Chapter 407 The Apprentices’ Choice
The biting cold wind rolled up ice shards and slapped everyone’s face on the snowy field.
In front of the entrance of the maze, a huge pit opened ugly, and the rock formations at the bottom of the pit glowed with a stubborn cold light under the light of magic.
Merck’s voice was torn somewhat out of shape by the strong wind.
His mage robe was dancing wildly in the wind and snow, and his usual meticulous scholar demeanor had long been replaced by anxiety and exhaustion.
In front of him, several teaching assistants stood side by side, holding long staffs in both hands and pointing forward.
They gathered the remaining magic power into a stream, and formed an earth-yellow beam of light that hit the bottom of the pit again, exploding into a wild cloud of snow mist!
Kemidil was at the front. He was almost using up his mental power to cast spells, his pale face was full of guilt.
It was he who proposed to his mentor to introduce undead from the Kingdom of Rhodes... If he hadn't been so talkative, things would never have gotten out of hand like this.
However, when the light of magic dissipated, the scene at the bottom of the pit made everyone feel despair.
"No, tutor!" The voice of an assistant teacher was hoarse due to exhaustion, "'Rock Dissolution' has been bounced off! The situation here... seems to be a little wrong!"
In the deep pit, strange dark red crystals were like a huge scab, covering the entire bottom of the pit.
The magic blast on it is like a mud cow entering the sea, only a few weak sparks are splashed, and not even a dent is left.
"Waste!" Merck roared angrily, pushed the exhausted Kemidil away, stood on the edge of the pit himself, and reached the main casting position of the spellcasting group.
He must not fail!
Professor Alister entrusted him with the entire trial. It was the great trust given to him by the professor and even the Tower of the Great Sage!
If something happens to three thousand apprentices under his supervision, and it is due to his negligence, his academic career will be completely ended!
"In the name of dust and mountains, dance at my command, turn into an indestructible spear, and break the earth's barriers!"
Merck raised his wand high, and obscure and passionate incantations were recited rapidly from his mouth.
The air was distorted in a visible form, and the surging magic power gathered at the tip of the staff. The light was so intense that the surrounding assistants subconsciously closed their eyes.
He concentrated all his power on the spell and slammed it into the ominous dark red!
The deafening loud noise almost tears the eardrums, and the strong shock wave lifts the surrounding snow several meters high, like a sea tide rolling on the snowfield.
However, when the smoke and dust cleared, the red crystal at the bottom of the pit... didn't even have a single crack.
Merck's breathing stopped.
"How...is this possible?" ! 』
He staggered forward, feeling a turmoil in his heart.
This is silver-level destructive magic!
One blow that is enough to knock down the fortress wall!
Several assistant teachers who provided him with magical support could no longer hold on. Their vision went dark and they fell backwards. Thanks to the support of the apprentices on the side, they did not fall into the snow pit.
Merk walked to the edge of the pit in despair, staring at the crystal, and finally saw the full picture of the rock formations in the pit.
It is smooth and dense, as if it is the shell of some kind of creature.
At the moment he stared, the surface of the crystal suddenly pulsed with an ominous shimmer in a slow rhythm... just like the heartbeat of a giant beast.
At the same time, a dull and long low roar came faintly from the depths of the earth, like a giant whale roaring in the deep sea!
All the teaching assistants had panic on their faces, helpless to deal with the situation in front of them.
"What is this?!"
"Wait..."
"It seems to be alive!"
"Holy Saint Sith... Go and invite the sages of the Holy School!"
Listening to the screams and shouts of the teaching assistants not far away, Merk's pupils shrank suddenly, and a drop of cold sweat slipped from his forehead.
The land beneath his feet, together with the maze where thousands of apprentices were imprisoned, seemed to have turned into a...
A living monster.
…
In a certain passage on the first floor of the maze, a funny "interrogation" is taking place.
"Say! Where is the key to the treasure chest hidden?"
Player [Mekawa Qiuku] is shaking a leg bone picked up from the ground, threatening the magic apprentice hanging upside down in the net bag in front of him.
The translation crystal hanging on his chest shows his status as a rich player, so that he does not have to use sign language to communicate like other players.
"I...I don't know what the key is!" The apprentice was about to cry, his bloodshot face turned red because he was hanging upside down.
"Are you talking back?" [Wangchuan Neiku] searched the apprentice's pockets and only found a few pitiful copper coins. He couldn't help but said in disgust, "With this little money, you have the nerve to come and participate in the trial?"
The apprentice's face turned red and his lips trembled with anger.
Who participates in the maze trial and still carries money with him!
These copper coins were picked up from the monsters in the maze, but now they were all snatched away by this group of undead who did not follow the rules.
【Chuan Liao Yi】 was studying the wand he had just seized from the apprentice, stroking his clumsy mandible and commenting.
"The workmanship is rough and the material is inferior. No one wants it if it is thrown into the "Beep--" store."
The so-called "Beep--" is actually the "necropolis", but this word, like many words including hell, was automatically silenced by the translation crystal.
That was not an important thing in the first place.
Just as the three of them were enjoying the fun of "recovering" the loot, a low hum suddenly came from the ground beneath their feet.
"Huh?" Meichuan Qiuku stopped and looked around in confusion, "What's the sound?"
Before he finished speaking, countless dark red lines appeared on the stone walls on both sides of the passage without warning. The lines were like the blood vessels of a living creature, pulsing slowly and exuding an aura of decay.
strands of ominous red mist seeped out from the cracks in the rocks and spread quickly, like the hot breath exhaled from the fangs of a wild beast!
"Let me go and trigger a hidden plot?"
"Is the event BOSS about to be refreshed!?"
The three players all became excited.
Only the apprentice who was hanging upside down had a confused look on his face, unable to understand what these three weird skeleton soldiers were mumbling about.
Plot?
Activities?
Is this also part of Merck’s mentorship program?
He doesn't understand.
At this moment, a majestic system prompt suddenly sounded in the consciousness of the three players at the same time, but the content was completely different from their guesses.
【Urgent mission update: Chaos invasion! 】
【Demon King: The bastards of chaos have polluted my hunting ground. Change of plan, my servants, prioritize eliminating the minions of Chaos! Erase them from the maze once and for all! 】
【Main mission (updated): Cooperate with Xuebang magic apprentices to fight against the servants of chaos and retreat to the temporary refuge! 】
"Cooperation?" The three players looked at each other with astonishment written all over their faces.
At this moment, from the depths of the thick red mist, several twisted humanoid creatures walked out quietly with staggering steps.
Their bodies are asymmetrical, their skin is a dead gray color, and the only organ on their face is a mouth that opens silently.
That mouth is used to eat people.
"Ah——!" When the hung apprentice saw those monsters, he immediately let out a heart-rending scream, "It's the Howler! The servant of Chaos! Let me down quickly!"
"The Howler?" [Meikawa Qiu Pants]'s eyes moved.
This NPC knows a lot.
He no longer hesitated and swung the sharp bone stick to cut off the rope.
The apprentice fell heavily to the ground, and before he had time to take a breath, [Chuan Shui] stuffed the cheap wand back into his hand.
"Hey, boy," [Meikawa Qiuku] squatted down and patted his pale face, "You are lucky, you met us in the maze, and now you are one of ours. If you want to survive, tell us everything about that thing."
Looking at the three "undead" who had a 180-degree change in attitude in front of him, and at the monster approaching not far away, the apprentice was completely confused.
But he quickly made the only right choice, clenched his wand and nodded tremblingly.
"It, they are servants of Chaos... It is recorded in the Forbidden Book that they will devour all living creatures they encounter, and tear out their souls together with their flesh and blood!"
For a world with abundant "spiritual energy", this is undoubtedly the cruelest way to die.
It's not just the loss of strength, but what's more terrible is that once the soul is missing a leg, it will be a cripple for who knows how many lifetimes.
If the soul is too incomplete, it is possible to be reincarnated into an animal... This is the current mainstream academic view of the soul school.
The apprentice who spit out the information swallowed his mouth and continued with a trembling voice.
"I, my suggestion is... we have to break out of the encirclement as soon as possible and go to the refuge first! The other apprentices and teaching assistants should already be rushing there, we have to join them first!"
Hence [Wangchuan Neiku] threw a few copper coins back into his arms, opened his mandible, and revealed a smile that looked extremely scary to the other party but was unexpectedly reassuring.
"We will go with you, in exchange, I need you to forget about the unpleasantness just now...can you do that?"
The apprentice nodded quickly, like a chicken pecking at rice.
Joking.
He would not be stupid enough to say no at this time.
【Meichuan Qiu Pants】patted his shoulder with satisfaction.
"Very good."
"Now, lead the way."
…
A strange cooperation kicked off in the bloody maze. The empire's magic apprentices fought side by side with the evil undead. This was probably the first time in the history of the school.
...They have no eyesight and rely on sensing the fluctuations of the soul for positioning, and you are undead with relatively weak souls, so they cannot see you clearly!"
The rescued apprentice Leo shouted loudly, that was the knowledge he read from the forbidden book. After taking a short breath, he continued to direct.
"Don't aim at the head, use physical attacks on their chests! They have no brains, but the crystals on their chests are their weak points!!"
"Ouch!"
"Copy that!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the player "Mekawa Qiuku" used the leg bone in his hand as a javelin and threw it accurately, piercing the chest of a Howler.
The monster fell silently and turned into a puddle of ashes.
"Wangchuan Neiku" and "Chuan Liaoyi" were on the left and right, using the hardness of the bones and dexterous movement, like two mercenaries who were good at fighting, to defeat the approaching Howlers one by one.
Apprentice Leo looked at all this in stunned silence.
The way these undead fight is completely different from what he knows!
They did not have the support of the Necromancer, but relied on their combat intuition and tacit understanding that were far beyond ordinary people to suppress a group of Howlers in place.
Under their cover, lone apprentices were rescued one after another and joined this strange team composed of one human and three skeletons.
However, as the crowd continued to deepen, the number of howlers also increased. They are all evil ghosts attracted by the hot soul fire, eager to devour those pure souls alive.
At a narrow fork in the road, dozens of monsters emerged from the creeping walls, completely blocking their way to the refuge.
"Too many! We can't rush through!" A female apprentice who had just joined shouted in panic, the fireball condensed in her hand flickering with fear.
"Tsk, that's really troublesome." Meikawa smacked his lips in his autumn pants.
He glanced at the trembling young men and girls beside him, and then at his own skeleton that could be scrapped at any time.
Honestly——
Although he knew very well that he was playing a game, these flesh-and-blood NPCs really made it difficult for him to treat them as cold data.
Perhaps, this is also part of the "closed beta".
Hand planning, you win.
He sighed in his heart, and at the same time a clear idea took shape in his mind, and this idea also made the soul fire burning in his skull shine even more.
Whether to choose to be a hero for a minute or to return to the cold tomb with few rewards... This multiple-choice question seems to require no hesitation at all.
It’s just a temporary body anyway.
He wanted to experience another life that he had never considered for a second in reality.
"Hey, you guys!" He shouted with a hoarse bone grinding sound, "I'm responsible for distracting them, you take the opportunity to rush over!"
Leo was stunned.
"You...what did you say?"
Meichuan Qiuku did not answer and only dropped one sentence.
"My name is Umekawa Qiuku!"
He picked up a thick rib, let out a strange cry of unknown meaning, and actually rushed into the gray sea of monsters.
Like a runaway wild horse, he used his body to smash a passage and startled the howlers who surrounded him.
They don’t understand why a soul fire that is as weak as a firefly erupts with unimaginable ripples at this moment.
All the magic apprentices who witnessed this scene were stunned.
They could not understand why an undead soul defined as "evil" and "chaotic" by the Holy See would make such a decisive sacrifice to protect a human being whom he had never met.
"Don't be in a daze!" Wangchuan Neiku's roar brought them back to reality from the shock, "Don't let the sacrifice of Qiuku be in vain!"
Leo gritted his teeth, a trace of complicated emotions flashed in his eyes.
He no longer hesitated and led the apprentices behind him to rush through the passage that was exchanged for the "life" of a skeleton.
On the way to retreat, heroic sacrifices continued to be performed.
Players do not begrudge their temporary bodies.
Whenever they encounter difficulties that cannot be overcome, they do not hesitate to use their soul fire, which is as erratic as fireflies, and use the most direct and brutal methods to open up paths for the fragile magicians behind them and buy them time to cast spells.
Withered bones paved this bloody road, and the chaotic maze that tried to swallow them was actually "indigestion" for a while.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that Alister needs to allocate a lot of power to suppress Prince Colin.
After all, as long as he relaxes a little, Colin, who is also a diamond, will break through the barrier and reach the floor where the core of the maze is.
With enemies from both sides, he could only drive the lowest level howlers to hunt the apprentices, and he had no time to even seduce new "fanatics".
When the last group of survivors finally arrived at the East District refuge, none of the three undead who initially followed the apprentices were still standing.
In the refuge, the apprentices who had survived the disaster gathered together in silence, with mixed feelings in their hearts, and the atmosphere was depressing and heavy.
If they were ordinary undead, even if they were saved from danger, they would definitely not be as complicated as they are now.
But unfortunately, those undead souls don’t look like undead souls at all, but like living people...
A female apprentice finally couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling.
"Why...are they trying to save us?"
Leo clenched the wand in his hand that was returned to him by "Chuan Yiyi", and replied in a low voice: "I don't know...but the way they fight doesn't look like unconscious monsters."
After a pause, he raised his head and tried to explain this phenomenon with his immature knowledge.
"Perhaps... they are also a kind of living beings, but we can't understand them yet?"
Another rescued mage also nodded and said in a hoarse voice: "Yes, they can even joke...although I don't understand what's so funny about that at all."
The female apprentice looked at a skeleton in the distance that had just reorganized its body and immediately rushed to the battlefield. Her complicated eyes were full of confusion.
Whether it was the priest of the church or the magician of the school, they all told her that the undead were evil existences and the enemies of every Saint Sith's people.
But...
Is this really the case?
The history of a thousand years ago is a closely guarded memory for the believers of Saint Sith, but there is only one thing that even the most extreme believers cannot deny.
Whether it is because you are not pious enough to go to heaven, or because you are bewitched by the necromancer, or you have listened to the slanders of hell, these undead souls are not conjured out of thin air.
They were once human beings.
Of course they all have their own sins.
But this does not mean that Saint Sith is holy and immaculate.
…
Under the cover of the players, most of the magic apprentices evacuated to the evacuation point on the first floor of the maze, and gained temporary safety under the cover of the assistants.
However——
Not everyone escaped.
There are still a small number of apprentices wandering in the maze, without the protection of the players or encountering the patrol assistants, and they are isolated and helpless in fear.
For example, Coors is one of them.
He never thought that he, who was so wise and mighty and had a bright future, would be in such a mess. Not only did he lose the qualification for the trial on the first floor of the maze, but even surviving became a luxury.
Just now, due to the siege of the Howlers, he was separated from his assistant coach and teammates in the chaos.
The damn acid slimes in the trap previously destroyed everything about him, including the mage robes that symbolized honor and his beloved wand.
At this moment, the only covering he had was a rough blanket thrown to him by the patrol assistant.
Red mist filled the corridor, and disturbing neighing sounds could be heard in the distance. He huddled in the corner, cold and scared.
The only good thing is that he still has a gold coin on him that was not eaten by the slime.
This is the last possession he picked up from the maze.
Although he had great expectations at this moment, what he held in his hand was not a gold coin, but a magic crystal or a magic wand.
That would at least give him a sense of security that was better than nothing.
‘We must find a way to get a magic wand...' He gritted his teeth and thought silently in his heart, while looking around anxiously.
Continuing to wait here is not an option after all.
With this last hope in mind, he wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and stood up, carefully starting to wander aimlessly in the maze.
Perhaps Saint Sis heard his prayer.
I don’t know how long it took, but at a corner of the maze, he saw a simple stall with an "Official Supply Point" sign.
The three skeletons were looking around and muttering, seeming to be debating whether to escape.
Saint Sis is up there!
He has never seen such a weird scene, the lowest skeleton soldier can actually do business!
"Should we withdraw..."
"I'm thinking about it too... the atmosphere here gives me a bad feeling."
"Close the stall, close the stall!"
He vaguely heard the conversation of the three skeleton soldiers, Coors was overjoyed, regardless of how weird the scene was, and rushed over immediately.
The three skeleton soldiers were startled by the sudden appearance of a living person.
But when they saw his tragic appearance, they couldn't help laughing.
[Knowledge Explosion]: "Brother, are you being robbed?"
[Go to the pier to watch the seagulls]: "Hahahaha! I didn't even leave you a piece of clothing? Which dog coin is so bad? Tell us, and we will laugh at him for you."
Coors was red-faced, speechless, and couldn't understand what they were saying, so he could only ask bravely.
"Are you...really the supply point set up by Instructor Merck?"
[Good Citizen of Gotham] replied impatiently.
"Of course! Isn't it written on the sign, are you illiterate?"
"I, I just can't imagine it," Coors blushed, and then asked hurriedly, "What do you sell?"
"Magic wand! I need a magic wand! Do you have a wand?!"
"Wand? Ah, of course there is...I'll look for it."
The player "Go to the pier to catch seagulls" rummaged under the stall for a while, and really found a crooked wooden stick.
This is from a certain unlucky apprentice. They are of no use keeping them anyway, and they don’t look valuable, so they might as well get them cheaply.
"Hey, you look pitiful, this "Ancient Rune Rod" is cheaper for you! But having said that, do you have money? Let me tell you in advance, we don't accept credit!"
"I, I do! Who said I have no money!"
Coors looked at the "antique" that was almost falling apart, and the corner of his mouth twitched, but he still gritted his teeth and handed out a gold coin.
"Is it enough?"
【Go to the pier to spot seagulls】his eyes lit up and he took it over.
"That's enough! Just right! You're lucky, young man!"
"..."
Kurth didn't want to stay here for a second longer, holding his new weapon, he hurriedly left this group of shameless profiteers.
But no matter what, Saint Sith was still kind, and his wish to exchange gold coins for a wand finally came true.
Coors mustered up the courage and ran all the way without caring about his own appearance. Anyway, there was no one else here.
What a coincidence.
At this moment, a shrill scream came from the front, breaking the silence in the maze corridor.
Coors was startled and instinctively wanted to hide, but the sound stopped him from taking a step, and he had nowhere to go except moving forward.
He quietly poked his head out and saw several magicians in blue robes being cornered by a group of howlers, with despair written on their faces.
Although they have been promoted to mages, they probably just got promoted this year, and their combat experience and spell casting experience are quite weak.
These rookies probably regarded this maze trial as a treasure hunt, but they did not expect to encounter such a terrifying monster on the first floor.
Run?
Still not running?
Coors’ brain was working rapidly.
He recalled the "strong theory" he once boasted to Finn, and also recalled his arrogance in "dismissing" Ilana.
Him He has lost the qualification to continue challenging the maze, but if he chooses to escape here, then he will really be just a coward who can talk.
Kors gritted his teeth, and a courage that even he himself had not noticed surged up from the depths of his cowardly heart.
Perhaps——
Hence the significance of Saint Sith giving the confiscated wand back to him.
For a moment, he suddenly realized what true strength is.
"Hey! You shameless guys! Look here!"
Coors roared and rushed out, the only blanket on his body making a noise as he ran, like a funny battle flag.
The howlers smelled the scent on his body, and all turned to look at the prey that suddenly broke into the hunting ground.
Seizing the moment of pause among the Howlers, Coors took a deep breath and poured all his mental power into the inferior wand in his hand.
"...Burning flames, may you use your incomparable heat to burn away the sins that remain in the world!"
The hot flames spurted from the tip of the staff, like arrows fired from a crossbow, and accurately hit a Howler.
The burned Howler fell to the ground silently in pain.
And the other howlers rushed towards him, deciding to get rid of the bigger trouble in front of them before enjoying the delicious food.
Coors retreated while casting spells, and at the same time shouted loudly to the frightened juniors: "Get out of the way! Why are you still standing there stupidly!"
The apprentices woke up from a dream and ran away to the other end of the passage.
Confirming that they were far away, Coors breathed a sigh of relief.
Facing the approaching gray monster, he simply threw away the blanket that was in the way. The face that was pale due to fear actually squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying.
He raised the wand high that might fall apart at any time, and with all his strength, he uttered the first and most devout prayer in his life.
"Your Majesty Saint Sith...please grant me the flame that purifies the evil spirits!"
Integrating the power of the Holy Light into the flame was his sudden attempt. In normal times, he would never take such a risk, but now he can only bet his chances on this one chance to cast a spell.
Ordinary flames can never destroy such a number of chaotic evil spirits!
A holy flame spurts out from the tip of the staff. It has no scorching temperature, but carries undoubted majesty.
The flames turned into a wave that purified everything, instantly sweeping through the corridor ahead.
The moment the dozens of howlers touched the flames, they melted silently like ice and snow exposed to the scorching sun, leaving not even a trace of ashes behind!
Kors felt his body sway, his head was dizzy, and he almost fell to the ground.
With a pale face, he held onto the wall, panting heavily, and at the same time looked at his slightly trembling hands in shock.
This is...
A breakthrough? ?
The holy flame gradually extinguished, and the corridor returned to silence.
Before Kors could think about what happened to him, he felt a spin, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away.
The shaky wand in his hand fell to the ground first with a "snap", and then his knees weakened, and he was about to fall down.
However, at the moment when he was about to fall, a few pairs of thin but strong hands supported him from behind in time.
They are the junior students who were saved by him.
These young magic apprentices did not run far away, but were looking worriedly at the corner not far away.
At this moment, they were looking at him with a mixture of guilt, awe and worry, as if they were looking up at a hero.
A primary school girl ran forward, picked up the blanket he dropped on the ground, and carefully put it on him again, who was naked.
"Thank you..." She looked at Coors and said sincerely, "...the brave man wearing a blanket!"
The brave man wearing a blanket...
The brave man?
This title made Coors' heart skip a beat.
He looked at the grateful faces, and a strange emotion surged in his chest, which actually made him choke for a moment.
∣ Praise to Saint Sis...
∣ He vaguely seemed to understand what he really wanted... or what he longed for.
With the support of his fellow students, Coors finally arrived at the temporary shelter in the East District.
As soon as he stepped into this temporarily safe area, he heard the "legend" about himself from people's comments.
"Yes! That's the name!"
"Hahaha! Is it true?"
This outrageous nickname made the trace of color on Coors' face burn to the base of his ears.
He was so ashamed that he wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it!
However, when he thought of the sincere admiration, his shameless face still showed a smile of secret joy and pride.
An inconspicuous seed, under the shadow where the sun cannot shine, is taking root and sprouting little by little...
(End of this chapter)