Chapter 434 - 352: Level 3 Ruins (2)

Chapter 434: Chapter 352: Level 3 Ruins (2)

It was indeed some kind of Beast Trap, and a large one at that—thicker than Shaman’s calf.

Its interlocking teeth had dug deep into Shaman’s flesh, and fresh blood gushed down, soaking his Magic Robe.

Shaman Mage’s face was contorted in agony. He was drenched in sweat, and his pale lips trembled uncontrollably.

By now, Shaman barely had the strength to stand on one leg, leaning most of his weight on Kilian.

Then, the curtain of light pulsed again, and another pained cry rang out.

Fletcher emerged, supporting Joel, who also had a Beast Trap clamped onto his calf.

Rolin was the last one out. She was unharmed, but her expression was one of lingering fear.

"What happened...?"

The scene left Gray a bit baffled.

’Are the third-level ruins some kind of nature reserve? Did they step on traps set by savages?’

Kilian carefully helped Shaman Mage sit on the ground.

Marcus used his iron grip to hold Shaman’s body still.

Valles, meanwhile, went right to it and pried open the Beast Trap.

The iron teeth were wrenched from his flesh.

"Mmph...! MMMMMMPH!!!"

With a cloth stuffed in his mouth, Shaman Mage’s entire body convulsed as a suppressed sound escaped his throat.

He’d never endured such agony.

Once the Beast Trap was removed, a gruesome wound was revealed to everyone.

The flesh of his calf was mangled, and splinters of bone were visible in the wound.

The intense pain made it impossible for Shaman to concentrate enough for Casting.

Just as Zelir was about to use his Healing Skill, Rolin reached out and stopped him.

"You just exhausted your Magic Power. I’ll do it."

Zelir was a little surprised.

’Rolin knows Empowerment Magic, too?’

She waved her Magic Staff, and a clear, pale-green stream of water materialized, washing over Shaman’s wound again and again.

A new analysis task appeared beneath Technique Celestial Calculation.

Purifying Stream, Analysis Progress: 25%.

’Looks like a support-type Water Magic. The Level isn’t high, Level Three at most.’

’While it’s no match for a proper Healing Skill, it can still promote some tissue regeneration.’

’It also alleviates pain and cleanses the wound to prevent infection.’

Once the pain had subsided a little, Shaman let out a weak breath.

He cast a Healing Skill on himself to heal the wound on his calf.

Meanwhile, the others used the same method on Joel, healing his injury.

"Captain Kilian, what happened?"

Adrian watched the sudden scene unfold, frowning as he asked, "What in the world happened down there?"

Kilian took off his Covered Helmet, revealing a face glistening with sweat.

His expression was frustrated.

"Traps."

...

"So... you stepped on traps?"

The members of the teams were all sitting in a large circle.

"Yes."

Kilian sighed. "When we first went down, the third-level ruins didn’t seem dangerous at all."

"We appeared in a circular hall. There were no Demons nearby, and the entire structure of the ruins looked like an underground labyrinth."

"Corridors extended out from the hall in all directions."

"We were planning to just pick a corridor at random and see what we’d find."

"But as we were passing through one area, Shaman Mage and Joel must have stepped on a pressure plate. The floor tiles suddenly split apart, and Beast Traps shot out."

"So we retreated immediately."

After hearing Kilian’s account, the members of the Adrian Squad frowned deeply.

’Sounds like... these third-level ruins won’t be easy to navigate.’

Zelir and his team, on the other hand, already had an inkling of what was going on.

’So it’s a place like an underground labyrinth...’

’It seems to roughly match the layout recorded on the map.’

Zelir remembered that the scene of the third-level ruins depicted on Hill’s map was a complex of underground structures.

It fit the description of a labyrinth perfectly.

Based on what Kilian’s team found during their initial scouting, this labyrinth was likely filled with many more traps.

"Let’s go."

Zelir stood up. "Let’s go down and take a look, too. We just have to be careful not to trigger any traps."

"Let’s go! Time to see what kind of treasures the third-level ruins hold," Adrian said, getting to his feet as well.

The three squads re-formed, then stepped through the curtain of light one by one.

The scene before them wavered for a moment, and the strange sensation quickly faded.

Zelir opened his eyes.

He found himself in a vast, circular stone hall.

By his estimation, the hall’s diameter exceeded a hundred meters. Overhead was a stone ceiling.

A massive piece of Fluorite was embedded in the center of the domed ceiling, casting a soft glow that illuminated the surroundings.

Stone tables and chairs were scattered about, along with some wooden racks that looked like they were used for holding documents or Scrolls.

Set into the walls of the circular hall were numerous corridors leading elsewhere.

The air was thick with the scent of ancient parchment.

’This feels a bit like Tomb Raiding...’ The thought inexplicably crossed Zelir’s mind.

"You have to admit, this would be a perfect place for the Adventurer’s Association to set up camp," Gray remarked, wandering around casually.

Marcus, however, had already begun to survey the area.

’Such a massive circular hall... and so many corridors connected to it.’

’It’s just like the central chamber of an anthill.’

’On the map, a place like this should look like a circle with many lines radiating outward.’

Marcus closed his eyes, thinking back.

’That’s right... it’s exactly like this.’

’He remembered a place like this on the map.’

Marcus nodded faintly, satisfied.

’If the map is correct, then there’s no problem.’

’I’ll definitely be able to lead the team to the treasure room!’

"Which corridor did you take earlier?" Zelir asked.

"Over there."

Kilian pointed diagonally ahead. "That one."

Everyone walked over to the corridor’s entrance.

It was a stone-paved corridor, five or six meters wide. Looking down its length, it seemed to curve around a corner in the distance.

It looked unremarkable on the surface, but after the cautionary tale of Shaman and Joel stepping on traps...

For some reason, a person who usually had a very low profile suddenly came to everyone’s mind.

They all turned to look at the person at the very back of the group.

Hill.

Assassins—a class always associated with shadows and trickery—were without a doubt the ones most familiar with all manner of mechanisms and traps.

They excelled at such arts and had a penchant for playing dirty.

By Kilian’s standards, he normally wouldn’t have considered recruiting an Assassin for the team.

But since Hill was Zelir’s teammate, he hadn’t said anything.

Now, as the only Assassin among the fourteen of them, Hill suddenly became very useful.

Looking at the seemingly normal corridor, Hill produced a handful of small, round beads from his clothes.

He sent the beads rolling across the floor.

When they had rolled a certain distance...

"SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!"

The sound of mechanisms springing suddenly echoed.

Several unremarkable-looking floor tiles suddenly collapsed inward and shattered!

Sharp iron jaws were revealed, snapping shut like vipers leaping from the ground!

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

Zelir raised an eyebrow.

’Tsk...’

’Why is this third level so troublesome? It’s even got traps.’

’If it’s just these simple iron traps, my Magic Barrier could block them without any issue.’

’But...’

’Who knows what other kinds of contraptions these traps might have.’

’Besides, I’m not in good shape right now. Leading the way to explore is out of the question.’

Kilian’s thoughts happened to align with Zelir’s.

"Let’s stop here."

he said, his voice tinged with resignation.

Although he was eager to see what treasures could be found in the third-level ruins, it was obvious the team was in no condition to continue.

If someone else were to get caught in another trap...

"The labyrinth on the third level is rather complex. We need to come back fully prepared. We shouldn’t press on recklessly."

"Mm..."

The others all nodded in agreement.

The same thought occurred to everyone at once: ’Looks like after we get back, we’ll need to find a reliable Assassin to team up with.’

"You guys go on ahead. We’re going to observe for a bit longer."

Zelir waved goodbye to the Adrian Squad and Kilian’s team.

"Be careful, Mage Zelir," Kilian said gravely before he left.

"I will. Thanks for the warning," Zelir replied with a smile and a nod.