Jesse Dylan was humming and trimming her nails with a small stone file, as leisurely as she was on vacation. And Adrian Cross folded his arms and looked at the scene in the heart of the labyrinth.
The heart of the labyrinth is a wide stone platform with many weapons and books floating on it. A transparent beam of light surrounded them like a showcase, with one exception—a dark red sword pierced the stone platform, and the exposed blade seemed to be burning with flames.
The Sword of Residual Fire. Oliver's father, the sabre of Flint Lopez, commander of the Tin Soldiers' mercenary regiment.
Adrian stared at it for a moment, then looked away peacefully. He has no interest in the Sword of Residual Fire or the identity of the ultimate hero, and has never challenged the Great Labyrinth of Isamel. Out of some wondrous emotion, he had a vague awe of the place.
The Isamel Labyrinth wasn't a "labyrinth" to begin with.
When it was discovered more than a thousand years ago, there were no walls, and it was called "the cursed place" at that time. No one can explain what happened in this vast land. It seems that someone has cut different landforms and climates into pieces, put them together casually, and even rotated them from time to time to twist the order of space. The creatures inside are also very rare, including almost all the creatures that can be detected on the surface. Scholars have even found quite a few ancient life forms on the edge of space long overdue for extinction, as well as… surface creatures resembling demons and pure demons resembling surface creatures.
Numerous scholars and adventurers have died here in order to unlock the secrets of the Blasted Land.
It is a pity that they failed to solve the mystery here after all. People have gone through untold hardships to find the heart of this strange space, but only found a beautiful and pure dragon breath stone ball there. It is as big as the most magnificent palace, white and smooth, without the slightest flaw. The ball just hovered in the air, exuding a faint sense of oppression.
In order to facilitate research, scholars have established research institutes on the land adjacent to the Blasted Lands. Over time, the increasingly complete institute became the Royal Military Academy of Clement. The research is still going on, but until now, the seekers have just explained the function of the stone ball—
It is powering the stabilization and reset of the space.
As for where it came from, who made it, and what hovered there, no one knew. Unsolved mysteries will not prevent people from taking advantage of this strange land. After the brave adventurers conquered all space, they marked the space boundary with high walls, and the Blasted Land officially became the Great Labyrinth of Isamel - a perfect test site.
People like to classify completely unexplained strange phenomena as miracles, and if that definition is followed, then the greatest miracles on the face of the earth are here.
Adrian looked up at the giant Dragon's Breath orb. The huge shadow it cast blocked the gradually reddening sunlight, and it turned slowly without making a sound.
Beautiful miracle, he thought.
But another person completely ruined the solemn scene, and Jesse finally had ten fingernails manicured. Unwilling to be lonely, he came over, stood next to the knight commander, and followed the other side's line of sight curiously.
"A ball." The blond youth glanced at the white sphere suspended above the maze. "Ed, you... um, in good spirits."
"A surface creature that looks infinitely close to a demon, and a demon that looks very much like a surface creature. This place is very similar to you." Adrian said softly, taking his eyes back. "You're also familiar with this place, aren't you?"
"Hmm." Jesse scratched his chin casually.
"How much do you know about this place?"
"Enough, but Edrian is not suitable for you to know the truth now." Jesse approached and tried to kiss the other person's cheek, only to be slapped on the mouth by Adrian and pushed away smoothly and firmly.
"Oh." Adrian responded indifferently, not intending to ask further.
"Don't you ask me?" Jesse's mouth was still pressed against the heart of the knight commander, and his voice was a little vague.
"How am I 'fit to know'?"
As soon as he finished asking, Adrian felt his lips tighten under his palm. Jesse Dillon was laughing, then wet tingling—the other licking his palm.
The knight commander quickly retracted and looked away.
"First thing, I didn't take the initiative to bring up religion." Jesse wiped his mouth regretfully, and the smile on the corner of his mouth was obvious. "It's 'fit' when you decide to turn your back on your god."
After speaking, Jesse whistled and looked at the knight commander who was staring firmly elsewhere in a good mood. Yes, of course he knew the truth about this place.
After all, this is a place that I built at the behest of someone. It's just that the guy has completely forgotten everything, and is happily playing with his toys here, and even brought a bunch of dazed little guys with him.
Jesse shook his head, retracted his gaze from the knight commander, and swept in a certain direction—
On the other side, not far from the heart of the maze.
Time deep in the maze is normal. The sun was sinking behind the bushes, the air was getting colder, and the mysterious chewing sounds in the shadows of the bushes became clearer and louder. Elmer had used up all the tent cloth and had erected a makeshift tent large enough against the rock wall. The concealment spell was triggered, and from the outside of the tent, there was nothing on the flat stone platform.
It is not wise to go out hunting prey without knowing the surrounding environment. Elmer and Oliver took a small portion of dry food from the logistics backpack, added enough water, and boiled it into a warm thick porridge using the heating array at the bottom of the pot. They don't even know which area of the labyrinth is here, and no one knows whether there will be creatures that are easily attracted to open flames. At least they made sure that the dry food and water were clean, and the temperature should be enough to not have to set up a campfire.
The thick porridge was rough and bland, but no one complained. Everyone took their place, trying to regain their strength and trying to elicit some positive emotions from the anxiety of the unknown.
The sun finally completely sank. As night fell, no one dared to light the lighting spell. The six young men huddled in the tent, and the wind rattled the tent cloth. The strange howls and frightening footsteps around him gradually increased and sounded closer.
"Someone has to watch the night. We must be ready to fight or escape at any time." Leonard was silent for a while, but he couldn't help but speak.
"We can take turns. Does anyone have a mechanical timer? Everyone will stay for a while so everyone can rest." Marilyn asked, pulling her hair into a tight bun.
"I'll do it." Leonard glanced at the back of the girl's snow-white neck, his face a little red.
"We can take turns," Marilyn emphasized.
"I agree with Miss Lawler," murmured Hayden. "It would be better for everyone to rest."
"Uh... how about Mr. Leonard and I stay a little longer?" Elmer scratched his head.
"We are reservists, not civilians in need of protection. Being able to stay awake at night is the most basic requirement. And you two are the main force. Your lack of energy is likely to kill the entire team. Rest assured, refreshing therapy I am There will still be a few." The beautiful nurse has no plans to step back.
"Marilyn, the situation has reached this point, you shouldn't keep targeting me." Leonard lowered his head, his voice a little helpless. "Well, maybe I really upset you, but it's a matter of life and death..."
"Then I just made things clear." The nurse simply stood up and walked to the noble warrior.
"No matter how I say no, you will follow. Don't you know what 'no' means? Yes, your face is not bad, although your character is a bit rotten, you are not bad, and your brain is not stupid. As a Noble boy, you are indeed excellent—perhaps very good."
Marilyn's mouth was complimenting, but there was no expression on her face.
"I'll give you back what you just did with Oliver Byrne, Leonard. You think you're good enough, not bad enough, interested in me, even 'love', I should Accept it happily? Yes, I'm a commoner woman with no future, I know that myself. But..."
She took a deep breath, squatted down, and looked at Leonard sitting on the ground: "There are countless excellent and lovely men in this world, as long as they show a good impression of me, I will love them all over again? I made it clear don't like you, then 'no' is 'no'. No one is obligated to fall in love with someone."
Leonard blushed.
"By the way," Marilyn didn't intend to stop, "I have no intention of targeting you along the way. I am speaking and refuting from the standpoint of a soldier, not your 'willful woman mixed with private emotions', please Don't get me wrong. Now we're comrades in arms and all I've done is to make everyone more survivable, that's all. Now I repeat, I suggest everyone take turns to watch the night."
She looked into the soldier's eyes very seriously, then lowered her eyes, and stood up neither humble nor arrogant.
It's not a good experience to witness someone else's breakup, Nemo and Oliver shrank towards the edge of the tent almost simultaneously. The tragic hero Leonard did not say a word, and the noble warrior stared at the place where the broad sword was inserted into the soil, and began to simply stare in a daze.
"I'll come." Seeing that no one was willing to break the dull atmosphere that had begun to spread, Nemo said.
"What do you mean?" Hayden looked up.
"I'm very good at staying overnight, and I don't get any fatigue the next day, and it definitely doesn't affect the action," Nemo said. "I promise it's not brute force. And you see, I... uh, I'm not a combat member, am I?"
Hayden and Marilyn exchanged a quick glance. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Sure." Nemo responded firmly.
"I'm fine, Mr. White. Hope you don't make fun of everyone's lives." Marilyn frowned.
"Nemo's words should be fine, he's very strong, I can guarantee that." Hayden sighed and glanced at Leonard, who had suffered a loss.
Leonard remained silent, and he didn't say a word until everyone wrapped a thin blanket and fell asleep.
Oliver and Nemo stood outside the tent, the stars twinkling overhead. There were indeed a few big guys nearby not long ago. While everyone was sleeping, Oliver went for a circle and forcibly dragged them away for a few miles. There was a lot of silence around now, only the vague beasts were humming in a low voice.
They are much freer now. Demons are rampant here, and as long as Nemo controls his strength within the ability of these demons, even if it exceeds a little, it will not be too conspicuous. Although Oliver's ability is strange, in the big labyrinth of Isamel where strange things happen frequently, it is still the same sentence - as long as it is not excessive, the exposure may be much smaller.
After cleaning up the surroundings, Oliver wanted to lean against the rock wall wrapped in a blanket. As soon as he leaned in the direction of the stone wall, he was grabbed by Nemo and his head was pressed against his lover's thigh.
"Lie down and sleep." The silver-gray eyes shimmered in the moonlight, and Nemo smiled and inserted his fingers into Oliver's soft hair. "You also need to rest. As I said, I can just watch."
Within minutes, Oliver fell into a deep sleep. His left wrist rested relaxedly on the slate, and the scars carved by the demons didn't mean to disappear at all. Nemo stared at it, his smile a little bitter.
After enough lessons, Nemo didn't plan to let down his guard just because his strength was enough. His decision can be said to save the life of the entire team - after midnight, disaster struck suddenly.
Nemo leaned down and kissed his lover's slightly parted lips. And Oliver woke up immediately, he stood up neatly, and the sleepiness of his eyes dissipated in a second.
"Feel it?" Nemo pointed casually somewhere in the darkness.
It's the devil tide.
Unlike those big men with unusually good brains, the tide of demons is all composed of low-level demons, demon beasts, and not-so-powerful high-level demons. They are not very clever, and they can't talk about tactics, but they sometimes gather like locusts and eat everything in their way, dead or alive.
They are a bit like a group of mice. The combat power of a single is not strong, and it is a bit thorny when added together. According to the dangerous rumors of the Great Labyrinth of Isamel, it is not uncommon for such a thing to appear in the deep layer. They can't disperse them with the method of driving the big guys away, and even if they do use violence, they don't know how long this strange tide of living will last.
The best way to go. This place is not far from the heart of the labyrinth, where it is as calm as the eye of a tornado, and they may be able to lead the group of young people there directly.
"Yeah." Oliver nodded clearly, apparently quickly understanding the situation. "But next time you can kiss harder, I won't mind."
"Let's wake them up." Nemo shook his head amusingly and took a breath.
"Enemy attack!" he shouted loudly. "It's the tide of demons!"
The students reacted extremely quickly. Elmer packs his pack in seconds, then puts the skinny Hayden and Marilyn on his shoulders. Leonard drew his broadsword, ran in front of Elmer, and drove at the fastest speed—
"This way! This is no problem!" Oliver pointed in the direction of the maze's heart.
Leonard glared at Oliver, but the noble warrior could sense that the murderous aura in that direction had indeed faded a lot. He didn't hesitate any longer and changed direction decisively.
Nemo and Oliver took the initiative to the rear, and quietly released a little breath, leading the tide of demons in other directions. After two hours of rushing and crawling, the scalp-numbing gnawing sound finally completely disappeared from everyone's ears.
"Nothing extraordinary." Hayden coughed twice on Elmer's shoulder, turning pale. "Maybe we're still in the shallows of the labyrinth."
"Hopefully, it would be nice if there was an instruction card in this ghost place." Marilyn on the other shoulder responded through the backpack.
"Flee." Leonard spoke for the first time in a long time, his voice hoarse. "Elmer, run with them. Now!"
"What's wrong?" Marilyn asked immediately. Her and Hayden's faces were on Elmer's broad back, with no view of the way forward.
"The strongest demon, Midnight Walker. It smells us." Leonard said nothing, he raised his high sword, and the golden arc climbed up the blade. "I'm here to stall the time. Let's go!"
Midnight Walkers are good at hiding their breath, they are not big, and the tallest is no more than five meters. They sneak through the night, harvesting life with slender, sharp, sickle-like claws.
Now that the claws had been split off, Leonard held on to two of them, and the first slid down his shoulders, breaking the metal armor directly, and shaving off a large piece of the meat from the belt. The wound immediately gushed blood, and a layer of sweat appeared on the face of the little nobleman.
Stop it, Leonard thought. In fact, he knew very well in his heart that there were no mages who were good at binding spells, and they were not the right thing to do. If you want to improve your survival rate...
A beautiful healing spell brushed his wound.
Marilyn Lawler broke free from Elmer's arm and rushed to the rear of the warrior.
"That way you can hold out longer," she said. "I'll support you later."
It seems to be stimulated by the smell of blood. Midnight Walker stretched out his four arms in the sky, and his mouth let out a high-pitched chirping. The claws slashed down like lightning. Leonard's scalp exploded, and he reluctantly raised his sword, preparing to use the standard defensive circle to defend.
He knew that this would definitely not work, but Leonard's mind was blank, and he couldn't think of anything else. Midnight Walker won't wait for him to slowly ponder the situation, but he must act, and as a glorious warrior, he must protect...
wrong.
Elmer, who has always been honest and obedient, unexpectedly did not move this time. The big young man stood silently in the same place, and he did not seem to take out his hunting knife to come to support. Leonard was at a loss for a moment, and the magic formation suddenly loosened.
"Hold-"
The aristocratic warrior's swear words got stuck in his throat before he could finish cursing. Leonard now understood why Elmer didn't move, that guy must know something.
Yes, there is no need for them to flee.
The hook claws were all bald, and the sharp hard armor was split into pieces in an instant. The deserter didn't know when he stood in front of him and easily waved off all the attacks. And his little white-faced lover opened his eyes, a black shadow rose from the ground, entangled Midnight Walker firmly, and threw it out like trash.
"This won't work." The deserter scratched his head and smiled shyly. "It's too early for you to make it your enemy."
In just a few seconds, Midnight Walker only had time to let out a vague scream.
Then they watched it fly away into the bushes in the distance, and fell humbly into it.