NOVEL NEXT Chapter 250 Instructor’s First Advice
"Indeed, you are the cream of the crop among the useless ones. The first to arrive in Delis Town are certainly of superior quality," Ice Polestar · Sheryl gazed down at the crowd from the stage.
She was somewhat taken aback that out of the five people, four had chosen to stay — she had originally anticipated only one would remain.
Upon ascending the stage earlier, Ice Polestar · Sheryl received a list of the five individuals who had arrived thus far from Pamela, the branch chief.
Among the five, she only remembered Garvit, the cavalry unit captain of the Emerald City Cavalry Unit. In her view, the middle and lower ranks of the regular army made for useful tools.
Given that Garvit had taken on a mission to come here, she was certain he would stay — at least, that was her assumption.
Then, what about the remaining three? What kind of insignificant beings were they?
Ice Polestar · Sheryl took another look at the list:
Babur, the representative from Madison Town;
Heloise, the representative from Delis Town;
Felix, the representative from Sunny Town;
These individuals without any particular titles were clearly chosen from among the bounty hunters of various quest guilds.
Ice Polestar · Sheryl knew well that participating in the labyrinth raid team was mainly a matter of personal will. The so-called "representatives" were not necessarily the strongest.
Therefore, she remained skeptical about the capabilities of these three individuals.
However, during her previous speech, two things caught Ice Polestar · Sheryl's attention.
One was that, for some reason, Garvit had positioned himself behind the young man named Felix, much like a bodyguard. Could it be that this Felix was not an ordinary individual?
The other was that the young girl named Heloise possessed snowy white hair, a sight that evoked memories Ice Polestar · Sheryl preferred not to recall.
— (Without a family name, she should not be... But, white hair and eyes that are not emerald green... Could she be the same as me...?)
Regardless of whether the answer was "yes" or "no", it no longer concerned Ice Polestar · Sheryl. She had long since severed ties with that family.
"Listen well, you wretches. We will now get to the crux of the matter," she announced.
.
Sheryl had once again assumed her role as the Labyrinth Instructor, succinctly imparting the most fundamental information to the remaining four.
She informed them that the key characteristic of the 'Aqua Nest Labyrinth' was its three entrances. Two of these entrances were located near Delis Town, while the third was far away, within the territory of the Scarlet Family.
The entrances to the labyrinth were similar to the gateways for advanced trials; they were essentially forms of transportation mechanisms. However, there were also many differences between the labyrinth entrances and the trial gateways.
Firstly, the labyrinth entrances did not limit the number of entrants. After the first entrant entered the labyrinth entrance, any number of people or creatures could continue to enter within the remaining five-minute countdown, with no restrictions on their equipment or items.
However, after five minutes, the labyrinth entrance would close, remaining closed until all the individuals and creatures who entered through that entrance had either left the labyrinth or died. Only then would the entrance reopen.
As for the 'Aqua Nest Labyrinth', which had three entrances, there was an additional special rule: the three teams that entered through the three entrances were independent of one another.
In other words, as long as all the members of one team died, a new team could immediately enter to replace them.
"But there's one thing you need to remember," she warned, "the three teams correspond to the three entrances. Whichever entrance you enter through, if you need to flee, you can only exit through the original entrance. This is a lesson that your predecessors have learned with their lives."
As Sheryl spoke, she observed the expressions of the four individuals. Aside from the burly man called Babur, who could not quite conceal his fear, the other three showed no signs of fear, which improved Sheryl's opinion of them - particularly Felix and Heloise.
"As for what's inside the 'Aqua Nest Labyrinth', I can only tell you two things," she continued. "One, the terrain inside is a continuous forest. "
"Two, the types and numbers of demons are very diverse, especially goblins, which are astonishingly numerous. "
"That's all I'll say about the 'Aqua Nest Labyrinth'. Tomorrow morning at nine, everyone is to gather here on time. I will announce the details of the team leader selection. "
"That's all I have to say, you can all leave now."
Ice Polestar · Sheryl coldly looked down at the four people. At this point, the young man called Felix raised his hand to ask a question.
"Instructor, if the purpose of forming a raid team is to conquer the labyrinth, then why don't you select the strongest among you to raid it? Is there some special purpose in letting us 'weaklings' raid it?"
Hearing this, Ice Polestar · Sheryl couldn't help but smile. It wasn't difficult to consider this contradiction, but not everyone had the courage to openly question a strong person like her.
"Rubbish, I won't answer your question. If you really want to know the answer, then prove with your strength that you're not a piece of trash."
Ice Polestar · Sheryl looked at the young man provocatively. She was indeed curious to see how capable this young man, who had a cavalry unit captain acting as his "bodyguard", was.
"I see, thank you, Instructor." The young man was surprisingly savvy, quickly shutting his mouth. This deprived Ice Polestar · Sheryl of a chance to have some fun.
"Alright, all of you can leave now. I need to rest."
Ice Polestar · Sheryl jumped down from the stage, and the crowd quickly made way for her. They watched as she walked towards the large door of the Quest Guild.
Just then, there was the sound of a carriage stopping outside the guild door.
Ice Polestar · Sheryl didn't pay it any mind and walked straight out the door. Then, she saw a white carriage parked in front of her, with the four-cornered giant hart emblem that she hated most carved on it.
— (Why would someone from the Snowy Hart Family come here...?)
The carriage door was quickly opened, and three petite doe spirits hopped down from the carriage one after another. Then, a black-haired, emerald-eyed young girl also stepped down from the carriage.
Ice Polestar · Sheryl and the young girl's eyes met, and both were momentarily stunned.
"Vanessa...?"
"Sheryl... Sister...?"
.
After several seconds, Ice Polestar · Sheryl was the first to react.
"Don't call me that. I am no longer your sister," she said icily, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Ah...I-I apologize, Ice Polestar · Sheryl," Vanessa quickly corrected herself, avoiding eye contact and stepping aside to let Sheryl pass.
Noticing the emblem of the Azure Lizard Family on the coachman's clothing, Sheryl instantly understood why Vanessa had appeared here, which further darkened her mood.
"Vanessa, if you continue to be this naive, you'll end up a good-for-nothing sooner or later," she warned.
"Thank you for your advice, but I'd like to give it another try," Vanessa responded, her tone humble but her words defiant.
Seeing this, Sheryl didn't bother to say anything more and walked away.
When Vanessa lifted her head again, she was astonished to find the young archer who had insulted her standing right in the doorway of the Quest Guild.