The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
That statement, or quote, could not have been truer for the Adventurers who marched forward, unaware of their fate.
The man who led them, Guildmaster Richard, stood at the forefront of the entire group, with the rest of the Heroic Rank Adventurers a step or two behind him.
Everyone else carefully moved in accordance to the ones who led them—like sheep, lambs to the slaughter. Their measured movements meant nothing.
The moment the Guildmaster placed one of his legs on the stairs, making the first attempt to ascend… everything changed.
~VWUUUSSHH!~
That single step forward caused a torrent of energy to instantly engulf the room, and a massive Magic Circle, unlike anything the world had ever seen before, instantly shone from below the unsuspecting Adventurers.
All of this happened in a mere instant that no one had any chance to react.
Before their bodies could fully comprehend the surge of energy, or their eyes fully capture the intricate patterns of the giant Magic Circle, it was too late.
~SHIIINGGG!~
The bright purple light that glowed from the complicated lines and drawings in the formulae burned bright, drowning everything within the room in its power.
Just from that single step, every single soul in the area was affected, and their bodies all vanished at once.
Their journeys, to whatever destination that the light took them, was all started by the Guildmaster's step.
And, in a twisted way to keep the poetic statement true, the old man has also vanished as well.
Everyone was gone.
Well… almost everyone. For amidst the remnant mist from the incredible energy that just burst forth, there were two who stood beside each other—completely unaffected by the displacement.
One had a black hat, with his suitcase in hand, while the other wore a white hooded cloak with blue and gold designs strapped around her Adventurer Outfit.
Yes, the only ones left in the vast room—standing right in front of the stairs—were Jet and Lux.
Or rather, Rey and Esme.
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"W-what just happened…?"
Esme's confused voice echoed in the air as she looked around her in shock. One second, she was looking at the stairs, surrounded by people in all directions, and now she was all alone with Rey.
The Guildmaster was gone. The Heroic Rank Adventurers were gone. Everyone… was gone.
Why…?
"There was a forced mass teleportation. I could only briefly experience it all, so it makes sense that you don't understand."
From the way Rey was speaking, it was clear that he was bothered. No, more than that, he was worried.
"Forced teleportation? Everyone was taken away? To where?"
"I don't know!" Rey slightly yelled, a lot of suppressed frustration bursting out through his voice.
It startled Esme for a moment, and he realized that almost instantly.
"S-sorry…"
"No, it's fine. I just want to understand what happened."
To Esme, she indeed felt a surge of energy around her, and it seemed like a flash of light flashed before her eyes, but that was pretty much it.
The sensation didn't properly register in her brain since it was too fast to capture. Her Level and Stats were pretty much on the high end compared to other Adventurers, so she found it a little worrisome that even she could only see so much.
No one could have reacted to a flash that fast.
No one but Rey.
"We would have been transported as well, but thankfully, I activated my [Absolute Spatial Domain] and it worked just in time." Rey sighed. "You were the closest to me, and the only one I could cover in such a short period of time, so I did that."
Despite being the only one to act, and the fact that he was able to save her, Rey didn't look very satisfied.
"If I wasn't so flustered, I would have first of all activated my Buff Skills and given myself increased perception of everything."
With [Ascended Godspeed] he could have been more than fast enough—both physically and mentally—to save everyone.
Not only did he get this Skill by combining all of Snow's Skills into one, he also fused all of Fernand's Skills—particularly regarding the ones that improved his perception and speed.
All of those, combined with Rey's incredible Stats, would have made him capable of acting a lot faster.
"I was just too slow in my judgment. It all happened so fast that I instinctively reached for [Absolute Spatial Domain]..."
"I-I see…"
Esme's voice was a little low, and she didn't know what to say to Rey at the moment.
She could tell why he would be frustrated.
'His friends were among the ones who were teleported away… including the girl he has feelings for.'
None of them were sure where they went to, but Esme could make a pretty good guess.
'They've probably been scattered around the Dungeon.'
This wasn't particularly the first time a Dungeon Trap was seen transporting people to separate locations within the same space. Nothing of this scale had ever happened before, but based on precedent, it was sensible to assume that they were taken to another part of the Dungeon,
'I'm sure Rey recognizes this as well…'
Chances of his friends and his special someone being harmed by the teleportation were low. However, it was a different situation when considering the aftermath.
Everyone was randomly transported to various parts of the Dungeon… but where?
What if they were taken to the most difficult areas, and worst of all, they were isolated? Would even a strong individual be able to survive.
'What if that happens to Alicia…?'
Esme realized that Rey must have been having these thoughts, and they had to be driving him crazy.
That was why she couldn't help but be silent for a while.
"This Mass Teleportation…" Rey finally spoke up, looking at Esme with eyes reminiscent of someone boiling with pure rage.
There was no semblance of kindness or concern on his face, and only vestiges of anxiety could be seen there.
There was only the display of wrath.
"… I think Adrien is behind it!"
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Thanks for reading!
