was extreme!
The magic power was full of tyranny and madness!
"Bastard! Finally showing your true colors, huh!"
Magna roared, throwing the magic he had already prepared.
Fire Magic: Exploding Buckshot!
Boom!!!
Lightning and fire violently collided in the narrow passage.
A terrifying energy storm erupted, and the shockwave caused the entire mine shaft to tremble violently, with countless gravel falling.
"Oh? Not bad."
Luck's smile grew wider as he watched his attack being blocked.
"Hmph! Still got some tricks."
Magna's eyes turned serious as he watched the exploded lightning sphere.
Under the influence of the barrier, they had mistaken each other for the spy leader who was stealing confidential data.
"Hehehehe... what a show."
A voice filled with deep mockery echoed from the depths of the mine shaft.
"The mad dogs of the Black Bulls, are they already starting to bite each other?"
"How ridiculously stupid. Just like those useless knights who came before. You'll only become nourishment for this 'Sensory Labyrinth'."
The owner of the voice, hidden at the core of the barrier, watched the trapped beasts through a crystal magic tool.
"Fight to your heart's content. Exhaust all your magic power. Then, you and that data will all be mine."
When he saw that the two Black Bulls members were truly fighting fiercely, his smile grew even more triumphant.
Just then, he noticed a third figure.
He was slowly walking into the mine shaft. He neither participated in the intense battle nor tried to awaken his companions.
It was as if he was also confused by the illusion, unable to perceive anything around him.
"Hmm?"
The spy leader was slightly startled.
"There's another one?"
He carefully observed Ryoma through the magic tool. The magic power fluctuations around this young man felt unremarkable. He even looked cautious, moving slowly and deliberately.
"Heh, probably a rookie who's been scared silly."
The leader made a dismissive judgment, immediately crossing him off the threat list.
A worthless brat.
He could deal with him later, whenever an opportunity arose.
His attention returned to Luck and Magna's battlefield. The battle there had entered a fever pitch.
"You're strong."
Luck licked his lips, and the lightning around him became more intense than ever before.
Lightning Creation Magic: Thunder God's Boots!
"Less talk! Go to hell!"
Magna roared, pouring all his mana into his hands, forming an unprecedentedly huge fiery magic sphere.
The minions observing in the dark had already begun to celebrate their victory prematurely.
However, the "rookie" Ryoma, ignored by everyone, still seemed to perceive nothing. He simply passed through the edge of the chaotic battlefield.
Finally, he stopped in front of a seemingly unremarkable rock wall. It felt no different from any other stone wall around it.
However, the tiny ice crystals that had entered the mine shaft earlier had, at this moment, pinpointed an exact coordinate for him.
He extended his hand, and guided by countless tiny ice crystals, gently touched it. What he felt at his fingertips was not the cold, hard texture of rock. Instead, it was... the sensation of flowing magic pathways.
Ryoma's lips curled into a barely perceptible arc. "Found it."
(End of Chapter)
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