Chapter 458: Chapter 455 – Greywood Labyrinth

Thick, dark gray mist greeted them the moment they crossed the dimensional rift’s demarcation line. The air inside Greywood felt much heavier, colder, and full of moisture that clung to the skin like a wet blanket. Every breath felt like inhaling thin mist carrying the scent of damp soil, old moss, rotting roots, and the faint metallic smell of dried blood. Sylvia walked at the front calmly, her elegant black-and-white dress fluttering gently in the strange dimensional wind that did not belong to this world. On her right, Stacia held her thick grimoire tightly, her fingers ready to open it at any moment. On her left, Alicia held her wooden magic staff in a ready stance, her silver eyes sweeping the surroundings warily. The golden kitten Naga Emas, Sol, walked gracefully on Sylvia’s shoulder, its golden eyes narrowed sharply, its golden fur slightly bristling with caution.

The Greywood dimensional rift truly deserved to be called a mid-level labyrinth dungeon. Just a few dozen meters after passing through the main entrance a faintly glowing purple dimensional crack they were faced with a large Y-shaped intersection. Three dark tunnels gaped before them, their natural stone walls overgrown with pale green glowing moss that provided weak illumination like dying candles. The air in each tunnel felt distinctly different; one was colder, another carried damp gusts, and the last was filled with a tempting dark aura.

Sylvia paused for a moment at the intersection. Her dark red eyes narrowed as she tried to sense the safest mana flow. However, her sharp instincts as the Queen of Death suddenly became chaotic. The auras in all three paths overlapped and swirled like vortices, disrupting her perception. This was not an ordinary labyrinth; there was an ancient power deliberately confusing the senses of living beings.

"My instincts are messed up," Sylvia murmured softly, her voice almost swallowed by the mist. "It feels like there’s interference scrambling perception. It’s hard to tell which one is correct."

Stacia and Alicia also furrowed their brows. Stacia gripped her grimoire tighter. "I feel it too. It’s as if all three paths were deliberately designed to confuse anyone who enters. A psychological and physical trap combined."

At that moment, the golden kitten on Sylvia’s shoulder looked up. Its golden eyes flashed brightly, its pupils shrinking into thin slits. Through their strong and pure telepathic bond, Sol sent a clear and structured explanation directly into Sylvia’s consciousness.

Master... I can see the true energy flows here. The far right path is relatively safe. Only a few weak monsters along the way, but there’s a strong guardian at the end protecting the next door. The middle path... completely empty. No monsters, no guardians. But it’s full of deadly traps hidden at every step, pitfall holes, poisonous gas, and explosive runes. The far left path... full of monsters. A lot of them.

Sylvia listened carefully, then relayed the information to her two sisters through group telepathy. Stacia and Alicia exchanged glances, their expressions full of understanding.

"The more monsters, the more EXP," Sylvia said in a cold and resolute voice, without the slightest hesitation. "We’ll take the left path. Your strength will also increase because it’s connected to me through our soul bond."

Her two sisters nodded without any hesitation. The three of them turned into the far left tunnel. The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere changed drastically. The corridor became narrower, its walls rough and wet with slime. Low growls, hurried small footsteps, and eerie laughter echoed from the darkness ahead. The stench of monster sweat, rotting flesh, and fresh blood filled the narrow passage, making breathing feel suffocating.

"Goblins," Alicia murmured softly, her staff beginning to glow faintly.

The first group appeared shortly after around twenty small goblins with dull green skin covered in boils, rusty weapons in hand, and hungry yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. They roared wildly as they charged like a pack of starving rats, their small feet scurrying across the muddy floor.

Sylvia remained passive at the back. In such a narrow space, using large-scale fire would be too dangerous; it could trigger a tunnel collapse or quickly consume the oxygen. She simply stood calmly, allowing her two sisters to take the lead while she observed.

Stacia smiled widely, her fighting spirit igniting instantly. "Finally! It’s been a while since I wanted to train my wind magic!" She quickly opened her grimoire. "Wind Blade!" Sharp wind spun out from the book’s pages like invisible blades. SCHWIIISH! SCHWIIISH! Several goblins were cleanly sliced in half, thick green blood spraying onto the tunnel walls and creating horrifying splatters.

Alicia complemented her with deadly support magic. Her wooden staff glowed with pale green light. "Weakness Curse! Slow Decay!" The remaining goblins’ bodies became slow and weak. Their movements suddenly stiffened like broken puppets, their attacks slowed dramatically, and even small wounds began to rot rapidly.

Sylvia only watched from behind with her arms folded. Even though she was passive, EXP notifications continued flowing into her system like refreshing cold water.

[EXP +45]

[EXP +52]

[Soul Bond: Stacia & Alicia have gained +0.8% strength increase]

Every dead goblin provided a small but steady contribution. Thanks to their strong soul bond, Stacia and Alicia also felt a subtle increase in strength, their bodies felt lighter, and their magic became more responsive.

The battle continued without pause. The next group of goblins appeared this time around thirty, and more organized, with several Goblin Archers shooting arrows from the back. Stacia unleashed stronger wind magic, creating small whirlwinds that sliced and hurled the monsters like a living blender. Alicia continued stacking debuffs, making the enemies weaker and easier to destroy.

"Still low level," Sylvia said flatly while stepping over a pool of green blood. "But there are a lot of them. Good for warming up and sharpening our soul bond."

They continued deeper into the left tunnel. The corridor floor grew increasingly wet and slippery with spilled goblin blood. The stench grew stronger until it was almost overpowering. Occasionally, louder roars echoed from the depths of the tunnel, signaling stronger monsters approaching.

Finally, they arrived at a small open space that served as a "door guardian room." In front of a tightly closed ancient stone door with faded runes stood a large Hobgoblin a monster twice the size of a normal goblin, with bulging muscles covered in scars, carrying a large rusty axe still dripping dried blood, and red eyes full of bloodthirsty rage.

"GRRRRAAAAHHH!!"

The Hobgoblin roared loudly enough to echo through the tunnel, then charged with its axe raised high.

Stacia stepped forward with burning enthusiasm. "This one’s mine!" She chanted quickly. "Gale Cutter!" Sharp wind shot forward like blades, slashing the Hobgoblin’s chest with tremendous force. The monster roared in pain, green blood spurting from deep wounds, but it still stood firm due to its high vitality.

Alicia immediately added heavy debuffs. "Heavy Slow! Muscle Weakness!" The Hobgoblin’s movements suddenly slowed dramatically, its muscles seeming to weaken.

Sylvia remained standing at the back, watching calmly. The EXP from this monster was much larger. She felt a warm flow of energy entering her body, strengthening the soul bond with her two sisters.

Stacia continued her relentless assault. Several wind spells struck the Hobgoblin in succession until its body was covered in torn, gaping wounds. With one final powerful attack "Wind Execution!" A sharp wind cleanly severed the monster’s neck. The Hobgoblin’s head fell to the floor with a heavy THUD!, followed by its massive body collapsing and shaking the ground.

[EXP +1.240]

[Level up progress increased]

A fairly significant EXP notification flowed to Sylvia. She felt her power rise slightly, and her two sisters also experienced the same energy surge, making their faces flush with satisfaction.

"Good," Sylvia said softly. "Let’s continue."

They pushed open the heavy stone door together and advanced deeper into the labyrinth. The corridors grew darker and sloped downward, but small crystal lights on the walls provided enough faint illumination to see. Goblin monsters continued appearing in increasingly larger groups, sometimes mixed with other types like agile Goblin Archers or Goblin Shamans who threw small fire spells.

Sylvia remained mostly passive, only occasionally using Chain of Abyss to restrain enemies that got too close or pull them into Stacia’s attack range. Their dresses occasionally got splattered with green blood, but they continued advancing efficiently and in perfect coordination.

"The EXP is quite stable," Sylvia said through telepathy. "You two also feel stronger. This bond is working well."

Stacia laughed lightly amid the fighting, her breathing slightly labored. "It really is! My body feels lighter and my wind magic is sharper than before. This is fun!"

Alicia nodded while casting a mass debuff on a new group. "This soul bond is truly useful. I feel my mana flow much smoother."

They explored for hours. Small rooms, confusing branching corridors, and minor traps like sudden pits or poisonous gas appeared occasionally, but with Sol’s instincts and their connected strength, everything was handled relatively easily.

In a larger room with a high ceiling, they faced a group of Goblin Elites led by two Hobgoblins at once. This battle was more intense and bloody. Stacia unleashed a series of stronger wind spells, creating a small storm inside the room that sliced and hurled enemies. Alicia stacked debuffs until the enemies could barely move. Sylvia finally intervened slightly, using black chains to pull and crush enemies that tried to approach her.

When the battle ended, the room floor was covered with torn goblin corpses. Green blood formed large pools reflecting the faint crystal light.

"Let’s rest for a bit," Sylvia said. They sat in a relatively safe corner of the room after Stacia cleaned the area with wind magic. The golden kitten Sol watched the surroundings warily, its ears twitching.

Stacia leaned her back against the cold stone wall, letting out a satisfied sigh. "This is fun. It feels like going back to our early adventuring days in Nocture. Only now we’re much stronger."

Alicia smiled gently while cleaning her staff of blood. "But this time we have a bigger goal. And this bond makes everything more efficient."

Sylvia gazed into the darkness of the corridor ahead, her dark red eyes gleaming. "There’s still a lot waiting ahead. Stronger guardians, maybe even the labyrinth boss. We’ll continue after resting. Our goal isn’t just to pass through, but to become stronger."

Sol purred softly on her shoulder, as if agreeing. The bloody left path had only just begun, and the three of them were ready to face whatever lay in the depths of Greywood.