Gauss and Aaliyah got up after a short rest, treading carefully on the slippery moss-covered ground as they cautiously approached the deep green "birdcage" pavilion.
Although this space was enveloped in lush greenery, the tidy paved ground underfoot and the relatively open surroundings, with few chaotic overgrown shrubs, vaguely revealed signs of artificial planning, hinting at what seemed to be an abandoned ancient public plaza, rather than a purely natural cave.
Evidently, this was also a relic of ancient civilization architecture.
As they drew closer, the entire pavilion finally appeared clearly before the two of them.
It wasn’t a traditional stone pavilion; rather, it was intertwined and woven with numerous living, deep green broad-leaved plants similar to ivy in an incredibly intricate manner.
Interweaving, spiraling, arching, ultimately forming a hemispherical dome structure about three meters high and two meters in diameter, creating a massive plant birdcage.
The most striking aspect was the layer of ethereal green energy over the entire pavilion.
It resembled a thin, translucent ripple of water, or an elusive mist, gently enveloping the entire green pavilion.
Through it, a passageway entrance leading downward could faintly be discerned.
As for the rest, it remained indistinct.
"Can’t get in?" Aaliyah tentatively tapped the pavilion’s surface with her wooden staff.
Contrary to its delicate and fragile appearance, the feedback from this green plant pavilion was remarkably solid.
Gauss also lifted his fine steel longsword and slashed several times, but only ended up with his hand numb from the recoil, achieving nothing.
He then proceeded to try Magic Missile, Mage’s Hand, Burning Arrow, Burning Hand, and various other spells and tricks.
But regardless of what he attempted, the slender plants, leaves, and faint watery blurs stood firm against everything, keeping it all firmly at bay.
This green pavilion clearly possessed some indestructible trait, far beyond the current strength they could muster.
"There’s a groove here, looks like something needs to be placed inside?"
Aaliyah pointed to an oddly shaped indentation naturally formed by vines near the gate.
"We probably need to find the corresponding ’key’ to unlock this pavilion?"
Gauss speculated, his intuition strongly suggesting as much.
He committed the shape of the indentation firmly to memory.
The two then carefully searched the surrounding area but unfortunately found nothing resembling it.
"I wonder if we’re the first ones to discover this green pavilion." Aaliyah gazed into the interior of the pavilion.
Gauss shook his head. "Hard to say."
If others have been here, or if others might arrive subsequently, it would mean more people joining the search for the similar "key."
But given the labyrinth’s vastness, and considering this is the initial phase of its opening, only the two of them discovering it isn’t all that surprising.
"Let’s set up camp here tonight." Gauss surveyed the surroundings.
During the search for the "key," they had scouted the area and found no dangers.
Moreover, compared to other areas, this hall had fewer insects, making it an excellent campsite.
The ambient glow in the air began to fade into darkness.
Aaliyah yawned.
Today’s exertion exceeded their usual activities just a bit.
Waking up early, rescuing a stranded adventurer team, searching for the second level’s entrance, reaching the second level to explore, defeating the Treasure Chest Monster, and continuing the exploration...
"Let’s rest after dinner." Gauss was still relatively energetic.
He stirred the spoon in the pot.
The Treasure Chest Monster tongue stew quickly finished cooking.
A rich aroma soon filled the campsite.
As it turned out, when the ingredients are good, it’s delicious no matter how you cook it.
Unlike lunch, the evening preparation was stewed, but just as delicious.
After eating their fill, Aaliyah felt even more tired.
The two picked a corner against the wall and set up the tent.
Gauss sprinkled insect and serpent repellent powder around before cautiously casting the Alarm Spell.
Afterwards, he sat by the campfire, reading by its light until a sense of drowsiness crept over him as well.
He patted Ulfen and Aik beside him, signaling them to stay alert.
Besides the alarm spell, Ulfen and Aik themselves also played a role in the team’s vigilance.
Pulling back the tent flap, Gauss lay down inside.
...
"Hmm?"
In a daze, Gauss was startled awake by an unusual rustle.
Checking the Alarm Spell, he saw that it had indeed been triggered.
His heart skipped a beat.
He first ensured his Gauss Force Field was intact, without any signs of damage.
This brought him some relief.
Then he retrieved the White Bone Staff from his storage pouch.
Cautiously, he crawled out of the tent.
Outside, Ulfen lay asleep beside the campfire, awakening groggily to his movement, raising its head in confusion.
Raven Aik was pacing lightly on the nearby open ground.
Gauss looked around, the campsite was quiet, the fire crackled, seemingly... nothing was amiss.
"Did the spell trigger by mistake?" Gauss frowned.
He was sure he hadn’t seen anything unusual.
Yet this was the first time something like this had happened, and Magic, in practice, was generally quite stable.
The Alarm Spell had triggered a few times before, each with a legitimate cause—a slithering python, a hawk landing on the camp.
The possibility of Ulfen and Aik being the triggers? That was ruled out as they were pre-set to be exempt from triggering it.
Out of caution, Gauss woke Aaliyah in the adjacent tent.
"What’s going on?"
Aaliyah emerged rubbing sleepy eyes, a pillow imprint still visible on one cheek.
"The Alarm Spell triggered," Gauss replied.
"What?" Aaliyah’s yawn froze in place, her sleepiness immediately vanished! She quickly drew her wooden staff, tensely looking around.
"Where’s the enemy? Where?"
However, what she saw was the same as Gauss—nothing out of the ordinary.
At that moment, a cold wind blew through.
Gauss and Aaliyah shivered simultaneously.
An icy chill penetrated them to the bone, passing through their bodies in an instant.
Where did that wind come from?
But then, in a flash.
He quickly realized something was off.
Given his constitution, how could he shiver just from a breeze.
Recalling the inexplicable Alarm Spell trigger, a suspicion surfaced in his mind.
The faint light from the Soul Bracer spread around his eyes, soon allowing his vision to undergo slight changes.
Under careful observation, within the seemingly clear air, he vaguely caught shifting, blurry apparitions.
"Specters?"
Gauss became more certain of his initial suspicion.
Specters, also called spirits, are phantom-like entities without a physical form, usually found when the souls of intelligent beings dissipate naturally upon death, failing to form spirits.
However, in certain special environments or with the interference of dark magic or rituals, specters could come into being.
They possess an undead essence, needing neither air, food, nor sleep, and ordinary weapons can’t harm them.
Specters?
Aaliyah looked uneasily around.
With Gauss’s hint, she too sensed an invisible chill enveloping the campsite, as if countless unseen eyes were watching from the shadows.
"Argh!"
Ulfen got up from the ground, not sensing much, but seeing both its masters full of vigilance, it too became alert.
"What do we do now? Should we leave?"
"No need." Gauss shook his head.
This group of specters, thirsting for life energy, chose the wrong target in them.
Though ordinary adventurers might be powerless against them, succumbing to having their vitality drained and continuing groggy the next day, this didn’t include him.
He lifted the White Bone Staff and called out.
"Light Spell!"
The Light Spell, adapted exceptionally to the White Bone Staff, unleashed a brilliant light.
The hall instantly lit up as bright as day.
"Yikes!!!!"
"Yikes!!!!"
A chorus of shrill cries echoed, causing numerous apparitions to twist, struggle, and flee in panic as the light filled the hall.
Some that were nearby, within a very short time, were directly killed by the Light Spell, faint wisps of dark smoke rising in the air.
"Killed Spirit *1"
"Acquired title ’Ghost Slayer,’ which upgrades with more kills."
"Title effect: Scorch. When battling spirits and related advanced ghost-types, your effective attacks carry an additional persistent burning effect."