NOVEL NEXT Chapter 287: Slave Driver
Warlock Ch 287. Slave Driver
"Hm?" He tilted his head.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Are you planning to give up if it's the two of us at the end?"
Damian was silent for a moment. Then, he grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Selena huffed, crossing her arms. "Figures."
Damian laughed softly, letting the conversation settle. He stretched out, resting his weight on his hands. But before he could get too comfortable, Selena abruptly stood up.
"Okay, five minutes is up. We need to move now."
Damian exhaled dramatically, rolling his shoulders. "Fine, fine. Slave driver."
She crossed her arms. "Would you rather sit here until someone finds us?"
He grinned. "Maybe. But you make a compelling argument."
She scoffed, already turning to walk. Damian followed, adjusting his coat as they moved deeper into the shifting maze.
A booming voice echoed overhead.
"Attention contestants. The number of participants has decreased to 50%. The exit is now open. The door will close in fifteen minutes."
At the same time, a bright beam of light shot up into the air, marking the exit.
Damian tilted his head, taking it in. "Well, that's convenient."
Selena's eyes flickered toward him. "Yeah, but we don't know the way there."
He smirked. "I do."
Before she could ask what he meant, he lifted his hand. "Raven" he summoned.
A moment later, a shadowy blur streaked across the labyrinth ceiling, followed by the sound of flapping wings.
A large raven descended, landing neatly on his outstretched arm.
Selena blinked. "You have a raven?"
Damian grinned. "A very good raven." He turned to the bird. "Alright, buddy. We need a shortcut. Take us there."
The raven let out a low, guttural caw before flapping its wings and taking off again.
Selena eyed him. "And you're sure it knows where to go?"
Damian smirked. "Trust the bird, Princess."
She muttered something under her breath but didn't argue.
A moment later, the raven circled back, swooping low. Damian grabbed Selena's wrist. "Hold on."
"What—"
Before she could finish, he tugged her forward, and in the next second, they both grabbed onto the raven's legs.
Then, they were flying.
The wind rushed past them, and Selena instinctively tightened her grip. "Are you insane?!"
"Define insane," Damian shouted back, his grin wide.
The raven soared over the labyrinth, its wings slicing through the air. Below, Selena could see chaos—contestants clashing with each other, desperate battles unfolding. And worse—
Monsters.
A lot of them.
She gritted her teeth. "It's a warzone down there."
Damian muttered, "Seriously?" His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight.
Contestants fought each other in frenzied desperation, their weapons clashing, spells colliding. Some were still struggling to gather enough sigils, while others were just outright slaughtering the competition. And between them, abyssal monsters stalked the battlefield, tearing through anything that moved.
Selena clenched her jaw. "Looks like some people still don't have the sigils."
"And some people are just bloodthirsty," Damian muttered.
He knew they had to be careful. If they flew too low, they'd be easy targets. If they landed too soon, they'd be forced into the brawl.
Selena was already gripping his sleeve. "How do we get past this?"
He grinned. "Something fun."
Selena immediately regretted asking.
One second, she was gripping onto the raven's legs, soaring through the chaos of the battlefield below.
The next—Damian grabbed her hand. "Hang on."
Her eyes widened. "Wait—"
He unsummoned the raven.
The moment its body vanished into dark mist, gravity took hold. They plummeted.
Selena barely had time to let out a startled gasp before Damian yanked her against him, wrapping his arms tightly around her as they fell. Her stomach lurched, the ground rushing up to meet them far too fast.
"This is too much!" she hissed, trying to push away, but his grip was unyielding.
"Stay still," he muttered, his focus elsewhere.
At the last second, he lifted a hand.
[Telekinesis].
An invisible force caught them midair, slowing their descent just before impact. They landed lightly, Damian absorbing the force with a controlled crouch.
Selena found herself still held against his chest. She was shocked since the feeling was the same as when the masked warlock used the Telekinesis on her, but… Damian was a rank A warlock. There was no way he could use Telekinesis yet.
A long, tense pause.
"This is too much," she muttered again, trying to pull away.
Damian, still holding onto her, exhaled. "Shut up."
She froze.
His eyes flickered, scanning the battlefield around them. Chaos was still raging—contestants fighting, monsters rampaging. The door was in sight, but it was heavily guarded. Some contestants had set up an ambush, waiting to take down anyone who tried to get through.
Selena followed his gaze. "We'll have to fight our way—"
"No," Damian cut her off. He finally loosened his grip on her, but before she could step back, he caught her wrist. "We'll pass through silently."
She frowned. "How—"
He pulled something from his coat.
The crystal.
Her eyes widened. "Wait," she whispered. "That's—"
"Thirty seconds of stealth," he murmured, crushing the crystal between his fingers.
A shimmer of energy washed over them.
Selena could feel the change—her body felt weightless, the air around her thick with magic. When she glanced down, her form flickered and blurred. She was completely invisible.
She had to admit… She was impressed.
Damian turned his head toward her, his voice soft but firm. "We run. No sound. No mistakes."
She nodded.
He activated [Spectral Surge].
His entire form buzzed with speed, the afterimage of his body leaving faint distortions in the air. Selena barely had time to brace before he grabbed her hand again and sprinted.
The world blurred.
They moved like shadows, weaving through the battlefield at a speed no normal person could react to.
Contestants clashed just inches away from them—flashes of steel, bursts of magic—but no one noticed them. They passed behind duels, slipped through monster attacks, and ducked under spells without even being seen.
Selena's heart pounded. This was insane.
They were cheating the system.