"If I'm not mistaken, these passageways are all engraved with protective spells such as [Sturdy] and [Impact Defense]. But even before these spells became ineffective due to the lack of magic, these traces were still left behind, which is enough to show the basic power of these traps."
"I think I can hold them off." Miyuki was full of confidence.
I tried to refute this: "Maybe you can block one or two, but you can't guarantee you can block them all. That's why you chose to come to me."
A heavy pressure suddenly loomed over my back, but I pretended not to feel it.
“Then,” Hikari interjected, interrupting the exchange, “if this passage is so dangerous, wouldn’t it be quite troublesome for the person who created this cave to move around here?”
Hmm, that's a good question.
Thanks to the silly guy who chimed in at the right time.
"There are two ways to solve this."
I naturally picked up the conversation: "First, we need to set up the underlying logic of all the traps so that when it is determined that the person passing by is the owner of this place, or someone acting with that person, the trap will not be triggered. Second, we need to set up a main power supply and switch before entering the passage. If the power supply is cut off or the switch is turned off, the trap will not be triggered either."
"Of course, there is another solution: to completely abandon this passage and turn it into a death trap for trespassers. This way, there is no need to worry about how to avoid triggering the trap while moving around, because it is a pre-arranged dead end."
"Considering there is no trace of the former here, it is reasonable to assume it is the latter. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are unlikely."
As we continued walking down the downward path, the view of the passage gradually opened up. After about an hour and a half, we finally saw a huge door shrouded in shadow.
But it's not just doors.
Standing before that indistinguishable door, in a semi-circular open space centered on the door, also blocking our way was a gigantic figure.
It was a stone statue nearly three meters tall, depicting a knight kneeling on the ground, wearing sturdy armor and holding a broad, sharp sword. Except for the part of his face that was covered by the helmet, most of the statue's face was hidden in shadow. Even the moonstones placed nearby were mostly far away from this area, which made the atmosphere even more eerie.
"What's going on?"
Sensing the uneasy atmosphere, Miyuki took a step forward and asked in a low voice.
Her right hand remained on the knife handle, repeatedly relaxing and tightening her grip.
I frowned, because my senses detected a clear, yet still dormant, magical fluctuation emanating from the statue.
The problem is that this is merely superficial, something that can be directly confirmed. The magical energy flowing around that guy is still incredibly powerful even after all these years, but it's unclear what its core is made of, or how its basic cycles and operational logic are set up.
My perception couldn't even penetrate the core, nor could it see through the techniques attached to its outer shell.
I could only shake my head: "It's hard to say, but based on my experience, it should be a golem, and it's not only the guardian of this place, but also the main switch for this passage."
"What's the meaning?"
"That means that as long as you pass through it, you can stop the power supply to all the traps in this passage."
Miyuki's expression instantly changed from a furrowed brow to eager anticipation: "Can I cut it?"
"...I don't recommend it, but you can give it a try."
Even when testing the waters, one must be extremely careful.
I couldn't help but raise my opinion of the entity that built this cave: either it was a joint effort by multiple capable individuals, or they must have at least opened a Dharma Ring to have made such significant contributions in so many areas.
It's hard to imagine why I never knew such a person existed in academia.
Even just being proficient in any one of traps, formations, or golems would be enough for him to go down in history, let alone the fact that it has reached a point where it can be put into practice.
Could the other person be a rogue mage? It's not impossible. Or perhaps they were ostracized by academia and, feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, chose to retreat to the mountains to conduct research alone?
However, these are not issues we need to consider right now.
With a swift movement, Shen Xue drew her sword, the frost-white blade instantly creating a straight white line connecting her and the stone statue, like a battlefield that firmly links them. Before the statue could react, she lunged forward again, swiftly delivering countless relentless thrusts.
Just like she practiced this morning, the sharp icy air burst open in an instant, then suddenly contracted into a narrow line.
That was indeed an extremely powerful attack, far more threatening than what I had seen that morning. Even if I were standing opposite her, I couldn't guarantee I could completely withstand it or avoid it.
Damn it!
However, such an attack did not achieve the desired effect.
I could see it clearly: just before the attack landed and was about to hit the statue's body, the core hidden deep within the statue began to vibrate, releasing a large amount of dormant magic.
As the magical energy contained within the statue became more active and flowed across its surface, a scarlet color lit up from what should have been the statue's faceplate. Then, countless subtle patterns shimmered with a solid luster beneath the carved armor.
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