The left-hand path grew narrower the deeper they went. Fortunately, it was still wide enough for them to pass through in single file.
"So cramped," Ichiya complained.
"Ever considered losing some weight?" Noel teased.
"My figure is perfect! This is what it means to be man~!" Ichiya replied, full of self-admiration.
"There's an opening up ahead," Jura reported from the front.
"Then let's just go in already!" Noelle replied impatiently. He was fed up with this narrow tunnel—it was so tight that even moving his arms was difficult, and his body was growing stiff.
Jura nodded and was the first to pass through the opening, followed by Noel and then the rest of the Blue Pegasus members.
The moment Noel stepped inside, he was stunned by what he saw—it was a magic crystal mine, and from the looks of it, it had formed over tens of thousands of years.
"What is this place?" Hibiki asked.
"Magic crystals," Noel replied, naming the phenomenon.
It made sense that Hibiki wouldn't know. Most regular mages didn't use magic crystals. They typically drew their power from the natural elements. Magic crystals were used mostly by alchemists and enchantment mages, who needed them to compensate for their lack of innate magic power.
But a mine of this scale? Its commercial value was enormous. This was essentially a goldmine.
Even though Noel didn't usually concern himself with money, a magic crystal deposit this vast had endless potential. He could upgrade all his equipment—just imagining it was enough to get his heart racing.
With better equipment, he could pursue deeper research. His alchemy would advance by leaps and bounds. It was thrilling.
Noel stared at the crystals, eyes sparkling.
Once this mission was over, he'd definitely bring people here to mine. He could rake in profits quietly and efficiently.
"So beautiful," Ichiya said, touching one of the giant crystal pillars.
A trap activated—Dark Prison.
Dark energy surged from within the magic crystal. It materialized as several black tendrils, forming a miniature prison that encased Ichiya.
"Man~!" Ichiya cried as he pulled out a small vial from his pocket. His body began to expand instantly—but no matter how much he inflated, he couldn't break the dark prison.
"What just happened?"
"Ichiya-sensei's trapped!"
The three Blue Pegasus members looked at each other in confusion. Was this a trap?
"It must have triggered a magical glyph," Noel speculated.
"Did Ichiya do anything strange just now?" he asked.
"I only touched the crystal... and this black energy trapped me," Ichiya called out from within, still trying to escape.
"So the activation condition... is contact with the crystal," Noel concluded.
He felt a twinge of relief. Thankfully, Ichiya had triggered the trap first—otherwise, Noel might've succumbed to the temptation himself. The crystals were too alluring to someone like him.
"No need to panic," Noel said, trying to steady the group. "I'll help Ichiya break out of the energy trap. You guys investigate the area—but don't touch anything."
He emphasized the last few words with weight. Whoever set this place up clearly knew how to work with magic glyphs—and who knew how many traps were lying in wait?
The team split into four directions: Jura headed east, Hibiki west, Ren south, and Eve north.
Noelle focused on Ichiya's prison. He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with glyphs—thanks to Laxus, he'd picked up some basic knowledge. And since he often read old texts, he'd also developed an interest in ancient magic.
Ichiya was still struggling, though less vigorously now.
"I think… my magic power is being drained," Ichiya said with concern.
"Then don't move," Noel warned. "This prison might be absorbing magic energy. The more you struggle, the faster it drains you."
Ichiya stopped immediately. He was a veteran mage and understood that conserving energy was sometimes more valuable than brute force.
Noel pulled a book from his backpack—A Complete Guide to Glyphs. He remembered receiving it from Laxus as a birthday gift. He'd carried it ever since, even if their relationship had cooled somewhat due to past friction. Still, they were friends.
He also retrieved a pair of enchanted reading glasses and began quickly scanning the tome.
"Not this one."
"Not that either…"
Noel flipped through the pages rapidly. Ichiya remained quiet, knowing how important silence was for someone deep in thought.
"I've got it," Noel finally said, confidence in his voice.
He reached out and gently touched the crystal. Faint black glyphs glowed to life, revealing several interlinked nodes.
Destroy the central node—that was the key.
In essence, glyphs functioned like enchantment circles: remove the core, and the magic collapses. Alternatively, triggering a specific condition could deactivate the effect, but in this case, they had no idea what the condition was.
So breaking the core was the only option.
Noel destroyed one of the black nodes. A portion of the dark energy dispersed.
"Feel any better?" he asked.
"My strength... it's starting to return," Ichiya replied.
Noel had struck the primary node.
As he shattered the second and third nodes, the Dark Prison cracked open. Ichiya slipped through the gap, and once the target had escaped, the prison dissolved entirely.
Now free, Ichiya gasped for breath—nothing beat the freshness of the outside air. Being trapped had been stifling.
Meanwhile, Jura returned, not even a speck of dust on him.
"Any findings?" Noel asked instinctively.
"There were signs that the crystals in the east had been mined. Some showed unnatural break lines," Jura reported.
Next came Eve, looking a bit worse for wear. His clothes were dusty, and his hair was a mess.
"What happened to you?" Ichiya asked with concern.
"Nothing serious, Sensei. I just tripped," Eve said sheepishly.
"How was the north?" Noel asked.
"All clear. I just stumbled on a rock," Eve dusted himself off. "But I could really use a bath… or the lovely ladies will find me unbearable."
Noel's eye twitched. Are all hosts born under the Virgo sign or something...?