Five minutes slipped swiftly through his fingers. In the blink of an eye, Li Xian found himself in another world.
At the same time, everyone in the Player Center fixed their eyes on the screens before them.
Before Li Xian stood a... maze made of mirrors.
Mirrors surrounded him in front, behind, to his left and right, and overhead. Only the floor beneath his feet consisted of smooth marble tiles, and the path ahead split in two.
The entire space remained roughly three meters wide and just as high. Apart from the mirrors, the fully enclosed space was empty, yet there was ample light.
A maze built like this should have felt cramped, but with mirrors all around, the narrow space stretched endlessly to either side. Their reflections multiplied into countless figures, each smaller than the last, making the space seem deep and eerie.
This time, the system did not make an "announcement" as it had before, informing Li Xian of the Instance difficulty, player count, or objectives. It offered only a brief statement:
[1. You have only 30 minutes to find the maze's exit. Once time runs out, the maze will close completely, becoming a sealed cage with no further chance of escape. You can check your remaining time on your Personal Light Screen.]
Since the statement began with "1," Li Xian naturally assumed there would be more. But after waiting a moment, he realized nothing else was coming. The instructions ended abruptly there.
Thirty minutes was not exactly short, but it certainly was not long. He could not afford to waste even a minute.
Still, he could not let haste make him overlook any clues.
So Li Xian turned around and reached out to knock on the mirror behind him before setting off.
The mirror was