CHAPTER 93: I’M NOT USELESS

Stelle’s sharp eyes squinted as the cleaver descended like a bolt of judgment. Her grip on the small flame-imbued orb tightened, waiting...hoping...for that faint glow Max had told her about.

And then... she saw it.

Just as the cleaver entered her strike zone, its tip shimmered ever so slightly with a sickly crimson hue, twisted and barely visible through the remaining whirling mist, but there.

’Now!’

With a roar, she threw the orb with all her strength, using her flame-coated fingers to guide it like a blazing comet.

The metal ball whistled through the air and struck the cleaver’s glowing end dead on.

BOOOOM!

A thunderous crack erupted as the orb detonated, releasing a controlled flame blast that pushed even the massive warden back half a step.

The obsidian roots that made up the cleaver pulsed, and a ripple-like wave burst through the knight’s entire body.

Stelle was flung backward by the recoil, but she had expected it.

She grunted as she rolled over the twisted roots of the corridor, bruising her side but staying conscious.

The warden, however, let out a low, guttural hum that echoed with fury and warning.

It was working.

"Take that, you ugly oversized tree knight!" Stelle coughed, standing with some difficulty.

As Max had predicted, the shock had triggered its transformation.

The warden paused mid-step, its body beginning to contort unnaturally. Its bark-like armor cracked open, revealing swirling patterns of runes beneath.

Dark sap oozed from between the seams of its body, and the cursed mist that once formed a veil around it was sucked into its core like a vortex.

Then—

SHRRRRRK!

A second pair of arms sprouted from its sides, each ending in jagged claws instead of hands.

Its helm bent backward and then reformed, giving way to a grotesque maw beneath—a hollow where a face should be, screaming silently with cursed energy.

The red glow in its helmet’s eye sockets became blinding.

The transformation was complete.

Stelle, wide-eyed, knew she had only seconds.

She reached into her pouch and crushed a silver leaf between her fingers—a one-time speed booster Charlotte had given her.

Flames burst beneath her boots as her body became lighter, faster.

"Time to run, bitch!"

With a savage grin, she turned tail and sprinted like hell itself was behind her. Because it was.

...

Far ahead, Max continued running, barely taking in the twisting tunnel around them.

The thick roots and gnarled vines brushing his sides didn’t bother him anymore, only speed mattered.

Charlotte, nestled in his arms, had her eyes closed, casting spell after spell silently.

A faint aura of warmth surrounded them, wind magic mixed with support spells, the synergy almost seamless.

Max admired her focus. Even when cradled like a princess, she was doing everything to support them.

"You’re amazing, Char," he muttered, not even realizing he had said it out loud.

She blushed, eyes still closed. "Focus, dummy."

"Heh."

Suddenly, Charlotte’s body tensed in his arms. Max felt it too...the surge of energy behind them. The tremor through the roots. The dark wind that howled like a banshee.

’It transformed.’

That meant Stelle had succeeded.

He had to trust her to keep running.

"We’re almost out," he said aloud. "Just a bit more..."

He spotted a flicker of pale light up ahead.

The exit.

A tunnel carved into a cliff wall, covered in rotting moss and vines, faint sunlight bleeding through from the outside world.

"We just need to cross that gap," he whispered, increasing his pace.

But the warden was faster now.

THUM.

THUM.

THUMMMM.

The footsteps were no longer sluggish or distant, they were everywhere.

The Monster was closing in.

"Stelle better not be looking back right now," Max muttered.

Of course, Stelle was looking back.

And she regretted it instantly.

The warden...no, the mutated monstrosity that had once been the warden...was a whirlwind of bark, metal, and cursed smoke.

Its new arms tore through the dungeon walls as it sprinted on all six limbs like a demonic beast.

The cleaver was now fused into one of its shoulders, pulsing like a living organ, dripping liquid shadows that corroded the floor behind it.

Every time it moved, it let out a choked growl that echoed with unnatural hunger.

Stelle clenched her jaw. Her legs screamed in pain, her lungs burned. But she didn’t stop.

"I’m... not going to be useless!" she yelled through clenched teeth.

Behind her, the warden slashed, missing her by inches. A wave of corrupted mist followed the attack, burning her skin even through her armor.

Still, she didn’t stop.

Up ahead, she saw Max and Charlotte break into the light.

The exit!

Charlotte turned around and spotted her. "Stelle!"

Max turned too, eyes widening. "Dodge right now!!"

The warning came a heartbeat before impact.

Stelle’s body moved on instinct, throwing herself sideways just as one of the warden’s clawed limbs crashed where she’d been. The corridor wall exploded in bark and smoke.

She rolled, feeling her shoulder dislocate, but still stood up.

Only ten meters left.

Seven.

Four.

Two.

"GO!" Max yelled, reaching out.

With one last push, Stelle dove forward straight into Max’s arms, who caught her despite the momentum. All three of them collapsed in a heap outside the dungeon entrance.

And then—

BOOOM!

The warden tried to follow.

But the moment it crossed the threshold, a giant rune lit up on the ceiling and floor of the dungeon exit.

A barrier, part of the Labyrinth’s natural restrictions was activated.

The warden hit it full speed and was violently repelled back into the darkness.

It screamed in frustration, its voice like a thousand broken trees shrieking at once.

And just like that, the monster was gone—sealed within the dungeon.

Only silence remained.

The three lay there panting.

Max, still hugging Charlotte in one arm and holding onto a half-conscious Stelle with the other, finally broke the silence.

"Well," he said, voice hoarse. "That was... fun."

Stelle coughed, grinning despite the blood in her mouth. "Told you I’m not useless."

Charlotte, still shaken but recovering fast, gently placed her hand on Stelle’s injured shoulder and muttered a healing chant. Warm light surrounded the wound, easing the dislocation.

Max reluctantly let go of them both, flopping onto his back.

The sky above the labyrinth clearing was same as before, but somehow, it felt more peaceful than anything they’d seen in days.

They had survived.

"Ladies," Max said, still staring at the sky. A grin plastered on his face. "Let’s do that again."

"Never" Charlotte replied, though her voice trembled slightly.

"You’re the one dragging us into death traps," Stelle muttered, groaning. "We should be getting loot, not PTSD."

They all chuckled weakly.

After a while, Max sat up and looked at his interface. There was a soft ding.

[You have survived an encounter against a being far more powerful than you. Gained a new ability (Mental Fortitude)]

[Gained additional 30 EXP]

Max raised a brow, ’This works?’

[First one is Labyrinth rewarding you not only for discovering a hidden dungeon but also surviving against a dangerous foe. Second one is from me.]

’I didn’t expect that.’

[That monster had already Ascended to the Late-Stages of the Second Order and it’s second transformation can contend against even the strongest of Second Order Monsters.]

’Ah! So that’s the reason. I did feel that it was way too strong for us.’

[Haha! You did good by letting Stelle take the lead this time. I can see her confidence in her eyes now.]

Max smiled, silently agreeing with her.

"Well, at least we got something out of that bullshit..."

Charlotte smiled, looking at her hologram , "I got this new spell thanks to the emergency boost. I think I can use it better with more practice. It’s called Acceleration Boost."

"It’s good and since it’s given by the Labyrinth you can even use it directly without any worries," Max was impressed. "What about you, brat? What did you get?"

Stelle grinned and said, "My affinity to Fire Element by a lot. I’m sure now I can caste that Fire Wall for a whole day without exhaustion and it’ll even have properties of burn."

"You two really got a nice power up. The Labyrinth really wants everyone to jump to their death," Max chuckled, happy for their progress.

"What about you? What did you get?" Charlotte asked in curiosity.

From what she knew, Max was a chosen one of the Labyrinth System who had special abilities with him, so his rewards should be good, right?

Hearing her, Max cast his gaze on his new ability but didn’t get any description. He frowned and asked, ’What is this, Big Sis?’

[It’s basically a passive skill which will improve your mental capabilities and also increase the defense against mental attacks. Pretty sure even Gold Rank Hunters will have a hard time in attacking your mind now. And this will increase if you work hard.]

Max was dumbfounded, wondering how did he manage to get his hands on such a ability.

[It’s because you’re the first to discover that dungeon so Labyrinth was generous. You really forget the things you wrote yourself.]