“Darn it. Why did I have to lose that bet? I looked away for 1 second and that fucker swiped all my good cards away” the guard complained as he entered the hall. He instantly lit his lamp and waved it around.

The monster in the dark jerked out of the way as soon as he saw the light.

It had been a close call but the monster would not dare attack someone holding the light lamp. The sun was also beginning to rise which weakened the monster even more.

“Those damn cursed beings. Why could they not come and check up on their treasure themselves? Why did our boss have to accept such an unfair deal?” The guard asked as he walked ahead. He could talk like this because he knew these words would never leave this safe house.

Not many people were brave enough to venture into such a dangerous trap. Even the adventurer’s guild wanted nothing to do with this trap once it was up.

Thankfully, the guard had keys to this place which allowed him to leave without getting hurt. There was no way the guard would have agreed to this otherwise.

“At least it’s the last time I will have to make this stupid trip. The boss better rewards me generously for this” the guard complained as he moved ahead.

He had a small compass that pointed to the box that had been used to store the prize item. It was a rare treasure that indicated just how wealthy the adventurer’s guild was. It was a powerhouse and no one wanted to make an enemy of them in this city.

Although there were recent rumors of a prominent branch of the adventurer’s guild has gotten in trouble with the royal soldiers. This was really big news if it turned out to be true but the guard would not hold his hopes too high.

He quickly made his way toward the low heightened platform and climbed down. The monster roared in disagreement behind him which caused him to break down into shivers of fear.

“I need to hurry. I need to hurry. The monster cannot get me as long as I have the key” the guard muttered as he observed the safe. It laid at its initial position undisturbed. There was no reason to check on it with the monster around but at least this job paid well.

“Well, that was a waste of my time” the guard muttered before he activated the activation key. The area around him brightened up in an instant. The darkness seemed to be recoiling from around him and the effects were much stronger than a holy lamp.

And then the guy disappeared along with the light. He never noticed the lair of hands that swept the other key from his hips, not the sense of counseling magic in the air. The human magic-less guard was unaware of the dangers he had faced.

“So, did you manage to wipe it off of him?” Nao asked as the illusion wore off of her form. She had an unhappy expression on her face which was understandable given the situation.

Slowly, other humanoid forms also appeared in the darkness and Maria waved her magic off of the space. The once dark area lit up with a soft glow due to the magical pendant.

“Wicked. Your magic can even do this?” Alester asked with awe. He looked interested in Maria’s magic and made her feel like he was looking through her when his eyes met her.

“It only worked because he was magic-less and could not sense us. It won’t work twice. And stop stalling us. Did you or did you not get the key?” Nao asked with a threatening voice.

Out of them all, Nao seemed like the one who had a problem with Alester. She was finding faults with the kid since the time she had arrived there. Maria would almost say that Nao was jealous but there appeared to be a reason for that.

“Come on, let him relax and tell us at his one pace. You don’t need to be that angry with her Nao” Suna defended the kid and Nao’s face went blank. The anger was still there but now it seemed mixed with guilt.

So there was a reason for Noa to feel jealous and Maria tried to curb her disappointed feelings that it was not her who Nao had been jealous over.

They were a mess of emotions and Maria knew she needed to distance herself from Nao and Suna to resolve her tension. And she would as soon as she got a chance to do so. Maybe the timing after the first node would be a good one? Provided that they don’t drive themselves apart before then.

“Of course, I managed to swipe the key of the guard. Here you go” the kid threw a small pebble-like thing toward Nao. The demoness swiped it off the thin air with an unimpressed face. But she finally did not say anything back to the kid.

Nao looked at the stone to try and figure out how to work it when Maria swiped it off her hands. She had a better chance to make it work since she had already read about it before.

“Everyone, stay close. Try to hold each other’s hand to not lose sight of each other” the key worked like a compass once activated and pointed out of the darkness. There was no other way to get out or even resolve the trap. It could only be made to change its position and that also from outside.

[Key item acquired. Press enter for activation]

Her system finally decided to be of help and gave Maria exactly what she needed at that moment.

She felt Nao and Suna reach for her hand before a smaller one slid into her. The kid grinned up at her as he took Suna’s hand in hers. Nao just sighed as she reached for Suna’s other hand while Maria’s free hand clutched the rock.

The stone shined bright, just as the other one in the guard’s hand had, and Maria felt a small force sucking in her magic. It felt like something was stretching her across space and time but there was no pain. The light felt almost pleasant and Maria felt like she was about to fall asleep.

And then she felt a small tug on her hand. A smiling face looked up at her and she felt discomfort swirl in her belly as she.

“Be careful or the wind would blow you away, ” Alester warned as he let go of Maria’s hand. But the touch had left a static effect on Maria’s skin.

(I applied for privileges but they got messed up so no privileges this month for me which sucks)