No More Pain For This Villain.

I immediately sprang in the other direction from where the Adeles were spotted, hearing some growls behind us, though they were quite low—indicating their anger, I guessed.

Adeles were nothing but predators, pure instinctual predators without any kind of elemental power, just raw strength, speed, and a lot of intelligence.

Glancing back, I saw the chaotic scene—Erik being carried on Aron's shoulder, Aron sprinting with all his might, and Vexa holding a spell on her palm as she ran behind them.

"Everyone, keep running but maintain a distance from the wall!" I advised, knowing the walls were about to shift. It would take a minute or so, but it would still be too long since the Adeles hadn't moved an inch from their spot.

There were about four of them, at least from what I saw. If I included their mother, then five in total. I remembered almost all of the monsters in the maze, having tried every possible route, but the Adeles were the most annoying ones to deal with.

"Look!" Aron screamed, catching my attention.

I turned a bit to the side and saw four Adeles running horizontally on the wall, matching our pace silently—not a single sound made.

The Adeles closed in on our group with relentless determination, their skeletal forms moving with eerie agility. Their hollow eyes locked onto us, filled with hunger and anticipation as they pursued us without making a sound.

Thinking quickly, I scanned our surroundings for any strategic advantage. My eyes landed on a narrow passage to our left, barely wide enough for one person to pass through at a time. It seemed like our best chance to lose the Adeles and buy us some time.

"Follow me!" I shouted to the others, pointing towards the passage. "We'll use that narrow corridor to our advantage."

Without hesitation, Aron adjusted his course, leading the group towards the narrow passage. Vexa and Erik followed closely behind, their movements synchronized as they trusted in my plan.

As we entered the passage, the tension in the air grew palpable. The Adeles were closing in fast, their claws scraping against the walls as they pursued us relentlessly. It felt like every second was a heartbeat away from disaster.

Just as it seemed like the Adeles would catch up to us, we reached a small elevated platform hidden within the passage. With a quick glance, I signaled for everyone to climb onto the platform, using its height to our advantage.

The Adeles lunged towards us, their claws reaching out in a desperate attempt to snatch us. But we were just out of their reach, safely positioned on the elevated platform.

Thinking fast, Vexa conjured a barrier of ice to block the passage behind us, sealing off our escape route and trapping the Adeles on the other side. It bought us a moment of reprieve, but we knew we couldn't stay there for long.

I was about to suggest that we get moving immediately, but before I could speak, a loud cry echoed through the air.

Turning around, I saw a student from the Luminary College of Magic running towards us at full speed, his arm bloody and flailing in the air. Behind him, a monstrosity loomed—three times the size of a normal Adele, with the mother Adele chasing him relentlessly. Following them, a group of students chased after the mother Adele with spells in hand, adding to the chaos.

The student spotted us and made a beeline for the elevated platform.

"Vexa..." I had a sudden idea.

"Hmm?" She didn't glance my way but hummed in response, her focus still on the ice wall.

"Stop the spell," I instructed.

Without hesitation, she dropped the wall, allowing the Adeles to rush past. I quickly cast a fire spell at the student climbing the platform, causing him to fall back down. The Adeles, drawn by instinct, chased after him, along with the mother Adele.

"Now we run," I pushed Erik down and leaped off the platform, with the others following suit. The guy cursed me as we fled, but rules be damned—we needed a distraction.

We dashed through the narrow passage we had come from, the walls already shifting. It was too late to backtrack now, so we veered left, where a small wooden door awaited. I knew this place, filled with peculiar traps, but I knew how to handle this one.

I flung open the door, revealing a serene pond inside.

"We've skipped a few circles at least," I shrugged. It was better than nothing.

"What is this place?" Aron asked, scanning the beautiful but mysterious pond.

"Nothing, just don't touch the water," I advised as we hurried past the pond, avoiding any contact with the liquid. On the other side, a thick vine awaited us, which we climbed to scale the large wall.

As we jumped down to the other side, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the engraving on the stone wall—a pattern of an ox's head.

"One by one," I pushed mana into the carving, and suddenly the world spun around me as I was sucked into the wall and thrown out on the other side.

Others were thrown one by one, and as I looked up at the holographic screen, I saw the Adeles latching onto the boy, their jaws snapping and tearing at him while others tried desperately to pry them off. Someone was going to die.

"You did kill him," Aron accused.

"I killed who?" I turned to him, puzzled. Aron hesitated for a moment but remained silent, while Erik avoided eye contact, his gaze fixed on something beyond me—I knew what he was looking at.

Vexa seemed unfazed as usual, though slightly distant, just a hint of it.

"Anyway, we have to wake this thing up," I stretched, preparing for the tough fight ahead.

Before us lay a massive ox, fifty feet in height, with horns reaching twenty feet, all made of magma. It slept peacefully, seemingly unaware of our presence. The chamber was spacious, with three to four exits allowing easy movement. We could walk anywhere without waking it, but...

"So, who's going to hit it and wake it up?" I turned to the group.

"Wake what up?" Aron questioned, incredulous. "Not that thing, right? You're stupid, but not that much, right?"

"Hmm..." I ignored his remark. "I asked who's going to wake it up."

"I can," Vexa stepped forward confidently. "I'll do it."

She showed no fear whatsoever.

"You should be ashamed of calling yourself a prince," I remarked to Aron.

"Don't. Just don't. You won't be provoking me this time... I'm still not over that core trick you pulled," Aron dismissed.

It seemed like Vexa was the one for the job.

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