Luka activated his Spatial Sense to verify the contours of this obstacle. He learned that it was circular and seemed to encompass the entire dungeon level. The mage thought this floor resembled a fishbowl with its large body of water and a minute amount of dry land at the center. This level had a two hundred mile circumference. Thus, searching for the exit was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Luka relied on his teleportation magic to cross vast distances and used his magical detection to seek the portal. This thorough survey took half a day before the explorer finally discovered the exit in the southeast section of this level. However, he noticed whirlpools periodically popping up near the magical portal! "How are we supposed to avoid those traps?" he yelled out in frustration.
Luka teleported over the gateway and set up a magic beacon. Then he used Touch the Horizon to quickly return to the island. During his journey, the mage tried to brainstorm ways to handle the whirlpool.
His close observation of the phenomenon revealed numerous traits. This trap was a hundred feet wide and pulled victims to the ocean's bottom and drown them. Second, the whirlpool could randomly pop up within a mile of the portal. Furthermore, each appearance lasts a minute, followed by a five-minute respite, before it shows up again in another spot.
Luka came up with several methods to deal with this trap. First, he could freeze it in place by turning the water around it into ice. Unfortunately, the mage lacked sufficient proficiency in water magic to pull this off. Instead, he would need to summon Glacius and borrow the ice god's divine power to accomplish this task.
However, Luka preferred not to use his Divine Summon since it requires 4,500 mana to call the divine spirit. Moreover, this magic would mentally exhaust the summoner when Luka needed to prepare for a possible ambush on the next dungeon level. Therefore, he decided to save his trump card for last.
Second, he could use his Void Step to stay above the whirlpool and ferry his classmates one-by-one to the exit. Since Luka maxed out his spatial magic proficiency, he spent very little mana to use Void Step. However, Luka would need to make nineteen trips to carry his party members over. Also, the first person to cross the portal could potentially trigger a trap or enemy encounter.
The third and final alternative was to create a portal from a fair distance beyond the whirlpool's domain. Luka would set this gateway close to the exit leading to the next floor. Frankly, this setup was a direct, gate-to-gate transmission with a narrow inch of space between the two.
Also, Luka briefly considered modifying his portal so that it would lead to the next floor. But he couldn't pull it off because this would violate the two Principles of Magical Teleportation. The transporter must personally visit the site he wishes to teleport. Alternately, the mage must connect, visually, to the new location. Luka's Touch the Horizon magic relies on this second principle to send the mage from place to place. Since he hadn't traveled to the fifth floor yet, Luka could not create a portal connecting to it either. But the gate-to-gate was a workaround to reach the desired outcome.
The only problem now was figuring out how to take the entire class across the ocean to reach the exit. The distance between the gateway on the island and the other portal was roughly fifty-five miles across the sea.
Luka couldn't possibly create a bridge spanning such a great distance. Nor could he make a gate on the island to connect to the exit because this feat would require more magic than he possessed. Furthermore, the distance was too vast for Luka to fly everyone over.
The easiest method was to cut down the palm trees and make a bunch of wooden boats. In that scenario, the class would split into smaller groups, and each subparty would sail across the ocean on these makeshift vessels. Once the ships arrive near the whirlpool, Luka could pull a gate-to-gate setup. Luka finally settled on this plan.
Bel and Gripper greeted Luka upon his return. The two had explored the small island and became disappointed at the lack of animals to hunt for meat. They hoped that he would assign exciting activities for them to perform.
"I'm returning to the third floor to bring my classmates over. Please remain here to guard the portal," Luka ordered.
The two animals became dejected when they heard his command because there weren't any monsters to fight. Bel waved his paw dismissively. [Hurry back, kid.] The rabbit turned his head and gazed at the moving tide.
Luka shrugged at his familiar's lazy attitude and ventured through the magical gateway. His sudden arrival alarmed the watchmen. When several guards drew their swords and prepared to attack, Luka immediately raised his hand. "Whoa, take it easy!" he yelled.
The swordsmen finally recognized Luka and sheepishly lowered their weapons.
A runner quickly reported his return to Terrwyn, who followed the messenger and approached the scout.
"Welcome back," she said with a faint smile. The class representative half-believed that Luka wouldn't return. She was glad to be wrong, though. Terrwyn glanced at Wickkuil, who immediately turned aside to avoid her eyes.
Other classmates began to gather around. They were surprised to hear that Luka went ahead by himself. The Elite Class felt anxious to listen to his scouting report.
"The next floor consists of a small island in the middle of an ocean. There are no monsters at all, so it's relatively safe. However, the exit is about fifty-five miles southwest of the island. And there's a whirlpool trap to guard this portal. We will need to cut down the palm trees on the island and build boats to cross the ocean. Once we arrive on the outer edge of the danger zone, I'll create a gate for us to reach the exit," Luka said in a calm and clear voice for everyone to hear.
Terrwyn checked her timepiece and saw that it was early afternoon. The party leader believed that the class would need to spend the rest of the day to cut down trees and build several boats. She clapped her hands. "We're breaking camp immediately and crossing this portal to reach the next floor. We'll cut down trees and build rafters for the rest of today. We'll spend the night on the island and then set sail the next morning. Now, pack up your tents and gather here when you're ready. Dismissed!"
The Elite Class obeyed her instructions and started packing. Luka noted that even the people who sustained mental trauma were helping out. He watched them closely and thought they recovered enough to participate in the journey across the sea.
Luka believed that as long as these patients didn't hear loud banging, they could function normally. However, he planned to separate the four students while the Elite Class traveled on water. This way, each subparty would take responsibility for one mentally ill patient.
The class gathered before the portal within ten minutes.
Terrwyn ordered the party to enter the basic formation with melee fighters surrounding the mages and thief. Then she called the two rangers to lead them through the exit.
When the Elite Class arrived on the remote island, the members stared at the vast sea in shock. Many students had never visited the beach in their entire lives. Thus, they were mesmerized by the unimaginable volume of water.
Terrwyn kindly permitted them to enjoy the peaceful scenery for several seconds. "We're wasting valuable time! We need to cut down trees and build boats by nightfall," she reminded them. Since nobody brought an ax, the leader assigned the task of chopping the trees to the swordsmen.
When the lumberjacks returned, the other students focused on stripping off the leaves and smoothing the trunks before tying them together with rope. They also affixed a support beam on top of the larger pieces on each end. A third group focused on creating paddles using smaller pieces of wood.
The class finished making a prototype boat and launched it in the water. Once the vessel floated, Kherherac climbed aboard and used the paddle to propel his craft forward. Upon seeing his success, the students cheered. They felt energized and returned to work. In the end, the Elite Class created four boats to seat five students per vessel.
When they retired for the evening, Terrwyn specifically ordered Luka to skip night watch
duties. The other party members agreed with this arrangement because Luka had scouted this fourth floor by himself and spent a lot of magic to fly over the ocean. They knew he was exhausted and deserved the extra rest. Thus, the class supported her arrangement.
The party awoke at six the next morning and immediately set sail. Terrwyn designated Luka as the lead ship captain and assigned Kherherac, Cerlyn, Rorlim, and Yosdrar. Each member took a turn in paddling the boat while the others rested.
Since Luka was the only person who knew the exit location, he couldn't sleep for long. Instead, the captain took ten-minute naps and awoke to confirm his boat's heading. After dusk, he cast Light Ball to hover over each vessel so that the others could follow him in the darkness without bumping into each other.
Luka lamented the slow speed of his vessel. Unfortunately, he lacked sufficient cloth to create a sail to attach to his boat. Otherwise, his ship would use the wind to propel forward movement and travel at a faster speed. Consequently, it took two days to reach the exit.
Once Luka confirmed his arrival at the beacon, he immediately turned around and waved his arms above his head. This movement was his signal to the other ships that they arrived at the portal.
The other boats quickly approached his ship and positioned themselves adjacent to him. The students watched in horror as the whirlpool trap randomly popped up near the exit. But their attention shifted over to Luka as he created a Gate on his vessel connecting to the portal.
Once he finished making the gateway, Luka sent Bel and Gripper through it.
[I'm on the fifth floor.] His familiar reported.
"My portal is safe to use," Luka confirmed out loud. His crewmates quickly entered the gate. Once they left, the students from the other vessels climbed onto his boat and passed through it.
The abandoned ships began to float away. Some drifted into the whirlpool and vanished from sight.
Terrwyn alertly used her paddle to move the sole, remaining boat, and put more distance from the trap. She entered the portal immediately, followed by Luka. The last ship eventually got sucked into the whirlpool and broke apart.
Chapter 65
Morninglory Dungeon (Part 6)
The Elite Class entered their basic formation and stared into the woods. Somehow, the group ended up in a tropical forest. The sweltering sun and stifling humidity made the students, especially those wearing armor, sweat profusely. Even worse, mosquitoes discovered their arrival and began to attack the humans, leaving nasty bites on their victims.
When Luka arrived on the fifth floor, he noticed their misery and magically created a gust of wind to disperse the tiny pests. Then he took out some natural insect repellants Luka got from the elves in Langerlan and distributed them.
The classmates quickly applied the topical cream to their skin, and the odor forced the hungry mosquitoes to leave their immediate vicinity.
"Thank you for sharing," Terrwyn expressed her appreciation on behalf of the Elite Class. She suffered an insect bite on her forehead a few seconds after arriving on this dungeon level. Thankfully, Luka gave her the ointment before more mosquitoes attacked her. But Terrwyn felt guilty because other students had suffered longer from their early arrival.
"Should I go scout ahead?" Luka offered.
The class rep quickly shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary. We will stick together!" Terrwyn declared with a raised fist for emphasis. She didn't know how long the insect repellant would last. If the class ends up waiting an entire day for Luka's return, they will turn into mosquito food again. No, she refused to resign her classmates to that miserable fate. Thus, Terrwyn forcefully rejected Luka's suggestion.
The other students deeply exhaled because she understood their primary concern and resolved it. Due to noble pride, they felt too embarrassed to ask him for more cream.
Luka didn't understand these calculations. He shrugged and took his spot at the center of the party formation. The mage activated his Spatial Sense and began to create a map of his surroundings.
Meanwhile, the two rangers led the party further into the dense forest. Unlike the previous floor, this level seemed to contain more signs of life. They heard bird calls periodically as avians flew high above the trees and cast moving shadows on the ground. Viggo and Gertorn also came across animal tracks but declined to follow the owners.
Instead, the two scouts prioritized finding the exit and leaving this misery behind. Therefore, the rangers refused to become sidetracked by hunting game. However, the two had no idea where the new portal laid or how Luka managed to find the previous exit out in the ocean. Alas, their stubborn noble pride made the rangers unwilling to ask Luka for advice.
The other students began to realize their predicament. Although none openly voiced their complaint about the scouts, the party members occasionally glanced at Luka. Sometimes, he smiled back. Other times, he ignored them because Luka thought they were checking the surroundings.
After an hour of aimless meandering, Luka lost his patience. He suddenly cast Void Step to break through the dense canopy of branches and leaves above the students' heads. The mage ascended a hundred feet in the sky and expended his magic to expand his detection zone. After a ten-minute search, Luka discovered the exit on a hill roughly twenty-five miles away. Unfortunately, the quickest path required dealing with a village of hill giants!
The Elite Class waited anxiously for Luka to descend back to the ground. They noticed his frown and wondered what challenge awaited them.
Luka turned and pointed toward the west. "The exit is on a hill about twenty-five miles in that direction. But at the base of that landscape is a village full of hill giants. I counted six, but there might be several more foraging or hunting in the forest," he reported.
"Can we take a detour around the village? Although we'll lose points in the student evaluations, I would rather avoid a dangerous fight with giants," Terrwyn suggested.
The mage shook his head. "The hill is too steep to climb on the other sides. I assume the dungeon master purposely set up the rock formation to make us meet the gateway's guardians. We can't reach the exit without passing through their village."
The party leader saw that her members became disheartened by the prospect of facing so many hill giants. "What's with the long faces? We're still a fair distance from reaching the enemy village. Once we arrive, we'll come up with a plan to draw out the hill giants and defeat them one-by-one."
Wickkuil spoke out to support her. "Terrwyn is right! If everyone here does his part, we will beat those stupid giants!" He pumped his fist in the air and roared.
The melee fighters were swept by his sentiment and yelled out.
The noise frightened animals and forced them to run away. However, a pack of wolves came over to investigate.
Luka sensed their approach and warned the class. "We have incoming!" He pointed toward the right side.
The party resumed their basic formation and pulled out their weapons. The rangers began to fire their arrows upon sighting the first wolf. The archers took down the first three animals but couldn't keep up as more wolves appeared.
Evanora, Kayne, and Luka cast offensive spells at the next wave of wolves approaching the party. Uhaen summoned a pair of ogres to reinforce the frontline while Thoma strengthened these minions.
Luka stopped attacking after the second wave and shifted to buffing his comrades. He cast four sets of enchantments on the melee fighters and watched as they defended against the wolf pack. Luka also brought out Bel and Gripper to join the battle.
The Elite Class became astonished as they witnessed a seemingly endless number of wolves coming out of the forest! They already took down a dozen. But for each wolf they killed, two more replacements arrived!
Wickkuil felt embarrassed because he realized his foolish roar called the pack over. Thus, he fought like a maniac to redeem his sin.
Luka paid particular attention to him and had to cast heals on Wickkuil more often than their comrades.
"Wickkuil, come back to the line!" Terrwyn yelled out.
The swordsman reluctantly stopped his pursuit of the wolves and rejoined the formation.
Luka breathed a sigh of relief because he wasn't sure the beastman would obey Terrwyn's command. But now that Wickkuil returned, his task of healing the party's injuries became less difficult to perform. After all, he didn't need to leave the frontline to follow Wickkuil and stay within range of his healing magic.
The mage tried his best to keep track of each party member on the battlefield. Luka gave timely heals whenever someone became seriously wounded by a wolf attack. He wanted to give his classmates every opportunity to defeat enemies and rack up points for the student evaluation.
The students realized that time was running out for them to score additional points during this field trip. Thus, the fighters became desperate and started trading blow-for-blow with their beastly opponents. Moreover, Luka's support exacerbated this recklessness and fed into an endless cycle of violence between man-and-wolf.
Fortunately, the Elite Class maintained their discipline and stayed within party formation. The students covered each other and eventually killed the entire pack.
Once the ferocious battle ended, Wickkuil immediately bowed from his waist and apologized to the class. "I'm sorry for luring the wolf pack to us," he admitted.
The students who joined his roar also apologized. "We're sorry!"
Terrwyn was too exhausted to yell at them. "The guilty members will keep watch while the rest of us take a ten-minute break," she said. The party leader approached Luka, who sat away from the culprits; he was meditating with his eyes closed. "Do you need more time to recover your magic?" Terrwyn inquired quietly.
"I'll be fine," Luka answered politely without breaking his stance. The healer felt mentally exhausted more than anything else because he kept track of fourteen fighters' health (twelve classmates plus Bel and Gripper) from his party. He successfully achieved this task, but it took a heavy toll on his mind.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 53
