Chapter 2131 - 2131. Peaceful
"Can't you speed up the exploration with your dreams?" Noah asked after he understood how long it would take to complete the exploration of the fifth floor.
"I'm dreaming you getting out of the Cursed Labyrinth," Pellio said while pouring more tea on his cup. "You are doing it, isn't it?"
'Why do I always get the crazy ones?' Noah cursed in his mind before moving his attention on June and Gabrielle.
The fifth floor wasn't hard to clear, but the time required to find a solution depended on the knowledge of the formations' field. Noah could reach the next area by trying every possible combination, but June and Gabrielle were with him, and they could quicken the process.
Being an expert in the formations' field didn't grant immediate solutions. June and Gabrielle still had to see multiple combinations to understand the general trend of the floor and the winning layout that it was trying to hide. That took a long time.
The issue wasn't with the floor's size. The area was relatively immense, but rank 9 experts could go over it quickly. However, the number of possible combinations and the requirements behind their changes were annoying to meet.
First, the group had to find every metallic pillar in the area. That was easier said than done in an ever-changing environment, but they eventually cleared that requirement.
After that, Noah and the others had to witness the transformations that each pillar caused. Those changes happened in a random cycle, and each metallic structure generated a specific set of layouts depending on what stood before.
Combinations that changed depending on what they transformed and specific layouts hidden behind different pillars forced the group to cross the fifth floor multiple times before stopping to make a point of their situation. June and Gabrielle studied everything Noah had noted down through the dark world. They had instinctively found a pattern, but they had to discover how to obtain that layout before moving again.
It took a while, but the group eventually began to move again. They advanced carefully, making sure never to get too close to a pillar unless it met their needs, and the floor changed during the process.
At some point, after reaching the eleventh pillar since the beginning of that march, everything started to tremble. Cracks appeared on the rocky walls, ceiling, and ground as their fabric shattered to release the energy they contained.
Noah didn't immediately absorb that energy. He didn't know if the floor needed it to create the teleport, so he let it spread among the falling rocks and crumbling shards. June and the others instinctively gathered around him, and he pulled Pellio's close since the expert barely noticed what was happening around him.
The event turned out to be completely safe. The various tunnels and pillars transformed into bright waves of energy that shone on a vast hole hovering at the center of the fifth floor. A single glance was enough to tell everyone that the cavity led to the next area. The teleport was already complete, which made the fuel in the separate reality ready for the taking.
The horned turtles had remained quiet for most of the exploration. Noah was giving them his dark matter to keep them satisfied and calm. They had basically become parasites, and even the seemingly endless energy inside his black crystal had started to require the ethereal blackness' assistance at some point.
The appearance of so much energy in the environment could solve eventual future problems connected to the turtles' hunger, but Noah didn't trust their self-control. He absorbed those bright waves inside a different area of his black crystal and released the pack only afterward. He would decide when to award those creatures with that fuel.
"Did you complete it?" The upper tier turtle asked when it saw the hole hovering in the now dark environment.
"Of course," Noah stated as he pretended not to see the knowing smiles that had appeared on his companions' faces. "I believe your bodies are fine now."
"I must admit that your energy isn't bad," The leader exclaimed. "I've never tasted something so rich."
"You can have more as long as you stop complaining," Noah promised.
"Really?!" The leader hissed as its reptilian eyes lit up.
"Not right now," Noah explained. "I also need to recover for a bit. Hopefully, the next floor can take care of your issue."
Noah didn't really believe his words, but he was partially lying anyway. The fifth floor didn't feature battles, and it had even rewarded its challengers with a lot of energy. It seemed that the Cursed Labyrinth had used that area to make the experts rest after the previous trials, so the following struggles would probably be harsh.
Still, the turtles didn't need to know that. They were at their peak now, and that was enough. Noah would simply give them the stored energy if the situation required it.
The dark world enveloped the entire group and prevented the Labyrinth from separating them during the teleport. The sixth floor soon unfolded in everyone's vision, and Noah felt the need to curse when he saw another peaceful environment.
Four waterfalls ran from four mountains placed at the edges of the separate reality. Those streams transformed into a spiderweb of rivers once they expanded on the slightly barren plain.
The ceiling featured an azure sky with no clouds. The water was clear, and short green grass grew along the shores of the rivers. The barren part of the ground had a yellowish color that revealed its sandy properties, and the cozy glow that filled the entirety of the area highlighted the peaceful aspects of the sixth floor.
The turtles inevitably felt attracted by the environment. The intense aura that only powerful divine items could radiate filled the whole floor, and the general peace that accompanied it only enhanced its appeal.
"Calm down!" Noah roared as soon as he sensed the turtles moving toward the plain.
The edges of the dark world transformed into a prison that prevented those creatures from leaving and hindered their senses. The pack didn't like that change, but the upper tier specimen accepted that approach.
"Boss, block my senses too," Old Tyrant requested. "I also want to get down."
"It's the same for me," Fiery Mountain admitted.
"It's so tempting," Gabrielle added.
"The tea is hot now," Pellio exclaimed, but everyone ignored him.
"I don't feel much," June announced.
"Me neither," Noah stated. "I can understand why this area can be tempting, but I don't feel the same drive."
Noah preventively blocked his companions' senses, leaving only he and June able to inspect the floor in its entirety. There was something off in the general peace that filled the area, but the two of them seemed immune for unknown reasons.
"What do we have more than them?" Noah asked.
"Each other?" June shrugged her shoulders, and Noah instinctively reached her cheek.
Fiery Mountain cleared her throat, and the two forced themselves to snap back to reality. Noah and June wouldn't believe that their feelings were the reason behind that immunity.. There had to be something connected to their worlds, but they failed to find it from their position.