BXBX NOVEL Chapter 42: Dungeon Trials [4]
Chapter 42: Dungeon Trials [4]
Author\'s note: I\'ve spent way too long idling, accomplishing nothing. My mind has been filled with peculiar thoughts, aimlessly drifting about. I must admit, my motivation to continue this novel has been lacking. Nevertheless, I\'ve soldiered through. However, in recent times, I\'ve had a sudden realization: Life will keep moving forward, regardless of my emotional state. Hence, I\'ve made the decision to write this story every single day, no matter how I feel or what obstacles arise. I would rather be a melancholic achiever than a melancholic failure. I am immensely grateful for those who supported me, even during my periods of inactivity. From now on, I will strive to upload daily.
***
Noah\'s POV:
"Wait!" I shouted, stopping James in his tracks, the weight of my words was left hanging heavy in the stillness of air.
We were currently in the heart of a labyrinthine jungle, encircled by gigantic trees.
In the Dungeon trials, the platform was artificially engineered.
Here, one moment, you would be in grassy fields and in the next, your will find yourself engulfed by towering trees.
"What?!"—James asked, his voice had a mild vexation.
"Dude, you scared the living daylights out of me", he grumbled. "No need to scream like that?"
With an outstretched finger, I directed towards a particular location —the same one he was about to go in.
"I think there\'s a trap there."
Anastasia, her gaze now attentive, followed the trajectory of my extended digit, her delicate brow gave out the skepticism she had.
"It baffles me", she said.
"How do you know about these traps?" she asked, genuinely curious. "You haven\'t even tested that area before."
"You\'ve saved us at least seven times already!"
"Yeah, she\'s got a point there," James chimed in. "How do you manage to do it?"
"It\'s just my... propensity", I replied, lying smoothly.
Propensity? Lol, bullshit.
In truth, it was due to Nano technology, granting me various vision including X-ray vision and fifty other unique visions, but of course, I will not say that.
To demonstrate, I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it towards the area I had indicated.
Before long, the ground cracked open, revealing a treacherous gap filled with sharp, wooden logs.
These traps were not fatal but it could definitely leave you with bleeding wounds.
But the smell of blood would undoubtedly attract nearby monsters.
"Damn this fucking traps", James cursed, his gaze locked on the pit infront.
"...."
His face twisted with a mixture of fear and disgust.
"He....he" James chuckled nervously, his laughter filled with unease as he imagined what would have happened if he fell there.
Anastasia arched an eyebrow, her confusion palpable in her voice. "So, what\'s your secret? What exactly is this \'propensity\' of your? "
But instead of answering her question, I pressed my finger against my lips in a silent gesture, urging them to maintain silence and alertness.
Sensing the shift in my focus, James and Anastasia instinctively reached for their weapons.
\'They\'re here.\'
It was no coincidence that Class A1 had chosen the same path we were walking in. I purposely guided our steps to intersect with their presence, knowing full well the confrontation that awaited us.
In my augmented reality field of vision, I could see a sizable group of students marching steadily towards here.
Indeed the main cast was here.
***
Emily Reed\'s Pov
With a seamless motion, I drew the bowstring back, channeling the essence of mana into the bow, imbuing it with wind attribute.
Taking a moment to survey the unfolding scene ahead, I carefully released the taut string.
Trunngg!—With a resounding \'Trunngg\' noise, the metallic bowstring reverberated, unleashing its stored tension along with the arrow.
(Blessed with exceptional vision, archers like Emily could sense the presence of someone up ahead, even without having a clear view of them.)
Swisssh~
In a swift and resolute swish, the arrow soared through the air, flying towards its intended target with pinpoint precision.
But, just as the arrow was about to meet its mark, a boy leaped into the scene from the left, wielding a machete.
In a single, fluid motion, he expertly cleaved downwards, effectively severing the trajectory of the arrow.
The entire sequence occurred in a fleeting moment, leaving me in awe of the his exceptional reflexes.
Intrigued by the sudden occurrence , I boldly advanced, stepping into the scene that lay before me.
My gaze was immediately met by a boy with jet-black hair and a pallid complexion.
"It\'s him", a murmur escaped my lips, my brow furrowing automatically.
Soon Aeravat, Takahashi, and Aurora followed my lead, equally fascinated by the commotion that had unfolded before us.
"It\'s me! I\'m in your class!" the guy with the machete exclaimed, raising both hands in a peaceful gesture of surrender, his companions following suit.
"Hmm, quite surprising", Aurora whispered softly from behind me.
Aeravat motioned for all of us to sroo while he advanced to meet them.
-"Hey, isn\'t he from our class?"
-"Yeah, that weire guy?"
The murmurs spread like wildfire through the crowd.
"What\'s so surprising?" I finally asked, my gaze still fixed on him.
"That he managed to survive on his own. We encountered numerous traps and monsters, and we\'ve already lost around 120 classmates", Aurora divulged.
It dawned on me that indeed, 120 students had already been eliminated in the dungeon trial. Now, only 277 remained in our class. A majority of them, of course, were weaklings.
"And yet, he\'s still standing? Until now?" Aurora remarked.
Truly strange for a weakling like him to survive until now .
Was it sheer luck?
Or perhaps something else?
He was accompanied by two others who I assumed were also part of our class.
Honestly, with our class being so large, I can hardly even recall half of their names or faces.
***
Noah\'s POV:
"So, you must be Noah?" Aeravat inquired, his gaze focused as he inspected the previously revealed trap crouching down to get a closer look
"Yeah," I responded, observing the main cast , feeling a sense of unease.
"And you two are James and Anastasia?" Aeravat confirmed, to which they both nodded simultaneously.
"Did you come across the dungeon entrance in the direction you came from?" Aeravat inquired as he slowly rose to his feet.
"No, we saw clear signs of battles and the remains of slain monsters everywhere, but we couldn\'t find any dungeon entrance", I explained.
Aeravat\'s eyebrows furrowed with the newly revealed information.
"Signs of fighting? Corpses of dead monsters? That can only mean..." he trailed off, his suspicion clear in his voice.
"Yes, there must be other classes nearby", I confirmed, aligning with his thoughts.
As our conversation continued, a sudden disturbance caught us off guard.
Something flew out from the surrounding underbrush, casting its shadow over all of us.
\'What the...?!\'