A new path leads into the depths of the labyrinth, its entrance hidden behind a sloping rock wall.
The scouts of the expedition team drew arrows at the crossroads and also piled up a conspicuous marker with pebbles. Lin Yuan followed the marks for half a distance, but was blocked by three minotaurs wielding axes. Before the monsters could even see him, they could already hear the dull thud of axes hitting the stone ground.
He drew his new sword.
The first minotaur raised its axe, its shoulder tensing backward. Lin Yuan stepped to the side before it could strike, his sword blade slicing under its arm. The second one charged after him, and he used the Rock Bull Footwork he had learned the night before to push forward, then intercepted its center of gravity before the collision, his sword blade turning back and slicing into the minotaur's wrist as it held the axe.
The shattered light dispersed, and the third creature had already retreated to the other end of the passage. It seemed to be waiting for its companions to respawn before charging over. Lin Yuan didn't give it time. He touched the protruding stone edge on the wall with his toes, his figure leaping over the crack in the ground, and his sword fell straight down.
With each of his three sword strikes, the blade of the new sword followed his hand perfectly, without the slightest unnecessary tremor.
"It can indeed be used indefinitely." Lin Yuan sheathed it.
Further in, the number of arrows left by the scouts decreased, while the branching paths became increasingly dense, with several passages even circling back to the original hall. Players needed to clear monsters room by room, draw maps, and relay messages to ensure that the dozens of people wouldn't get separated in the maze. Lin Yuan only needed to remember the direction the wind was blowing and the recurring engravings on the stone walls.
He walks alone, needing no one to keep up.
At the end of a long, uphill slope, several players were resting. The leader saw him, first gripped his weapon tighter, then recognized the face that had appeared in the first-floor boss room.
"We haven't finished exploring the area yet," the man said. " Diabel told us not to open the door even after we find the room."
"I know." Lin Yuan looked at the fork in the road behind them. "Which one leads to the upper level?"
The other person hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the left. "There are two traps. We're waiting for someone to come and dismantle them together."
"Don't wait for me."
Lin Yuan walked past them. The scout, remembering what happened on the first floor, didn't try to stop him again, but immediately had his companion send a message to Diabel.
"Is he really going in alone?" the other person asked in a low voice.
"Send out the location first." The leader stared at Lin Yuan's retreating figure. "If he finds the door, the raid team will at least know where it is."
They didn't follow. The person in charge of scouting must deliver the intelligence they bring back alive to the rear, not abandon the team's original route just because of a suddenly appearing powerful figure.
The traps on the left were not complicated. The first one was a pitfall hidden under a light gray stone slab. Lin Yuan heard a hollow sound from the inside of the slab and stepped over it along the edge. The second one had a row of crossbows with their slots facing the center of the passage. He observed the firing interval once around the corner and slipped between two volleys of arrows, hugging the wall.
The mechanism was being reloaded behind him. He didn't stop to dismantle it; since the scouts had already spotted it, they would surely bring someone who could handle it safely.
The higher he went, the fewer monsters he encountered. The last section of the stairs was excessively wide, and braziers on the walls burned at equal intervals. Lin Yuan reached the end and saw a giant door engraved with bull horns and crown patterns.
He didn't push it immediately.
The first boss changed weapons at the last moment. The engravings here won't reveal every move he'll make. Lin Yuan checked the scabbard, confirming the new sword could be drawn at any time, then touched the old short sword at his waist. Both were there, along with bandages and food. He had no healing potions, and no health bar for anyone to watch and warn him of danger.
Lin Yuan pressed his ear close to the stone door. There were no human voices inside, only a heavy, metallic sound, very steady and intermittent, like someone repeatedly tapping the floor in an empty hall.
The power in that sound was enough to shatter an ordinary person's bones. Yet, his body didn't urge him to retreat; instead, he involuntarily estimated the gap before the hammer fell, the distance the behemoth needed to turn. That confidence didn't come entirely from the new sword or the victory on the first level; it was more like something ancient remained in his flesh and blood, prompting him to seek out the way his opponent would fall when facing a powerful foe. Lin Yuan couldn't explain where it came from; the more he listened, the more inexplicably excited his body became, with only one thought: He could fight! He could win!
He stepped back and pressed down on the relief carving on the door.
The stone gate remained completely still.
Lin Yuan switched to using both hands, his heels firmly planted on the ground, and exerted force along the gap between the two doors. A low friction sound came from the hinges, a sliver of red light leaked out from the gap, and then the entire door slowly opened inward.
Hurried footsteps came from the stairs behind me.
"Wait!" It's that scout from before. "The commander hasn't arrived yet, don't—"
Lin Yuan turned around. "Tell Diabel not to include me in the team."
"This isn't about whether or not to team up!"
"I know."
Lin Yuan stepped across the threshold. The metallic sounds in the hall ceased, and several enormous figures turned towards him simultaneously. The massive door then closed behind him, preventing the scout from finishing his sentence.
If the door truly only opens after the Boss falls, then he'll defeat it himself.
"I'll go in first."