Labrynth lay comfortably on a soft velvet pillow, her petite frame almost buried in the warm bedding, with only a small white head peeking out.
Her arms tightly hugged the lace-trimmed pillow as if it were her most treasured possession.
With her eyes closed, Labrynth was clearly sharing Arianna's vision through the rare skill Remote Mental Manipulation.
Her eyes shifted slightly beneath her eyelids as she carefully examined the open golden door in the holographic projection.
The interior of the door emitted an alluring golden glow, illuminating the entire passage brightly and filling it with a mysterious temptation.
"Could there be traps in the Treasure Room? Like Mimic Chests or similar traps."
Labrynth tilted her head, her demon horns rubbing against the pillow, her soft voice echoing in the empty bedroom.
Her fair little feet wiggled aimlessly in the air, her eyes gleaming with an unusual light, full of vigilance.
As a Dungeon Lord well-versed in the art of caution, she would never let herself be carried away by what seemed like an unexpected windfall on the surface.
Her past life's gaming experience told her that the more tempting a treasure chest appeared, the deadlier the hidden dangers around it often were.
What if that magnificent chest itself was a terrifying Mimic Chest, waiting with its jaws wide open for greedy adventurers to take the bait?
"Greeny, don't go in yet. Find a few Monsters and throw them in first to test for any traps."
Through the mental link, Labrynth issued a cautious command to Arianna, who stood outside the golden door.
(◕‿◕✿)
She didn't want her perfectly upgraded maid, whom she had just spent a fortune on, to suffer any damage due to momentary greed.
Upon receiving Labrynth's command, Arianna's delicate, expressionless face showed no extra emotion.
She merely responded respectfully in her mind and sprang into action at once, vanishing from the spot.
This demon maid, possessing Silver Rank strength, moved at a terrifying speed through the cold, dilapidated tunnel.
A dark green afterimage darted through the darkness as she moved like a ruthless reaper, searching for suitable unlucky targets.
Soon, rustling sounds came from around the corner of the passage ahead, where Low-Level Monsters were foraging.
Arianna stopped, her clear green eyes flashing with a cold light, and lunged straight toward the direction of the noise.
Amidst a chorus of terrified screams, Arianna effortlessly captured a still-howling Shadow Goblin.
The poor Shadow Goblin was held firmly by the scruff of its neck by Arianna's slender yet powerful arm, completely immobilized.
Its ugly face was etched with fear as its limbs flailed desperately in mid-air, trying to break free from the demon's grasp.
Carrying the struggling Shadow Goblin as if it were a chick, Arianna swiftly returned to the front of the golden door.
Without hesitation, she raised her arm and forcefully threw the howling Shadow Goblin into the Treasure Room.
The Shadow Goblin traced a parabolic arc through the air before landing heavily on the smooth, golden floor of the Treasure Room.
The Shadow Goblin, thrown to the ground, let out a sharp cry, feeling as if its bones were about to shatter completely from the impact.
The timid Monster quickly scrambled to its feet, its terrified gaze immediately locking onto the girl with demonic features standing outside the door.
Instinctively sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Arianna, it frantically crawled away from the girl before it.
Panicking, the Shadow Goblin fled to the deepest corner of the Treasure Room, clutching its head and trembling uncontrollably.
Its murky eyes were filled with despair, utterly confused as to why it had suddenly encountered such a dreadful and undeserved calamity.
Arianna stood before the golden door, her clear eyes fixed intently on the trembling Shadow Goblin inside the room.
Time passed second by second, and within the entire Treasure Room, aside from the goblin's heavy panting, no unusual movements occurred.
Labrynth lay on the bed, observing every detail in the room through shared vision with equal concentration, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
Arianna waited at the door for over ten minutes, confirming that the Shadow Goblin had not triggered any hidden lethal traps.
The ornate treasure chest placed at the center of the altar remained in place, not suddenly opening wide to swallow the goblin.
After confirming there was no danger, Arianna respectfully sought Labrynth's permission through their mental link.
"Castle Lord, the target area is safe. May I enter now?"
Labrynth nodded in satisfaction, her soft voice echoing in Arianna's mind as she approved the request.
"Well done, Greeny. Go ahead, but stay alert."
Arianna gave a slight nod, then stepped forward in her black leather shoes, walking steadily into the glittering, golden Treasure Room.
The moment she entered, a rich wave of Mana washed over her. As Arianna surveyed her surroundings, she approached the treasure chest.
The room was not particularly large, with strange patterns carved into the walls that emitted a faint magical glow.
The patterns resembled ancient Spatial Runes, intricately interwoven to form a complete Magic Circle.
At the center of the room stood an altar made of pristine white marble, upon which rested the treasure chest, gleaming with an alluring luster.
Aside from this, the room was empty, not even a speck of dust to be seen.
As Arianna approached the altar, the Shadow Goblin cowering in the corner buried its head even lower upon seeing her approach, letting out a series of whimpers.
Ignoring the lowly Monster, she extended her pale hands and gently placed them on the lid of the ornate treasure chest.
With a soft metallic scraping sound, Arianna slowly opened the chest, and a dazzling light instantly burst forth from within.
However, when the light faded, Labrynth saw through the shared vision that the chest did not contain the imagined mountains of gold coins or powerful artifacts.
At the bottom of the chest lay only a tattered piece of ancient parchment and a mysterious crystal swirling with gray mist.
Though somewhat disappointed, Labrynth immediately gave the order for Arianna to first secure these two items.
Following the instruction, Arianna carefully held the items, then turned and steadily retreated into the cold, shadowy corridor.
Standing within the corridor, her hands cradling the parchment and the gray crystal, Arianna gazed into the void with clear eyes and respectfully inquired, "My Lady, are there any further commands?"
Deep within the Labyrinth, in her bedroom, Labrynth hugged the lace pillow to her chest, slowly shaking her head as she sank into deep contemplation.
Her eyes fixed on the empty treasure chest in the holographic projection, her mind repeatedly replaying the information previously shared by that Silver Rank mage.
Allen had said that the Treasure Room had a special rule: once an adventurer took the treasure inside, the entire room would refresh and vanish.
But now, the treasure had already been taken out by Greeny, yet the Treasure Room remained open, its door wide, with no changes occurring.
"Hmm... I've got it!"
Labrynth abruptly sat up in bed, her demon horns quivering with excitement as a brilliant idea blossomed in her mind.
Since taking the treasure didn't cause the room to disappear immediately, what would happen if she stuffed something else inside and then closed the door?
A sly smile spread across her mischievous little face, and she immediately issued a new command to Arianna outside through their mental link.
"Greeny, find a heavy rock and put it in the treasure chest. And that Shadow Goblin, stuff it into the chest too."
(✧◡✧)
Labrynth rubbed her small hands together excitedly, now eagerly wanting to test her bold and crazy hypothesis.
Upon hearing this strange command, Arianna raised no questions, instead executing her Lady's will with absolute loyalty.
She securely stored the parchment and crystal, then turned and walked deeper into the corridor, quickly finding a large, fallen rock.
This seemingly delicate demon maid displayed terrifying strength, effortlessly lifting the boulder weighing several hundred pounds and striding back to the Treasure Room.
The Shadow Goblin hiding in the corner, seeing Arianna enter carrying the massive rock, was scared out of its wits, thinking it was about to be crushed into pulp.
Arianna walked to the altar and, without any strain, placed the several-hundred-pound boulder into the treasure chest, producing a dull, heavy thud.
Then, she turned her head, her clear green eyes coldly locking onto the still-trembling Shadow Goblin.
Striding over, Arianna grabbed the Shadow Goblin by the scruff of its neck, ignoring its frantic struggles and shrieks, and directly hauled it to the treasure chest.
With rough movements, she stuffed the Shadow Goblin into the chest as well, cramming it tightly alongside the cold, massive rock within the confined space.
After completing this task, Arianna, following the Lady's command, quickly exited the Treasure Room.
Standing in the corridor, she extended both hands and forcefully shut the large door.
The moment the door closed, intense spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted within the previously calm corridor, unleashing a violent storm of Mana.
A final flash of dazzling golden light flickered through the crack of the door, and then, the entire Treasure Room, along with the massive boulder and goblin inside, vanished into thin air.
Where the golden gate once stood, there was now only emptiness, leaving behind nothing but the rough, cold stone wall of the Dungeon.
Labrynth sat on the soft velvet bed, lifting her head. Her eyes shimmered with excitement and fervor.
She began to seriously contemplate an idea, a tactic that could revolutionize the defense system of the Silver City Labyrinth.
If Treasure Rooms could be refreshed away, couldn't they be used as traps in the future to refresh away certain enemies?
All she had to do was lure those powerful, troublesome foes into this room, quickly shut the door, and they would be banished outright.
This was practically effortless Spatial Magic; not a single drop of blood needed to be shed to easily dispose of those troublesome intruders.
The more Labrynth thought about it, the more excited she became. Her demon tail wagged happily in the air, as if she could already envision countless adventurers being exiled to their doom.
In this perilous Dungeon, greedy humans were everywhere. By exploiting their avarice, this trap would be absolutely unbeatable.
While Labrynth was still pondering the feasibility of the Treasure Room trap after the test, on the other side, Arianna continued her work, generating more Emotion Points for the Castle Lord.
...
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