As everyone cautiously entered the underground labyrinth, panic and speculation still permeated the residential area outside the church. An elderly couple stood by the window, peering out through the slightly trembling curtains.
"My dear, what exactly happened?" the old woman asked in a trembling voice, her hands nervously twisting her apron. "That golden light just now was so unusual."
“Don’t worry, dear,” the old man replied, trying to keep his voice firm. “Those brave young people are fighting for our safety… Look at them, how valiant they are!”
Under the shade of a tree not far away, two young men were discussing in hushed tones what had just happened.
"Wow, did you see that? That golden energy ball is absolutely awesome!" One of them exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly as he described the sight he had just witnessed. "I knew James and his crew weren't ordinary people; they really had a winning hand."
“It’s certainly quite shocking.” His companion nodded, but then his brows furrowed slightly. “But to be honest, I’m more worried about who’s behind all this, and what their conspiracy is… We’d better stay away.”
While various speculations were swirling outside, the people inside the church had already entered the mysterious underground space and quickly realized that the situation here was not as simple as they had imagined.
“Wait…” Robin suddenly raised a hand to stop the group from moving forward. “Something seems wrong up ahead—look at the left side of that fork in the road, there’s a place with a faint glow…that should be the first door to the truth.”
James immediately chimed in, "By the way, I remember that the reinforcement mentioned some clues about ancient civilizations...maybe we can find something here."
Just as everyone was staring at the strange point of light, preparing to approach, suddenly, a series of low, threatening voices echoed throughout the maze: "Heh, you really think you can so easily uncover my secret? How naive!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding environment suddenly changed—countless tiny, eerie blue flames simultaneously emerged from all directions, flickering in the air. These flames did not bring warmth but rather a sense of unease. "Everyone, prepare for battle. It's going to be very dangerous," Arya said calmly, though she herself was filled with worry.
Mark gripped his longsword tightly, glanced around warily, and said, "Judging from the sound, this should be a trap set by that guy from before. We must be very careful."
Just then, several strangely shaped figures scurried out from the corner, approaching the explorers step by step. "They are agile but small in size. We can try to surround them and take them out," Sofia suggested.
"Okay, let's do it this way!" Tom gave the order, and the group immediately spread out to firmly lock the strange creatures' path.
Meanwhile, after ensuring there were no further attacks from hostile forces, Robin led the rest of the group towards the source of the strange light. "Whatever difficulties or challenges await us... I believe that as long as we are united, there is no problem we cannot overcome!" the young man encouraged everyone, his words filled with confidence and courage.
Finally, after several arduous efforts, they arrived at a magnificent yet extremely strange gate—the very place of the previously mentioned source of light.
Rex eagerly stepped forward, wanting to push open the door and investigate, but Karl stopped him: "Wait a minute, brother... there might be more ambushes in this kind of place." The young man frowned, thought for a moment, and then nodded in agreement: "Hmm, you're right... Alright, let's stick to the original plan and have Miss Sophia scout ahead first before making any further decisions, shall we?"
Seeing that everyone else agreed with her suggestion, Sofia took a deep breath and began her telepathic process. "If everything goes smoothly, I should have some results soon... I just hope the outcome won't be too unexpected..."
However, just as Sofia was fully focused on using her abilities to probe, that mysterious voice once again reached everyone's ears: "Oh my... you've even mastered such an ancient technique, that's quite impressive! But even so, unlocking all the mysteries here won't be so easy~ Hahahahaha..."
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Arya frowned: "They're clearly provoking us. There will definitely be more challenges ahead... Everyone, be on your guard and don't give them any openings!"
The crowd gathered before the ornately decorated door, their hearts filled with unease and anticipation. Karl cautiously placed his hand on the doorknob, but suddenly felt a chill creep up his fingertips and straight to his heart, causing him to involuntarily pull back. "This doesn't feel right..." he murmured.
“Don’t be nervous.” James stepped forward and carefully examined the carvings on the door. “These markings are very similar to some of the symbols we’ve encountered before. They should be relics left by the same civilization.”
“James is right,” Sofia nodded. “If we can decipher the hidden information behind these symbols on the door, it might be of great help to everything we’re about to face.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle yet irresistible force began to slowly guide Sophia's fingers along the intricate patterns. At the same time, the others present also sensed a strange aura surging from all directions—clearly, something unexpected was about to happen.
A moment later, when all the traces had been drawn, a warm golden light illuminated the entire room, and the heavy, tightly closed door finally creaked open slowly...
"Wow, that's amazing!" Mark exclaimed. "It seems we've really stumbled upon some incredible secret this time!"
Just as everyone was preparing to continue their exploration, a series of hurried footsteps and a cacophony of voices suddenly sounded outside the door:
"Hey! Hey guys, wait a minute! What's going on inside?" A strange male voice rang out, his tone a mix of doubt and curiosity. Immediately, several other people followed him, chattering amongst themselves—they were a group of passersby who had been watching the church from the outside for a long time but hadn't dared to go in.
"Are you... the villagers outside?" Arya asked warily, her gaze sweeping over the faces of each newcomer. "That's right! We heard someone broke in and were worried, so we came to see if we could help," the leader laughed heartily, showing his empty hands to indicate he meant no harm.
Seeing this, James lowered his guard slightly and briefly explained the current situation before saying, "It's great that everyone is here to help out of concern! To be honest, we do need more people to join us to ensure safety. However... this road ahead is full of unknowns and dangers, so please think carefully before you proceed."
After hearing these words, a heated discussion broke out in the crowd—some hesitated; some were afraid but couldn't help but want to see for themselves; and some were eager to try and couldn't wait to take action immediately.
Finally, the friend who spoke first broke the brief silence: "Okay, listen up, friends! Although the risks are great, we can't back down easily, right? Who wants to take the risk with me and see what happens? Anyway, someone has to do something meaningful, right?"
Upon hearing this, several enthusiastic young people immediately echoed, expressing their willingness to give it a try. Thus, after selection and reorganization, the expedition team grew considerably stronger once again.
Just then, the eerie laughter that had been silent for so long echoed through the air once more. "Ha~ How interesting... to be able to gather even more innocent people to become cannon fodder... Well then, children, are you ready to face the challenge? Remember: only the truly strong and fearless can overcome all obstacles to reach the truth... Hahaha!"
Hearing those slightly hoarse yet threatening words, everyone became extremely alert—no matter the outcome, they were determined to fight until they uncovered the mystery!
"Everyone, be careful! Don't let your guard down, there are definitely many more traps and mechanisms here!" Robin frowned as he warned everyone, drawing his weapon to prepare for any new threats that might arise.
“We must keep going, no matter what. Who knows what secrets lie behind that door, but we must uncover them!” Arya said firmly, her eyes fixed on the slowly opening, mysterious door.
At this crucial moment, a newly joined villager asked in a trembling voice:
"Do you think we can really find the key to solving all this? What if it's just a trap..."
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