*Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap—*
In the overly silent corridor, the footsteps of two people echoed so clearly, so distinctly, that they even formed a reverberation.
Riezel and Lizbeth followed behind a little fairy and a three-legged crow, walking forward step by step. Above their heads, a glowing sphere gave off light, illuminating the path beneath their feet.
However, this path did not seem easy to walk.
"Hot..."
Sweat was already dripping down Lizbeth's forehead without her realizing it, and she kept fanning the collar of her cloak.
Riezel accidentally caught a glimpse of the beauty beneath her collar and immediately felt as if fire almost burst from his chest.
"Yeah, the temperature inside this labyrinth is really high, and the deeper we go, the hotter it gets."
Riezel removed his cloak and loosened his collar, trying to cool himself.
"Why is it so hot here?"
Completely unaware of her own charm, Lizbeth tilted her head and voiced her doubt.
"Who knows..." Riezel took a deep breath to calm himself. "Maybe it's because some kind of heat source is releasing high temperatures here, or maybe we unknowingly walked into an underground desert."
At this moment, he had no way of determining where he actually was.
First of all, this temple labyrinth was enormous and long.
He and Lizbeth had been walking through it for two hours already, yet they were still wandering its corridors without seeing anything beyond them.
Confident in his own skills, he had activated two guiding magic spells at once, but he mainly followed the three-legged crow, taking the shortest route that led to the labyrinth's heart.
Yet despite taking the shortest route, they still had not reached the end—all they saw ahead were identical corridors, and whenever they reached a dead end, more branching paths appeared, leaving them dizzy.
"I really wonder how the people who entered this labyrinth before ever managed to get out..."
Riezel couldn't help but mutter in wonder.
Surprisingly, as Riezel wondered about it, the answer came from Lizbeth.
"They probably used a magic item called a Return Magic Crystal." Lizbeth explained slowly. "It's an item that allows its user to retrace the footprints they left within twenty-four hours. It's not very rare or expensive, but in certain situations, it can be handy—that's why it's so popular among people who spend most of their lives wandering."
"I see..." Riezel was suddenly enlightened, and with some surprise, he looked at Lizbeth with an expression of amazement. "By the way, how do you know that?"
"Elder Sister Marilyn told me..." Lizbeth admitted with a shy smile. "She taught me a lot, especially the knowledge needed for traveling."
'Seems like that maid had indeed taken great care of her little sister.'
As Riezel thought this silently in his heart...
"Hm?"
He suddenly stopped walking.
"Master?"
Lizbeth stopped as well, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Riezel, however, did not look at Lizbeth but instead had his eyes fixed on what lay ahead, prompting her to follow his gaze.
As soon as she did, Lizbeth was startled.
"Uuu... Uuu..."
Over there, in the corner of the labyrinth corridor, a girl leaned against the wall, covering her face as she cried—her feet were red and swollen, bleeding onto the ground and staining it crimson. ṞåNǒʙЁş
Evidently, the girl was injured, seemingly abandoned by her companions and left to cry helplessly, her appearance so pitiful it could move anyone's heart.
"A-Are you okay?"
Seeing this, Lizbeth's compassion instantly overflowed, and she subconsciously tried to run over, but after only two steps, Riezel pulled her back.
"Don't." Riezel's voice was calm, almost cold.
"Wh-Why not?" Lizbeth froze.
"She isn't human." Riezel's words were short and direct.
"N-Not human?" Lizbeth could not understand.
"Uuuu... Uuuu... Uuuu..."
Just then, the wounded girl cried even louder, as though emphasizing her helplessness and pain, tempting anyone's sympathy.
Unfortunately, she had no idea her true form had already been exposed under Riezel's Transparent World.
Within Riezel's Transparent World, this girl had no organs, no bones, not even blood vessels or flesh—there was only a thin layer of skin.
Could this girl be human?
No, she was clearly a monster.
Moreover, while Lizbeth's attention was drawn entirely to the girl's cries, she failed to notice a crucial detail that Riezel had.
Around the girl lay scattered bones—human bones.
Ribs, leg bones, arm bones, skulls, fingers—strewn about like trophies.
Needless to say, this was not only a monster but a man-eating monster.
"Maximize Magic - Fireball."
Riezel cast his magic without hesitation, conjuring a massive fireball at his fingertip and hurling it forward.
"..."
In that instant, the girl's sobs ceased. In the next moment, she lowered her hands, revealing a face with no features at all.
Seeing this, Lizbeth gasped and shivered with cold fear.
*Rumble!*
At the same time, the girl sprang upward, the ground beneath her rising as thick roots burst forth.
From the wall behind her, a massive tree grew, its roots latching into her back as if she were its puppet—or rather, as if the tree had twisted one of its branches into her form to lure prey.
*BOOM!*
Riezel's massive fireball slammed into the tree, but a shield of interwoven branches blocked the blast, scattering sparks in every direction.
Even though the edges of the branches caught fire, the flames were quickly smothered, leaving behind only charred scars.
"A humanoid treant, huh..."
Riezel narrowed his eyes, his voice cold.
Humanoid treants were notorious monsters, infamous for their mimicry.
Their branches could copy the forms of creatures they had seen, luring others of the same race closer. Once their prey let down their guard, the branches would pierce into their victims' bodies, devouring flesh and blood.
They were undoubtedly evil, bloody, cunning monsters.
Countless people had fallen victim to these creatures in the wilderness, tricked by false shapes, only to die miserably once they drew near.
People both hated and feared them—so much so that humanoid treants had become one of the most dreaded monsters of the wild.
Now, one stood before Riezel and Lizbeth.
Lizbeth also recognized it, recalling the rumors of people who had died horribly to such monsters.
Her face instantly turned pale.
If her master had not stopped her just now, would she have ended up the same way—pierced and drained by the treant's branches?
Such a thought terrified her.
"Triplet Maximize Magic - Fireball."
Riezel unleashed three massive fireballs in one breath, blasting them against the treant's wooden shield.
*BOOOM!*
As the fireballs struck in unison, the shield ignited, yet it still refused to burn away completely—all that remained were charred scars.
"Tch, this humanoid treant is unusual..."
Riezel sensed something was wrong.
Although feared, humanoid treants were not truly strong.
It should be noted that their ability to mimic was an evolution born of weakness—a means to compensate for their lack of power. Furthermore, since they were trees, they naturally feared fire, for it could consume them in mere seconds.
Even a Sword Master could slay a mature humanoid treant with ease, and those skilled in fire did not even need to be Sword Masters.
However, the one before him was different.
It showed no fear of fire, its defense was extraordinary, and despite taking so many fireballs from him, its branches were only scorched, not destroyed.
Unconcerned with what Riezel thought, the humanoid treant struck back.
*BOOM!*
In an instant, the ground shattered with a roar as thick roots surged up like raging serpents, filling the entire corridor. They pushed against walls, soil, and air itself, advancing like a relentless grinder toward Riezel and Lizbeth.
"Maximize Magic - Wall of Stone."
Riezel pressed a hand to the ground, and instantly a stone wall rose before him, blocking the oncoming roots.
*THUD!*
With a muffled crash, the roots slammed into the stone wall, cracking it instantly.
"Triplet Maximize Magic - Reality Slash."
Seeing this, Riezel's eyes flashed coldly as he unleashed three slashes that tore through space itself.
*Swish!**Swish!**Swish!*
Invisible blades cut through stone and root alike—everything in their path was severed, leaving countless roots collapsing into pieces.
*Pu-chi!*
A moment later, the humanoid treant's massive body was struck by the space-blades, splitting apart on the spot.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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