The challenge trial ended, and the surroundings fell into complete silence. The lively insect humanoid shadows vanished without a trace, and the air no longer echoed with the chirping and wing flutters of insects.
Only the three of them stood upright in the middle of a vast, ruined ancient arena overgrown with mottled moss.
On the giant stone stands, traces of erosion from the long passage of time were faintly visible.
“Is it over just like that?” Aria looked around, her eyes still carrying a hint of confusion. A beautiful pink butterfly landed on her shoulder.
After experiencing such an intense and thrilling battle, the current calm and the rich rewards felt like a fleeting illusion.
“Yeah, it’s over.” Gauss shook his head, his tone thoughtful. “I wonder if others who come later will still be able to trigger the trial?”
At the moment when the insect humanoid shadows disappeared, it seemed as if some force sustaining this place had been exhausted.
If the trial only occurs once, then they have really struck gold.
After the battle, as usual, the three of them carefully searched the arena and the surrounding giant stone stands.
The remains of the Thorn Behemoth had completely dissipated in the black smoke, leaving no trace behind.
With no additional discoveries, they found a relatively flat, open area to set up camp and rest.
Serlandul efficiently set up a simple tent, while Aria cleaned the foraged wild vegetables and food they had collected along the way.
Their storage bags contained only some meat to supplement their meals; the preservation box had unlimited space, but the amount of vegetables they carried was too little.
So they wanted to replenish some vitamins and dietary fiber by paying attention to the wild vegetables and fruits growing along the route.
That task was usually handled by Tiandong Lu.
While Tiandong Lu cleaned the food, Ur quietly lay down resting at her feet.
The long battle had also consumed a bit of its energy, so now it seemed unusually well-behaved, lying down obediently to rest.
Gauss sat cross-legged under a slightly smaller stone and took out the steel longsword that had accompanied him through several battles.
The blade was still sharp, but during the calm collision with the Thorn Behemoth just now, it had inevitably gained a few slight rolled edges and scratches.
He slightly raised his head and, using the Light Cantrip’s illumination from nearby, carefully examined the damaged spots.
Then he took out a whetstone and maintenance oil from the tool bag placed beside his legs and focused intently on finishing the maintenance work.
The steady, rhythmic sound of the whetstone rubbing against metal echoed through the noisy arena.
Gauss’s fingers moved steadily and firmly, carefully polishing the sword’s flaws. The cold metal blade gradually regained its roughness under the whetstone’s grinding.
Nearly a year of adventuring had transformed him from a complete novice at weapon maintenance into a somewhat rusty veteran.
At first, he found it novel and soon tedious, but now he had developed a unique enjoyment from the task, especially when listening to the unfamiliar squeaking sound. He always felt his mood would gradually lift on its own.
It carried a feeling like “seeing the mountain as a mountain, seeing the mountain as not a mountain, then seeing the mountain as a mountain again.”
Adventure was not just about fighting and killing.
Most of the time was actually filled with relatively exciting daily life: traveling, foraging, exploring, resting, and maintaining equipment. The thrilling battles occupied only a small portion.
This was true for both low-level adventurers and those who had stepped into the professional stage.
Gauss even guessed that those top-tier adventurers who seemed untouchable and should be busy saving cities and civilians probably lived much the same life.
After all, if one is always busy, it would be hard to catch a breath.
Having finished maintaining the weapon, Aria had also prepared the ingredients.
Now, the three-person team took turns cooking.
Today was Aria’s turn.
“What are we eating?” Gauss bent slightly, resting his hands on his knees, curious.
Her basket held a plant that glowed faintly blue all over.
Aria looked up and saw Gauss’s curious face, letting out a smug hum, clearly proud.
In terms of knowledge about edible monsters, she was no match for Gauss, but when it came to wild vegetables and plants, she was the expert.
She held up a blue plant shaped like a miniature fern and showed it to Gauss.
“This is Earth Vein Fern. Its rhizomes are crisp and tender, with a sweet, refreshing taste. After blanching, it can be eaten cold in salads. You can often find them in the damp, shaded crevices near water sources in the maze.”
Then she picked up a handful of deep purple plants with thick leaves edged by tiny serrations.
“This is Rock Ear Vegetable. The leaves are a bit astringent but contain nutrients beneficial to the human body. It’s suitable for soups. The taste is somewhat like overcooked spinach.”
After her explanation, Gauss benefited greatly.
He admitted that compared to meat, he sometimes neglected vegetables.
But actually, it didn’t matter since Aria was here.
Before long, with Gauss helping out, a meal that could be called either afternoon tea or dinner was ready.
Cold Earth Vein Fern salad, Rock Ear Vegetable soup, smoked meat jerky, and freshly baked bread with a fragrance of wheat.
A simple meal, the three sat quietly around a small campfire, enjoying the food.
“This Rock Ear Vegetable soup tastes a bit strange, but drinking it warms the whole body. It’s very comforting,” Gauss said slowly as he dipped bread into the last bit of soup in the bowl. “Serlandul, what do you think?”
The half-snake adventurer silently chewed the jerky.
“It’s okay. I still prefer meat.”
Aria rolled her eyes at him.
Don’t blame her for saying this, but this guy really had some double standards, right? He often drank Gauss’s vegetable soups.
But when it came to her carefully prepared vegetable soup, Serlandul only sipped a little and ended up gnawing on bought jerky and bread.
She felt her fist harden a little.
Gauss watched this scene and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The sounds of chewing, soft conversation, the occasional clink of a spoon against a bowl, and the crackle of the campfire.
The ancient arena ruins glowed a pale green, peaceful.
Once a place symbolizing death, frenzy, and battle, it now, after nearly a hundred thousand years of cleansing, remained only immense silent stones, leaving behind an almost sacred stillness.
Neither blood nor glory remained; now it was just a brief resting spot for Gauss’s team.
Gauss relaxed his body and leaned against the cold stone wall, feeling its solid touch at his back.
He wondered if the original builders, rulers, and fighters could imagine across time and space the scene unfolding here now.
After a full meal and rest, the three judged the time and discussed their next move.
The current time was awkward — it was not yet night rest time, but continuing exploration might only last an hour or two before they had to camp again.
As they hesitated between continuing to explore or resting here to end the day’s adventure,
a sudden strange and grand sound rang out deep within the maze, and the surroundings began to tremble slowly.
“What’s happening?” Aria braced herself on the ground to steady her body.
Gauss recalled quickly in his mind.
He found a similar scene description in the memory of the Labyrinth Guide.
“It might be the maze’s ‘Rejection Phase’!” Gauss informed the two.
During the growth stage, the maze occasionally enters a strange rejection phase.
During this time, the spatial flow within the maze becomes unusually complex. For outsiders, it is the most dangerous moment; regardless of strength, one might be torn apart by temporal and spatial turbulence.
“But don’t panic. There should still be some buffer time before it officially begins.” Gauss steadied his teammates’ emotions.
He was also a little puzzled.
Because the book records that the rejection phase often occurs during transitional periods of the maze’s various growth stages.
But this maze had appeared only recently; how could it enter the rejection phase so soon? Fresh chapters posted on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱
“Let’s head outward first,” Gauss suggested.
Although he reassured his teammates, it was his first time encountering this situation, so he was actually unsure inside.
“Then let’s move out.”
Fortunately, their second exploration had yielded considerable gains. Having searched thoroughly, now withdrawing was quite rewarding.
The three quickly packed their belongings. Under Gauss’s lead, they followed the mental map and swiftly headed toward the exit.
Along the way, they met other adventurer teams, equally hurried.
No one understood the situation clearly, but all knew the maze was no place to linger now.
Gauss’s group evacuated very smoothly.
His mental map played an important role.
Moreover, although the entrance to the lower levels of the maze was hard to find, the exit direction was fixed.
Even in an unfamiliar place, Gauss could precisely determine the direction based on his position and the illuminated exit location, saving the team a lot of time.
The night was as deep and dark as ink.
The three-person team finally, along with the hurried crowd, stepped onto the surface bathed in bright moonlight.