[Vol. 7] Chapter 183: Night in the Labyrinth
"Now this… is getting interesting."
The priestess narrowed her eyes slightly.
In this world, it was indeed possible for creatures to grow stronger by battling and defeating powerful foes. The priestess had already realized this when she first arrived in this world, teaching Lilya combat skills from her previous life’s game knowledge and helping her improve.
But that method had limits and conditions.
The current Xiao Guang, on the other hand, was fundamentally different. She was not a true living being in the conventional sense, she was the embodiment of an emerging Divinity. And Divinity was not something that could normally be strengthened through ordinary means.
Xiao Guang would never lie to her.
That could only mean one thing.
The monsters in [Morst Underground Labyrinth], or at least the [Magic-Devouring Ants], contained traces of pure [Origin Power] within their bodies.
[Origin Power] was the fundamental essence of divinity. It was the original energy of the world, transcending all known forms of matter and power.
Everything in existence had once originated from [Origin Power], but under normal circumstances, the process was irreversible. It was like how food and water transformed into a living creature’s body through energy conversion, you couldn’t simply break down a living being and turn it back into its original components.
Only faith or existence itself, when refined in a special way, could produce even the slightest trace of [Origin Power].
If monsters in this labyrinth actually contained absorbable [Origin Power], then this place wasn’t just a treasure trove. It was something far beyond that. Even the gods themselves would fight fiercely over it.
There was no way it could be that simple.
As these thoughts raced through her mind, Violet immediately sensed that something wasn't right.
If absorbing [Origin Power] was this easy, then Lucine, the one who had given her this information, would have already taken advantage of it herself. Yet, she hadn’t.
That meant there were likely hidden dangers that had yet to be discovered.
Or perhaps, Lucine herself lacked the ability to extract and absorb the [Origin Power] from these creatures.
Then why could Xiao Guang do it?
This question lingered in Violet’s mind as she nodded, though she kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, she simply gave a calm but firm warning.
"Regardless of the reason, it's good that we have an opportunity to test this. Tomorrow, you can lead a team deeper into the labyrinth to continue hunting stronger monsters and verify this ability. But be careful. If you feel anything strange in your body, you must tell me immediately. Do not rush things or take unnecessary risks. Understand?"
"Don't worry, Master! I'm not a kid anymore!"
Seeing the little dragon girl nodding eagerly, displaying a soft and playful side she never showed to others, not even to Lenka, Violet couldn't resist ruffling her hair affectionately once more.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she paused.
"By the way, some unclean things may have gotten into this labyrinth. I still haven’t figured out their plans and setup completely, but according to Lucine, one of their main targets is probably you. Stay alert, and if necessary, release the seal. These creatures won’t just play around with you."
The little dragon girl froze for a moment, then nodded slightly as if she understood.
"Master has noticed too… indeed, these creatures keep appearing over and over again. I can already smell their familiar, nasty scent from far away, just like rats in a sewer, so annoying..."
"But since Master has already noticed them, why not just get rid of them directly? Do you think it’s not worth bothering with these weaklings, or is there another reason?"
With a smile, the black-haired girl shook her head and turned away. Her silver-blue eyes seemed to pierce through the dark forest night, focusing on some hidden, shadowy spots in the distance.
"There’s no special reason. It’s just that these things are mixed in with regular monsters, and it would be a hassle to go out and find each one. It’s better to wait for them to reveal themselves... Besides, it’s rare to encounter such strange creatures. If we overturn the board before the game even begins, it wouldn’t be much fun. Some things are meaningless if you only get rid of the surface, without getting to the root. If we don’t deal with the source, the pawns can just keep coming."
"Since they want to play, then let’s play with them. Besides, I’m curious to see how powerful the so-called [Twilight Council] members really are."
………………………………
In the Jungle Zone, at a certain campsite.
"Ha!"
A strange wind blew through, extinguishing the last embers of the campfire. The darkness, without moon or stars, fell over every corner of the forest once again.
In that darkness, it felt like shadows were moving.
"Cough... Cough cough... Damn it! What’s going on? Why aren’t any of the security systems working? Where did these monsters come from?!"
A wounded middle-aged man gasped, leaning against a large tree. His dark red blood, stained by the night’s shadows, dripped onto the ground and seeped into the soil. He propped himself up and barely managed to light a spare magic lantern.
The weak light shone ahead, pushing back some of the suffocating darkness, but the scene that greeted him nearly made him dizzy and filled his heart with ice-cold fear.
It’s over. It’s all over.
He had originally thought that by stepping forward and holding off the most dangerous enemy, he could buy time for the others to escape. But now, it seemed that all of it had been in vain. The enemies lurking in the shadows were far more numerous than he had imagined. The part that had attacked them earlier was just the tip of the iceberg.
In the wrecked camp, all of the students he was supposed to protect were already dead, and countless shadows, like vultures feeding on corpses, were twisting over their unmoving bodies, devouring them in eerie, unnatural ways. He could barely imagine how much damage this incident would cause once word of it spread, and what kind of impact it would have on Sainz Academy, the event organizers...
No, now was not the time to care about such things.
Ahead, a bear-like monster, also devoured by shadows, was marching toward him. Its claws dripped with his blood, and its dull, grayish eyes locked onto the last survivor.
Why was this happening? Why was there a peak sky-level monster in the Jungle Zone?!
This monster’s strangeness far exceeded the normal limits of a sky-level beast. It had no fear of death, no fear of injury, and its regenerative abilities were beyond reason. Otherwise, as a peak earth-level with numerous magical gear enhancements, he wouldn’t have been beaten so thoroughly, unable to fight back. What were those shadow-like things?
According to the academy’s emergency rules for the event, if a large-scale crisis occurred that even the examiners couldn’t handle, he was supposed to immediately use the emergency teleportation device to lead his team back to Sainz Academy. But now, the silver crystal beneath his feet, which had snapped in half with no response, seemed to prove that the enemies were prepared for this.
What should he do? Should he abandon the students and run alone? Perhaps he could still escape if it were just him, but if he did that...
However, before he could make up his mind, strange shadows appeared behind him, silently wrapping around his hands and feet like tendrils. He panicked, trying to break free, but the blood-soaked bear paw wrapped in shadows was already growing larger before his eyes!
In that moment, it felt like he saw a strange figure at the edge of his vision. One that looked human, but was made entirely of shadows wrapped around the monsters. The figure was bizarre, with a tall round hat, holding a cane, and moving its arms and legs in an awkward, uncoordinated way, like a toddling baby. But before he could get a clearer look...
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
The magic lantern fell to the ground, the last bit of light swallowed by the darkness. The screams and wailing that followed didn’t seem to be... the only victims of the night.