Bab 40: Spirit Labyrinth [Pt 2]
"Haa… haa…"
Zhongcheng and his team had been making their way through the icy cave for what seemed like hours. The narrow passageway had been challenging to navigate, and the team had to proceed with caution, mindful of the treacherous terrain and the potential dangers lurking in the shadows.
Icy breaths escaped their lips, but their gazes remained sharp, and they maintained a steady march while pressing on to the light that seemed to draw closer to them the more they continued on their path.
And then, finally… they reached the passageway's end.
"W-whoah…" Zhongcheng could hear a good number of his subordinates gasp. He wasn't surprised, though. Their reaction was well justified.
After all, beyond the cave they had just left was what could best be described as a vast hall that took everyone's breath away.
The space was wide and open, and the walls and ceiling were adorned with glittering icy materials that shimmered in the light of the chandeliers.
The frosty walls had glass-like structures making them up, and the floor was smooth, giving off perfect reflections.
'It's the first time for most of them… being in a Labyrinth.' Zhongcheng smiled a little. It was a very beautiful, serene place to be.
If there was one thing to complain about, though, it was the cold.
It was extremely cold—far colder than they had experienced till this moment. However, even that didn't faze the leader of the squad.
He could already spot the source of their plight.
"Is that it? The treasure?!' All of his focus was at the box that sat on the altar at the center of the vast room. Even from his distance, he could sense the amount of frost energy that emanated from it.
'It's the real deal!'
It didn't take very long before the team also noticed the beautiful chest. The chest glowed a brilliant bluish-white, and within it was bound to be their grand prize—the Frost Mandrake.
"Be careful, everyone. We haven't experieced any traps since we entered, so we might have to face untold hardships now."
It would have been much better if they could just grab their treasure and be on their way. Unfortunately, Labyrinths didn't operate that way. Sometimes, they involved leading those who ventured within through extemely difficult pthas in order to arrive at the treasure.
Sure, they had experienced a great amount of traps before arriving, but they weren't beyond expectations.
Zhongcheng expected an even greater challenge before he could obtain his prize.
The team was split into two. Half remained close to the cave's entrance, while the other half followed him. While this halved the effectiveness of their Arrays, it was wise not to abandon the entrance to a very important place during a Labyrintg exploration.
'I would have preferred to leave some at the very entrance of this Labyrinth, just in case, but we're short on manpower as it is.'
He could only hope this was a mildly forgiving Labyrinth.
About halfway though, with his eyes set on the prize, Zhongcheng suddenly felt a sensation—a chill that stopped him in his tracks.
"H-huh…?"
Something wasn't right. He could sense it down to his bones.
Almost mechanically, he looked back, eyes directed toward the fifteen subordinates he had left in charge of the entrance.
They looked fine. Cautious as always, their guard was up and their faces depicted seriousness.
But, this only lasted for a moment.
"A-are you all o—"
>CHOMP!<
Rising from the mirror-like ground, massive ice monsters sprang forth, instantly consuming the unsuspecting fifteen.
In a mere instant, blood sprayed, dying the floor and ftosty floors with the warm red liquid. It took barely a second for the entrails and blood to turn frozen, though.
"Ahh… haaa…?!" Zhongcheng's eyes widened in shock.
Just like that—in mere moments—half of their members were gone. In their stead were ten collossal monsters that looked a crossbreed between wolves and porcupines. Worst of all, they were made of ice.
The cave entrance instantly closed, covered by a thick layer of frost, much to the chagrin of the survivors.
"T-take formation!" Zhongcheng screamed, glancing around him in worry.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…."
As he feared, the Labyrinth was an unforgiving place. Unfortunately for him, and his subordinates, the tragedy was just beginning.
After all…
"N-no way!"
"Y-you're kidding, right?"
"W-what should we do, leader?"
Emerging from the frosty walls were more colossal ice constructs—all having the same appearance as the Ice wolves.
They appeared in their dozens, spreading through the room so as to trap the Spiritualists in a cage of despair.
Fifty? No, there were more like a hundred of them.
"E-each of them is at least Mythic Grade…." Zhongcheng whispered, his voice trembling.
Grades weren't simply used to describe Items, but also monsters as well. When classifying a monster with Grades, each rank was equivalent to the Stage of a Practitioner.
There were nine Grades; Base/Common Grade, Special Grade, Unique Grade, Mythic Grade, Heroic Grade, Legendary Grade, Deity Grade, Peak Grade, and Boundless Grade.
That meant that each of the Ice Monsters before them was as powerful as a 'Master Stage' practitioner.
Despite the immense cold, sweat began to form on Zhongcheng's face. He felt his heart racing, and it almost felt like despair was beginning to form within him.
'No! No! You can't give up, Zhongcheng! Remember the Young Lady!' His thoughts screamed, snapping him from his despondent daze.
That's right. As long as they could secure the Frost Mandrake…
"H-huh? W-where is it…?" Zhongcheng's gaze fell on an empty altar. The box that was previously there had suddenly vanished.
The Frost Mandrake that they had traveled all this way for, fought so hard for, and lost fifteen men for… had suddenly disappeared.
"Haa… haaa… ahhhh…." Zhongcheng's eyes sank in despair, finally giving in to the horrors that awaited him.
'Young Lady… I am so sorry.'
The monsters approached, ready to devour them all.
No mercy. No remorse.
Just death.
'I have failed you.''
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading. I hope you're enjoying the book so far. Please keep sticking with me as we venture even deeper into the story.
I promise you it will be worth the read.
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