Chapter 1131
Jets of flame erupted from the monster's wounds. With a shriek, it exploded into a cloud of fire, which was instantly devoured by the plant walls on either side.
Once all the flames had vanished, the passage ahead looked unchanged—the grass on the ground was pristine, not a single mark left behind.
Byron tried casting Shadow Stealth again, but failed—every visible and invisible shadow around him refused to let him merge.
Suddenly, a Three-Faced Monster poked its head out from the plant wall, sneering at the Shadow Tower mages.
"What a bunch of idiots. You just got here and already lost one. Aren't you all Title Magi? The strongest among you is ninth-rank, the weakest is seventh-rank.
And yet one of you was burned to death by a level thirty-five Flame-Spitting Monster. Shameful! If I were you, I'd twist off my own head and smash my face so no one could recognize me. Better dead than humiliated.
What a bunch of trash..."
Byron didn't hesitate—he fired a Shadow Arrow at the Three-Faced Monster, but it silently melted into the plant wall and vanished, only to reappear from another section, still sneering at the Shadow Tower mages.
"So you get angry when I call you trash? Good, very good!
If you all just twist off your own heads now, it wouldn't be any fun. Give me a surprise, make it entertaining.
Hurry up, you trash. I'm waiting for you to come and kill me. If you manage that, you can leave this place."
The Three-Faced Monster cackled and melted back into the plant wall. Byron's face darkened, his eyes wary as he stared at the empty road ahead.
"We've definitely been discovered. That Three-Faced Monster must be one of Matthew Merlin's tricks. Let's keep moving. This Maze Formation isn't that difficult—we can get out. Stay alert for ambushes!" Byron warned.
This time, Byron took the lead, his Shadow Shield active to guard against ambush. As he walked, he marked the path they'd taken, trying to crack the maze's structure.
There are many types of Maze Formations. Spatial mazes are the hardest—unless you're an alchemist with deep expertise, or you brute-force the array, there's no way out.
But this maze is the simplest kind. Even a regular person with a knack for it could find their way out.
Byron was full of confidence, marking their route through the maze and reassuring the mages behind him.
"Don't worry, this maze is easy. But we have to move fast—these mazes always change after a while, and once that happens, any map we've drawn becomes useless.
As long as we find the exit before it shifts, this place can't stop me!"
Byron wore his confidence like armor, and strangely, the dozen or so mages behind him all breathed a little easier. When it came to fighting, Byron was actually the weakest among the Ninth-Rank Title Archmages of the Shadow Tower.
But when it came to sneaking, stealing, infiltrating, or anything maze-related, no one in the Shadow Tower could match Byron—except maybe the Sky Rank mages.
But just as Byron finished speaking and turned around, before the Shadow mages could agree, the ground at the very back split open. It was as if a Burrowing Beast had suddenly opened its jaws wide and swallowed the last mage whole.
The Burrowing Beast crawled out, its claws scraping the ground. Its body color matched the earth perfectly, and without any magical fluctuations, nobody could have noticed it.
The sudden attack threw the mages into chaos. They staggered back in terror, then raised their staffs and unleashed spells at the Burrowing Beast.
In just a few seconds, the Burrowing Beast was riddled with spells like a porcupine. Mud poured from its wounds, and with a bang, it exploded into a cloud of sludge, slowly seeping into the ground and plant walls. The earth smoothed out again, and even the gap in the turf vanished as if nothing had happened.
It was as if nothing had happened—except another mage was gone...
Byron was furious, waving his staff and casting spell after spell at the ground and plant walls. But every spell disappeared soundlessly, leaving everything unchanged.
"Idiots! How could you be so careless? Another one dead, just like that. This game is getting boring. At this rate, you'll all be dead before long.
Whenever you reach unknown territory, the ground below is where the last hunter might hide. How could you forget? The Burrowing Beast always attacks the last person in line—everyone knows that.
You actually put the strongest person at the front—afraid of dying, huh? No matter, it's best if the strongest dies last. That's the most fun way to play..."
The Three-Faced Monster let out a weird laugh, mocked them again, and then vanished into the plant wall.
Byron clenched his teeth, glaring fiercely at the spot where the monster disappeared.
"Don't let that thing fool you. At first, it targeted whoever was in front. Then, when we switched places, it went for the one at the back. This is definitely planned.
It's avoiding our weakest point. Its strength can't be that great—it can't face us all at once.
This chapter isn't over yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading!
Let's stick together. I'll stand in the middle, so if anything happens to anyone, I can help in time. Don't worry, those two might not even be dead.
Something's wrong here—really wrong. I've never seen a Maze Formation that can block Shadow Stealth, especially not one this low-level.
The bodies of those two are gone, so they might not actually be dead. And when the monster was killed, its corpse vanished too—something's off.
It's an illusion. It must be an illusion—this is all Matthew Merlin's conspiracy!
He's definitely scared of us. He can't beat us head-on, so he's resorting to these tricks to pick us off one by one.
Don't be afraid. It's all an illusion—just illusions!"
Byron's resolve was unwavering, and the terrified mages around him gradually calmed down.
They wandered the maze for ages, which shifted three times. Along the way, they were ambushed by all sorts of monsters—sometimes the maze itself would spit a creature right in front of them during a shift.
After three or four hours, only fifteen of the original eighteen mages remained. Even with precautions, another one was lost.
"Stay sharp. Once we round this corner, we'll be out of the maze. Watch out for the Three-Faced Monster—he'll seize any opportunity for an ambush!
Once we're out, the Three-Faced Monster won't be able to ambush us anymore!"
Byron kept encouraging the weary mages at his side. Hearing they were almost free, the group finally managed a few smiles.
Rounding the corner, they finally saw the exit to the maze—only to find five massive Five-Headed Flame Beasts squatting there, their heads half the size of their bodies.
The beasts opened their jaws wide—wide enough to swallow themselves whole—and as the Shadow mages approached, all five spewed fire at once.