Chapter 407 Apprentices’ Choices

The biting cold wind blew up ice chips, lashing at the faces of everyone on the snowfield.

In front of the entrance to the maze, a huge deep pit was ugly and open, and the rock at the bottom of the pit glowed stubbornly and coldly under the magic light.

“Again!”

Merck's voice was distorted by the strong wind.

His wizard robe fluttered wildly in the wind and snow, and his usual meticulous scholarly demeanor had long been replaced by anxiety and fatigue.

In front of him, several assistant teachers stood side by side, holding their long sticks tightly in their hands and pointing forward.

They gathered the little remaining magic power into a stream, which turned into an ochre beam of light and hit the bottom of the pit again, exploding into a ball of chaotic snow mist!

"boom--!!"

Kemidil rushed to the front, he almost overdrawn his mental strength to cast the spell, his pale face full of guilt.

It was he who suggested to the mentor that the undead be brought in from the Kingdom of Rhodes... If he hadn't been nosy, things would never have gotten out of control to this point.

However, when the magic light faded, the scene at the bottom of the pit made everyone feel despair.

"No, instructor!" An assistant's voice was hoarse from exhaustion. "'Rock Dissolution' was deflected! Something seems amiss here!"

In the deep pit, strange dark red crystals covered the entire bottom of the pit like a huge scab.

The magic attack on it was like a drop in the ocean, only splashing a few weak sparks, without even leaving a dent.

"Waste!" Merck roared, pushed the exhausted Kemidil away, stood on the edge of the deep pit himself, and took the main casting position of the spellcasting group.

He must not fail!

Professor Ariste entrusted him with the entire trial, which was a great trust given to him by the professor and even the Tower of Great Sages!

If something unexpected happened to the three thousand apprentices under his supervision, and it was because of his negligence in his work, his academic career would be completely over!

"In the name of dust and mountains, dance at my command, transform into an indestructible spear, and shatter the barrier of the earth!"

Merck raised his wand high, and obscure and passionate spells came out of his mouth quickly.

The air was visibly distorted, and surging magic power gathered at the tip of the wand. The light was so strong that the surrounding assistants subconsciously closed their eyes.

He gathered all his strength into a spell and fiercely smashed it towards the ominous dark red!

"boom--!!!"

The deafening roar almost tore the eardrums, and the strong shock wave lifted the surrounding snow several meters high, like a tide rolling on the snowfield.

However, when the smoke and dust cleared, the red crystal at the bottom of the pit... didn't even have a crack.

Merck's breathing hitched.

"How... is this possible?!"

He staggered forward, his heart filled with turmoil.

This is silver-level destructive magic!

A blow that was enough to bring down the fortress walls!

Several assistants who provided him with magical support could no longer hold on. They fell backwards with their eyes going dark. Thanks to the support of an apprentice beside them, they did not fall into the snow pit.

Merck walked to the edge of the pit in a daze, staring at the crystal, and finally saw the entire picture of the rock layer in the pit.

It is smooth and dense, like the shell of some creature.

As he stared, the surface of the crystal suddenly pulsed with an ominous glimmer in a slow rhythm... like the heartbeat of a giant beast.

At the same time, a dull and long humming sound came faintly from the depths of the earth, like the roar of a giant whale in the deep sea!

All the teaching assistants had expressions of fear on their faces, and they were at a loss as to what to do about the situation.

"What is this?!"

"etc……"

"It seems to be alive!"

"Saint Sith, please go and call the sages of the Holy Energy School!"

Listening to the screams and shouts of the assistant coaches not far away, Merck's pupils suddenly shrank and a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

The land beneath his feet, along with the maze that imprisoned thousands of apprentices, seemed to have become a...

Living monster.

…

In a passage on the first level of the maze, a ridiculous "interrogation" is taking place.

"Tell me! Where is the key to the treasure chest hidden?"

The player [Meichuan Qiuku] was shaking a leg bone he had picked up from the ground, threatening the magic apprentice who was hanging upside down in the net bag in front of him.

The translation crystal hanging on his chest highlights his status as a wealthy player, saving him from having to communicate using sign language like other players.

"I... I don't know what the key is!" The apprentice was about to cry, his face flushed red from being hung upside down.

"Still being stubborn?" Wang Chuan Nei Ku searched the apprentice's pockets, only to find a few pitiful copper coins. He couldn't help but say with disdain, "With such a small amount of money, you still dare to participate in the trial?"

The apprentice's face flushed red and his lips trembled with anger.

Who would carry money with them when participating in a maze trial?

He had picked up these few copper coins from the monsters in the maze, but now they were all snatched away by this group of unruly undead.

[Chuanle Yizi] was studying the wand he had just seized from his apprentice, commenting on it while stroking his battered jawbone.

"The workmanship is crude, the materials are low-quality, and no one would buy it even if it was thrown into a 'beep beep' store."

The so-called "beep-beep--" actually means "cemetery", but this word, like many other words including hell, was automatically muted by the translation crystal.

That wasn't a big deal.

Just as the three of them were enjoying the pleasure of "recovering" the spoils, a low humming sound suddenly came from the ground beneath their feet.

"Hmm?" Meichuan Qiuku stopped and looked around in confusion, "What's that sound?"

Before he finished speaking, countless dark red lines suddenly appeared on the stone walls on both sides of the passage. Like the blood vessels of a living being, they pulsed slowly and exuded a decaying aura.

Wisps of ominous red mist seeped out from the cracks in the rocks and quickly spread out, like hot air exhaled from the fangs of a wild beast!

"Oh my god, did I trigger a hidden plot?"

"Could it be that the event boss is about to spawn!?"

All three players became excited.

Only the apprentice who was hanging upside down had a confused look on his face, and he couldn't understand what these three strange skeleton soldiers were muttering about.

Plot?

Activity?

Is this also part of the Merck mentoring program?

He doesn't understand.

At this moment, a majestic system prompt sound suddenly sounded in the consciousness of the three players at the same time, but the content was completely different from their guesses.

【Emergency Mission Update: Chaos Invasion! 】

[Demon King: Chaos's dregs have polluted my hunting grounds. Plans have changed. My servants, prioritize eliminating these minions of Chaos! Completely eradicate them from this maze!]

[Main Quest (Update): Cooperate with Xuebang Magic Apprentice to fight against the Chaos Servants and retreat to a temporary shelter!]

"Cooperation?" The three players looked at each other in surprise.

At this moment, from the depths of the sticky red fog, several twisted humanoid creatures walked out silently with staggering steps.

Their bodies are asymmetrical, their skin is a dead grey, and the only organ on their faces is a silent, gaping mouth.

That mouth is used to eat people.

“Ah—!” The hanging apprentice let out a heartbreaking scream upon seeing those monsters. “It’s the Howlers! Servants of Chaos! Let me down now!”

"The Howler?" [Meichuan Qiuku]'s eyes moved.

This NPC knows a lot.

He no longer hesitated and swung the sharp bone stick to cut the rope.

The apprentice fell heavily to the ground, and before he could catch his breath, [Chuanle Yizi] stuffed the cheap wand back into his hand.

"Hey, kid," [Meikawa Qiuku] squatted down and patted his pale face, "You're lucky that we were the ones you met in the maze. Now you're one of us. If you want to survive, tell us everything about that thing."

Looking at the three "undeads" in front of him whose attitudes had changed 180 degrees, and then looking at the monster approaching not far away, the apprentice was completely stunned.

But he quickly made the only right choice, gripping his wand tightly and nodding tremblingly.

"They are servants of Chaos... It's written in the forbidden book that they will devour any living creature they encounter, tearing off their souls along with their flesh!"

For a world with abundant "spiritual energy", this is undoubtedly the cruelest way to die.

It's not just a loss of strength, what's more serious is that once a soul loses a leg, it will be a cripple for who knows how many lifetimes.

If the soul is too damaged, it may be reincarnated into an animal... This is the mainstream academic view of the current soul school.

The apprentice who had just spit out all the information swallowed his saliva and continued in a trembling voice.

"My suggestion is... we need to break out as quickly as possible and head to the shelter first! The other apprentices and assistants should already be heading there, so we need to reunite with them first!"

[Wangchuan Neiku] threw a few copper coins back into his arms, grinned, and revealed a smile that seemed extremely terrifying but surprisingly reassuring to the other party.

"We will go with you. In exchange, I need you to forget the unpleasantness just now... Can you do that?"

The apprentice nodded quickly, like a chick pecking at rice.

joke.

He wouldn't be stupid enough to say no at this time.

[Meichuan Qiuku] patted his shoulder with satisfaction.

"very good."

"Now, lead the way."

…

A strange cooperation kicked off in the bloody maze. The empire's magic apprentices fought side by side with the evil undead. This was probably the first time in the history of the academy.

"...They have no sight and rely on sensing the fluctuations of the soul to locate you. And you are undead with relatively weak souls, so they can't see you clearly!"

The rescued apprentice, Leo, shouted loudly, learning from the knowledge he had learned from the forbidden book. After taking a short breath, he continued his command.

"Don't aim for the head, use physical attacks on their chests! They don't have brains, but the crystals in their chests are their weak point!!"

“Ahhhh!”

"receive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the player "Meichuan Qiuku" used the leg bone in his hand as a javelin and threw it accurately, piercing the chest of a howler.

The monster fell silently and turned into a pool of ashes.

"Wangchuan Neiku" and "Chuanle Yizi" were on the left and right, using the hardness of their bones and their nimble movements, like two skilled mercenaries, to defeat the approaching howlers one by one.

Apprentice Leo watched all this in amazement.

The way these undead fought was completely different from what he knew!

They did not have the support of the Necromancer, but relied on their combat intuition and tacit understanding that far exceeded that of ordinary people to suppress a group of howlers.

Under their cover, lone apprentices one after another were rescued and joined this strange team consisting of one human and three skeletons.

However, as they continued to go deeper, the number of howlers increased. They were all evil spirits attracted by the scorching soul fire, eager to devour those pure souls alive.

At a narrow fork in the road, dozens of monsters emerged from the wriggling walls, completely blocking their way to the refuge.

"There are too many! We can't get through!" A newly joined female apprentice shouted in panic, the fireball in her hand flickering with fear.

"Tsk, what a hassle." Meichuan Qiuku smacked his lips.

He glanced at the shivering young men and girls around him, and then looked at his own skeleton that could be scrapped at any time.

To be honest——

Although he knew very well that he was playing a game, these flesh-and-blood NPCs made it difficult for him to treat them as cold data.

Perhaps this is also part of the "closed beta".

Dog planning, you win.

He sighed in his heart, and at the same time a clear idea formed in his mind, and this idea made the soul fire burning in his skull shine even brighter.

Choose to be a hero for one minute, or return to the cold tomb with the already meager reward... This choice seems to require no hesitation at all.

It's just a temporary body anyway.

He wanted to experience another life that he had never considered for a second in reality.

"Hey, you guys!" He shouted with a hoarse sound, "I'll be responsible for leading them away, you guys take the opportunity to rush over!"

Leo was stunned.

"What did you say?"

Meichuan Qiuku didn't answer, just threw out a sentence.

"My name is Meichuan Qiuku!"

He picked up a thick rib, let out a strange and incomprehensible cry, and rushed into the gray ocean of monsters.

He was like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, using his body to smash his way through the crowd and scaring the howlers surrounding him.

They didn't understand why a soul fire as weak as a firefly would erupt into unimaginable ripples at this moment.

All the magic apprentices who witnessed this scene were stunned.

They could not understand why an undead spirit defined by the Church as "evil" and "chaotic" would make such a decisive sacrifice to protect humans they had never met before.

"Don't be in a daze!" Wang Chuan Neiku's roar brought them back to reality from their shock, "Don't let Qiuku's sacrifice go to waste!"

Leo clenched his teeth, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He no longer hesitated and led the apprentices behind him to rush through the passage that was exchanged for the "life" of a skeleton.

On the way of retreat, heroic sacrifices continued to occur.

Players don't hesitate to use their temporary bodies.

Whenever they encountered an insurmountable difficulty, they would not hesitate to use the soul fire that was as fleeting as fireflies, and use the most direct and brutal way to pave a path for the fragile magicians behind them, buying them time to cast spells.

The bloody road was paved with withered bones, and the chaotic maze that tried to devour them was suddenly "indigestible".

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Ariste needs to devote a lot of power to suppress Prince Colin.

After all, if he relaxes even a little, Colin, who is also a diamond-level player, will break through the barriers and kill him at the floor where the core of the maze is located.

Under attack from all sides, he could only command the lowest-level Howlers to hunt the apprentices, and he didn't even have time to seduce new "fanatics".

When the last group of survivors finally arrived at the East District shelter, none of the three undead who had originally followed the apprentices were still standing.

Inside the shelter, the surviving apprentices gathered together in silence, their hearts filled with mixed emotions, and the atmosphere was depressing and heavy.

If they were ordinary undead, even if they were saved from danger, they would definitely not have such complicated emotions as they do now.

But those undead didn't look like undead at all, but more like living people...

A female apprentice finally couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling slightly.

"Why...why did they save us?"

Leo clenched the wand that "Kawa's Clothes" had returned to him and replied in a low voice: "I don't know... but the way they fought didn't look like mindless monsters."

After a pause, he raised his head and tried to explain this phenomenon with his immature knowledge.

"Perhaps... they are also a kind of living being, but we just can't understand it for the time being?"

Another rescued mage nodded and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, they even joke around... although I have no idea what's so funny about that."

The female apprentice looked at a skeleton in the distance that had just reassembled its body and immediately rushed towards the battlefield, her complex eyes full of confusion.

Both the priest of the church and the magician of the academy told her that the undead were evil beings and the enemy of every citizen of Saint Sith.

but……

Is this really the case?

The history of a thousand years ago is a taboo memory for the believers of Saint Sith, but there is one thing that even the most extreme believers cannot deny.

Whether they are not pious enough to go to heaven, or they are deceived by the necromancer or believe the slander of hell, these undead souls are not created out of thin air.

They were human too.

Of course, they all have their sins.

But this does not mean that Saint Sis is holy and flawless.

…

Under the cover of the players, most of the magic apprentices retreated to the evacuation point on the first floor of the maze and gained temporary safety under the cover of the teaching assistants.

but--

Not everyone escaped.

There are still a small number of apprentices wandering in the maze, without the cover of players and without encountering patrol assistants, isolated and helpless in fear.

For example, Coors is one of them.

He never imagined that he, who was so wise and brave and had a bright future, would be in such a miserable state. Not only did he lose the qualification to take the trial on the first level of the maze, but even staying alive became a luxury.

Just now, due to the siege of the Howlers, he was separated from his assistant coach and teammates in the chaos.

Those damn acid slimes in the trap before destroyed everything he had, including the mage robes that symbolized his honor and his beloved wand.

At this moment, the only thing covering him was a rough blanket thrown to him by the assistant coach.

A red mist filled the corridor, and in the distance came disturbing roars. He huddled in the corner, cold and afraid.

The only thing to be thankful for was that he still had a gold coin on him that had not been eaten by the slime.

This was the last possession he had scavenged from the maze.

Although at this moment he hoped very much that what he held in his hand was not a gold coin, but a magic crystal or a magic wand.

That would at least give him a little sense of security, which was better than nothing.

'I must find a way to get a wand...' He gritted his teeth and thought silently in his mind, while looking around anxiously.

Waiting here any longer is not a solution.

With this last hope, he wrapped himself in the blanket, got up, and began to wander aimlessly in the maze cautiously.

Perhaps Saint-Sis heard his prayers.

After an unknown amount of time, he turned a corner in the maze and saw a simple stall with a sign that said "Official Supply Point".

The three skeletons were looking around and muttering to themselves, as if they were discussing whether to escape.

Saint Sis is above!

He had never seen such a strange scene before: the lowest-level skeleton soldiers were actually doing business!

"Should we retreat..."

"That's what I was thinking... The atmosphere here gives me a bad feeling."

"Closing the stall!"

Kurs vaguely heard the conversation between the three skeleton soldiers, and he was delighted. He didn't care how weird the scene was, and rushed over immediately.

The three skeleton soldiers were startled by the sudden appearance of a living person.

But when they saw his miserable appearance, they couldn't help laughing.

【Knowledge Explosion】: "Dude, were you robbed?"

[Going to the dock to mess with some seagulls]: "Hahahaha! Not even a piece of clothing left for you? Which Dogecoin is so mean? Tell us and we'll laugh at him for you."

Kurs blushed, unable to speak or understand what they were saying, so he could only ask with gritted teeth.

"Are you...really the supply point set up by Instructor Merck?"

[Good Citizen of Gotham] replied impatiently.

"Of course! Isn't it written on the sign? Can't you read?"

"I, I just can't imagine it," Coors blushed, and then asked hurriedly, "What are you selling?"

【Knowledge Explosion】Le Dao: "We have everything, but you have to tell us what your needs are first."

Coors said immediately, his voice excited and earnest.

"Wand! I need a wand! Do you have a wand?!"

"A wand? Ah, of course I have one... Let me look for it."

The player "Go to the Pier to Pick Some Seagulls" rummaged under the stall and actually found a crooked wooden stick.

This was stolen from an unlucky apprentice. There's no use for them keeping it anyway, and it doesn't look worth much, so they might as well sell it at a low price.

"Hey, since you're pitiful, I'll give you a discount on this 'Ancient Rune Staff'! But then again, do you have the money? Be forewarned, we don't accept credit!"

"I, I have! Who said I don't have money!"

Kurs looked at the "antique" that was almost falling apart, and the corner of his mouth twitched, but he still gritted his teeth and handed over a gold coin.

"Is that enough?"

[Go to the dock to pick up some seagulls] His eyes lit up and he took it.

"That's enough! Just right! You're lucky, boy!"

“…”

Kurth didn't want to stay here for even a second, so he hurriedly left these shameless profiteers with his new weapon in hand.

But no matter what, Saint Sith was still kind, and his wish to exchange gold coins for a magic wand was finally realized.

Cools, mustering up his courage, ran all the way without caring about his appearance. There was no one else here anyway.

What a coincidence.

At this moment, a shrill scream came from the front, breaking the silence in the maze corridor.

Kurth was startled and instinctively wanted to hide, but the sound made him unable to move, and he had nowhere to go except forward.

He quietly stuck his head out and saw several magicians in blue robes being forced into a corner by a group of howlers, with despair written all over their faces.

Although they have been promoted to mages, they probably just got promoted this year, so their combat experience and spellcasting experience are quite weak.

These rookies probably treated this maze trial as a treasure hunt, but they didn't expect to encounter such a terrifying monster on the first level.

run?

Or not run?

Coors's mind raced.

He remembered the "theory of the strong" that he had boasted to Finn, and also remembered his arrogance in "disdaining" Ilana.

He has lost the qualifications to continue challenging the maze, but if he chooses to escape here, he will really be a coward who only knows how to talk.

Kurth gritted his teeth, and a courage that he himself had not even noticed surged up from the depths of his cowardly heart.

perhaps--

This is the significance of Saint Sith giving him the confiscated wand again.

For a moment, he suddenly realized what true strength was.

"Hey! You shameless bastards! Look over here!"

Kurth rushed out with a roar, and the only blanket on his body fluttered as he ran, like a funny battle flag.

The Howlers smelled his scent and turned to look at the prey that suddenly broke into the hunting ground.

Seizing the moment of pause from the Howlers, Kurs took a deep breath and poured all his mental strength into the inferior wand in his hand.

"...Burning flames, may you burn away the sins lingering in this world with your incomparable heat!"

The scorching flames gushed out from the tip of the staff like an arrow shot from a crossbow, accurately hitting a howler.

The burned Howler fell silently to the ground in pain.

The other Howlers rushed towards him, deciding to deal with the bigger trouble before enjoying the delicious food.

Kurth backed away while casting a spell, and at the same time shouted to the frightened students, "Get out of the way! What are you standing there for?"

The apprentices woke up as if from a dream and crawled to the other end of the passage.

After confirming that they were far away, Kurth breathed a sigh of relief.

Facing the approaching gray monster, he simply threw away the blanket that was in the way. On his face, pale with fear, he forced out a smile that was uglier than crying.

He raised the wand that seemed to fall apart at any time and used all his strength to pray for the first time in his life, which was also the most pious prayer.

"Saint Sith above... please grant me the flame to purify the evil!"

It was a sudden inspiration for him to try to integrate the power of holy light into the flame. Under normal circumstances, he would never take such a risk, but now he could only gamble his chances of success on this only chance to cast the spell.

Ordinary flames are absolutely incapable of destroying such a large number of chaotic evil spirits!

A holy flame gushed out from the tip of the staff. It did not have a scorching temperature, but it carried unquestionable majesty.

The flames transformed into a wave that purified everything, instantly sweeping across the corridor ahead.

The moment the dozen or so Howlers touched the flames, they melted silently like ice and snow exposed to the scorching sun, leaving not even a trace of ash!

Kurth felt his body sway, his head was dizzy, and he almost fell to the ground.

He was pale and held onto the wall, gasping for breath, while looking at his slightly trembling hands in astonishment.

This is……

A breakthrough? ?

The holy flame gradually died down and silence returned to the corridor.

Before Kurth could figure out what was happening to him, he felt dizzy and as if all the strength in his body had been drained away.

The shaky wand in his hand fell to the ground with a "clack", and then his knees gave way and he was about to fall.

However, just when he was about to fall, several pairs of thin but strong hands supported him from behind in time.

They are the younger students he rescued.

These young magic apprentices did not run far away, but kept looking at this side worriedly from the corner not far away.

At this moment, they were looking at him with eyes mixed with guilt, awe and worry, as if they were looking up to a hero.

A junior high school girl ran up, picked up the blanket he had dropped on the ground, and carefully put it back on him as he was completely naked.

"Thank you..." she said sincerely, looking at Kurs, "...the brave man in the blanket!"

The brave man in a blanket...

Brave?

The name made Coors' heart skip a beat.

He looked at those faces full of gratitude, and an unfamiliar emotion surged in his chest, making him choke for a moment.

Praise Saint Sissi...

He seemed to vaguely understand what he really wanted... or what he longed for.

With the help of his junior classmates, Coors finally arrived at the temporary shelter in the East District.

As soon as he stepped into this temporarily safe area, he heard the "legend" about himself from people's discussions.

"...Did you hear? Some guy saved a whole team of rookies!"

"Who is it?"

"I don't know... but I seem to have heard it's called..."

"The brave man with bare buttocks!"

"Yes! That's the name!"

"Hahaha! Is this true?"

This outrageous nickname made the little bit of color that had finally returned to Kurth's face burn all the way to his ears.

He was so ashamed that he wanted to find a hole to crawl into right there and then!

However, when he thought of the genuine admiring gaze, a smile of secret joy and pride appeared on his ashamed face.

An inconspicuous seed, in the shadow where the sun cannot reach, is taking root and sprouting little by little...

(End of this chapter)