Chapter 11: Dark Gold Gauntlets and the Starry Magic Book

"My lord! Step back!"

Talia, with her small frame, lunged at Romon.

Romon didn't even notice the force in her small body, and before he could react, he was knocked to the ground.

Then, they heard it.

The ground rumbled. The door, which had already sunken into the ground, began to rise on its own.

The door was five meters tall, more grandiose than Romon's castle gates. If it were movable, Romon might have considered taking it with him.

But soon, the heavy door opened by itself, revealing a dark swirling vortex.

Before they could say anything to each other, they were sucked into the vortex.

"My lord?"

Romon slowly opened his eyes and saw a worried little face staring at him. Talia's dark, bright eyes held a hint of panic.

"Huh?"

"My lord, we've been transported into the labyrinth."

"I didn't intend to come in."

Talia scratched her head, a bit flustered. This was beyond her knowledge, so she nervously laughed it off, "Maybe this is an accident? The first-time activation kind of accident?"

"We need to get out of here," Romon said as he pushed himself up to his feet.

"Well... uh, my lord, we didn't enter the labyrinth the normal way. We were sucked in, so right now, we're in an unknown area," Talia said, patting her chest with determination. "I promise, I'll find the exit as fast as possible!"

Romon sighed upon hearing this.

"Guess we have no choice."

He had heard many stories of adventurers exploring labyrinths when he was younger. Some adventurers, once obscure and unknown, became legends after a single, accidental exploration.

As a time traveler, Romon had once dreamed of living the life of an adventurer.

But that dream was quickly crushed by the harsh reality.

The life of an adventurer was nothing like the stories. The anxiety of going without food, facing powerful enemies or even death on every mission, injuries, pain, freezing in the wilds, seeing teammates corroded by monsters' venom, going blind, losing limbs, being duped by unscrupulous employers and having to pay them instead... there were far too many risks.

The two of them walked side by side.

They crossed a square, cobblestone path, with walls on both sides covered in moss. Ahead of them was an endless darkness, but wherever they stepped, a faint light would appear to guide their way.

"Do you think these stone slabs might hide some kind of trap?" Romon asked.

"Don't worry, my lord. I'm a rapid-fire mage. Even if you accidentally trigger a trap, I'll shatter it before it activates," Talia said, tightening her grip on her silver staff.

"What if it's a falling trap?"

"Well... my lord, let's just hope for the best," Talia responded with a hesitant smile.

The two continued down the corridor until they reached the end. Thankfully, there were no traps, but there was also bad news: the end of the corridor was a dead end and didn't lead anywhere.

The place they had been teleported into turned out to be just a slightly larger empty room with no other exits.

So, they were trapped in a long, enclosed chamber.

"Talia, what do you think we should do now?" Romon asked, staying calm.

"My lord, this should be one of those hidden rooms in a labyrinth that I've only heard about from others, but never experienced myself. If that's the case, then we should be able to find a rare treasure chest."

"And how do we get out?"

"I've heard that if you find and open a rare treasure chest, the exit will open automatically."

Romon had heard similar stories, so he and Talia began to touch each stone slab along the walls at the end of the corridor, feeling their way along.

"My lord, please focus and remember the feel of each stone slab. If one of them sinks slightly, it could be a trap, a hidden room, or a mechanism. We'll have to take a gamble. If you trigger something, let me know so I can prepare," Talia instructed.

"..." Romon didn't respond but simply focused on the task at hand.

"Sorry, my lord, this must be exhausting."

Just as Romon was about to speak, he felt the stone slab beneath his right hand sink slightly. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly called out, "Watch out!"

Hearing this, Talia immediately stopped what she was doing, turned around, and gripped her staff tightly. "I'm ready, my lord. Let go."

Romon quickly withdrew his right hand. The stone slab that had sunk did not spring back into place.

But then, out of nowhere, a door appeared in the otherwise smooth wall, and the stone slabs around it seemed to vanish into thin air.

The two of them peered inside, and indeed, there was a treasure chest hidden in the dimly lit room.

"Did you find it?" Romon asked.

"My lord, it could also be a trap," Talia replied.

"Then you go open it."

Talia hesitated for a moment, but still, she cautiously entered the dim room with her silver staff in hand.

She examined the treasure chest, which had gilded edges, and reached out with her right foot. The chest wasn't locked, and only a latch held it shut. She unlatched it, and the chest automatically opened.

Romon stood at the entrance, watching.

The chest didn't show any immediate signs of danger, which was a relief—it wasn't one of those infamous mimic chests. Otherwise, if Talia had been controlled, Romon would have had no way of escaping on his own.

"My lord, it's a magic book... and something strange."

Talia said, bending down to remove the items from the chest. As she did, the chest itself disappeared.

Romon instinctively glanced to the sides and saw that the previously dead-end corridor had now opened up with a beam of light at its far end.

He was immediately struck by the sight and looked at Talia, saying, "The exit has appeared."

"Heh, I told you, my lord. I've got it covered," Talia grinned confidently.

She handed both items to Romon.

One was a large, thick book with a bluish-gray cover, featuring some embossed patterns, but with no text to indicate what it was.

The other was a claw-shaped item that glimmered dark gold in the dim light of the corridor. It appeared to be a very rare type of gauntlet.

"Shall we open it?" Romon asked, pointing at the magic book.

"No, I've tried. This magic book contains some strange seal. I can't open it," Talia replied.

"Can't open it?"

Romon, not believing it, took the magic book from her and gave it a firm tug, but it felt as though he were pulling against a solid rock.

Next, he flipped the book over and over, examining it carefully. Only on the spine did he find a golden pattern resembling a palm print.

At this. 

Romon had an idea. He put on the dark gold gauntlet on his left hand and placed his hand flat against the pattern on the book's spine.

In an instant. 

The heavy book suddenly became as light as a feather. The pages of the book began to glow with a faint blue light, and it automatically opened to the first page.

"It opened."

Talia stood on tiptoe, looking at Romon with the curiosity of a child.

"My lord, what is it?"

The blue light from the magic book illuminated Romon's face as he gazed at the first page, only to find it completely blank. He was about to turn to the second page with his right hand, but before he could even move, the page turned automatically to the second one.

But the second page was just as empty, still a blank space.

"This book doesn't have any writing. Is it fake?" Romon tilted his head and glanced at Talia.

She pondered for a moment, considering all the possibilities, before finally replying, "My lord, try closing your eyes."

"Close my eyes…"

Romon almost wanted to joke, but as soon as he shut his eyes, magical formulas appeared before him, shining as brilliantly as the stars. However, the vision only lasted for less than three seconds before he began to feel dizzy, as if the stars were swirling into a vortex, and he was about to be disoriented by the spinning.

"Whoo—!"

"My lord!"

Talia quickly caught Romon. In just an instant, Romon's face had drained of color, turning pale.

As a mage, Talia could feel the magic energy within a person, especially up close.

"My lord, your magic energy has been completely depleted. It's normal to feel dizzy. Here—"

She pulled a pure magic crystal from her bag and held it up to Romon's lips.

The pure magic crystal was translucent and cold to the touch, like a shard of ice on a winter day.

"Take a breath—"

Instantly, Romon felt a surge of energy in his lower back. His limbs became stronger, and the dizziness quickly faded away.

"I saw it!" he said.

"Huh?"

"I really did see it. The sky was full of magical formulas, but it seems that it takes magic power to see them. My magic is almost gone. You try it instead."

With that. 

Romon was about to pass the magic book to Talia, but the moment his left hand released the book, the large, thick tome instantly turned into a swirl of gray-blue light and vanished.

"Huh?"

"Are the gauntlet and the magic book somehow bound together?"

As this thought crossed Romon's mind, he quickly focused on the magic book, and sure enough, the next moment, the large, thick magic book reappeared in his left hand.