Chapter Fifty-Four: The Grand Maze Battle (Part Two)

Rockwen’s cries grew more frequent—partly the indignant fury of a grand lord tormented by a little girl, partly the rising shame of feeling his dignity slipping away. Among those gathered in the safe zone, there were naturally a few sharp-eyed or keenly perceptive individuals. On one side, tempers flared; on the other, though the mask hid all expression, the girl’s sword flickered playfully—east, then west—like a child tapping with a finger, utterly adorable.

Their duel was filled with flying skills and constant noise, yet lacking any real harm. It was as bland as plain noodles without salt or oil—impossible to swallow unless one were truly famished.

In contrast, the clash between the two mages was far more riveting. Whenever Wang Wei unleashed a spell, sparks inevitably flew. Within the dim-red labyrinth of three tiers, the flowing flames gradually raised the temperature. The two men stood unmoving, staves slicing left and right, unleashing spell after spell, explosions blossoming between them.

Yet even here, there was little substantive damage.

When, then, would this battle finally end? Ximen Yu suddenly yawned, slumping against the wall, eyes half-closed as he studied the "World’s End" Guild. Their numbers were few, but they had overtaken him, becoming the second guild to be officially established. Was it pure coincidence, or something more deliberate? He couldn’t say. What intrigued him most was what Gao Mingyang was saying to his guildmates, causing the faces of those twenty-some members to shift rapidly—tension mounting, a quarrel threatening to erupt at any moment.

He yawned again, letting his gaze drift past the crowd: first his own people, then the "Guardian Knights," and finally locking eyes with someone across the way.

Nanyang Sheng’s gaze was so cold and indifferent it was almost nauseating.

This was the man who refused to let him go, even their guild-foundations separated by only a sliver of time.

“I quit!”

As the battle dragged on without conclusion, a new scene unfolded in the safe zone. The “World’s End” Guild appeared to have fallen into some internal strife. A young man, his expression icy, offered an apology devoid of any real remorse: “Sorry, but I refuse to throw my life away needlessly.”

Gao Mingyang forced a bitter smile and sighed. “Anyone else want out?”

One after another, several others stood up, voices in unison. They first left the guild’s group formation, then the guild itself. Not a trace of regret marked their faces—instead, there was a palpable sense of relief, as though a heavy weight had been lifted from their hearts. One after another, within a minute, the numbers around Gao Mingyang dwindled… until only five remained.

Four men and one woman.

Gao Mingyang sighed again. Aside from the three usuals, surprisingly Xu Yang had not left, and another remained as well—a youth of eighteen or nineteen, his bangs shading his eyes. This was Jiang Lun, a boy who’d followed him for a few months; now, he showed more loyalty than many of the so-called grown men.

“You two don’t need to get involved in this mess,” Gao Mingyang said, frowning as he opened his character panel. As guild master, he had the authority to remove members at will.

“Brother Yang, even if you kick me, I won’t leave,” Jiang Lun replied easily, blowing the hair from his forehead to reveal his single-lidded eyes. “Even if you kick me from the party, I can still act freely, right?”

“Don’t blame me if you die.”

“Well, you guys can keep me company on the road to the underworld—at least I won’t be lonely,” Jiang Lun replied with a bright, sunny smile, his crazed words at odds with his cherubic, boy-next-door face.

Xu Fei and the others chuckled, and only then did Gao Mingyang look sincerely at Xu Yang. “Teacher Xu, you really don’t need to get dragged into this. I invited you at first probably just out of gratitude, and now you’ve more than repaid that debt.”

Xu Yang shook her head gently, a blush warming her face—perhaps from the heat in the room. Her lips were dry, her hairline damp against her forehead, but none of it marred her beauty. “He… must have a plan to get us out of this. Just like when we first met, we were surrounded then, too.”

“Damn it! If someone wasn’t already living in your heart, I’d definitely chase after you later—hell!” Gao Mingyang spat fiercely, then, without further ado, announced, “Let me introduce our new guild member… Zhao Nan!”

In the guild’s party chat, Zhao Nan’s voice rang out as he continued pressing Wang Wei with his staff, his tone steady and unhurried: “No need for extra words. My goal is the end of the labyrinth—level five. Be prepared for combat at any time. Bite open a healing potion, keep it in your mouth, and only swallow when necessary.”

Everyone followed his instructions.

Zhao Nan’s gaze swept across the safe zone, quickly memorizing everyone’s positions. Opposite him, Wang Wei was gulping down his third mana potion. As a Fire Dragon Mage, his spells were powerful but drained mana at an equal rate.

Just then, Rockwen’s body suddenly stiffened, ten barbed vines wrapping him tight and robbing him of movement. In front of him, Finina was already closing in.

“Berserk World!”

With a furious roar, the Barbarian Throne Warrior burst through the vines in an instant. Though he broke free unharmed, his hair stood on end and a dark red glow shimmered across his bulging muscles.

Berserk World—a Barbarian Throne Warrior’s exclusive skill. For five seconds, attack power doubles, and all debuffs are ignored!

Clang!

With doubled attack, his strength also surged. Yet, even if his power was multiplied tenfold, Finina’s evasive dance kept her always just out of reach. Let the floor fall apart for all she cared—if you can’t hit, you can’t win.

“It’s about time to go all out.” Zhao Nan took a deep breath, a layer of earthy yellow radiance spreading over him.

Stone Armor.

No longer standing still to cast spells, he sprinted forward, not releasing any skills as he charged straight at Wang Wei, his eyes locked unwaveringly on his opponent.

“Die!”

With Zhao Nan charging headlong, Wang Wei saw no need for subtlety. Whether it was a trap or just recklessness, his best bet was to unleash his ultimate and end the match. He sucked in a deep breath, and a stream of golden-red flame erupted from his mouth, swelling explosively in the air—the Fire Dragon Mage’s most powerful skill at this stage. The spell had no time limit and would only cease when all mana was spent.

Stone Armor’s HP was consumed at a terrifying rate, but Zhao Nan pressed on through the flames. Halfway through the inferno, he slammed his Sighing Staff hard against the ground.

The cooldown for Thorn Vines was fifteen seconds, halved by his class, reduced by another two seconds by the Sighing Staff—for a total cooldown of just 5.5 seconds.

At that moment, Berserk World’s effect faded from Rockwen, and a new wave of vines ensnared him.

Rockwen was stunned. Such rapid skill cooldowns were completely abnormal—utterly so.

“Hidden Battle Gold Armor!”

Now, survival was his only priority.

Meanwhile, Zhao Nan, shielded by Stone Armor, had reached Wang Wei. Stone Armor’s effect was on the verge of collapse, with barely a second’s protection left.

Startled, Wang Wei couldn’t maintain his fire breath. With the enemy at point-blank range, his reflexes overrode any tactical thinking—he swung a fist instead.

The blow landed square on Zhao Nan’s chest, shattering the fragile barrier of Stone Armor like paper-thin glass. But Zhao Nan, undeterred, drove his staff straight into Wang Wei’s mouth.

Wang Wei howled in agony, stumbling backward, clutching his mouth as blood spattered and two teeth spun on the ground. Even if he recovered, he’d always be short two teeth—whistling as he spoke.

All of this happened in less than two seconds—the time it takes to draw a single breath. By the time Wang Wei’s brain caught up, it was too late.

Zhao Nan vaulted away, instantly widening the distance between them.

At that moment, Finina struck.

Rockwen, immobilized and with his Hidden Battle Gold Armor rapidly depleting, saw a terrifying burst of sword light before him. In a flash, his health bar lost a quarter of its capacity.

The barrage was terrifying—yet, while he expected pain, he felt none. Instead, his body was abruptly freed. In that instant, his HP plunged into the danger zone.

Each vine cut equals a fixed hundred points of damage—ten vines, a thousand points in total.

If his health bar emptied, he’d die. Rockwen’s first reflex wasn’t to dodge or block, but to heal—a fatal miscalculation.

He should have dodged first, or at least tried to block!

After the combo, a chilling streak flashed before his eyes like a meteor.

Sky Sword Saint’s signature skill at level 15—Falling Star Strike.

Its total damage might not surpass her Star Combo, but in a single blow, it was undoubtedly Finina’s most devastating attack.

Rockwen did not move. Her sword pierced his chest, gouging a massive, bloody hole.

His health bar emptied completely.