Chapter 37

Chapter 36: Mountain and Sea 14

Inside the maze, 51 minutes had passed since the game began.

Zuo Sanqiu successfully spotted Zhu Shuangyun in front of a crossroad item shop and quickly informed Shi Zong of the situation via the communication card.

“How’s her condition?” Shi Zong asked.

Using the speed-enhancing shoes, Zuo Sanqiu quickly retreated several dozen meters to ensure his low voice wouldn’t be overheard by Zhu Shuangyun.

“She’s not doing very well.”

Zhu Shuangyun’s condition indeed looked poor.

She was curled up on the ground, appearing completely drained of strength.

Beside her lay a bag, opened, containing only food wrappers, bone fragments, and cling film—nothing else.

Recalling the scene he had just seen, Zuo Sanqiu said, “She must be too hungry to have any energy left. All the food she brought into the maze is gone.”

Shi Zong asked him, “Before you and Zhang Qijun came looking for me, regarding the ‘Sea’ faction, did he mention anything?”

“Oh, yes. I remember him saying He Zhen might be able to become invisible.”

Zuo Sanqiu couldn’t help but comment, “That skill is ridiculously strong, almost like a bug. He could just bypass everyone and go straight to the exit.”

The maze was divided into two parts. In the first half, players rarely met each other, and there were plenty of shops to win items.

In the latter half, there were countless crossroads, greatly increasing the chance of players encountering each other and engaging in chaotic battles.

Thus, what truly hindered players from leaving the maze wasn’t its complexity, but the other hostile faction players they encountered along the way.

To win these skirmishes, players would try to acquire as many items as possible, even spending too much time on mini-games.

But for He Zhen, this problem was trivial—

If he could become invisible, he could naturally avoid all players.

There was no need for him to appear in front of other players, no need for direct confrontations, he could simply leave the maze. He was in complete freedom.

Zuo Sanqiu said, “This is infuriating. We’ve been running around trying to get to Rome, yet some people are born in Rome!

“He Zhen from the ‘Sea’ faction has such overpowered skills. Zhou Lü, as an Asura, should also be very strong. But us?

“We have no skills. My skill is just a minor debuff, no attack or defense. The only strong one, Zhang Qijun, is a traitor!

“This is unfair. Absolutely unfair!”

“You’re right. In a faction battle, the overall strength of both sides should be balanced.”

Shi Zong asked him, “If you were the game designer, in this situation, how would you balance the factions?”

“Uh… either enhance someone in the ‘Mountain’ faction or weaken someone in the ‘Sea’ faction…”

Zuo Sanqiu’s eyes lit up, “I get it! He Zhen and Zhou Lü are strong, Zhu Shuangyun must be weak. Right now, she’s so hungry she has no strength left—that’s proof!”

“Exactly. By logic, she’s even weaker than a normal person like me. So you don’t need to have any hesitation or worry,” Shi Zong said. “Kill her immediately.”

When Zuo Sanqiu had just returned to the maze starting point, he received Shi Zong’s order to kill Zhang Qijun’s ally.

At that time, there was something he only dared to complain about in his mind, not out loud—

“Easier said than done. How am I supposed to kill her?”

But after Shi Zong’s analysis, Zuo Sanqiu had enough confidence.

Visualizing the situations he might face, he didn’t dare waste time and quickly used the 【Disguise】 card to transform into Zhang Qijun in front of Zhu Shuangyun.

By now, 52 minutes and 11 seconds had passed in the game, and Zhu Shuangyun had only 7 minutes and 49 seconds left.

Zuo Sanqiu used a time-extension card, giving himself 22 minutes and 49 seconds.

The moment Zhu Shuangyun saw him, she exhaled sharply. “You finally came.”

Seeing this, Zuo Sanqiu felt further reassured—

These two were indeed allied.

Shi Zong had predicted everything correctly.

“You okay?”

Zuo Sanqiu spoke, noticing that his voice had automatically turned into Zhang Qijun’s.

The 【Disguise】 card was indeed a sophisticated camouflage card; now his temperament, appearance, and even his walking posture perfectly matched the female lead.

“I’m fine.”

Zhu Shuangyun barely stood up. “I’m just starving. Let’s get out of here quickly.”

At this, she glanced at Zuo Sanqiu’s chestplate and asked, “Your time hasn’t increased much. Looks like you only killed one person. Who did you kill?”

Zuo Sanqiu said, “I killed Crow. The playwright escaped, but he used the Return to Start card and got back to the starting point, with heavy injuries, so he’s not much of a threat. Anyway, let’s first find the male lead and the second male.”

Zhu Shuangyun glanced at him, took out the 【Wealth Equalization】 card. “You promised me earlier. Remember?”

“Of course I remember. Use it.”

Zuo Sanqiu’s eyelid twitched as he watched Zhu Shuangyun raise the card, ready to place her finger on the activation spot.

However, before she could, Zhu Shuangyun hesitated.

She looked at her own chestplate, then glanced at Zuo Sanqiu’s, frowning in confusion. “No, wait. Why is your time exactly ‘15’ minutes more than mine? When you killed that person, did he only have 15 minutes left?”

Could this be too coincidental?

Zuo Sanqiu didn’t give her time to think. While she hadn’t activated the 【Wealth Equalization】 card yet, he immediately used his skill—【Crow’s Lament】.

“Waa—! Waa—!”

The piercing crow cries came from the void, striking Zhu Shuangyun’s eardrums, drilling into her brain. She immediately felt dizzy, her thinking slowed, and with her already depleted strength, even the action of placing her finger on the 【Wealth Equalization】 card became excruciatingly slow.

Zuo Sanqiu quickly pulled out the item card he had hidden in his sleeve and decisively pressed the activation button—

【Item Name: Stable Vine】

【Item Effect: Bind someone in place, preventing movement】

【Duration: 5 minutes】

【This card can only be used once】

Several rustling sounds were heard as the white, previously indestructible maze floor around Zhu Shuangyun seemed to come alive, undulating like wheat waves. Green vines then sprouted from the floor, winding around all her limbs.

Exhausted from hunger, affected by 【Crow’s Lament】, and tightly bound by the vines, Zhu Shuangyun could no longer hold onto the item card.

With a “snap,” the item card fell to the restored ground, promptly picked up by Zuo Sanqiu.

“Sorry, this 【Wealth Equalization】 card is mine now.”

“Y-you… what are you—”

Zhu Shuangyun’s eyes widened as she stared at Zuo Sanqiu, clearly confused about what had gone wrong.

“Impossible… You couldn’t have tricked me. You used the 【Truth Card】, you—”

Zuo Sanqiu gave her an apologetic smile, offering no further explanation.

He quickly took out another item, a 【Time Reduction】 card, which could reduce the target’s time by 5 minutes.

He said to Zhu Shuangyun, “Here’s the thing. Killing someone personally is stressful for me. I’ll reduce your time by five minutes. When the vines restrain you…

“You should automatically disappear and exit the maze. Don’t blame me. This is the least painful way.”

Ten seconds later, the 【Time Reduction】 card took effect, leaving Zhu Shuangyun with 2 minutes and 1 second.

Without using time-altering items, only 7 minutes and 1 second remained until the game ended.

Players were now concentrated in the latter half of the maze, making the chance of someone returning very low.

Moreover, these vines would be difficult to untangle. No one could save her.

Zuo Sanqiu’s only concern was that Zhu Shuangyun might reveal the truth to other ‘Sea’ faction members who found her.

But then he thought, the 【Disguise】 card and his actions only last five minutes; after five minutes, whatever is revealed will be revealed—it doesn’t matter.

Afterward, muttering “Sorry, sorry, my apologies,” Zuo Sanqiu searched all of Zhu Shuangyun’s sleeves and pockets.

Zhang Qijun left Zhu Shuangyun at the item shop to earn items and because the shop could serve as a coordinate.

Both purposes were exploited.

The items she had worked hard to earn were all taken, leaving Zhu Shuangyun hungry and miserable. Zuo Sanqiu felt guilty under her glaring eyes, sweat pouring down his back. After collecting the item cards, he tearfully apologized, then ran

There are six players in total. If five die and only one leaves, then naturally the sole player exiting the maze wins.

But if multiple people leave the maze, the winner is determined by the total remaining time displayed on everyone’s chestplates.

In short, the faction with more remaining time wins.

Under these rules, He Zhen leaving alone isn’t enough; he must also get his teammates out.

This seems very easy for him—

First, he quickly used the 【Ghost Form】 ability to unobstructedly find the exit first.

Then, using invisibility to avoid all enemy faction members, he quietly and swiftly brought each of his teammates to the exit.

From this perspective, the “Sea” faction seemed poised for an easy win.

But He Zhen guessed upon seeing the first item shop that the game wouldn’t be so simple.

He suspected that some items in the shops could increase a player’s remaining time.

Even if he found the exit and led his teammates out in just 10 minutes, leaving the three of them with a combined remaining time of 150 minutes, that still might not be enough.

After all, what if the “Mountain” faction found many time-increasing items?

Even if Shi Zong and the others left the maze one second before the 60-minute countdown ended, with time-extension items, their combined remaining time could exceed 150 minutes.

So for He Zhen, he couldn’t rely on remaining time to guarantee a win.

He had no way to know how many time-extension cards existed in the maze, who would use them, or who would kill whom and thus gain extra time.

For him, there was actually a very simple way to guarantee victory.

He realized it when he entered the maze, found the first item shop, and saw a few key lines—

【The most powerful item cards in the maze are not available in this shop】

【The most powerful item cards can summon indestructible killing weapons, no usage limit, no cooldown. Only two exist in the maze. Players are advised to actively seek them out】

Since there were two indestructible killing weapons in the game with no cooldown, all he had to do was find these two weapons and guard the maze exit.

Whoever came to the exit, he would kill.

Then he would be the only player to leave the maze, ensuring a “Sea” faction victory.

Thus, He Zhen did not spend time on mini-games in the shops.

After tapping a few times on the screen of the first shop, he quickly made a decision.

He didn’t try to win any minor items. Instead, while invisible in 【Ghost Form】, he moved quickly through the maze, familiarizing himself with the terrain while focusing on finding weapons and the exit.

The maze exit was indeed unique, as he expected.

A 50-meter-long path led from the maze to a small square.

The square was almost perfectly square, with one side leading to the only exit, and the other side lined with five corridors, awaiting players approaching from different directions.

Upon finding the square, He Zhen confirmed that all players had to pass through it to leave the maze.

He could now lie in wait here and kill anyone from the enemy faction who tried to leave.

Of course, He Zhen dared to lie in wait because he had found one of the indestructible killing weapons.

The item card that could summon it was hidden somewhere on the maze ceiling.

Its appearance was identical to the maze materials, making it very hard to detect, but He Zhen had found it.

As for the second killing weapon, he hadn’t found it.

He suspected it was hidden behind a floor tile or wall.

But the maze was too large to search every inch, so he came to the exit first.

In He Zhen’s view, it would be difficult for other players to find this card unless someone was incredibly lucky.

They had to use their time to play mini-games for items, find exits, and strategize with other players.

So he wasn’t too worried about the card being discovered.

However, he entrusted this task to the second male, Zhou Lü from the Asura path.

He Zhen had encountered Zhou Lü while searching for weapons. After recognizing each other’s identities, they established clear responsibilities—

Zhou Lü would monitor other players, gather story fragments, collect items, search for the other killing weapon, and inform He Zhen immediately if needed.

If time was insufficient, he would promptly hand over collected time-extension cards and other necessary items.

He Zhen’s role was to guard the square and kill anyone attempting to leave the maze.

The maze was enormous. Even just finding the weapons and exit consumed a lot of time.

When He Zhen reached the square, 48 minutes of gameplay had already passed.

Not long ago, seated in a corner of the square, hidden from view, He Zhen picked up an item card—one of the killing weapons he had found.

The card read—

【Item Name: King of Hell Whip】

【Legendary weapon used by King Yama. It is said that if fully unleashed, a single lash can obliterate the souls of sinners sent to hell…】

【Effect: Upon activating this card, you receive the King of Hell Whip, with unlimited power—kill gods when you meet gods, kill demons when you meet demons. Technique for using the long whip: …】

Upon reading the item name, He Zhen’s pupils contracted sharply.

But the strangeness in his eyes quickly vanished, and he returned to his usual demeanor.

Then he wondered—

Why is there a “King of Hell Whip” in the maze?

Is this some kind of hint?

The dungeon’s world drew from Buddhist concepts.

Buddhism divides the cycle of living beings into the “Three Realms and Six Paths.”

The Three Realms are the Desire Realm, Form Realm, and Formless Realm.

All beings of the Six Paths reside within these realms, unable to escape them, experiencing the “suffering as boundless as the ocean,” thus the Three Realms are also called the “World of Suffering” or “Ocean of Suffering.”

All beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths suffer.

It is said that upon death in each life, a being is judged by the Ten Yama Kings and then sent along the Bridge of Helplessness according to the judgment.

The bridge has six rays of light, representing paths to the Six Paths.

The judgment determines where the soul goes for reincarnation.

From this perspective…

Since the Ten Yama Kings decide where beings are sent, then the place of the Ten Yama Kings, or the Bridge of Helplessness, the underworld—could it be a place outside the Six Paths?

Currently, the people in this ancient castle are in a state detached from but not fully outside the Six Paths.

Could it be that the “ancient castle” is built in the underworld?

The system mentioned that the maze game was designed by the true owner of the castle.

So who exactly is this “castle owner”?

This is likely connected to the ultimate puzzle of the dungeon.

Lost in thought, He Zhen’s index finger touched the activation button on the item card for ten seconds.

The thin card disappeared, replaced in his hand by a pitch-black, thick, intricately patterned long whip.

Looking down at the whip, He Zhen lowered his head, fringe covering his eyes, a complex expression flickering in them.

Meanwhile,

While Zuo Sanqiu dealt with Zhu Shuangyun, Shi Zong was only about 400 meters away.

After learning the layout rules of the item shops and maze patterns, Shi Zong easily found a branch path leading to the shop where Zhu Shuangyun was.

Since he had observed Zhang Qijun’s movements while pretending to be dead, he could infer the path.

Thanks to Zuo Sanqiu’s speed shoes and timely arrival at Zhu Shuangyun’s shop,

Shi Zong could, on Zhang Qijun’s way to find her, pose as Zhu Shuangyun and appear before him first.

Of course, Shi Zong couldn’t recklessly appear as Zhu Shuangyun.

He had anticipated Zhang Qijun’s skills.

Zhang Qijun could sense whether nearby people were enemy faction or ally.

If the 【Disguise】 card only changed appearance, Shi Zong would be easily exposed.

From a game design perspective, if the female lead already has a skill to identify factions, then a card that only changes appearance is too weak, as the user could be easily detected.

Thus, the 【Disguise】 card’s function must be more comprehensive.

Moreover, Shi Zong had obtained the 【Disguise】 card by completing the hardest mini-game.

If its effect were only cosmetic, it wouldn’t be worth it.

For these reasons, Shi Zong believed this “disguise” completely replicated Zhu Shuangyun, including her skills.

Even so, he cautiously tested the card.

After activating 【Disguise】, Shi Zong found all his injuries gone, as if Zuo Sanqiu had never stabbed him and he had never been harmed by 【Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles】.

The downside was he became extremely hungry and acquired the debuff of the second female, a hungry ghost path character.

In any case, for the next five minutes, he truly became Zhu Shuangyun, flawless and undetectable.

In the maze corridor, when “Zhu Shuangyun” appeared, Zhang Qijun froze, looking quite surprised. “You… how—”

Shi Zong spoke before him

“After you meet up with him, you can tell him everything that happened between us. That way, he’ll know I really joined your faction.

“The playwright is already dead. Once Crow is killed, the ‘Sea’ faction will have a guaranteed win.”

Author’s Note:

The little wife was scheming and plotting in the maze.

Little He stood guard at the maze exit with a whip.

Yo-ho~