Endless Maze

"Reduced?" Everyone was taken aback by Yuan Lingmin's words. "How much reduced? Is it obvious?"

Yuan Lingmin nodded. "It's obvious. Although you can still see the Death Omen, they're very faint..." She then looked at Luo Jun: "His Death Omen is even fainter than Grandpa's..."

"So powerful?!" Everyone was shocked, and their gazes towards Luo Jun changed completely. Yuan Sijie was the most powerful elder in the clan, just one step away from the Peak, yet even the Death Omen of Old Yuan couldn't sway him. Just what abilities did this kid possess?

"Little Luo, do you have any Special Ability?" Yuan Sizhe asked curiously.

"My skill level is just so-so..." Luo Jun waved his hand, "I guess it just happens to fit in with this mission?"

Although he spoke lightly, Luo Jun was also somewhat puzzled. Old Yuan was now also Tier A Mission, possessing Peak Combat Power, and Luo Jun himself was also at the peak of his Peak. How could the two of them, joining forces for a mission, still show signs of impending Death Omen? What kind of mission was that?

However, there was no point in considering those things; he could not possibly let his Master take the risk alone.

As for Old Yuan, although he didn't want Luo Jun to come along, he had no choice but to let him since the magic weapon had already been used. He repeatedly reminded him to prioritize his own safety in case of danger and not to put himself in danger in order to take care of him.

The preparation time passed quickly, and under the watchful eyes of a group of relatives, the two figures slowly disappeared.

"Here it is..."

Once the surrounding scenery stabilized, the two found themselves in a circular room. The room was about five or six meters high and about fifteen or sixteen meters in diameter. Around the room were twelve tall doorways, and at a glance, the scene behind each doorway was different.

Some have a wide, straight corridor behind them, some have a winding passageway, some have another room behind them, and some are simply Stairwell with steps leading up and down.

Besides Old Yuan and Luo Jun, there were seven other people in the room.

"Is that... Old Yuan?" Luo Jun was still observing the surroundings when someone ran up to Old Yuan, looking excited.

"You are...?" Old Yuan looked blankly at the somewhat overweight man in his fifties before him. The man introduced himself, "Don't you remember me? I'm Li Ying. I used to study at the Ningdong Academy; you even taught me there."

"Li Ying?" Old Yuan looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, whose weathered face slowly merged with that of the young man he once was.

"It's you? What happened to you?" Old Yuan asked in surprise. "I remember you were so thin and handsome back then, lots of girls were chasing after you!"

"How could I not change..." Li Ying smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "Thirty years have passed, I'm no longer the young man I used to be..."

Old Yuan also remarked with some emotion, "It's been so many years since we last met. What have you been busy with all this time?"

"I work for the Southeast Branch as an ordinary sheriff..." Li Ying said with a smile.

"Being able to enter Tier A Mission is no small feat." Old Yuan shook his head. "Your talent back then wasn't top-tier, but it wasn't bad either. I remember you broke through to the Heart Refining Realm the year you graduated, right? So many years have passed, and you're still just an ordinary sheriff?"

At this point, Old Yuan glanced at the shrewd and worldly air that Li Ying inadvertently displayed on his face.

"These years... have been..."

"Sigh, let's not talk about it..." Li Ying waved his hand.

At this moment, the others were also attracted. Old Yuan was quite well-known in the cultivation circle. Even if they had never met him, they had at least heard of him. Everyone came over to greet him and introduce themselves.

"My name is Zheng Yu, from the Elemental School, and Security Team of the Northwest Branch." He was a lean, capable-looking man with a buzz cut.

"My name is Mao Xintong, an explorer from the Southwest Branch Insight Faction School." She was a woman in her thirties with a capable demeanor.

"My name is Ma Qiao, Rogue Cultivator, Martial Combat Faction." This was a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist.

"My name is Ling Jian, from the Manipulation School." He was a young man in his early twenties with a cold and stern face.

"My name is Sun Xiaowei, Creation Faction... still a student, a second-year student at the Dongchuan Academy." This was a long-legged girl wearing Half-Face Mask... Hmm? Those legs... Sun Xiaowei?

Luo Jun took a closer look and found that the mask she was wearing did indeed bear some resemblance to the Midnight Mask. The difference was that this mask was clearly some kind of technological artifact, with eyes that resembled goggles. Judging from the lower half of her face that was exposed, it really was Sun Xiaowei!

I didn't expect to run into someone I knew!

Luo Jun couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Sun Xiaowei noticed his gaze, turned her head to look at him, sized him up and down, and then turned her head away again.

Even through his goggles, Luo Jun could sense the other person's disdain.

"My name is Zhuge Zi, a student at the Puhua Mountain Academy." This was a girl with shoulder-length hair.

"Are you from the Zhuge Family?"

"I've heard of you, right? You're a freshman this year. I even saw posts about you on the forum!"

"To be doing Tier A Mission at such a young age, truly remarkable! A hero emerges from among the young..."

Upon hearing Zhuge Zi's introduction, the others showered her with praise. Sun Xiaowei, standing to the side, felt rather indignant. What did she mean by "heroes emerge from among the young"? She was clearly about the same age as Zhuge Zi and claimed to be a student herself, so why didn't anyone praise her?

This cannot be entirely blamed on everyone. The Explorer Academy's enrollment range can be as wide as thirty years old, so even though they are students, there may be an age difference of more than ten years.

Zhuge Zi was a freshman. As a genius from such Great Family, it was certain that she would not have enrolled too late and would definitely be under twenty years old. In addition, she was relatively petite and looked youthful, so she was naturally mistaken for a child.

Although Sun Xiaowei was not yet twenty, she was tall with long legs and a mature charm. In addition, the mask that covered most of her face made it difficult to guess her age, and people instinctively assumed that she was in her late twenties or early thirties...

Sun Xiaowei was unconvinced, but she didn't say it out loud. She just pouted and sulked. Luo Jun noticed her mood and came over with a smile, saying, "Senior, you're amazing too! You're only a sophomore, probably about my age, but you already look like a mature explorer!"

Sun Xiaowei glanced at Luo Jun with some surprise. "You have quite a good eye!"

Luo Jun chuckled, "I really admire the Creation Faction's abilities. I think the ability to create objects, even creatures, out of thin air is the most amazing school of thought!"

Hearing that he had affirmed her faction, Sun Xiaowei felt even better. She raised her hand and patted his shoulder. "With someone as good at talking as you, don't worry. If you encounter any difficulties during the mission, just tell your Senior. I'll protect you!"

"Thank you so much, Senior!" Luo Jun replied with a smile.

His consideration for Sun Xiaowei's feelings wasn't simply because they had fought side-by-side before. Don't forget, before Old Yuan entered, Yuan Lingmin had seen Death Omen. This threat of death could come from the mechanical monsters in the mission, or it could come from his teammates... Luo Jun had done missions with Sun Xiaowei before and knew that the girl wasn't a bad person, but her emotions were unstable and she was a bit willful. If she really did something foolish because of her bad mood, it might become the fuse that killed Old Yuan.

The possible cause of Old Yuan's death is still unknown, but Luo Jun is determined to nip any potential instability in the bud!

"By the way, this young man hasn't been introduced yet, what's your name?" After everyone had finished introducing themselves, they turned their attention to Luo Jun.

"My name is Luo Jun, a freshman at the Ningdong Academy, Elemental School... but I'm still getting used to my abilities after just breaking through, so I mainly focus on close combat, hahaha."

The "Elemental School" label had already been attached by Old Ai, so Luo Jun could only play the role. But he couldn't use any of the Elemental School's abilities, so he could only find an excuse for himself. "Hahaha, an Elementalist who likes melee combat, Melee Mage?" Everyone laughed, especially Sun Xiaowei, who laughed the loudest.

Amidst the laughter, the ceiling of the house began to change, slowly revealing the rules of this mission.

Welcome to the Endless Maze

Main Quest: Find the exit

Mission Time Limit: None

Mission Type: Cooperative Challenge

Mission Level: Rank A

Mission Description: This is a bizarre labyrinth located outside of time and space. People or other creatures often unintentionally come here due to various accidents and coincidences. Little is known about this labyrinth; no one knows where it came from, how it was created, how big it is, or how many levels it has. The only certainty is that once you enter, it is almost impossible to leave.

The labyrinth's floors and walls are made of an inert material with an additional protective layer that isolates Space Teleportation abilities, making it impossible to pass through using Space Ability.

The maze has a multi-layered structure with an almost infinite number of branches and rooms, but there is only one exit.

The maze contains various monsters, traps, supplies, shops, guides, and more, and may also trigger some unusual situations that players need to carefully identify and deal with.

Time inside the maze is severely distorted and out of sync with the outside world; the exact proportions vary depending on the location.

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

Side Mission: Collected Relic.

Mission Description: Many who were lost in the maze are now gone forever, lying in unknown corners, having lived for countless years. Find them, collect their Hundred Treasure Box, and use them to activate different functions.

Function 1: You can immediately obtain random supplies.

Function 2: You can randomly obtain one treasure from the Hundred Treasure Box, which can only be used in the maze and will be automatically retrieved when you leave the maze.

Function 3: It can teleport yourself and nearby players to random locations within the maze.

Function 4: Unleash a powerful attack.

Feature 5: Receive a prompt based on the current situation.

Hint: The Hundred Treasure Box found in the maze cannot be opened using lock-picking items.

To die inside the maze is to truly die.

Now, use all your abilities and wisdom to escape this Endless Maze.

Note: Since you're already here, don't be in such a hurry to leave.

After reading the task rules, everyone was somewhat surprised.

"A mission with no time limit? Doesn't that mean if we can't get out, we'll be trapped here and die?"

"Good heavens, they won't even give us a chance to Annihilation Process?"

"But if we can just keep surviving here, then everything will be fine, right?"

"How could it be that easy!"

The crowd began to chatter amongst themselves. Old Yuan, gazing at the rules, nodded. "So that's how it is. No wonder Xiao Min saw my Death Omen..."

Luo Jun was taken aback and looked at Old Yuan: "Master... Old Yuan? You've heard of this mission?"

"The Endless Maze is a rare, currently confirmed, unsolvable Tier A Mission."

"No solution?" Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. Sun Xiaowei trembled slightly and said, "Is this maze that difficult? Could it be hiding some terrifying monster?"

"Don't be afraid, Senior. Let's hear what Old Yuan has to say first..." Luo Jun hurriedly comforted her, while secretly offering her some Soothing.

"Who... who's scared..." Sun Xiaowei retorted stubbornly, "I have plenty of mission experience, I'm just a little surprised... but you, a freshman, just entered Rank A, right... don't be intimidated by this level of difficulty."

"Indeed, indeed..." Luo Jun nodded, "This is my first Tier A Mission, I'm definitely not as good as my Senior..."

"Good to know..." Sun Xiaowei feigned composure, but her mind was in turmoil: Everyone has a first time, how come she encountered such a tricky task on her first Class A mission, one that even Old Yuan said was unsolvable...

"You don't need to worry..." Old Yuan reassured him, "According to the information we have, the monsters in this maze aren't very strong... or rather, powerful monsters are rare and not easy to encounter. The real difficulty lies in the quest mechanics itself."

"We can't find the exit... right?" Zhuge Zi had already realized the problem.

Old Yuan nodded. "The exact number of people who have entered this Endless Maze is impossible to verify, but what is certain is that no one has found the exit yet."

"How was this determined?" Mao Xintong frowned. "Since no one has gone out, where did this intelligence for the mission come from?"

"Just because no one has found the exit doesn't mean no one has ever gotten out," Li Ying explained. "This isn't the only unsolvable mission. Many missions, due to their special mechanics or extremely high difficulty, cannot be completed using conventional methods. However, other methods, such as using special artifacts to regenerate back to the Main World or simply triggering the Annihilation Program, can also allow escape, although the evaluation will definitely be a failure."

"I see..." Sun Xiaowei nodded and said, "So, does that mean we might actually be trapped here and die?"

"No..." Old Yuan shook his head. "The Endless Maze is different from other known unsolvable missions. According to the only survivor, the murderous intent will not be triggered in this maze. Rebirth-type Noble Phantasms can be used, but due to spatial isolation, even if a normal Noble Phantasm can revive, it cannot teleport back to the Main World. Even if you are reborn, you can only continue to explore this maze."

"So, where did this sole survivor come from?" Luo Jun asked curiously.

Old Yuan looked at Luo Jun and smiled, "The sole survivor is named Caroline, one of the Grand Elder of the Hell Creek Family, and also the youngest elder. Of course, when she was trapped in the Endless Maze, she wasn't an elder yet, not even at her Peak."

"The Hell Creek Family..." Luo Jun frowned. "Could it be..."

Old Yuan nodded. "That guy was able to escape thanks to the Hell Creek Family's most precious treasure, the Rebirth Blood Pool!"

(End of this chapter)