Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent Chapter 29: ...This is not how you should draw it

"The direction itself is correct... Don't worry too much."

"Yes, we're doing well enough."

The mbers of Group 5, to which Becky belonged, encouraged one another. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, regardless of their performance, thanks to their excellent teamwork.

The progress they had made so far was also quite impressive.

『Observation』, 『Risk detection』, 『Leap』』... Group 5 had devised a strategy to avoid battles by any ans necessary, equipped with scrolls. Despite their flawless execution and successful outcos thus far, they showed no signs of exhaustion.

“There is a checkpoint in the labyrinth. Let us aim for that.”

One mber agreed with Becky's suggestion, while another tilted their head in confusion.

"But... sothing seems strange. The display of the location scroll should be accurate this ti."

"Yes, you're right."

However, if there was a problem, the markings on the scroll were significantly incorrect.

They had already visited three checkpoints, and all of them turned out to be empty. It could be a problem with the location scroll or with the labyrinth itself...

“Did you bring the wrong scroll?”

“Hey, absolutely not. I went through so much trouble to obtain it..."

While the group mbers were examining various aspects of the location scroll,

-Kugugugugu―!

Suddenly, a trendous noise reverberated from beyond the right wall of the passage. Though they couldn't discern the exact nature of the situation, sothing was clearly happening.

Group 5 beca startled and pressed their ears against the wall, focusing their attention.

-Kieeeeek―!

A creepy sound filled the air. Becky's head trembled.

"Ugh... Gives goosebumps. Choosing not to go for a direct assault was a really good decision for us."

The other team mbers nodded in agreent. It had been a while since they had traversed this particular passage.

-Kugugugugu―!

This ti, the right wall began to crumble and collapse entirely.

"What, what is this? Why is it happening like this?"

"I didn't sense any traps being activated. What's going on?"

Amidst the sudden phenonon, they were bewildered, but at the sa ti, the sight of another team ca into view.

The first person to catch Becky's eyes was Flan.

"Uh, hey, Flan..."

She tried to call him but stopped midway.

Firstly, the thought of the exploration assessnt being a competition crossed her mind. Secondly, not only Flan's group but also the appearance of Group 1, which included Hailey, ca into view as well.

Perhaps due to the peculiar phenonon inside the labyrinth, no one had a bright expression.

The three groups silently observed each other without saying a word. A brief mont of awkward silence passed.

Judging by their appearances, it was evident that all three teams were taken aback by the collapsing walls.

"Hey, guys, hi there."

Among them, Hailey stepped forward with a friendly attitude.

She glanced around, observing various things. It seed she had an interest in the other groups.

"Are you all doing well? But, isn't the state of the labyrinth a bit strange? It seems so different from the labyrinth we were originally guided through."

Hailey moved closer to Becky, who appeared to be the leader of Group 5. Becky had no choice but to respond.

"Well... It's more or less okay."

Casually skirting around the topic, Becky also observed Hailey's group.

Hailey's Group 12 consisted of Louis and the transfer students who had recently joined to fill Aria's vacancy.

Louis, being a mber of the group, seed to have smoothly overco the crisis without significant difficulties. And that would likely be the case in reality as well.

More than that, Becky was concerned because the transfer student had an exceptionally beautiful face. She also seed to be good friends with Flan.

'I can do anything for Sir Flan….' Becky recalled her saying sothing like that.

Becky guessed that maybe this transfer student was the one Flan contacted on Trivia.

“Ah~ Sir Flan! Are you here!”

The transfer student, as white as snow, ran toward Flan.

At first glance, it seed that she was trying to hug Flan, but as Flan shrewdly avoided it, it looked like she was hugging the air.

Nevertheless, the transfer student remained undeterred and spoke.

"Are you doing well? Thanks to the excellent group mbers, I'm doing fine! And if this helps, would you like to use these?"

The transfer student held out three scrolls to Flan. Louis followed closely behind and let out a deep sigh.

"Yushia, those are the scrolls we should use for our team. What if we give them to another team?"

Yushia. That was the na of the transfer student. Becky made sure to rember those letters.

anwhile, despite reproaching others, Louis had a smile on his face and a gentlemanly attitude. He seed to have no ill intentions toward others.

"Oh, should I not give it? I didn't know!"

But then, unexpectedly, Trixie intervened and said sothing to Yushia.

"Giving bribes is illegal. Go away."

"Bribes...? My sister likes that…."

"Be honest and go away."

Neither Yushia's nor Trixie’s attitudes were sothing Becky couldn't understand right away.

However, the sight of Flan being surrounded by two delicate girls, like works of art, appeared nonchalant to her.

For a guy, it would typically be a situation to be delighted about, but Flan showed no signs of happiness or tension.

No, it seed like he didn't even realize that soone was clinging to him. He was still focused on examining the location scroll.

For so reason, Becky felt a tightening in her chest, so she forcefully pressed her bruised knees against the ground.

“Hey, Becky.”

Just then, Hailey's voice reached her ears. Becky shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts and replied, "Yes. What is it?"

"Can we have a mont to talk alone?"

Becky agreed to Hailey's suggestion, and they distanced themselves from the other team mbers.

"What's the matter?"

"Don't you want to get high grades?"

"Well, doesn't everyone want it?"

"Then, how about we... try together?"

Hailey gestured with her eyes towards Group 11, led by Flan. Becky's face unconsciously twisted as she followed Hailey's gaze.

“What?”

“The labyrinth is in a very strange state right now. If Group 11 is unlucky, they might encounter various accidents, right?"

“Hey…. No.”

Becky shook her head.

Although Hailey was proposing cooperation to Becky in a roundabout way, Becky did not welco this approach.

[ Everyone, can you hear ? ]

At that mont, Professor Violet's voice suddenly resonated inside the labyrinth.

The eyes of the students naturally wandered in the air.

[I'll continue assuming you can hear . The situation inside the labyrinth is very strange right now.]

Most of them nodded their heads as they too were already aware that sothing was off inside the labyrinth.

[We can't observe the current situation inside, so evaluation is suspended. We will individually transport each of you out, so do nothing and wait.]

Violet's voice sounded more determined than usual.

[I warned you. You probably won't even have the protection spell right now. If anything happens, you'll die just like that. Absolutely don't do anything.]

The atmosphere instantly beca heavy.

If they suffered such severe damage in this exploration evaluation, it was as good as dying, wasn't it?

"How long will the transportation take?"

"What if we get caught up in an accident while just waiting? Are we just going to die without being able to do anything?"

The gathered students began to feel confused. Louis was the first to step forward and tried to calm them down.

"Everyone, calm down. Nothing serious will happen."

However, trying to calm the students with those few words was futile.

The fear of death was greater than imagination, and not a single student here wanted to die.

In the end, what cald the students was the transportation magic.

"What... What's happening?"

Martin was enveloped in a white light and beca the first to disappear.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

“ too!”

After that, the bodies of other students started to be wrapped in white light one by one. First were Becky's team mbers.

With each transport, a sense of relief appeared on the faces of the remaining students.

“Oh…. Sir Flan! It seems I will go first!”

Yushia was transported.

"Everyone will be safe. Let's watch from outside."

Louis was transported. And so, one by one, they disappeared until only Hailey, Flan, and Becky remained.

There was no conversation among the three.

Flan was too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay attention to them, and Becky found it difficult to speak when faced with Hailey's gaze directed at Flan, which held a subtle aning.

[Now there are three left.]

[The condition of the labyrinth is getting stranger... Professor Leonard, can they hear my voice now?]

[They're gone...]

Violet's voice beca faint and eventually completely dispersed.

"Sothing doesn't seem to be working well~"

Hailey brushed her hair back and spoke. Then she subtly glanced at Flan and Becky.

"I don't want to die stuck between lovers. Hm."

"Wh-who's a lover?"

Becky imdiately refuted Hailey's words, but Hailey just shrugged her shoulders.

"What about Flan? Flan, what do you think of Becky?"

“What are you talking about?!”

While screaming, Becky rolled her eyes and glanced at Flan.

What does Flan think of her? If she said she wasn't curious, it would be a lie.

But at that mont.

“…… !”

Becky's eyes widened involuntarily. Unknowingly, she took a step back. The 『Danger Sensing』Scroll she had kept in her bosom began to vibrate.

-Kugugugugu!

Before she could recognize and react to it, the platform they were standing on collapsed completely.

There was no ti to scream or react swiftly.

All the platforms in the labyrinth scattered like puzzle pieces, and the three of them were plunged into endless darkness.

ㅡㅡㅡ.

'I was wrong.'

The chain of accidents halted. Thoughts of death filled her mind.

Becky simply widened her eyes and stared at the receding light.

◈◈◈

'As expected.'

The mana flow inside the labyrinth was abnormal, especially the ground area was unstable, so it wasn't difficult to predict. However, there was a slight delay in Violet's teleportation, which caused the plan to deviate slightly.

There were two others falling besides . I could see the figures of Becky and Hailey not far away. After a mont of consideration, I poured all the remaining mana into "Support."

The falling bodies moved through the darkness at a terrifying speed. The sound cutting through the air felt like it would tear my eardrums.

However, despite that, my body remained steady. The tightly woven mana mbrane didn't allow any loss of grace in my movents.

Thanks to that, I could closely observe Becky and Hailey's appearances. Hailey seed to have lost consciousness imdiately, her head hanging limply, while Becky had vacant eyes, staring blankly.

Finally, when I had depleted all the mana.

“Impossible….”

Becky mumbled with unfocused eyes. As soon as I heard those words, I couldn't help but burst into laughter in disbelief.

"What a pitiful thinking."

I reached into my pocket and grasped the artifact. The mana contained in this crystal given by Violet was certainly not insignificant.

Finally, when the distance between Becky and was within reach...

-Thud!

I clenched my fist and shattered the crystal.

◈◈◈

Becky caught a glimpse of Flan's figure. In fact, it didn't matter anymore. The worries had faded away. She was gradually accepting the fact that death was imminent.

In the next life, she wanted to be born as a magic prodigy. If that was too much to ask, at least she wanted to be born with a noble lineage.

If that was also too much to ask... she didn't want to be reborn at all.

Flan's figure still entered her eyes. The distance between them inexplicably narrowed. Another astonishing thing was that even in the midst of falling, Flan's grace and poise were flawless.

...Yes, a "magic prodigy" was right in front of her.

"I also... wish I could use magic like you,"

Becky muttered involuntarily. The girl's vacant eyes contained the image of a boy.

"It would be nice if I could use magic skillfully."

But still...

"Forever, it will be impossible...."

Even the sound of cutting through the air gradually beca familiar, and Becky quietly closed her eyes. Facing death when opening one's eyes was indeed frightening. She closed her eyes and waited for this humble life to end.

"How pathetic."

- Zap.

- Crack!

A dazzling flash struck Becky's closed eyelids. Simultaneously, the sensation of falling disappeared instantly.

The deafening sound that seed capable of tearing eardrums could no longer be heard.

'Am I finally dead?'

With a sense of confusion, Becky cautiously opened her eyes, and her thought process ca to a halt.

"...Huh?"

She found herself floating.

The falling rocks, Hailey perched on a rock fragnt, or rather everything around her... it all seed suspended in the air as if ti had frozen.

The falling rockA blue light scattered like stardust, illuminating the surroundings. Becky unintentionally opened her mouth in awe of the surreal scenery.

"What... why..."

She swallowed her saliva and scanned her surroundings.

Upon further examination, it remained the sa. Everything appeared to be suspended mid-air, as if ti had frozen at a specific mont.

And at that mont...

“Becky.”

That calm voice echoed from above. Flan, enveloped in blue light, stood there.

Even in this empty void filled only with darkness, he remained composed.

Becky's body floated as Flan pointed his finger at her.

Her body floated, and their eye levels naturally aligned. Until that mont, Becky couldn't comprehend the situation.

One of the rocks that had been suspended in the air hit Becky's head with a thud.

“Ouch!”

In pain, she instinctively rubbed her head, reaffirming her sense of being alive. Becky squinted one eye and observed Flan's figure.

He remained resolute and calm as usual.

"Where is the impossibility for a magician?"

“Ugh, yes… ?”

[Can you hear ? Are the three of you still there? Just wait for three more minutes.]

Violet's voice started to co through again.

“Three minutes….”

Flan murmured quietly, pursing his lips.

Then suddenly, he reached into Becky’s jacket. His hand casually brushed against her chest, and a mont later, Becky’s face flushed red.

"W-What?! Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Three minutes should be enough."

Flan swiftly pulled out the Trivia from Becky's pocket. Then, he nervously flipped through the pages of the Trivia.

“Look, Becky.”

He called her na once again.

His red eyes sparkled, and his sharp appearance, enveloped in a blue aura, was quite impressive.

As Becky blankly gazed at Flan's face, a Trivia with filled spell circles unfolded before her.

The page was covered in the spell for Magic Missiles, which Becky had roughly sketched based on observing Flan's mock battles.

“This spell.”

Everything remained frozen, as if stuck together, in a blue space resembling an art canvas.

In that peculiar mont, where even ti seed imprisoned, Flan quietly parted his lips.

"...This is not how you should draw it."

--- End of The Chapter --

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