Medeili stared at the demon statue, a look of curiosity crossing her face. “Its posture… it looks like it’s begging. Should we give it something?”
“Mind your tongue,” Wang Yue chided. “Show some respect. We must offer a tribute with the utmost piety.”
Wang Yue leaned down, picked up a random stone, and placed it into the demon’s open hand.
Rumble—
The stone statue shuddered, and its claws slowly clamped shut. A sudden, eerie light flared to life!
From somewhere in the gloom, a ghostly voice whispered:
“Sacrilege…”
“Yue! You—”
Medeili let out a sharp cry of alarm. Coarse, stiff black hair was erupting from Wang Yue’s neck and arms, spreading with unnatural speed.
Wang Yue stumbled back two steps. Lifting her hands, she saw the ghastly black fur and felt a jolt of shock ripple through her body like an electric current.
“Wh-What’s happening to me?!”
Medeili stepped closer, peering at her friend’s new look. She shook her head. “You’ve turned into a human kiwi fruit.”
“I was too careless,” Wang Yue muttered, finally realizing the trap. “The sacrifice mechanic gives blessings or curses based on the quality of the tribute.”
“It definitely didn’t like the rock.”
“If I’d known, I would have given it something better… Anyway, how do I get rid of this fur?” Wang Yue grabbed a tuft and gave it a sharp yank. It hurt, but the hair didn’t budge.
It seemed to be a long-lasting curse.
She quickly regained her composure. The black hair didn’t itch or hurt; the only real downside was that it covered her eyes, forcing her to peek out through the gaps in the fur.
There was no time for panic. They were already at a disadvantage. To ensure they weren’t outclassed in the coming battles, they had to familiarize themselves with the terrain and gather items as efficiently as possible.
Blast Leap!
Wang Yue kicked off the ground, bouncing between the canyon walls to regain her high vantage point.
Since the proctors were watching from the shadows, it wasn’t convenient to communicate with heretic deities. Otherwise, she would have called upon Biheze’s power; X-ray vision and long-distance sight were incredibly practical buffs.
She suddenly recalled the ‘Far-Sight Cube’ she had modeled after the Secret Window Society’s altar simulations.
Action followed thought. She picked up a piece of sandstone and used Witchcraft to carve a Far-Sight Cube.
Holding it in her hand, she channeled her supernatural power. Her vision instantly stretched across the horizon, functioning like a powerful telescope.
Shing!
The image jumped from the distance directly to the tip of her nose.
As she scanned the surroundings, she spotted a small girl. She looked exceptionally young, with a slight frame that suggested her development hadn’t quite caught up to her age.
This was the Captain of the Purple Team, Mavis.
She had striking purplish-blue hair that looked like soft blades of orchid grass. A single cowlick stood defiantly on her forehead, swaying in the wind.
Mavis was looking in their direction as well.
Suddenly, she pointed her pinky finger at Wang Yue!
Because of the Far-Sight effect, that finger seemed to poke right into Wang Yue’s eye. She squinted reflexively. By the time she opened her eyes again, the little girl had vanished.
“Interesting.”
Wang Yue leaped down from the crag, landing in front of Medeili.
“The Purple Team is one kilometer to our southeast.”
“Should we prepare for combat?”
“No need. The Purple Team doesn’t know about our internal split yet. If they spot us, they’ll likely keep their distance rather than charge in to their deaths,” Wang Yue analyzed.
“You’re so smart, Yue.”
“Don’t praise me too much, I’ll get cocky,” Wang Yue joked. “I found a strange mechanism not far ahead. Follow me.”
The two moved through the stone forest, arriving before a slightly slanted rock face.
On the wall was a foot-wide relief resembling a shrine. It was composed of simple geometric patterns that looked like they could be manipulated.
After being cursed with the fur, Wang Yue had become much more cautious. Instead of acting rashly, she studied the patterns and realized it was a sliding block puzzle.
Her mind worked quickly, solving the riddle in an instant. She reached out, shifting several wedges and sliders up, down, left, and right until they formed a perfectly symmetrical pattern.
A mechanical roar echoed from within the rock. Like a disc tray ejecting from a console, a circular stone pedestal slid out from a groove below.
On the pedestal sat a marquise-cut yellow crystal.
Wang Yue picked up the crystal and read the small tip attached to it.
[Small Shield Recharge: Restores one layer of protection. Ineffective if shields are at maximum capacity.]
“Small… that implies there might be Medium and Large recharges too,” Medeili speculated.
“Our rings provide a maximum of seven shield layers. If they all break, we’re automatically eliminated. A Small recharge gives one layer back; a Greater Shield Supplement might restore multiple layers or even max us out instantly.”
“That would be incredibly powerful.”
“It would. But they won’t be everywhere. They’re likely rare strategic items.”
Wang Yue stepped back two meters and unleashed a Splitting Sword! The crimson slash exploded against the shrine.
Boom!
The rock wall trembled, shedding dust, but the shrine remained completely unscathed. A mysterious power seemed to be protecting it.
It appeared there were no shortcuts to be taken here.
Wang Yue stowed the Small Shield Recharge in her bag and left immediately.
The advantage of a duo was their high mobility. No matter how well a four-person squad coordinated, they couldn’t beat the speed of two people.
Furthermore, both Wang Yue and Medeili could cast Blast Leap instantaneously, allowing them to maintain high-speed movement without interruption.
Aside from the two “rogue ninjas” who had abandoned them, no other team could match their mobility.
Wang Yue’s plan was to collect as many items as possible—shield recharges or anything else. The more, the better.
There was a high probability they would face overwhelming numbers later. When that happened, items would be their greatest trump card.
The Far-Sight Cube proved to be exceptionally useful.
Before long, Wang Yue made another discovery on a massive stone pillar that looked like a bloated, layered stalagmite.
A stone door.
The design of the door was similar to the shrine they had just opened. Clearly, it was the same type of mechanism: solve the puzzle, get the loot.
CRACK-BOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck down like a spear, illuminating the stone forest as bright as day.
In an instant, the heavens opened.
Wang Yue and Medeili pulled up their hoods to shield themselves from the sudden torrential downpour.
The rain cascaded like a waterfall, splashing violently against the ground. Water flowed everywhere, soaking the rock walls and flooding the crevices between stones.
The stone pillars became incredibly slick and difficult to climb.
Wang Yue efficiently carved several footholds with her Splitting Sword, leaping several times until she reached the stone door.
It was a narrow entrance. In the center was a foot-wide indentation filled with rectangular sliding blocks of various sizes.
Wang Yue muttered to herself, “Another logic puzzle?”
She pushed the black hair away from her eyes and used her free hand to rapidly slide the blocks, solving this oversized Klotski puzzle.
Rumble—
The stone door retracted into its inner groove, revealing a narrow passage about five or six meters long. A faint light shimmered at the end, suggesting treasure.
Wang Yue glanced at Medeili. “Only one person can fit. You go in and grab it; I’ll stay here and watch the door.”
Medeili nodded and raised her wand. A white light bloomed from the tip like a flashlight as she stepped slowly into the tunnel.
The reason Wang Yue sent her in was because she was the stronger fighter; it was safer for her to guard the entrance.
At that moment, two or three hundred meters away, a group was hiding on a suspended walkway wrapping around another stone pillar.
Mavis lurked in the darkness.
Rain lashed against her, but it was deflected by her waterproof competition gear. She hadn’t put her hood up; her hair was soaked through, save for that one stubborn cowlick standing tall.
The petite girl stared unblinkingly at the black-furred monster standing guard at the stone door.
“What is going on?” Mavis murmured. “How did the Black Team’s Captain turn into… that ominous thing? And where are her teammates?”
“One went into the tunnel—that Medeili girl. The other two are nowhere to be found. Maybe they split up.”
“How arrogant,” Mavis said, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. “To act in two separate groups… they aren’t taking us seriously at all!”
“What should we do, Captain?”
“We give them a lesson they won’t forget, of course!”
