Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Vale was taken aback by Maya's sudden reminder and quickly reassured her.

"Of course, Maya! I would never think of teaching her lesson to that extreme. It's all in good spirits and healthy competition."

Maya chuckled at Vale's reaction as the others also relaxed, knowing that Vale would surely deal with the third princess.

As they engaged in friendly banter, their excitement was soon stopped by the reminder from their two seniors to maintain silence as they approached the entrance of the mysterious Labyrinth.

Maya's curiosity was piqued as she gazed at the colossal cave.

"It's quite a cave, isn't it? It could easily accommodate a herd of elephants." She commented in awe.

Her observation also led her to notice that only eight out of the twelve groups had arrived so far. However, they didn't have to wait long before the remaining four groups made their appearance. Among them were the students from the prestigious Holy Arts Academy, who drew the attention of the others.

Of course, their group also drew some attention because they had just witnessed Vale's second-place victory in the previous contest.

Anyway, in this particular contest, there would be no audience to witness their journey through the Labyrinth. However, eager onlookers would be waiting on the other side, anticipating the arrival of the group that would escape the Labyrinth successfully.

The event organizer further explained that if any group failed to have all members complete the Labyrinth, even if the others successfully traversed its challenges, their group would be disqualified or treated as having failed.

Thus, it was crucial for all five members of a group to enter and exit together.

With the guidelines clarified, the first group called to enter the Labyrinth was none other than the group led by the Third Princess from the Holy Arts Academy.

'I guess they'll always pick this academy to go first for the sake of the Princess?' Vale mused.

The event organizers then allowed a brief 15-minute interval before permitting the next group to enter the Labyrinth. This interval allowed the previous group to venture deeper into the Labyrinth and ensured a fair and equal start for each participating team. Furthermore, there was also a matter of repairing the Formation Circles, replacing the arranged traps, and changing the creatures or puppets in the Labyrinth.

In any case, they were informed that there were many exits on this Labyrinth. There were plenty of them, depending on the paths they chose at first. According to their Seniors, it was almost impossible for the same group to make similar decisions and choose the same direction since they would all have varying specialties depending on their Arcane Path.

***

Once again, the Dark Arts Academy entered the Labyrinth last.

They found themselves in complete darkness, devoid of any traces left by the previous groups. This was precisely as they had anticipated.

"According to our plan, I will lead the way, Luna will be in the center, Maya and Crystal on her side, and Philip will stay behind." Vale reminded everyone of the formation they had agreed on to venture deep inside the Labyrinth.

Whom~

Maya, utilizing her Light Absorption Spell, took the initiative to release the absorbed light, casting a soft glow that illuminated their surroundings.

This strategic use of the spell ensured that they would have a reliable source of light in the darkness. Not everyone possessed Vale's Spirit Vision, after all.

Although their Phantasm State and spells like Darkness Manipulation could assist them to some extent, they were aware of the limitations.

The duration of their Phantasm State, in particular, was a crucial factor.

"My Phantasm State can only last for 12 minutes with this Spell active." Maya reminded the group.

Considering the circumstances, this was already an impressive duration.

With a sense of urgency, Vale urged the team to move quickly since time was of the essence in their pursuit of victory.

Soon, they encountered the first challenge within the Labyrinth: a series of eight cave entrances that lay before them. Without hesitation, Vale made a swift decision, stating… "We'll take the second entrance on the left."

He didn't wait for an answer and immediately started walking to the entrance.

The group remained silent, trusting Vale's instruction. This was obviously discussed prior to entering the Labyrinth.

They just allowed him to navigate their path.

Of course, it was understood that Vale's choice didn't guarantee absolute safety or the absence of obstacles. However, through their discussions, they had come to rely on his ability to choose the path with the least potential trouble, thanks to his connection with the Dark Spirit.

Indeed, Vale summoned Yvaine from his shadow, releasing the Dark Spirit to guide them through the Labyrinth.

***

'I can feel four Formation Circles ahead…'

Vale heard Yvaine's voice inside his head…

'Alright…' Vale nodded at this as he secretly summoned his Shadow Soldier ahead of them to dismantle the traps with Yvaine's help.

After all, he couldn't use his Spell Dispersion on these Formation Circles effectively if they remained dormant. He had to wait for them to be activated to use the dispersion… That would be a bit dangerous since he would need a quick reaction, so he might as well destroy these formations ahead of time.

"That's it?" Maya was confused as she controlled the light to illuminate the surroundings.

The others had the same question after they reached the end of the first path they had chosen.

"It was cleared by Yvaine… Let's go." Vale said as they entered the cavern.

Their next challenge brought them to a cavern with a seemingly impassable pond in the center. At first glance, it appeared to be a dead end.

However, Vale already knew that the exit was hidden beneath the water's surface.

The solution was simple—they needed to drain the water… or at least remove the thing that looked like a water.

Vale turned to Crystal and requested her to use her Corruption Spell on the pond.

"Got it! Let me handle it." Crystal responded, activating her spell.

As her Corruption Spell took effect, the once-clear pond transformed into a dark, swirling liquid. To their surprise, the transformed pond began to writhe and take on a life of its own. It rose up to a height of five meters, poised to attack them.

"W-what? I didn't do that…" Crystal exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.