Chapter 402 Players who sneaked into the trial
At the same time, in the upper floors of the Great Sage's Tower, a red light was flashing in an observation room responsible for monitoring subspace fluctuations.
A young magician was staring at a crystal in front of him that was flashing an unusual red light, his face showing an extremely nervous expression.
Don’t dare to neglect!
He quickly walked up to his boss, looked at the magician who was leisurely sipping tea, and reported in a panicked tone.
"Senior! There's a dense subspace fluctuation coming from an area about a hundred kilometers north of the tower. Do we need to send someone to confirm it?"
Since the teleportation array consumes relatively scarce magic crystals on the surface, and needs to withstand a certain degree of subspace backlash, this mode of travel is not the first choice for most people on the continent of Os.
In contrast, Hell and Chaos, where teleportation array technology is more advanced, prefer this method of travel that can quickly cross large inaccessible areas.
It is for this reason that fluctuations in the Warp are often seen as a sign of the spread of Hell or Chaos corruption, especially large-scale transfers!
Moreover, it's in a place like the northern wilderness where few people go...
However, after listening to his subordinate's report, the experienced magician just raised his eyelids lazily and waved his hand indifferently.
"No need to make a fuss."
As he spoke, he slowly opened the register at hand, pointed to one of the lines of record and continued.
"That's Instructor Merck's labyrinth trial site... Look here, it's written in the log! He applied for permission to use the temporary teleportation array, and the crystal you were staring at has been flickering since yesterday."
The young magician was still a little worried and asked anxiously.
"But... what kind of supplies require such a high-powered teleportation array? The fluctuations in the subspace energy are too intense!"
"Who knows?"
The boss became a little impatient after being asked this question, so he had to open another thick budget approval book and find the approved items and signatories according to the application number.
“…Oh, I found it.”
After seeing the specific content above, a smirk of understanding instantly appeared on his face.
"The budget says 'undead creatures for trials.' Hey, I guess they probably got a batch of wild ones from the Kingdom of Rhodes."
"Undead?!"
The young magician was startled at first, but then he saw the senior magician's gloating smile and a smirk suddenly appeared on his face.
"...Ha, Master Merc is really daring! The mages who challenge the maze trial this year are in for a treat!"
"I've heard that Mr. Merck is very strict, but I didn't expect him to be so strict at a celebration like this... But that's fine."
The senior magician blew gently on the tea leaves floating in the teacup and added slowly.
"Don't those guys always complain that the Mage Tower doesn't teach real things? I hope they don't regret their complaints."
Although the skeleton soldiers are just cannon fodder, they are not that easy to deal with.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many experienced adventurers stumbling in the maze...
…
On All Souls' Day, the Great Sage's Tower was decorated with lights and colors, and the snowy fields outside the tower were bustling with people, sweeping away the silence of the past.
A stone gate made of huge stones is located next to a huge platform. Assistants holding two-handed staffs stand beside the stone gate, with solemn expressions and unbearable excitement in their eyes, waiting for this grand trial to begin!
Colorful magic flags fluttered in the cold wind, and light chains made of glowing crystals crisscrossed above the crowd, decorating the entire venue like a festival celebration!
A large number of magic apprentices who had reached the level of mages gathered here in twos and threes. They wore robes of various schools, excitedly showing each other the new equipment they had prepared for this trial, and enthusiastically discussing tactics. The atmosphere was extremely warm.
"...I bet this year's champion reward is definitely a silver-level magic item!"
"Don't dream. With Mentor Merck here, we'll be lucky if we can get out of this alive..."
"Do you think the reward could be gold-level magic equipment?!"
"Hilarious! Merck doesn't need to use it on you, right?"
"Ah... I just hope my performance can attract the attention of His Highness Colin. It has been a long time since he recruited a large number of apprentices into his laboratory."
Amidst the clamor, Ilana seemed somewhat out of place.
She was wearing a plain preparatory robe and followed Anjie uneasily, being pulled by her through the crowded crowd.
"Senior Angela, most of the people here are mages. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me, a trainee, to join? Or should I just..." Seeing the frequent glances from all around, Ilana began to back down again.
"Don't be nervous, Ilana!" Anjie turned around and gave the nervous Ilana a bright smile, saying carelessly, "Everyone is very friendly, and I'm here to protect you!"
After a pause, she added another sentence.
"Besides, since we're here, you can't spoil everyone's fun at this time, right?"
Ilana was silent.
Strictly speaking, she wasn't a weak character and had her own opinions, but when faced with a well-intentioned invitation, she really didn't know how to refuse.
and……
This is just a trial, and there is nothing wrong with seeing the world, especially since there are assistant instructors patrolling the maze to ensure the safety of the apprentices.
She found ten thousand reasons to convince herself, but she didn't know that her dear senior schoolmate thought the same way.
Anjie took in her expression, a sinister smile playing on her lips, while still speaking as if her mouth was smeared with honey.
"It's okay dear, I bet you'll have a great All Souls' Day memory...we're almost there!"
As she spoke, she finally pulled Ilana to a relatively quiet corner. There, three girls, also wearing blue mage robes, had been waiting for a long time. Leading them was Miss Lastina, with a prominent nose and a pair of golden ponytails that swung like straight drill bits.
"Lasitina, I've invited Ilana over!" Anjie enthusiastically pushed Ilana in front of the crowd, introducing her as if she were a trophy. "She's Professor Colin's most proud student. With her here, our tactical analysis will definitely be a success!"
Ilana was somewhat bewildered after being pushed forward. She saluted everyone stiffly and whispered, "Hello everyone, I'm Ilana... I hope you can give me some guidance during this trial."
Lastina did not respond immediately, but crossed her arms and looked at this legendary "rival" with scrutiny, at such a close distance for the first time.
She had imagined the ugly face of this enemy countless times in her mind, thinking that she would be a calculating and slutty bitch who knew how to use her beauty to seduce men... However, the Ilana in front of her was completely different from what she imagined.
She wore a simple apprentice robe, devoid of any extraneous ornaments. Her frail figure exuded a cool aura, a touch of detachment and inexperience.
Especially those eyes, which were as clear as the lake water under the glacier, without a trace of impurities. Not only could they not arouse men's desire, but they would make anyone who saw her involuntarily become pure and free from desire.
This... is the woman who stole all of His Highness Colin's attention?
For the first time, Lastina felt a slight hesitation in her heart. This guy was clearly just a nerd who only knew how to bury his head in books.
Is it really fun to bully such people?
However, this hesitation only lasted for a moment, and was quickly replaced by an even stronger jealousy.
Who knows if that's not just an act to hook men?
Especially some men fall for this!
Lastina's back teeth creaked as she gritted her teeth.
After all, she was a noble, and although her character wasn't great, she was well-educated. Bullying the weak wasn't a righteous act, and even winning wouldn't make her feel happy. The other party had to be someone who "deserved it" to meet her bullying aesthetic.
Simply put, she had to find an excuse to put herself on the side of justice, even if it was an extremely far-fetched reason.
Lastina's expression was sometimes gloomy, sometimes tangled, so much so that Ilana couldn't help but worry whether she was too weak and caused trouble for Ange.
Anjie winked at Lastina frantically, worried that her attitude would scare away the already cooked duck, and quickly turned back to look at Ilana who had a nervous expression and said.
"Ilana...haha, Miss Lastina just doesn't talk much. She's actually a very nice person. Don't mind it."
Lastina also reacted quickly, forcing a forced friendly smile from her face to try to make amends, and stretched out her right hand.
"Welcome, Ilana. I've heard of you... Having you join our team will be a real boost."
Under normal circumstances, she would never allow a mere pariah to touch her body, even if the other person was from the empire.
Ilana held her cold hand and nodded politely and humbly.
"I don't deserve it... Magic and combat experience are my weaknesses. I need to learn a lot from you, my senior."
"Okay, let's stop being polite. The trial is about to begin."
Lastina let go of her hand, shook the ponytail hanging on her shoulders, then looked at the other two followers behind her and said.
"How are you all preparing?"
The two wizard girls grinned, one whistled, and the other played with the wand in her hand, stretching her stiff shoulders under the wizard robe.
"Everything is ready, miss."
"Me too!"
It was obvious that their status was slightly higher than Anjie's, and they were probably the type who would usually order her to go to Artisan Street to buy cigarettes.
"very good."
The corners of Lastina's mouth curled up into a smile, and then she cast her gaze towards Mentor Merck who was standing on the platform in the distance, and spoke in a cheerful voice.
"I can't wait for the next trial!"
As three long bell tolls echoed across the noisy snowfield, the originally noisy crowd at the assembly point gradually quieted down.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the temporary platform at the entrance, where Mentor Merck had already appeared.
He was dressed in the meticulous robes of a tutor of the Source Law School, with a stern expression, his eyes like a hawk scanning every young and innocent face below.
A hint of softness appeared in those sharp eyes.
Once upon a time, he was just like these young apprentices, with a clear mind and eyes full of ideals to explore the essence of power and truth.
Oh, it’s great to be young.
He cleared his throat, drove away the distracting thoughts in his mind, and spoke.
"Hello young magicians, welcome to the annual All Souls' Day maze trial. I am the person in charge of this trial, Merc."
"You may have heard of my name, or you may not, but it doesn't matter. You only need to remember one thing—"
"This maze before you will be the stage for testing all you've learned over the past year! It's also the perfect opportunity for you to prove your worthiness to stay in the academy before the real trials begin!"
"Back then, it was because I won the championship in this trial that the respected Professor Ariste Thorne spotted me from the crowd..."
Merck casually praised Professor Alister. Recently, that gentleman suddenly became very interested in fame, and it was something that came naturally to him anyway.
Waves of excited whispers spread across the snowfield, and enthusiastic faces were filled with excitement and excitement.
Even Lastina.
Although she had no interest in staying in the academy to study magic, a blush appeared on her cheeks when she thought that His Highness Colin was also watching her.
If it is that prince, it is not impossible for him to stay in the wizard tower.
As for Kurs who was standing in the crowd, he clenched his fists and secretly vowed in his heart that he must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stand out!
There is no future in doing odd jobs in the winter recruitment. In the end, he still has to rely on his strength to attract the attention of truly powerful scholars.
Those big guys value strength more!
Kurth swore that he must make a name for himself and make Ilana, who "abandoned him" and "turned into the arms of His Highness Colin", regret giving up such an honest and promising boy.
I imagine that at that time, he must have stood at a higher place than Mentor Merck, looking down at the common people with a calm and indifferent look, just like looking down at the ants on the ground...
Just when everyone was thinking about it.
Mentor Merck's emotionless voice continued to be heard, concluding the opening remarks of the trial with concise and serious words.
“The rules of the trial are simple – survive and get as deep into the maze as possible to get higher scores!”
"Your ultimate goal is to destroy the 'artificial core' located in the deepest part of the maze. That will determine who the champion is and which school will be born with the ultimate honor!"
"Go! Young men and women! Chase your dreams! You won't have such great opportunities in the future!"
"Your trial has begun!"
After he finished speaking, he didn't say another word, just waved his hand.
Just below the stone gate not far from the platform, rows of small portals that had been prepared long ago were instantly activated, and the azure mirror surface was like the rippling surface of a lake.
The enthusiasm of the apprentices was completely ignited, and the crowd rushed towards the flickering portals like a tide, one group after another, for fear of being a little slow!
After passing through the teleportation array, they and their teammates will be randomly teleported to different locations on the first floor of the maze according to the order of entry!
A carnival of opportunities and crises has begun, and what awaits them in the maze will be a test that no apprentice or mentor has ever seen before -
"It's our turn! Let's go, Ilana!"
Anjie affectionately took Ilana's arm and pulled her through the crowd towards one of the portals.
Facing the portal that was like an unknown abyss, Ilana's heart was filled with tension, as if the devil was waiting for her right ahead.
She is just a trainee. Can she really keep up with these senior mages?
It was not until yesterday that she mastered the technique of casting spells quickly and releasing multiple fireballs at the same time under Ophelia's guidance.
As if seeing through her uneasiness, Anjie quickly turned around and urged her with her rosy face and flower-like smile.
"Don't be afraid, Ilana. Just follow me closely! With Miss Lastina here, we're sure to win! She's one of the strongest students in her class!"
Lastina twirled her bangs with her index finger, her chin slightly raised with a hint of pride, as if she had tacitly acknowledged this.
Those with stronger soul levels than hers haven't worked as hard as she has, and those with weaker soul levels have no chance of competing with her. At least at the level of a mage, she has reached the peak of bronze and can't find many opponents.
That unquestionable enthusiasm finally dispelled the last bit of worry in Ilana's heart and made her feel a little relieved.
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed all her anxiety in her heart, mustered up the courage and nodded.
"Well... I'll try my best to keep up."
After saying this, she, surrounded by Anjie, followed Lastina's team into the rippling light curtain and disappeared without a trace...
In the crowd not far away, Ophelia's piercing eyes were fixed on the "Lasitina Team", watching them disappear into the teleportation array.
Although they would be transported to different locations in the maze, she wasn't too worried.
Lastina would not choose to take action on the first level of the maze, where there are the most patrol assistants and other magic apprentices passing by.
If Ilana, whom they deliberately abandoned, was rescued by someone else, their carefully woven conspiracy would be meaningless.
So they will definitely take action deep in the maze!
"Miss Castellón, when are we going to take action?" Bane whispered beside her, his eyes flashing with anticipation for the new weapons that were about to be tested.
The secret weapon they spent more than a month preparing is now in Miss Castellón's space ring. He can't wait to see the power of the "Explosive Thermobaric Bomb"!
Hader was also looking forward to it, but his reserved face was still filled with caution and worry, afraid of causing trouble.
The use of magical devices and scrolls is not prohibited in the labyrinth trial, but the prerequisite is that the power of the props cannot be used to destroy the maze walls, and the lives of other apprentices cannot be endangered...
These are the rules of the game.
Ophelia nodded, her confident face now brimming with excitement, like a captain preparing to set out to Devil's Island to rescue the princess.
The descendants of the Castellon family were all born explorers, and she was no exception. However, the interests of the Holy City and the nobility had suppressed her nature. It wasn't until she recently set foot on this snowy plain that her restless heart was finally released.
Until now, she could only experience such exciting things in novels, but now she can finally experience it in person!
She waved to Bane and Hader beside her, and gave the order to go to war with great enthusiasm.
"Set off!"
…
Just as the army of apprentices marched towards the maze, an unknown "arrival" was happening inside the maze.
The skeletons that were randomly placed in the corners of the passage as decoration suddenly lit up with the green soul fire in their skulls without any warning.
At the same time, the energy mirror monsters generated by the core of the maze began to spawn one after another. Among them were slimes, goblins, imps, and other strange creatures.
They have no interest in the "living" fellows around them, but just wander in the corridors of the maze according to the established procedures, waiting for the first "challengers" to enter the hunting area.
After all, these monsters are not monsters created by the real maze core, but counterfeits made by the spells of the Holy Energy School. Naturally, they cannot be as full of spirituality as the maze in the cemetery.
But having said that, they still fought very realistically and would not let up at all just because the other party was an apprentice.
And if some startled "skeletons" actively challenge them to a PK, they will fight back without hesitation...
In a dark and damp corner on the first level of the maze, the consciousness of [Knowledge Explosion] awakened in the body of a brand new skeleton soldier.
He first moved his creaking skeleton, then closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into the "sea of consciousness". Through the player-specific system interface, he confirmed that he was in the long-awaited new map of Xuebang, participating in a special event called "Maze Trial of All Souls' Day".
His original game character is currently frozen, and he is currently operating a mirror character. Everything will return to normal after the event ends.
Alternatively, the "mirror character" dies during the activity.
Perhaps due to the server upgrade, "Disaster OL" has updated a lot of features during this period. He couldn't help but look forward to it in his heart, maybe one day in the future, the creation of secondary characters will be allowed.
That would be awesome!
At this moment, Luo Yan's majestic voice sounded in his mind, echoing in his sea of consciousness like the sound of a bell ringing on the snowy plain.
"Wake up, my servants!"
"Xuebang's magic apprentices are making final preparations to invade our maze. I need you to nip this crisis in the bud at all costs!"
[System Prompt: The limited-time event 'All Souls' Day Maze Trial' has officially begun! Main Quest: Stop the magic apprentice from entering the lower level of the maze at all costs!]
At the same time, the task interface has also updated the detailed points rules——
In addition to gaining points by stunning or capturing magic apprentices, players participating in the event can also obtain additional rewards by searching for treasure chests hidden in the maze.
It is important to note that this activity is just a drill.
Although this was an enemy drill, the upright Demon Lord, unlike despicable and cunning humans, would not bother to attack students who were not prepared for a life-or-death fight.
All undead spirits must restrain themselves, stop fighting when necessary, and refrain from causing loss of life.
Neither +1 nor -1 will work!
"Despicable and cunning humans are okay...but isn't this guy a human himself?" Looking at this outrageous text description, Hu Wan, who had just woken up, couldn't help but complain.
Pig-Headed Knight: "That's right. He didn't say he wasn't mean and cunning."
Minotaur Warrior: "How about being aboveboard?"
Pig-Headed Knight: "Of course it's the upright yet despicable Demon Lord! No problem!"
Minotaur Warrior: "Fuck...what the hell."
Like Hu Wan, Yi Ye Zhi Qiu's expression is also a bit subtle, but the subtle points are mainly concentrated in the last line.
They are all skeletons, not goblins.
How to +1 this?
On the other side, [Knowledge Explosion], who had just woken up, was extremely excited when he saw the announcement.
He had been looking forward to the Xuebang map for a long time, but it was a pity that the Demon King had been experiencing it for them in the cloud, and these cattle and horses in the cemetery couldn't even smell any fragrance.
Although this place seems to be just the "sewer" of Xuebang, but rounding it off, it can be considered that he has come to Xuebang for further studies!
Moreover, the rewards for this event are extremely generous. The dropped rewards can be taken back to the dungeon. It can be said to be very "silver-oriented"!
It's just that it's a bit unfair not to cause any loss of life. When he was in the cemetery before, he felt that their demon king was a little too kind to his enemies.
[Knowledge Explosion] excitedly looked at the two teammates beside him - [Good Citizen of Gotham] and [Go to the Pier to Pick Some Seagulls].
He opened his jaw, and there was a "crackling" sound of bones rubbing against each other.
"Brothers! Get to work! Teach the boys of Xuebang a lesson!"
"Damn... what a piece of shit! It's not even as good as my Ankylosaur Warrior!" [Good Citizen of Gotham] was the first to complain. "My level is zero, I have no skills, and I can't even wear my favorite plate armor. This event is ridiculous!"
At least give him a lizardman skeleton soldier!
It's not like there aren't similar cemeteries...
"Stop complaining," [Knowledge Blast] said with a smile, "Didn't the notice say it? This is the temporary body the Demon Lord prepared for us, and everyone is the same! It just so happens that those leaders have been brought on the same level as us. This is the time to test our skills, isn't it?"
"Snow Leopard is right!" [Going to the dock to mess with some seagulls] also took the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and immediately agreed, "I support the dog plan!"
[Good Citizen of Gotham] complained unhappily: "Forget it, even if you're a lickspittle planner, he can't hear a word you say."
[Going to the pier to mess with some seagulls] He retorted righteously: "How do you know he can't hear you if you don't lick him?!"
[Good Citizen of Gotham] was speechless for a moment. After a long silence, he raised an osteoporotic middle finger to the bastard.
"You are this!"
[Go to the dock to mess with the seagulls] But he has no shame, and instead is proud of it, and chuckles shamelessly.
"Thank you for the compliment. It is indeed that long."
【Good Citizens of Gotham】: “…”
【Knowledge Explosion】: "…………Is this really long?"
(End of this chapter)
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