The dead end was filled with a nauseating stench of blood. Allen pressed himself tightly against the cold and stone wall, gasping heavily.
The heavy footsteps echoing from deep within the corridor reverberated endlessly through the empty maze, like a massive hammer striking his heart again and again.
Who is it… who exactly is there? Is it a monster, or a surviving teammate?
Allen swallowed with great difficulty, his intense desire to survive forcing him to tremble as he propped up his battered body.
With blood-covered hands, he tightly gripped the ruby staff that had long since lost its glow.
"Jack, is that you? You damned Rogue, are you still alive? Answer me!"
Allen shouted into the dark corridor, his voice trembling as he tried to drive away the fear constantly growing within him.
"Or Captain, Captain, say something! We can form up and fight our way out together… I still have mana, I can still fight!"
He placed all his hope into this extremely slim fantasy, his bloodshot eyes even welling up with excited tears.
But within that dark crystal-white corridor, there was no human voice responding to him at all… only a deathly oppressive silence.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The heavy and cold footsteps continued to approach at an unhurried pace, each step carrying terrifying pressure as they drew closer and closer.
Allen stared ahead in despair, eyes wide, fixated on the stark boundary between light and darkness, his breathing nearly stopping.
A humanoid silhouette finally began to emerge slowly under the faint magical light, revealing its horrifying true form.
It was a completely snow-white humanoid monster, its entire body emitting a cold sheen, devoid of any warmth of life.
It was entirely constructed from the stone unique to the Silver Castle, its face unnaturally smooth, completely devoid of any facial features.
This bizarre creation that completely defied common sense instantly shattered the last trace of hope in Allen's heart.
"No… this isn't human. What kind of monster is this? Why isn't there even the slightest mana fluctuation?!"
Allen let out a shrill scream, his legs trembling uncontrollably as cold sweat instantly soaked through his tattered robe.
In the cozy bedroom at the deepest part of the maze, Labrynth lay comfortably on the wide velvet bed, her eyes fixed on the holographic projection in midair.
"Well now, esteemed mage, are you pleased with the welcoming envoy I've carefully prepared for you?"
(＾-＾)
A dense stream of system notifications popped up on the panel, golden numbers jumping wildly.
[Absorbed Extreme Panic Emotion from a Silver-rank mage: Emotion Points +150]
[Absorbed Despair Emotion from a Silver-rank mage: Emotion Points +200]
...
Labrynth happily swung her fair legs, holding a piece of delicious dried monster meat as she chewed with great relish.
"Yes, yes, this is exactly the wonderful feeling of despair. Hurry and hand over all your Emotion Points! My Thunder Thermal Furnace is counting on you."
Within the corridor, Allen had already been forced into the very corner of the dead end, with nowhere left to retreat.
The tall body of the Pure White Doll blocked the only path, bringing an overwhelming sense of suffocating pressure.
The image of the knight captain being torn apart by gargoyles flashed through his mind again. Allen knew he had fallen into a desperate situation with no chance of survival.
"I am a noble Silver-rank mage! I will never die at the hands of a disgusting stone monster like you!"
Driven by an overwhelming desire to survive, Allen completely descended into a frenzied and hysterical state, his eyes blood-red.
Ignoring the tearing agony caused by mana backlash within his body, he forcibly squeezed his dried-up mana circuits, even at the cost of destroying his meridians.
"Great spirits of fire, heed my call! Burn the enemy before me to ashes!"
He screamed hoarsely as he chanted the ancient incantation, the ruby at the tip of his staff bursting with a blinding red light.
Violent fire elements gathered wildly around him, the surrounding air warping under the terrifying heat.
[Explosive Fireball Barrage]
"Die for me, you ugly monster!"
Allen swung his staff wildly as three massive dark-red fireballs instantly formed, carrying a terrifying aura of destruction.
This was his proud area-of-effect magic, which had once instantly annihilated an entire goblin squad on the battlefield.
The fireballs streaked like three blazing meteors, carving deadly trajectories through the narrow corridor.
With piercing whistling sounds, they slammed toward the completely unguarded Pure White Doll ahead.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three thunderous explosions erupted in succession within the corridor, as violent shockwaves instantly swept through the entire space.
The blazing dark-red sea of fire instantly engulfed the tall body of the Pure White Doll, turning the surrounding stone walls crimson.
The terrifying heat even ignited the air within the corridor, producing sharp crackling sounds.
Allen was violently blasted away by the powerful shockwave, slamming heavily into the pure-white stone wall behind him, his bones letting out a strained and cracking sound.
He coughed up a large mouthful of blood in a miserable state, yet his bloodshot eyes burst with manic joy.
"Hahahaha! Do you see this? This is the terrifying power of a high-tier mage! You've already been burned to ashes!"
He laughed arrogantly, believing he had finally managed to defeat this horrifying faceless monster.
Inside the bedroom, Labrynth lazily turned over, a trace of mocking disdain flashing through her eyes.
"What a naive little mouse. You have no idea just how absurd the dual resistances of Silver Castle stone really are."
╮（╯▽╰）╭
She casually snapped her fingers, and the holographic projection instantly became clear.
"You think a mere fireball spell can break its defenses? Dream on!"
Within the corridor, the blazing sea of fire still raged, but Allen's arrogant laughter abruptly came to a halt.
His eyes widened in terror, as if witnessing something utterly impossible in this world.
From the center of the raging dark-red flames, a pair of heavy footsteps steadily emerged.
The Pure White Doll brutally tore through the inferno, hot enough to melt steel, and walked out calmly.
Not even the slightest scorch mark was left on its smooth white body; even its temperature had not risen at all.
This magic-defying level of defense made Allen's scalp go numb, his pupils trembling violently.
"Impossible… this is absolutely impossible! How can you be completely unharmed?!"
Allen inhaled sharply in despair, his blood seemingly freezing in that instant, his mind going blank.
"Wow, that exaggerated magic resistance! Those 750 Emotion Points were absolutely worth it!"
Labrynth clapped her fair hands excitedly, extremely satisfied with the doll's perfect combat performance.
"Alright, the boring magic show is over. Now it's time for our loyal servant to strike back."
With a scheming smile, she issued a combat command to the Pure White Doll through the mental network.
The moment it received the command, the doll's tall body paused abruptly, then underwent a terrifying transformation.
Accompanied by a harsh grinding sound, its right arm began to twist violently.
In less than a second, that thick arm transformed into a 1.5-meter-long, sharp white blade.
A cold, deadly sheen flowed across the blade's surface, radiating an extremely lethal pressure as it pointed toward its prey.
Bang!
The Pure White Doll crushed a smooth white floor tile beneath its foot, its entire body instantly erupting with terrifying speed.
It became a deadly white bolt of lightning, swinging the massive blade as it charged viciously toward Allen.
A piercing sound tore through the air in the corridor, as the shadow of death mercilessly descended upon the Silver-rank mage.
"N-no, don't come any closer! Help me!"
At the brink of life and death, Allen unleashed the last of his remaining potential; he had no other choice.
He bit down on the tip of his tongue, violently spraying his precious blood essence onto the dim staff in a desperate gamble for survival.
[Polar Ice Prison]
"Block it! Stop that terrifying monster… I can't die here!"
Violent ice elements gathered frantically within the narrow corridor, the temperature plummeting instantly to a terrifying freezing point.
With sharp cracking sounds, three thick and sturdy ice walls rose up before Allen.
This was the strongest defensive magic he could cast; each ice wall was incredibly solid, with complex mana patterns flowing within.
Allen collapsed weakly behind the ice walls, gasping for cold air, his face pale as paper.
"It blocked it… It has to hold. This is Polar Ice Prison… there's no way physical attacks can break it!"
He muttered to himself, trying to find a shred of security within the heavy frozen barrier.
However, the Pure White Doll's terrifying charging speed did not slow in the slightest; if anything, it became even more violent.
It raised the massive, sharp white blade high into the air and brought it down with overwhelming force.
Crack!
The first thick and sturdy ice wall was as fragile as a sheet of paper before the pure white blade.
With a sharp, piercing shatter, the solid wall was effortlessly cleaved into powder.
The terrifying blade did not lose momentum, carrying its brutal killing force as it slammed into the second ice wall.
"Smash it! Crush it! Let this little mouse see what true power looks like!"
In the bedroom, Labrynth waved her small fists excitedly, delighted by this one-sided, brutal domination.
Crack! Crack!
The continuous sound of violent shattering echoed wildly through the narrow corridor, deafening.
The second and third ice walls completely collapsed under the Pure White Doll's monstrous strength.
Countless fragments of ice were scattered through the dark corridor, reflecting a glimmer of despair.
The Pure White Doll burst through the swirling icy mist and appeared before Allen.
The massive, terrifying white blade hovered steadily at Allen's neck.
A biting chill seeped from the blade, piercing mercilessly into his skin.
Allen's bloodshot eyes widened in terror as he stared at the smooth, faceless monster just inches away.
The magical defense he had once been so proud of was nothing more than a ridiculous joke before this monster.
He completely broke down, tears of cold despair streaming uncontrollably down his face.
Clang.
The precious high-tier ruby staff slipped weakly from his trembling hands and struck the smooth white floor with a clear sound.
Allen's legs gave out, and he collapsed completely onto the cold ground, abandoning all resistance in despair.
"I surrender! Please don't kill me… I'll give you all my treasures! I'll be your slave!"
He cried miserably, begging this terrifying monster for mercy, his dignity completely gone.
In the cozy, safe bedroom at the deepest part of the maze, Labrynth sat on the soft velvet bed, watching the perfect combat display on the holographic projection with great satisfaction.
"Well, now, you've already surrendered? What a dull and utterly weak prey; you don't even have the strength to resist anymore."
(￣▽￣)
She happily watched the rapidly soaring Emotion Points balance, a satisfied smile curving her lips.
The Pure White Doll's terrifying dual resistances and overwhelming attack power pleased her greatly; this was money well spent.
She casually raised her fair hand and snapped her fingers elegantly.
Her vast mental power instantly traversed the labyrinth, precisely cutting off the Pure White Doll's combat command.
Within the dim white corridor,
The Pure White Doll received its master's command and immediately ceased all attack actions.
It mechanically withdrew the white blade hovering at Allen's neck without hesitation.
With a dull grinding sound of stone, the terrifying blade twisted and deformed once again.
In an instant, it returned smoothly to the form of a normal white arm, as if nothing had happened.
Allen stared at this in shock, a faint glimmer of hope flickering in his dim eyes.
He thought the terrifying monster had finally shown mercy and was about to accept his surrender.
However, there was no emotion on the doll's smooth, faceless surface; it was only a puppet.
It stepped forward and roughly grabbed Allen's filthy blond hair with its hard, white hand, exerting tremendous force.
"Ah…! What are you doing? Let go of me! Let go!"
The tearing pain from his scalp made Allen let out a miserable scream as he desperately struck at the doll's arm.
The Pure White Doll paid no attention to his desperate cries; it merely carried out its master's will.
It turned its tall body and began dragging him toward the deepest part of the maze like a dead dog.
...
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