Chapter 58: Open-Air Labyrinth Pass

Creak—

"Don't, don't go!"

Xia Li, weak and breathless, reached out to grab Rod as he left, her legs giving way and nearly causing her to collapse onto the ground.

Rod hurriedly supported her; with a slap, their sweat-soaked skin stuck together.

"That's enough; we still have to travel tonight."

"Don't not—"

The effect of 【Charming Fluid】 had taken hold; the half-dragon didn't care about anything else.

With no choice, Rod forced a bottle of awakening potion down her throat.

Moments later.

"Good heavens... do you have orc blood? This is the first time I've been made so wretched by a human male..."

As she spoke, she pulled her hot pants up from her knees.

"It'll soil your pants and boots," Rod reminded her.

This situation happened to Tally from time to time; she always needed him to remind her.

"Let me educate you on a bit of obscure knowledge, human," Xia Li said, leaning against the ruined wall, trying not to reveal her trembling legs.

She continued, "There's a switch inside half-dragons; once closed, it ensures nothing leaks. I read it in the Knowledge Evening News; experts say this is a special biological mechanism evolved by great dragons to ensure conception rates, and it has been inherited by half-dragons as well."

"... That's great obscure knowledge, but please don't educate me next time."

Hearing such obscure knowledge gave Rod a headache.

Xia Li chuckled softly.

Then she peeked out to check the ruined house beside them; seeing no reaction from Gemma and Tally inside, she finally sighed in relief.

"I won't talk to you anymore; I need to rest a bit so we can travel well tonight."

She pulled down her lifted short shirt and covered the char siu bao.

"Go ahead; I'll stand guard."

"... You move away first; I'll stand here for a while."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Rod walked toward the ruined house at the temporary camp.

Half-dragons are not bad.

Perhaps due to that biological mechanism, he had quite a novel experience inside.

Suddenly, his perception, which had been kept open like a gentle breeze, received a special fluctuation in feedback.

"Humans? Two at the fifth tier, both at the early stage; the other eight are at the third and fourth tiers."

Judging by their behavior, they seemed to be searching for something.

No need to think; they must be pursuers from Scorching City.

"Weaklings."

Rod was too lazy to wake the others; he set off alone toward their direction.

【Swift Shadow Dash】 remained a buff-type spiritual technique, very fitting for a half-wolf's style.

The first stage grants a ten-minute speed buff state, increasing Rod's speed by roughly thirty percent, called 【Swift Step】.

The second stage is a fast-movement instant-cast spell; based on proficiency, it initially allows movement of only three to five meters, but when mastered to the peak, it can reach up to twenty meters, called 【Swift Shadow】.

A mere three hundred meters distance.

With the 【Swift Step】 state active, plus the explosive force from 【Great Body Technique Enhancement】,

in the blink of an eye, he charged into the rear of the enemy formation.

And before they could react, he slew one of them.

"Who are you?!!!"

In an instant,

terrified screams and the sounds of blades tearing through flesh and bone erupted across the open-air labyrinth.

Ten minutes later,

bodies littered the ground.

Rod sat on a stone, wiping the blood from 【Sacrificial Body Sword】 with a silk scarf.

"Graham, the vice-captain? A military rank similar to a centurion, yet he's mixed up with the Holy Flame Squad?"

He had interrogated the one he deliberately left alive and extracted some information.

Moreover, he learned that this vice-captain Graham had a backer among the high-ups of Scorching City, which explained how a fourth-tier could command fifth-tiers.

"Capturing intelligent demon races? What for? Never mind; we'll avoid Scorching City on our return anyway."

Rod was too lazy to meddle further.

The deeper they went into the labyrinth, the less the enemy would dare approach.

The spiritual breeze spread out again, entering a state of alert.

"Hmm?"

Rod suddenly sensed a presence emanating from the pink ground.

This was not the movement of a living creature, but a natural wriggling.

This presence burst from the ground and shot into Rod's arm at extreme speed; he hadn't even had time to react.

Rod's expression changed instantly.

But immediately, an information appeared in his mind, and he instantly knew what it was.

【'Scorching City Open-Air Labyrinth' Pass (Incomplete)】

"We obtained something similar back in the Flawless Crystal Land. Is this a feature of the Maze?"

Rod could feel that to obtain the complete Pass, one must please the Maze through slaughter.

Night fell.

The group set out again.

Just like in Scorching City, the Maze's temperature was moderate at night, carrying the coolness of the night breeze.

It was just devoid of the expected chirping of insects and birds, making it appear exceptionally quiet and vast.

"The Pass?"

Xia Li gazed into the distance, tossed out three strange wooden chips, and arrived at an unknown result.

She said this was divination to avoid High-Temperature Worms, a type of monster.

"Yes, but it is still in an unfinished state."

"You can try your best to complete it. Some people manage to obtain this throughout the year; it exempts you from many rules within the Maze, and some Wind-Walkers are very friendly toward those who possess a Pass."

"Have you seen one?"

"Ten or eight, I'd say. Many Mazes on the continent favor talented individuals, then grant them certain benefits before asking them to do a few tasks."

"That sounds like some kind of leader from somewhere."

Xia Li was amused by him, patted his shoulder, and laughed heartily.

The Goblin Gema took up the conversation: "Many Mazes are far more human than you imagine. The newspapers claim Mazes are disordered, thoughtless natural phenomena; that is clearly an untenable argument."

"Exactly. They are all high-and-mighty experts whose conclusions rely entirely on cold, hard cases, never daring to experience it personally. Look, we've arrived: the Guli Xian Clan's Wind-Walker tribe."

The group had already advanced for two hours.

After passing through the cluster of ruined houses, the number of steam-sprouting pits gradually increased.

Beside a small hill, the Guli Xian Clan's Wind-Walkers had established their tribe around a dense cluster of geothermal steam pits.

Let me mention here the second Maze rule Xia Li spoke of—never listen to the whispers occasionally mixed within the geothermal steam.

However, the Wind-Walkers believe these whispers are commands from the Maze Guardian; therefore, they mostly build their dwellings beside the geothermal steam.

Xia Li entered the tribe to negotiate, carrying a large bag of small items the Wind-Walkers liked.

In a short while.

Two Wind-Walkers, nearly two meters tall, walked out alongside the Half-Dragon.

This was also the first time Rod had seen a Wind-Walker.

They had gray-black skin that did not look like flesh and blood, but rather like coal with fine cracks.

Furthermore, their heads were very small; compared to their sturdy bodies, they appeared even smaller. Aside from that, they were almost indistinguishable from humans.

"Show them your Maze Pass."

Xia Li walked over and grabbed Rod's hand.

Those two Wind-Walkers crouched down, observed carefully for a moment, and then a smile appeared on their coal-gray faces.

They spoke a few incomprehensible words to Xia Li.

"Done. They are willing to let us pass, and we can take their small path, which will save some time. Your Pass has done great work."

Xia Li smiled.

"They aren't as difficult as you said."

Tally commented.

Her mother's memories held no experience regarding Wind-Walkers. Although she would never attempt it herself, it wouldn't hurt to tell her other sisters if the chance arose.

"The Guli Xian are the most gentle Wind-Walkers in the Maze. When you meet the Lou Clan, you'll know how extreme the Wind-Walkers truly are."

Xia Li shook her head.

"By the way, they told me that a band of fierce Land Naga entered the Maze a few days ago as well."

(End of this chapter)