Chapter 280 - 278 : End of the second match (2)
Aegon hit the buzzer and was instantly transported to the challenge room.
As he approached the pedestal in the center, he found himself facing an unexpected challenge—a tablet screen displaying a strange magical path puzzle.
"Uh... do I have to play this game?" Aegon muttered to himself, feeling uneasy.
He had never been particularly good at games, and the pressure was already beginning to mount.
"Good luck, Aegon! We know you can do it," Clarice cheered through the voice chat, trying to boost his morale.
Aegon took a deep breath and began examining the screen.
His task was to guide a small magical orb through a network of interconnected paths and reach the glowing exit at the other end.
However, there was a catch.
Several of the paths were blocked by magical barriers, while others would activate traps if the orb passed through them. The only way to determine the correct route was by studying the symbols placed along each path.
Aegon frowned.
"Seriously?"
The screen displayed dozens of interconnected routes, each marked with different symbols. Some paths curved around one another, while others ended abruptly.
Aegon began tracing the routes with his finger, trying to determine which paths were safe.
Tap— Tap—
He zoomed in and out of the screen, carefully examining the symbols.
The puzzle seemed to stretch on endlessly.
His heart rate began to rise.
Aegon closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
When he opened them again, his expression became focused.
He activated one of his skills.
The enhanced perception allowed him to notice something he had previously overlooked.
The symbols weren’t random.
Each safe path followed a specific sequence.
’So that’s how it works.’
Aegon immediately began comparing the symbols.
A moon was followed by a star.
The star was followed by a flame.
The flame was followed by a water symbol.
Then the sequence repeated.
He began tracing a route based on the pattern.
Tap— Tap—
His heart pounded as he moved the magical orb from one section to another, carefully avoiding the paths that didn’t match the sequence.
At one point, the orb reached a junction with three different routes.
Aegon hesitated.
"Left... no."
He moved his finger back.
"That one breaks the pattern."
He selected the middle route.
The orb moved forward.
Aegon continued.
"Okay... I think I’m getting somewhere."
His eyes darted across the screen as he carefully followed the sequence.
His teammates watched with bated breath, silently urging him on.
Diana leaned forward on the sofa, her eyes glued to the screen.
"Go left, Senior Aegon! No, no, wait! Go right!"
Aegon followed her advice.
The orb immediately struck a barrier.
The screen flashed red.
Aegon stared at it.
"...That wasn’t right."
Diana quickly corrected herself.
"Sorry! Go back!"
Aegon sighed but continued.
Her attempts to guide him only made the situation more confusing, and he soon found himself facing another difficult junction.
Frustration began to set in, but he refused to give up.
This was a matter of life and death, and he refused to become dead weight for his team.
He carefully examined the symbols again.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait..."
He looked at the previous sequence.
"I think I got it!"
Aegon quickly moved the orb along the correct path.
One section after another disappeared behind him.
Finally, the orb reached the glowing exit.
The entire screen flashed brightly.
The rest of the team erupted into cheers.
Aegon released a long breath.
"I did it..."
{Congratulations! You have completed Puzzle 3/5 of the Puzzle Relay Round—the Arcane Path!}
Aegon was teleported back to the room, still catching his breath.
"Sorry I took quite a lot of time completing it," he said, his voice filled with disappointment.
"Don’t be sorry, Aegon. You did great," Riley reassured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
However, inwardly, Diana was biting her nails with anxiety.
As team captain, she had been keeping track of the time, and she knew that this Puzzle Relay Round was turning into a major time-waster.
Although the puzzles were relatively easy, completing them one after another was consuming a considerable amount of time.
"Senior Riley! It’s your turn. Press that buzzer now!" Diana commanded, her calm demeanor fading.
!?
Startled by her sudden urgency, Riley instinctively pressed the buzzer without questioning her.
Buzz—
"What the hell?" Riley muttered, confused by Diana’s sudden change in mood as he was teleported into the white room.
However, he quickly shrugged off his confusion and approached the center of the room.
There, he found a tablet screen displaying a magical number-placement puzzle.
Riley stared at it for a moment.
"It’s a number sequence puzzle!"
He quickly examined the screen.
Rows of numbers were displayed across it, but several spaces were empty. Above the puzzle were several clues describing the mathematical relationships between the numbers.
Riley’s eyes immediately lit up.
"Interesting."
He loved puzzles like this, and he was determined to complete it as quickly as possible.
"Do you need any help?" Diana asked through the voice chat.
"Don’t worry. I got this," Riley replied confidently.
He immediately began analyzing the first row.
"If the difference between these two numbers is four, then this one should be..."
He quickly entered the number.
A soft chime sounded.
"Correct."
Riley’s smile widened.
He moved to the next sequence.
"This one doubles every time..."
Tap.
Another number appeared.
"Correct."
He continued working through the puzzle, identifying patterns between the numbers and using the clues to determine the missing values.
The rest of the team watched in amazement as he filled in one space after another.
"You’re incredible, Riley! I can barely even understand this puzzle," Aegon said admiringly.
Riley smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he completed each sequence.
"Almost done..."
The pressure was on, but Riley remained calm and focused.
He took a deep breath and examined the final sequence carefully.
There was only one empty space remaining.
He studied the numbers around it.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"Got you."
Tap.
He entered the final number.
The entire screen immediately lit up.
"Done!"
Riley exclaimed, holding up the completed screen with a grin.
{Congratulations! You have completed Puzzle 4/5 of the Puzzle Relay Round—the Sequence Challenge!}
Riley felt a sense of pride as he was teleported back to the room.
Swish—
Diana glanced at the timer on her wrist and sighed inwardly.
Time was running out, and they still had one more puzzle to solve.
She turned toward Liana.
"It’s your turn, Liana. Let’s move quickly."
Liana nodded and immediately pressed the buzzer.
Buzz—
In a flash of light, she was transported to the white room.
She rushed toward the pedestal, her mind already racing with possibilities.
As she approached the pedestal, Liana took a deep breath and focused her attention on the task at hand.
The puzzle in front of her was completely different from the previous ones.
A large collection of magical symbols appeared on the screen, arranged in several rows and columns.
At the top of the screen was a simple instruction.
{Find the hidden sequence.}
Liana stared at the puzzle.
Several symbols appeared identical at first glance, but tiny differences could be found between them.
Some symbols had an extra line.
Others were rotated slightly.
A few contained hidden markings that could only be noticed by looking carefully.
Liana’s eyes narrowed.
Many people only ever saw her qualities as a swordswoman firsthand.
But even from her childhood, she had grown up playing games with Arthur and Arina.
Arthur and Arina were the only ones who knew that she was also good at games like this—games that demanded logic, observation, and the ability to recognize patterns.
That was the only reason she could think of for why Arthur had chosen her for this round.
However, as she thought about it, perhaps there was another reason.
After all, someone had to die if they failed this round.
Liana pushed those thoughts aside and forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
She stared intently at the symbols, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.
She knew this puzzle was going to be tricky, and she needed to concentrate if she wanted to solve it.
The puzzle was divided into several sections, each containing a sequence of magical symbols.
Liana scanned them carefully, looking for patterns and connections.
"Okay, let’s see here..."
She pointed toward the first sequence.
"The first symbol rotates clockwise, then the second one changes its shape."
She studied the next group.
"Then the third symbol gains an additional mark."
Her eyes narrowed.
"So the next one should..."
She selected the corresponding symbol.
A soft chime sounded.
Correct.
Liana’s expression became slightly more confident.
She moved on to the next sequence.
This one was more complicated.
The symbols appeared almost identical, but each contained subtle differences.
Liana carefully compared them.
"The outer ring changes first..."
She moved her finger across the screen.
"Then the center symbol changes."
She paused.
"And after that, the entire symbol rotates."
She selected the correct sequence.
Another chime sounded.
Correct.
The rest of the team watched closely.
Diana leaned forward.
"You’re doing great, Liana. Keep going."
Liana nodded.
She continued studying the remaining sequences.
As she worked, the puzzle became increasingly difficult.
Several symbols looked almost identical, and one wrong choice could disrupt the entire sequence.
Liana listened to the team’s suggestions through the voice chat while continuing to analyze the symbols herself.
"Wait..."
She suddenly stopped.
Her eyes widened.
"I think I see it."
She compared the final three symbols.
The pattern wasn’t moving randomly.
Each symbol was changing according to a fixed sequence.
Liana quickly entered the next symbol.
Nothing happened.
She frowned.
"That wasn’t it."
She examined the sequence again.
Then she noticed a tiny marking in the corner of one of the symbols.
"Of course..."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"The hidden mark changes the order."
She corrected her answer.
This time—
Ding!
The entire puzzle lit up.
Liana’s eyes widened.
"I got it!"
The final symbols rearranged themselves, forming a glowing magical crest.
The rest of the team immediately erupted into cheers.
"Great job, Liana!"
"You did it!"
Liana held her fist tightly, a wide smile spreading across her face.
She had done it.
{Congratulations, Team Celestias Academy! You have proven yourselves worthy and have successfully completed Round 4: Puzzle Relay!}
The voice boomed throughout the chamber.
"We did it! Great job, Liana!"
The team gathered around her as soon as she returned, giving her high-fives and congratulating her.
Liana beamed with pride and a sense of accomplishment.
They had completed another round.
But there was no time to celebrate.
A powerful golden light suddenly enveloped the entire team.
Diana immediately looked toward the others.
"The final round..."
Her expression became serious.
The teleportation magic activated.
In the next instant, the entire team disappeared from the lavish room and was transported toward the location of the final round.