Avoiding Death in an Otome Game

Eventually, the line became shorter. The number of students remaining ahead of us gradually decreased. I occasionally glanced toward the dungeon barrier. Every student disappeared into it the moment they touched the magical surface.

No one seemed to know exactly where they would emerge. That uncertainty is genuine for them.

Eventually, Ian looked toward me and others. "All the best. See you guys in the boss room."

Then he stepped forward.

The translucent barrier rippled as he crossed it, and his body disappeared from our sight.

Then others followed, including Ray, Luna, Hina and also princess Kajol.

Actually in the past one month I have noticed a major change in Kajol’s attitude. She no longer approaches Elena or me without unnecessary reasons like she used to.

I did not ponder over it because this is not the right time.

Finally our turn arrived.

By our I mean top three, Elena, me and Lucian.

Elena and I exchanged a light nod before going ahead. She is holding onto Lumi with both her hands, afraid that she might fly up at the wrong moment.

I stepped forward with Aeris perched on my arm.

The moment my body touched the barrier, the world disappeared. There was no sensation of falling. Everything simply became completely dark. For a brief moment, I could not hear or see anything.

Then light returned to my vision. The surroundings gradually became clear and I found myself standing inside a large chamber.

The floor was made of uneven stone, and several openings led away from the central area, each resembling the entrance to a smaller caves.

I am not alone. There are already nearly twenty students inside.

Some had arrived only a few seconds before me, while others were already talking among themselves.

I immediately looked around. Elena is not here nor Ian or any other of our usual group.

*This is good.*

I will not have to make up some excuse to leave the group and go somewhere alone.

I can simply start moving.

Several students noticed me almost immediately. A few familiar faces were scattered throughout the chamber, like Tudor.

Candice and Grusha were here as well, and from the way they were speaking with other students, they were already discussing the possibility of forming a group.

A couple of students looked toward me with expressions that suggested they were considering approaching me.

I can’t waste time.

I quickly scanned the chamber. There are three obvious routes. The others were probably going to spend several minutes discussing which one they should take.

I already know which one I need.

I looked upward. The ceiling was covered with strange carvings, most of which were difficult to distinguish beneath the dim magical lighting, but I managed to spot a carving of a snake.

*So this is the Serpent Chamber.*

Which means...

*This one.*

I did not bother waiting for anyone to approach me.

I turned my head towards Aeris "Let’s get going."

Aeris immediately spread her wings and took off from my arm

At the same time I stepped forward and activated Sky Steps, gathering mana beneath my feet.

The next moment, my body shot forward.

Several students barely had time to react before I passed them with Aeris flying alongside me, easily keeping pace as I accelerated toward the third cave-like opening.

Behind me, I heard someone say my name, but I did not slow down. There was no reason to since there was no prior agreement with any of them.

The moment I entered the tunnel, the chamber disappeared behind me. I moved quickly through the passage, using Sky Steps to maintain speed while Aeris flew beside me.

The route was exactly as I remembered and there was no surprise. The stone formations were in the correct places.

I remember all this clearly thanks to the memory backtrack. This was the advantage I have been preparing for.

The Serpent Chamber is actually one of the worst starting points for the route I needed to take. It was the furthest of the five starting chambers from my destination.

That meant I have to make up for the distance with speed.

Fortunately, the first section is not particularly dangerous. As its name suggests, all three routes leading away from the Serpent Chamber contained primarily snake-like monsters and they are not particularly strong.

Under normal circumstances, they would still be troublesome for students who encountered large numbers of them, especially if they were attacked from multiple directions, but I have no reason to be concerned.

The moment we entered the deeper section of the tunnel, several snake monsters emerged from cracks in the walls but they froze when they saw the Spirit Hawk.

Some immediately retreated while others remained still, seemingly uncertain about approaching.

The relationship between snakes and birds of prey was apparently still reflected among magical creatures.

Aeris did not even need to attack them, she simply spread her wings and released a sharp cry and several of the weaker snakes immediately retreated.

The few that were brave enough to approach were quickly dealt with.

I raised one hand and cast ’Gale’ as the wind erupted through the corridor sweeping monsters aside before they could reach us.

Aeris flew through the turbulent current without difficulty, using her natural affinity with wind to remain stable.

One snake somehow managed to resist the strongest portion of the Gale and continued moving toward us. I noticed it approaching from the corner of my vision.

Before I could do anything, Aeris turned and caught the small snake monster with her beak. The creature barely had time to react before Aeris carried it several meters away and dropped it.

I glanced at her "Good."

Aeris gave a short cry. It seemed she understood the praise.

I accelerated again and soon saw an intersection approaching. I did not slow down and took a left turn.

*There are still three hours, there should not be any problem.*

...

At another place in the dungeon.

Six figures are running through a cave tunnel, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls as several monstrous creatures chase them from behind, their many legs scraping violently against the ground with every movement.

The creatures resemble spiders, most of them possessing a dark, almost shadow-like body with several thin legs extending from its sides, apparently shadow spiders.

They are not particularly big or dangerous individually, especially to students who have already spent several months studying combat magic, but their numbers make them troublesome, and the constant pursuit has prevented the students from properly stopping and fighting them.

Among the six students is Hina.

If Kai were here, he would immediately recognize her, along with Kevin, who is running near the middle of the group, while the remaining three girls and one boy are students he does not recognize.

"How many are there?" one of the girls asks breathlessly while glancing over her shoulder.

"Too many to count while running!" Kevin answers, definitely not in the mood for chit chat.

Another girl raises her staff and fires a small burst of magic backward, forcing several spiders to retreat momentarily, but the spell does little more than slow them down.

Hina continues running near the front of the group, her eyes calmly observing the tunnel ahead rather than the monsters behind them.

As they round another corner, they notice something ahead, tunnel opens into a wider section of the dungeon, where three different passages branch away from the same intersection.

Hina slows slightly before looking back at the others.

"There are three tunnels ahead," she says while continuing to run. "We should divide."

Everyone looks at her with some surprise.

"Divide?" Kevin asks.

"If we stay together, all of them will continue chasing us as one group," Hina explains, her voice surprisingly calm"If we separate, the spiders will have fewer targets to follow, and we can deal with them more easily."

Kevin glances behind them again and thinks for a moment and looks at others, they seem to reach the same conclusion, and after a brief hesitation, they begin nodding.

"That might actually work," Kevin says.

"I will take the middle tunnel," one of the girls says.

"I will go with you."

The remaining students quickly begin deciding who will take which path, but before anyone can properly arrange the groups, Hina suddenly speaks.

"I will take the third one." Hina points toward the tunnel on the far right." I am a light mage, so these Shadow Spiders are not much of a threat to me even if I go alone."

Kevin’s expression changes slightly.

"Wait, Hina, you don’t have to—"

But Hina is already moving.

She breaks away from the group before anyone can object, turning sharply toward the rightmost passage while raising one hand slightly.

"Don’t worry about me. Just keep going."

Her voice carries through the intersection as she disappears into the tunnel.

Kevin watches her for a moment before shaking his head and continuing forward with the others.

Meanwhile, Hina keeps running.

The moment she enters the third tunnel, the sounds of the other students gradually disappear behind her, leaving only the echoes of her own footsteps and the rapid scratching of the Shadow Spiders pursuing her.

Eventually, Hina finds herself completely alone. Around half a dozen Shadow Spiders continue chasing her through the tunnel, their dark bodies moving rapidly across the stone floor while several others crawl along the walls.

Yet Hina does not look frightened. Instead, the corners of her lips lift slightly.

*Finally.*

She has been waiting for this.

Until now, she has deliberately maintained the appearance of someone who is simply trying to get past the test alongside the other students, but running together with a group makes it difficult to move toward the place she actually wants to reach.

Now there is no one around to question her decisions and no one to notice that she knows considerably more about this dungeon than she should.

Hina gradually reduces her speed.

The Shadow Spiders immediately begin closing the distance. One of them raises its front legs as though preparing to leap.

Hina turns around and raises her magic staff as a brilliant light suddenly bursts from the tip of the staff.

Rather than launching it directly at the monsters, Hina sends the spell upward.

The concentrated beam of light strikes the ceiling several meters above her.

For a brief moment, nothing happens.

Then the entire tunnel suddenly illuminates.

The point where the spell struck the ceiling reflects the magical light throughout the surrounding area, producing an intense radiance that fills the tunnel like an enormous torch.

The Shadow Spiders freeze at their place, their bodies immediately recoil from the sudden brightness.

Then several of them retreat backward, while the others lower their bodies and attempt to hide beneath the uneven edges of the cave walls.

Shadow Spiders are creatures naturally adapted to darkness, and high-intensity light is one of the few things that can completely disrupt their movements.

Hina watches them for only a moment, she has no intention of wasting time here.

Her magic staff moves again as a faint yellow light emerges from its tip and spreads around her body, enveloping her from head to toe without producing the same overwhelming brightness as the previous spell.

The moment the spell settles over her body, Hina feels the difference.

Her body becomes lighter and her movements become smoother.

Even the force required to move her legs seems to have decreased considerably, while her muscles respond faster to every command from her mind.

’Light Reinforcement.’

It is a simple enhancement spell but in the hands of a light mage with excellent control, its effects are significant.

Her speed immediately increases as she begins running again, this time considerably faster than before, her footsteps becoming lighter as she moves effortlessly through the tunnel.

"This loot, I will have to get it!"