"...Then, the last thing! The task that the warriors are about to challenge is to recapture the most precious treasure to them in this huge maze of thorns!"
"Yes, they must find their treasure and take it out of the maze!"
"Listen, everyone, our warriors are already in place! As soon as I blow the whistle, the second project will officially begin! They have three full hours to find the most correct path for them. Now, I count To three…”
"one two three!"
Sharp whistles echoed in the cold, still air, and cheers and applause erupted from the stands. And the long-awaited second event of the Triwizard Tournament—the journey to the Maze of Thorns—has finally begun!
Just when the whistle just sounded, the four warriors broke into four different entrances. Everyone was moving very fast because the time this time was limited and they had no room to hesitate at the entrance.
The so-called "most precious treasure" is actually very clear to the four warriors.
Because in their respective boxes, in addition to the one-eighth size map, there was also a delicate magic card. If someone picks it up, it reveals an object belonging to someone who has a crush on the owner.
According to Maka's judgment, the main role should be some application of "name magic". There are many similar gadgets in Zuko's magic joke shop.
Perhaps, Dumbledore simply modified it using some props from Zuko's shop. It's unknown.
What appeared on Maka's card was a small carrot earring - the answer was already clear, Luna should be waiting for him in a corner of the maze now!
Maka didn't hesitate. He walked quickly through the maze, occasionally stretching out his wand and waving it to ward off a thorn tentacle that reached his back from the thorn wall.
It was a dark green tentacle with sharp spikes. Unlike devil's nets, they are very ineffective against open flames because it is very difficult to light them.
The surface of their tentacles is usually covered with a fine layer of cuticle, which in addition to being fireproof, is also quite resistant to cutting. About three centuries ago, wizards often used them to protect their homes.
It's just that this kind of thorns of doom are rare now, and I don't know where Dumbledore got such a large piece.
"Speaking of which, if you throw a fire bottle in a place like this, the effect should be good."
The Thorn of Doom is also a magical plant, and its level of danger is quite high. The Ministry of Magic once classified it into the "XXXX" classification level. It was only because their numbers became less and less that they were eventually downgraded to another level.
But as long as you don't get entangled with them and always look behind you, their danger will be much lower in broad daylight.
The maze has many branching paths and is arranged in a disorderly manner. After Maka walked along a wall for a while, he discovered that the maze must have many independent walls that were not connected to each other.
If he always walked along one wall, he would probably have to wander around the outer circle of the maze. The map fragment in his hand was undoubtedly an area closer to the center.
Since there was no trick, he could only follow his intuition to explore the way first.
As Maka walked forward cautiously, she pressed her wand against the back of the map fragment to record the route she took in real time. From time to time, he had to fend off thorn tentacles.
In order to maintain speed, he must be as multi-tasking as possible - which is not a very simple thing for Maka.
Soon, when he turned a corner again, his eyes suddenly opened up a lot.
This is a small clearing in the maze. Except for the exit when he came here, there is no other way around the clearing - it is a dead end.
However, why leave a small space here? This can easily lead to suspicion.
"The human form appears immediately."
The wand pointed forward, and a burst of hidden magic power spread out, but no reaction was shown.
"Malicious perception."
Another wave of completely different magic power spread quietly, and Maka stood firmly at the only exit, waiting calmly, but still received no feedback from the detection.
He couldn't help but frown, considering whether to leave it here for a while and wait to explore more.
"One last time," Maka thought as she muttered silently, "focus."
Suddenly, the sound of the wind whistling over the maze, the slight vibration and friction of the surrounding thorns of doom, the sounds of biological activities in various parts of the maze, and even various smells were quickly intertwined and formed in his mind. A clear three-dimensional perception.
There is indeed something moving in this open space, very slowly, it is some kind of creature that walks on two legs - there is the sound of breathing and a slight friction sound when walking, but its outline cannot be felt.
In addition, Maka also smelled a fresh grassy smell.
"At that position..." Maka suddenly took a small step to the left, accurately dodging the thorn tentacles that sneaked up from behind, and pointed the wand directly at a certain position in the open space.
"The true form is revealed!"
As Maka chanted the incantation, the position pointed by the tip of his staff suddenly dimmed, and an ape-like creature suddenly appeared.
Unlike ordinary apes, this creature's eyes are completely dark, as if there are two round black jade inlaid in its eye sockets, shining with a faint luster.
Because his invisibility effect was suddenly broken, it looked very panicked. It looked around, wandering left and right, as far away from Maka as possible.
But it soon discovered that there was no other way out.
"Invisible beast?"
Maka murmured softly, and at the same time, a beam of fire silently struck the creature from the tip of the staff at an unusually fast speed.
It can be seen that this creature is not good at fighting. Before it could even react, it was hit head-on by Maka's silent stun spell.
The other party threw his head up and fell down without any suspense, falling into a coma.
Maka quickly stepped forward, flipped through it casually, and found a small envelope behind the invisible beast, which contained another different fragment of the maze map.
He hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously glanced in the direction of the auditorium, and finally turned around and left.
"It's a pity, the fur of the invisible beast is not cheap..."
Although the walls of the maze were set very high, it was an open space after all. If he dared to peel off its skin on the spot, it would probably be more than just a matter of deducting points.
At this moment, there was a sudden explosion in the distance, followed by another girl's scream. If Maka heard correctly, that should be Fleur Delacour's voice.
It seemed that the others were not as lucky as him and only encountered a gentle herbivorous creature.
Although the classification level of the invisible beast is very high, it is mainly because of its excellent invisibility effect. It can be said that the value of its fur alone is enough to rank it at the "XXXX" level.
However, Maka's good luck can only go so far.
Although it's not actually very bad for him, no matter how powerful it is, it will take time to solve it, right
When he followed the original route and chose a branch to continue moving forward, he found that the top of the maze, which was originally unobstructed, was gradually covered by a dark mist.
The light was blocked by the fog, and the surrounding environment became darker and darker.
In this case, the sneak attack of the Thorns of Doom becomes even more dangerous - only when the environment is dark enough and there are enough of them, their danger will be greatly increased, and they will truly be considered a dangerous species. A "XXXX" level magical creature.
And under this situation, another problem stood in front of Maka...
This was a long, straight path, and just as Maka was moving forward cautiously, he noticed movement again. The wand that had been glowing since just now made an extremely strange monster appear from the darkness.
Its body is like a frighteningly large lion - its huge paws, long yellow tail, and the tuft of gray hair on the tip of its tail make it more like a lion.
But it has the head of a woman!
"Sphinx?"
When Maka slowly approached, it aimed its narrow almond eyes at Maka.
Then, instead of crouching down to pounce, it just walked around blocking his path. Then it spoke, its voice low and hoarse.
"You can get closer to your goal, and the fastest way is to get the most accurate tips from me—"
"Hurry up and tell your riddle..." Maka casually blocked the thorn tentacles that became active again and urged at the same time.
"Yes, a riddle..." It paced gracefully on the spot, "If you guess it once, I will let you pass; if you don't guess it, I will pounce on you; if you don't answer, I will let you go away and not hurt you. .”
"That's right, tell me quickly!" Maka waved her hand.
The Sphinx nodded slightly, squatted in the middle of the passage, and said in a deep voice:
"First think about something that only rises but never falls. It accompanies you and goes together..."
"Besides, nothing ever lies. It tells you the illusion of reality..."
"When you move forward step by step with them, you will understand the ravages of life and the end of the world."
Seeing that the Sphinx closed her eyes and stopped moving after saying these words, Maka couldn't help but pat her forehead.
"I should have known that the riddles in this thing were unreliable. Who would have known that they would be even vaguer than Trelawney's prophecy..." He sighed and had to think hard while constantly blocking the thorn tentacles back.