Chapter 74 Breakthrough 2
If this space has a "purpose" or a "design concept," then the existence of the maze must have its significance.
I am perfectly clear that "purpose" and "design concept" are two different things. Just because a person can use a stone to smash something doesn't mean that the stone was designed for that purpose; designed stones don't exist in nature. However, corridors don't exist in nature either. Corridors are clearly man-made.
Of course, even if an artificially designed object appears in a bizarre event, it doesn't necessarily mean that a person actually designed it. Because the bizarre is something beyond reason, it's also possible for "naturally generated artificial objects" to appear out of nowhere. This is why detective stories prohibit supernatural forces. Once supernatural forces appear, then truly anything is possible.
I can only suggest this as a possible direction—since this space has corridors, a purpose, and consumable items that can draw in outsiders (although this is just Zhu Shi's statement), it wouldn't be surprising if there was a designer behind it all. As for whether that designer is the "monster creator" mentioned by the strange person, that's another matter.
Let's assume for the sake of argument that this corridor-like maze has some meaning. Then, what method can be used to glimpse that meaning?
It's very simple, just destroy it. Many things are often difficult to perceive their significance when they exist; but when they disappear, people are surprised to realize how irreplaceable they were. Now I'm going to destroy the corridor in front of me.
I raised my right hand again, and a fireball materialized in my palm. The fireball was initially only the size of a soccer ball, but it quickly expanded into a behemoth with a diameter of over five meters.
Clearly, such a massive object couldn't fit in the corridor. The ceiling and floor were melted, exposing the floors above and below. Feeling that this fireball was enough for now, I aimed it at the wall next to me. A huge fireball, over five meters in diameter, shot out at high speed.
To avoid creating a shockwave that could harm Zhu Shi, the giant fireball was initially launched at a speed equivalent to that of a car. However, as the distance increased, the speed of the giant fireball also increased, easily surpassing the speed of sound.
Zhu Shi was shocked by the commotion I was making. She looked at me, then at the huge fireball disappearing into the distance, as if she thought I was upset by my inescapable situation. She even tried to comfort me, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry, Senior Brother Zhuang. Although conquering other dimensions isn't my forte, I've already figured some things out. I will definitely get you out of here."
I told you not to worry about me… But before I could finish my sentence, her next words caught my attention, and I asked curiously, “What did you figure out?”
“Although this alternate dimension is not part of the real world, it is very close to the real world,” she said confidently. “In other words, as long as we destroy it, we will automatically return to the real world.”
"Do you have a way to destroy the alternate dimension itself?"
"As long as we find the flaw..."
As she spoke, she focused her attention on the air in front of her, seemingly concentrating on observing the space itself. Every now and then, she raised her sword, as if measuring where to strike.
Could she be hiding some kind of skill that can shatter the void...? I couldn't figure out what she was planning to do for the moment, so I had to concentrate on sensing the huge fireball I had launched.
And with that one perception, I immediately noticed the anomaly.
Then he realized that the strange man's earlier boast that no matter how many centuries he walked through, he would never be able to get out of this maze, and that this space was infinitely large, was probably not just bragging.
In the passage created by the massive fireball's rampage, I could see that the details of the scene hundreds of meters away were becoming increasingly ambiguous.
Normally, I couldn't see the details of such distant scenes clearly with the naked eye, but now I see them through my special perception centered on the giant fireball. Even tiny "fireflies" allow me to eavesdrop on other people's phone calls from a distance, and this giant fireball is like an external eyeball, enabling me to exert perception far beyond my normal form.
I noticed that the scenery around the giant fireball was normal, but the "resolution" of the scenery in the distance was significantly reduced, and the scenery in the more distant places even disappeared completely.
The scene that appeared in my perception reminded me of many open-world single-player computer games. To save computing resources, those games reduce the quality of images in the distance from the player's controlled character, or don't display them at all. For example, when the character is indoors, the outdoor image won't load, or will only load a portion of it.
This alternate dimension is certainly not a virtual world, but it surprisingly follows the same rules. If we walk forward, the corridors far behind us disappear, and corridors far ahead are created. The total number of corridors is constant, and we will always be at the center of the maze.
If we walk steadily, we will never reach the end of the corridor. This is a kind of "infinity".
Leaving aside the strange creatures that have become one with the maze space, there should now be nearly twenty "centers" in this maze. Two of them are me and Zhu Shi, and the rest are a giant fireball and a fireball that moves along the wall, as well as the dozen or so "fireflies" that I released at the beginning.
Why are those flames also considered the "center"? Is it because I can perceive my surroundings through the flames, or because the flames are part of my spirit? These questions are not important now. What is important is that, in doing so, the solution becomes clear.
Since it is necessary to conserve computing resources, it means that there is an upper limit to computing resources.
No wonder this "infinite" space is filled with so many winding corridors. If anyone could see such a distant view, the secret would be immediately revealed; the purpose of the maze is to conceal this fact.
If I simultaneously create an overwhelming number of "centers" and spread them in all directions, the "computing resources" of this space will be exhausted—at least that's my speculation; the actual outcome remains to be seen.
At first, I would have worried about what would happen if this space malfunctioned or collapsed, but since Zhu Shi said that as long as this space was destroyed, it would automatically return to the real world, I decided to trust her.
A fireball once again coalesced in my palm.
"I have an idea."
As I said those words, Zhu Shi also looked away from the air in front of him and said the same thing.
She immediately realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? So now is the perfect opportunity for me to show off my skills!"
It's too late; I've already started taking action.
I really want to put my proposed "method for clearing the game" into practice.
The moment I finished speaking, I slammed the fireball onto my chest, igniting my entire body and entering fire elemental form. This form was essential for simultaneously controlling a sufficient number of "fireflies." At the same time, the enormous fireball in the distance, over five meters in diameter, shattered instantly, transforming into thousands upon thousands of "fireflies," which, under my simultaneous control, moved at high speed in all directions.
A mere dozen or so "centers" are far from enough to reach the maze's capacity, but what if the number reached tens of thousands?
Each "firefly" is a "center" within this maze space, constantly generating numerous corridors. As the "fireflies" disperse and move about, the ground of the maze space begins to shake violently, and the scene before our eyes quickly becomes illusory and unpredictable.
"What have you done?!" the strange man's voice rang out again, seemingly terrified. "The labyrinth... the labyrinth is collapsing! Impossible... unless the 'conditions' specified by the monster's creator are met, this labyrinth should never be solved!"
Specified "conditions"? So this maze space has a setting where "you can only leave after completing a specified task"?
If this strange person is the "game's puzzle creator," then it just means he never intended for us to solve the puzzles in the first place. In that case, it's perfectly reasonable for us to use relatively unorthodox methods to solve the puzzles.
The shaking intensified, becoming so violent that it was almost impossible to stand. Cracks and debris appeared throughout the corridor. Finally, the corridor itself collapsed completely. Almost simultaneously, my vision was plunged into darkness.
The darkness lasted only a second, just like when we entered the maze-like space, and quickly returned to normal. I found myself standing on a football field, in front of me the grass that I had blasted into countless craters with my fireballs, and the strange man who looked like a goat-headed demon stood there bewildered.
I successfully navigated the maze from the inside, and a sense of accomplishment and relief filled my heart.
The strange man's gaze fell on me.
Immediately, his expression changed drastically, and he turned and ran. As he ran, he manipulated the nearby shadows to roll towards him. Clearly, he wanted to enter the shadow world and teleport himself to another location.
Now that I'm here, it's impossible for him to escape.
I first glanced at the manipulated shadow and ignited it with my gaze. Although I didn't quite understand why the shadow could be destroyed by high temperatures, it turned to ashes like paper under the scorching heat of the flames.
Then I raised my right hand. I am still in fire elemental form, and my body can deform at will. In other words, I can even freely manipulate my arm to make it longer and bigger.
In the blink of an eye, my right arm stretched out nearly twenty meters, and my hand became enormous, grabbing the monster before it could run far, like catching a frantically fleeing mouse. Immediately, flames erupted from my palm, instantly vaporizing everything below the monster's head.
The monster's head fell to the ground from the jaws of the giant fiery hand, instantly returning to its unharmed state. Then, it let out an extremely incoherent scream and fled desperately away from me.
Just then, a figure dressed in a straw raincoat, wearing a bamboo hat, and holding a sharp sword emerged from the night and blocked his way.
Eyes that housed a cold, clear blue light slowly opened in the darkness.
The strange man, seemingly without even seeing clearly, reflexively shouted, "Who!?"
"Luoshan is impermanent, may you find peace."
Zhu Shi said calmly, while simultaneously facing the strange man and slashing out with his sword.
Four sword beams, almost simultaneously, severed the monster's limbs, causing him to fall to the ground in a sorry state.
"I told you it's no use. I have many clones in other places. This level of injury..." the fallen monster shouted maniacally.
Then, he stopped speaking as if he had been choked.
Unlike any other time, this time, his body did not recover.
(End of this chapter)
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