As the three of them stepped into the opened passage, the stone path beneath their feet began to soften, feeling like they were stepping on grass.
The blush on Loviki's face had not fully faded yet, and she kept her mouth shut, remaining silent the entire way.
Flora walked beside her, looking around as they went. The environment seemed almost identical to the corridor from before, but the physical sensation was completely different.
Chen Mian walked at the very front. He had already put away the dungeon map, as the moment they stepped into this passage, their route had completely deviated from the parchment.
Once the three of them had fully entered the passage, the stone door quickly shut behind them. Suddenly, a female voice rang out:
“Wow! A party of three! I love it! Since you've made it here, you must have my treasure map, right? The information about the third-floor treasure is right here! But if you want to get my things, you have to go through a little hardship first! Otherwise, it would feel way too easy... Come on, use the ‘bond’ between you to pass my trial!”
“Don't worry! This is a stage I created, so it's absolutely safe! Probably...”
Hearing the voice, a flash of obvious surprise crossed Chen Mian's eyes.
Loviki reflexively gripped her sword hilt, scanning their surroundings, but saw no one.
“No need to look around, I am the mechanism itself~ The game has begun! From now on, a large chunk of the floor beneath your feet could disappear at any moment. As long as one person makes it through this corridor to the end, you pass. Your mana will be suppressed to almost ordinary levels along the way, but don't try to break the suppression. Otherwise, this place will go ‘boom’ and collapse, and you'll never find my treasure again. But don't worry~ falling down won't hurt you! I promise!”
Just as she finished speaking, a powerful surge of mana enveloped the three of them.
Chen Mian cooperatively suppressed his mana to Level 1, and the mana fluctuations on Flora and Loviki similarly vanished.
“My mana really is gone.” Loviki looked down at her hands. “Is this what it feels like to have no mana?”
Before her voice could fade, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.
One by one, the stone slabs lit up with a pale green glow, extending forward from beneath their feet and pointing straight to the end of the corridor. The texture of each slab felt strangely soft.
“Don't worry, there's a safe landing spot below. You won't die anyway, though you might end up looking a bit disheveled~” The female voice rang out again, her tone carrying obvious amusement.
“Let's go,” Chen Mian said as he took the lead and stepped onto the glowing path. The stone slab beneath his feet didn't budge.
Loviki followed close behind, stepping onto the second stone slab. She was also completely safe.
Flora followed behind her, her pace slightly quicker than usual.
The three of them lined up in a single file, staying close to one another as they made their way toward the end of the corridor.
After they had walked about several dozen meters...
“Thud.”
A dull sound echoed.
Without any warning, the stone slabs beneath Flora's feet completely vanished, revealing a pitch-black square opening. Before she could even react, she began to plunge downward.
“Watch out!” Loviki reacted incredibly fast. Almost the instant Flora began to fall, she lunged sideways, her right hand clamping tightly around Flora's wrist. However, with her mana suppressed, the pulling force dragged her forward, causing her to stumble.
Immediately after, the stone slabs beneath Loviki's feet also abruptly vanished, and she tumbled down toward the opening as well.
The two girls' startled screams overlapped, echoing through the narrow corridor.
The moment their bodies were suspended in midair, Chen Mian reached out with both hands and grabbed their wrists, holding them steady. If the floor beneath his feet had vanished at that moment as well, all three of them would have fallen together.
“Wow! Talk about quick reflexes! Player number one made a decisive move! Does this count as a display of team bonding? Let me see! Hmm~ judging by the physical reaction speed, it probably does!” The female voice rang out again, her tone carrying the excitement of someone who loved watching drama unfold.
Loviki glanced down at the black hole beneath her, then looked up at Chen Mian, her face still carrying the shock from a moment ago. “When she designed these rules, did she never consider how someone would pass if they came alone?!”
“A solo challenger would have a corresponding stage! And falling down won't hurt anyway! You'll just look a bit disheveled! You might fall on your butt or something~” the female voice cheerfully chimed in.
Chen Mian exerted force with both arms, pulling the two of them up one after the other.
The moment Loviki was pulled up, she lost her balance and stumbled forward, bumping right into Chen Mian.
“Ugh...” She clutched her forehead. Just as she was about to step back, she remembered there was no floor behind her and abruptly halted her feet.
Flora also regained her footing, looking down at the dark opening by her feet and letting out a soft sigh of relief.
Instead of continuing forward directly, Chen Mian turned sideways and extended his hands to the two of them. “Give me your hands.”
Loviki stared at his hand, dazed for a moment, before tentatively placing her fingers in his palm. Chen Mian closed his hand around hers.
Flora was much more straightforward, reaching out to hold Chen Mian's other hand.
Holding hands and standing in a line, the three of them continued moving toward the end of the corridor.
“Wow~ Is this hand-holding? How romantic!” the female voice said dramatically, though her tone sounded more like a spectator enjoying a show.
“Could you shut up for a moment?” Loviki said without looking back.
“No! This is my motivation for working as a witch's creation!” the female voice replied, completely unbothered.
Listening to their bickering, Chen Mian didn't say much. The witch's voice and tone were indeed very familiar.
Hand in hand, the three of them continued forward toward the end of the corridor.
“Thump!” The stone slab beneath Loviki's feet vanished without warning once more. The instant her body began to fall, Chen Mian's grip tightened, holding her firmly in place.
“Perfect coordination! Worthy of extra points!” This time, a hint of genuine amazement finally slipped into the female voice. “Do you three do this kind of thing together often?”
“We don't,” Loviki retorted, her ears turning red. “Hey! What benefit does she get from playing this game?”
“To keep a bit of hardship~” The female voice sounded very casual. “Keyins once said, ‘If you don't go through trials, how will you know if what you obtained is a treasure?’”
“Tch!”
Just like that, the three of them reached the end of the corridor, where an open stone door appeared before them.
“Alright! I'll count this as a pass! Your reward is in the table drawer. After you take it, keep walking to the left to reach the third floor! There are still some magical beasts there, though they probably aren't much of a threat to you. If you meet any other creations of ours, remember to say hello for me!”
As the three of them stepped inside, the stone door slowly shut behind them, and the voice vanished.
Standing before them was a table made of frost steel.
Chen Mian let go of their hands.
Loviki's hand hovered in midair for a brief second before she casually withdrew it and slipped it into her pocket.
The three of them stepped forward and opened the drawer of the frost-steel table. Inside lay a piece of yellowed parchment. Unrolling it, they found a map. It partially overlapped with the third floor marked on the dungeon map they had purchased, but the covered area was much larger.
In the top-right corner, there was a room marked with a crystal icon.
Below it was a message left by Keyins: “You've seen quite a bit of frost steel in the dungeon, right? The source is right there. Whether you want to forge weapons or cultivate frost-steel ore is up to you! Set off, lucky adventurers!”
Rate on N.U.
