Conquering The Novel

After completing the third round, Ayla and her team were teleported to a lavishly decorated room. The room featured a massive screen in the center, with plush sofas arranged around it.

"Wow, this is so out of place," Marcus muttered, observing the royal-looking room.

However, As soon as they arrived, Ayla took out the scroll they had obtained from the chest in the previous Round and began to examine its contents.

Once the team had settled down, Ayla began to read its content.

[Welcome to the Round 4 Puzzle Relay! This challenge is designed for a team of 5 Students who will work together to solve a series of 5 puzzles.]

The instructions continue by stating that the team must select one member to solve the first puzzle and agree upon the order in which they will participate.

Once the order is established, the first student will be transported to a separate room where they will work on solving the puzzle alone while the rest of the team watches via a screen but they can provide guidance through a voice chat feature.

Ayla paused, looking up from the scroll to meet her teammates' gazes. "Let's quickly decide on the order. I don't think we have much time left," she said urgently, knowing that the clock was ticking.

There was a brief moment of silence as each of the students averted their gazes, none of them eager to go first without knowing what awaited them.

Sigh!—

Finally, Ayla let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll go first," she said, keeping the scroll on the table.

She had a plan, having deduced from the previous rounds that the first puzzle was typically the easiest and didn't feature any dangerous elements. After completing it quickly, she could just help the others through the voice chat option.

Without further ado, Ayla stepped forward and placed her hand on the red button that was positioned on the table, triggering the teleportation to the puzzle room.

Buzz—

With a sudden burst of light, Ayla materialized in the white puzzle room. As she took a moment to catch her breath, she quickly assessed her surroundings, her sharp eyes scanning the space for any clues that might help her.

Her gaze soon fell upon a pristine white pedestal standing at the center of the room. She strode forward to examine it more closely, and that was when she noticed the jigsaw puzzle sitting atop it.

"A jigsaw puzzle?" she muttered with a smile, confident that this type of puzzle would be a breeze for her to solve.

As the team watched with bated breath, Ayla carefully picked up the first jigsaw piece, examining it before fitting it in its place.

Her nimble fingers worked quickly as she scanned the pieces, her mind fully focused on the task at hand. She could hear her teammates on the voice chat, but they were mere background noise, her attention solely on the puzzle.

"Do you need any help, Ayla?" Emma's voice broke through her concentration.

"No, I've got it. But thanks anyway," Ayla replied, a small smile on her lips as she continued with the puzzle.

As she pieced together the edges, the shape of an ancient being started to take form. It had fierce eyes and white, angelic wings. Ayla's heart raced with excitement as she progressed, the puzzle taking shape under her expert hands.

The rest of the team watched in awe, occasionally offering words of encouragement or pointing out pieces that might fit together. Ayla appreciated their support, but she was so focused on the puzzle that she barely registered their presence.

After a few minutes of intense concentration, Ayla completed the border and began to work on the interior. She scanned the remaining pieces, looking for ones with specific colors or patterns that would match up with the ones she had already placed.

Tick—

Finally, after a few more minutes, Ayla placed the final piece in its spot.

The puzzle began to glow and the room was filled with a bright light. Ayla let out a sigh of satisfaction as she was teleported back to the lavish room where the rest of her team was waiting.

[Congratulations! You have completed the 1/5 puzzle of the Puzzle Relay Round, the Jigsaw puzzle!] a voice announced.

Ayla turned to Emma, who appears to be eagerly waiting for her turn to solve the next puzzle.

"...Do you want to go next, Emma?" Ayla asked.

Emma's eyes lit up at the question, and she nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!" she exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face.

"Good, the buzzer is all yours," Ayla said, handing over the buzzer with a smile.

Without wasting a moment, Emma hit the buzzer with a swift motion.

Buzz—

In an instant, she was teleported to a white room similar to the one Ayla had just completed.

She quickly made her way toward the center of the room and saw a crossword puzzle placed on a pedestal.

"It's a crossword puzzle!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. "This is my favorite kind of puzzle!" She added.

The rest of the team watched as Emma carefully read through the riddles about magical spells and started filling in the blanks.

"I don't think she'll need our help with that," James said, seeing the determined expression on Emma's face to which they all nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, a spell that turns you invisible... that's the cloak of invisibility," Emma muttered to herself as she scribbled in the answer. "And a spell that makes you fly... that's the levitation spell."

As she continued to work on the puzzle, Emma's knowledge of literature came in handy. She remembered the spells she had read about in her rune books and used them to fill in the missing words.

"Let's see... a spell to locate a specific object or person, we could use the Seeker's Sight spell - a divination spell that allows the caster to see through obstacles and barriers to locate the target," she said as she wrote down the answer.

The rest of the team watched in awe as Emma worked quickly and efficiently, filling in the blanks with ease.

"Great job, Emma! You're killing it!" James cheered in the voice chat.

With the final clue solved, Emma triumphantly filled in the last blank space on the crossword puzzle.

"Done!" she yelled triumphantly, pumping her fist in the air.

As she did, the puzzle began to glow and a voice congratulated her.

[Congratulations! You have completed 2/5 puzzles of the Puzzle Relay Round, The Crossword Puzzle!]

And Emma was teleported back to the room.

Swish—

Ayla's smile widened as Emma successfully completed the puzzle in no time.

"Well done, Emma! You did an excellent job," Ayla said, patting Emma on the back.

"T-Thanks, Ayla! That was a fun challenge," Emma blushed and nodded in response, still a little embarrassed from all the attention.

Ayla turned toward the rest of the team and asked, "Who wants to go next?"

"I'm up for it! I think I should go next," Alex said, raising his hand with a determined look on his face.

Ayla looked around the room to gauge the team's reaction. No one seemed to have any objections, so she nodded in agreement.

"Alright, sounds good to me. Alex, you're up next," Ayla said, passing him the buzzer with a supportive smile. "Good luck!"

Alex nodded and without a moment's hesitation, he hit the buzzer and was instantly transported to the challenge room.

Buzz—