Chapter 25: An Odd-shaped Cave (Part 2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Initially, they believed that the interconnected cubicles within Cave No. 1 were a maze trap constructed by the Antlion Guards, and they set up traps everywhere by using illusions. Then, they assumed that the old man’s warning “Don’t believe anything you see” was simply to avoid being deceived by the illusions caused by the stalactites.

However, it seemed that they had misunderstood the old man’s words. The guard maze that he mentioned was most likely their current location.

As the system previously mentioned, there were no monsters in this place, but there were a multitude of illusions and incredible phenomena. Ahead of them were three forks, and they had to stick together. Otherwise, it was highly probable that they would never make it out of the maze alive. In fact, some of them would certainly perish in this maze.

After Bai Han explained these principles, everyone shuddered. The two special forces soldiers had already teamed up with Bai Han and Lin Yuwei. Although they didn’t have to join the team, they played an important role in the recent battle.

There was strength in numbers, and the fire burned brighter when everyone worked together. This age-old principle would never change.

“What direction should we take?” asked one of them.

“It’s simple. We’ll just use our most important tool right now to guide us, the Absolute Attribute Dice,” replied Bai Han.

They had collected over 50 of these dice from killing enemies and looting equipment. “We’ll each throw a dice in the middle of the fork, and follow the direction it rolls towards,” he continued.

All three of them agreed with the plan, and Bai Han and Lin Yuwei’s naturally high luck values meant they would get the bonus effect. The other two special forces soldiers also had some luck on their side, and all four of them threw their dice with no negative effects on their attributes.

However, all four of their dice shifted toward the left, which surprised them.

“Why did they all shift to the left?”

“The right direction to go should be either forward or toward the right.”

Everyone looked at Bai Han in surprise. They thought they had heard wrongly.

“The left side can attract these die in unison, which means that there should be some ventilation or an uneven atmosphere on the left.

“To put it bluntly, I suspect that that direction is not complete. There should be a leak. That’s why they are tilting toward the left. Once we go over, it’s very likely that the path behind will be blocked, and we won’t be able to walk back.”

Upon hearing Bai Han’s explanation, everyone agreed to follow Bai Han’s suggestion. At that moment, the die that had just been thrown was directly absorbed into the left path with a rumble!

It was obvious that if they had just walked to the left, they would have been absorbed into the ground as well. The four of them heaved a sigh of relief and continued to walk forward. However, the scenery around them did not seem to have changed at all. As time passed, they even thought that they were walking in circles.

“Are we lost?”

“Let’s keep in mind what that old man told us: don’t trust everything we see. It seems that his words are now coming true. The scenery around us looks the same, and it’s obvious that this is part of the maze’s great technique. We’re likely walking in a circular path, but because we can’t see the maze from above, we’ll feel like we’re always moving forward,” Bai Han explained as he carefully observed the changes in their surroundings. As he walked a little further, he noticed that a particular monster held by the withered hand wasn’t an antlion but a hybrid spider.

The hybrid spider seemed to be very similar to an antlion. It was not surprising that they had gone unnoticed since they were already skeletal.

Using his hand, he twisted the withered hand above him, and the door in front of him opened. Immediately, the group exited the circular maze path they were on.

However, as they walked out of the maze, they discovered a straight path ahead of them. Thanks to the crystal core combined with the strengthened mirror of aether of the mysterious creature, they could see more clearly. It turned out to be a staircase leading upwards.

The surroundings of the stairs appeared peculiar, and upon looking behind them, they saw no path. They couldn’t tell whether the stairs led up or down. As always, they reminded themselves to not believe everything they saw.

“The staircase appears to be getting narrower and narrower due to visual effects, making it difficult to determine if it is going up or down. However, there is a simple solution to this puzzle. It’s time for your rocket launchers to work,” Bai Han said.

“You mean we should blow up the stairs with a rocket launcher?”

“Yes, it’s the easiest way out. If we climb the stairs, we may end up trapped. It’s clearly a trap for us,” Bai Han explained.

“Do it!”

Simon produced a rocket launcher and warned everyone to step back.

“This is a very powerful RPG rocket launcher. Its power can blow up the entire building. If possible, you should all lie down.”

Everyone did as they were told.

Boom!

Clang!

The explosion was deafening, causing the entire staircase to crumble.

Bai Han was quick to use his sharp mind to assess the situation.

A clear exit was revealed under the scattered stairs, but it led to the darkness beyond. It was like entering a cave, with a cold wind blowing from within.

“We’ve solved the staircase puzzle. This odd-shaped cave looks interesting. It created so many illusions to trick us. Come on. Let’s explore,” Bai Han said excitedly.

As the stairs fell apart, the cave was revealed once again, and the unknown secrets beyond the exit beckoned to them.