Chapter 4227: Extra 4144 (Free)

Extra 4144 (Free)

Extra 2 (Free)

Early summer breeze drifted gently, the exploration team gathered before the transmission tower, no mistake, the reinforcement from the Divine Initiation Amusement Park was none other than Big Sis Mora, seeing her, Phantom Moon was initially a bit startled, then her expression seemed to put on a painful mask.

Is she not strong? Of course not, her combat power is undoubtedly the strongest in the team aside from the Witch Serin, but her reputation is not bad, it's very good, even if a treasure is discovered during exploration, she would 99% not develop greed, killing and looting, but she has repeatedly topped the Divine Initiation Amusement Park's annual silly ranking, truly making people...

The stern-faced Mora scanned the crowd, suddenly she felt one person seemed somewhat familiar, wanting to ask but ultimately held back, as Big Sis Mora, she maintained the decorum of a first meeting, who would have thought the next second Phantom Moon would suddenly say:

"I follow every edition of the Divine Initiation Amusement Park annual silly ranking."

"!"

Mora's eye twitched violently, this list that could be called her black history made her immediately drop her big sis demeanor, instead snarling:

"Those are all rumors, rumors!"

"Yes yes, all are slander against you."

Phantom Moon was in a very good mood, who wouldn't like teaming up with someone strong, of good character, no pretension, and even a bit silly?

"That's about right."

Mora turned her gaze to Xia, saying: "I feel you look somewhat familiar, have we met before? Seems like we have? Forgotten, what a strange feeling, as if this memory was blurred, how should I address you?"

"Xia."

Xia spoke gently, hearing this address, Mora scratched her head, still couldn't recall who this was, but she found the person very pleasing to the eye and had an inexplicable sense of closeness, while riding the orbital train, Mora deliberately sat beside Xia, lowering her voice:

"After entering the underground palace, stick close to me, if danger arises, I'll get you out."

Mora finished speaking, grinning with a mouth full of neat white teeth, Xia also smiled gently, taking out a delicately wrapped small cake from her storage space and handing it to Mora.

Sometimes friendship is just this simple and pure, Mora took the small cake and asked: "Xia, you are a worker, why come adventure to explore ruins?"

"My friends need certain items for promotion, they're there."

"But for workers, the wilderness of the witch realm is too dangerous, let them hire contractors from the food system."

"Too expensive, this is even more costly than directly buying their promotion materials from the merchant guild."

"Mm~, yes, in the later stages of the food system, hiring costs are indeed astonishing, they're also fortunate to have friends like you willing to adventure for them."

Mora said this, scooping a spoonful of dessert with a dessert spoon into her mouth, after briefly savoring it, she was so happy her eyes nearly narrowed, unconsciously letting out an exclamation of "delicious."

But suddenly, Mora froze, she ate another spoonful of dessert, this wonderful taste, why is it so familiar? I must have eaten it before, and not just once, Mora was puzzled, but for a moment couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

"This dessert is..."

Mora hadn't finished speaking when the trackless train stopped, a witch boarded the train, she had a head of silver long hair, her eyelashes also had a hint of silver, after boarding, she smiled and scanned everyone present.

First overlooking Xia, because scheming against that close friend, heaven knows what state one would end up in, Mora also overlooked her, at first glance she was just a silly girl, immediately Serin looked at Phantom Moon, this one looked very pleasing to the eye.

In the silent yet wonderful atmosphere, the trackless train continued moving, until three days later.

In the tall, spacious but dim underground palace, the rotten firewood in the bonfire burned, Phantom Moon, Xia, Glasses Girl, Bone Skeletor, Mora, Serin, and the Shadow Monster sat around the bonfire.

The team had entered this underground palace three days earlier, initially full of ambition, then completely lost here unable to find an exit, plus this place is a Void Tree-certified soul trial ground, once choosing to join the trial, there is no option for mid-way teleportation, now even storage space cannot be used.

This trial's content has three kinds: soul, mind, and body.

What the trials corresponding to soul and mind are is temporarily unclear, for the body trial everyone felt it, hungry, very hungry, regardless of strength one must endure this hunger, don't think a strong body can withstand it, this actually consumes more food, also fortunately there is no one in the team who purely relies on brute strength for melee, otherwise the massive food consumption would cause the trial to fail.

The original plan to explore ancient ruins had been shelved, this fortuitous witch trial, let alone speaking of others' gains, even for the strongest witch Serin present, it is of utmost importance.

Even triggering this witch trial is because of Serin's top-tier witch talent.

Bad news is, for the "Ancient Witch Trial," everyone present is clueless, some of the riddles have everyone putting on painful masks, fortunately all were successfully overcome.

Good news is, bringing Xia here this time prevents everyone from suffering curses etc. from eating labyrinth monster meat.

And everyone surprisingly discovered that the gentle-looking Xia is actually very skilled at handling these ugly monsters' flesh and blood, not only does cooking it after processing make it incredibly appetizing, but there is also no food safety risk, everyone felt greatly surprised.

As for the newly added member Shadow Monster, this was originally also a labyrinth monster, but after Bone Skeletor's round of icy random punches 'reformation,' it successfully abandoned evil for good, or perhaps Shadow Monster originally wanted to temporarily submit, then seize the moment to rise up, but upon witnessing that gentle-tempered human handling its own kind, it suddenly began to feel two strands of battle battle.

Thus, Shadow Monster was gradually tamed, appearing aloof and loving to beep, but after becoming familiar, its chatter reached super-level talkativeness under Bone Skeletor's non-stop chatter, Shadow Monster gradually recognized the beauty of the outside world, and that it was actually imprisoned, as a dangerous obstacle in this vast underground labyrinth, it finally sincerely joined the team.

Shadow Monster has two wishes.

1. Leave the underground palace, go see the outside world.

2. Stay away from Bone Skeletor, it's about to be mentally broken by this chatty guy's non-stop nagging, this human's non-stop talking is more terrifying than the evil whispers from the dark.

By the burning bonfire, the contemplative Mora picked up a piece of rotten wood, gazing at the red-hot embers on it, she said:

"Everyone, have we fallen into some kind of misunderstanding?"

Mora's words made the bowing Serin lift her head, Grün-style intentionally big-small eyes: "How so?"

"I feel we might be missing something, like a trial certificate?"

"Certificate?"

"Yes, certificate, based on my rich experience of being scammed... cough~, rich practical experience, I'm convinced this trial only looks dangerous, actually it's not safe either."

"?"

"Ah?"

"What are you saying?"

Mora's confusing words made everyone somewhat laugh and cry, inwardly feeling no wonder she's Big Sis Mora.

"My meaning is, although this place is dangerous, it's not dangerous enough, this is a witch trial, since it's an opportunity left by an old witch, shouldn't there be a certificate or similar object, so that trial-takers after undergoing the test can obtain benefits?"

Mora's words made several people fall into contemplation, just after giving Shadow Monster some heartfelt guidance, the very happy Bone Skeletor said:

"Since Ms. Mora raised this point, there must be some discovery and solution?"

"Of course~"

When Mora said this, everyone's eyes lit up.

"No."

Mora spread her hands, only able to say, the nickname won't be wrong, broken skin and legs aren't empty fame, this silly girl and Su Xiao dare to be cheeky, let alone the current situation.

"Then we, will we always be trapped here?"

"No no no."

Morel was very certain this time, and everyone looked at her doubtfully, meaning, if you keep being cheeky, we'll all beat you up together.

"We won't be trapped here forever; as time passes, we will gradually darken and eventually lose our minds—this is the spiritual trial of the threefold test."

Morel may be cheeky, but her knowledge is beyond doubt.

"Actually," Serin suddenly spoke, and everyone turned to her: "Since I entered this place, I have constantly felt a calling."

"You..."

Hanyue had the words "you should have said it earlier" on the tip of her tongue, but swallowed them back, having already experienced Serin's awful temper along the way.

"I have a premonition that following the direction of the call, we can escape the labyrinth, at worst reaching its core."

Serin's words were only half-spoken—namely, the reason she hadn't responded to the call all along was a vague feeling that the source of the call carried a strong sense of danger.

Currently in the trial zone certified by the Void Tree, called a trial but could just as well be described as a huge profitable trap—we are the meat on the chopping block, they the butchers.

The problem is, we must make a choice in this situation; Serin's Witch's Eye unintentionally glanced at Xia—if others here died, she wouldn't care, but this one absolutely cannot die here, absolutely not!

"Miss Serin, what's wrong with you?"

Serin's loss of composure drew Phantom Moon's attention; Serin shook her head and said: "Don't worry, I will definitely bring you out safely, definitely."

"This~ uh, thank you, Miss Serin."

Phantom Moon expressed thanks, then momentarily confused, wondering when she had become so charismatic?

At this moment, in the darkness beyond the campfire's reach, rustling sounds came from all sides; everyone immediately sat up, looked around, and saw darkness creatures everywhere in view.

Seeing this, Serin's heart gave a jolt—she finally realized the wizard's labyrinth was no ordinary place, having been eroded by darkness; even if in the Abyssal War this would be insignificant, and even if the thick darkness that had infected this place had long since retreated, for this small team it remained dangerous.

Serin's pupils gradually turned silver-white; Morel, Phantom Moon, Glasses Girl, and Silver Bones all prepared for battle, everyone subtly keeping Xia protected in the center—along the way, if not for Xia processing food and rendering dangerous items safe, they would have already been corrupted by darkness; now protecting her is both recognition of Xia's importance to the team and a repayment of kindness, truly, like attracts like.

"Roar!!"

As if receiving some command, the surging darkness creatures all went berserk, swarming like a tide, making Serin and Morel's faces look grim.

Unnoticed by anyone present, even Xia herself, the blood-red mark on her hand, upgraded by her close friend Jin Shen, quietly shifted from blood-red to crimson.

Suddenly, the swarming darkness creatures halted abruptly; the madness and violence in their eyes vanished as if instantly emptied—some strong individuals turned and fled, others simply collapsed on the ground, kicking their hind legs wildly, defecating and urinating in panic, terrified; many more lay prostrate, trembling, too afraid to move an inch.

Serin, Phantom Moon, and Silver Bones, who had just released their auras, were all stunned; the sight before them made them subconsciously feel as if they were hallucinating from being too strong, but the situation was too strange, so they didn't dwell on it—Serin led the way, and everyone hurried toward the labyrinth's core area.

One hour later, the labyrinth passage finally reached its end; everyone felt a sudden sense of openness—this was a vast underground palace of several ten thousand square meters, with a giant bronze-cast metal coffin at its center; seeing the coffin, Serin inwardly sighed: indeed, this is the work of ancient wizards, both opportunity and trap.

If unable to defeat the temporarily revived ancient wizard, one would become his medium for rebirth; conversely, if victorious, one would inherit all of the ancient wizard's legacy—such ancient inheritances are already rare in the witch world, and Serin very much hopes to encounter one, for she has confidence in herself; the problem is, she doesn't want to meet it now.

Boom!

The lid of the metal coffin was flung open, as if a foul, incantation-like voice that could make listeners ill came from the air; amid a sense of ascension ritual, a withered figure over five meters tall slowly floated up from within the coffin—the withered face, cheeks marked by insect bites, undoubtedly indicated this one was not among the living.

Semi-transparent spirits of the dead appeared around—some silently wailing, others covering their faces in sorrowful weeping—added to the darkness gradually condensing on the ground and the numerous skulls embedded in the ceiling above, their eye sockets igniting with green ghostly flames, this ancient wizard gave everyone a strong sense of oppression, as if an invisible weight pressed on their shoulders, their hearts gripped by an unseen giant hand, with the feeling that their hearts could be crushed at any moment.

Everyone present had prepared for battle; Morel, standing beside Xia, secretly slipped a life-saving item into her hand; Xia whispered to Morel:

"Thank you, but…… it's too precious."

"This is a return gift."

"What return gift?"

"The return gift for when you treated me to dessert when we first met."

Having said that, Morel smiled and blinked her left eye—meaning was clear: since we're friends, don't be so polite; Xia gazed deeply at Morel, then gently smiled and nodded.

Serin took off her outer coat and tossed it aside, began unwinding the bandages wrapped around her right arm, her back to everyone—already striking in appearance, now even more handsome to the extreme, she said:

"Everyone, though saying this is impolite, please leave this place, do not hinder my death duel."

As soon as she spoke, before anyone could reply, the temporarily revived ancient wizard spoke in a deep, muffled voice:

"What a group of fresh sacrifices……"

The pressure from the fully powered ancient wizard—just as it spoke those words, its eyes suddenly opened in the darkness beneath the coffin; at the same time, the mark on Xia's hand had already quietly turned completely crimson.

"What!"

The oppressive presence of the ancient wizard's sudden appearance suddenly diminished by half, and in the darkness beneath its coffin, numerous eyes had opened—countless black tendrils had, at some point, already entwined the ancient wizard.

The ancient wizard was greatly startled; having just unleashed power, most of its残体 was dragged into the giant metal coffin; it clumsily propped its arms on the coffin's edge, its former strength and dignity gone.

"Glut… gluttony! How did you awaken? Why are you targeting me? I—I am not your feast; you should go devour……"

Before the ancient wizard could finish, it was dragged into the coffin by an irresistible dark force; eyes appeared one by one on the coffin's exterior; amid the ancient wizard's unwilling, miserable howls and the grating, flesh-chewing sounds of "crack, crack," its aura weakened in sequence, soul and karma beginning to vanish.

Everyone witnessing this was stunned speechless; on Serin's face at the forefront, there was not a hint of joy, but rather a genuine sense of despair—she could sense nothing dangerous inside the coffin, not even a hint of danger, and that, was the true horror.

Rumble rumble~

The entire labyrinth began to tremble; the metal giant door just sealed behind them was shaken open a crack; everyone immediately turned and fled; as Xia was being pulled out by Morel, she instinctively glanced at the metal coffin—unbeknownst why, she suddenly felt a very absurd sensation, as if she had once fed this unknown powerful being, though this sudden intuition was utterly ridiculous.

Xia suppressed that absurd intuition; during the labyrinth's collapse, everyone fled all the way to the ancient ruins entrance; minutes after escaping, they felt the ground tremors intensify—it was the labyrinth completely collapsing.

That afternoon, in Yuehuan City·District 15, inside a restaurant, after dining, everyone said their goodbyes, and soon only Xia and Morel remained; Xia, eyes smiling, invited:

"I have a restaurant in the Wan Zu Realm—though it's been closed for a long time, I've arranged a gathering with friends, and in a few days I'll cook a table of my proudest dishes; as the chef of this meal, I can certainly add an extra serving—may I invite you, my friend, Morel?"

Hearing this, Morel smiled from the heart, showing her neat little white teeth: "I will definitely be there."

With a new friend, Morel was in high spirits, her face lit with a joyful smile—she didn't know whether, when she met the other guest at that gathering, she would still be able to smile so happily.

Dear readers, grandparents, long-awaited—here is a free side story of nearly ten thousand words; more will follow. What kind of stories would you, dear readers, grandparents, like to see? Let me know here—I'll brew inspiration and write accordingly. Also, since side stories are outside the main plot, if there are any shortcomings, dear readers, grandparents, please forgive them.