Chapter 208: Gods playing hide-and-seek? Death Ticket!
The next day, as dawn broke.
The entire Loki Familia stood like a sharp sword before Daedalus Street.
"Didn't I tell you! The buildings here are so intricate, it's practically a hide-and-seek paradise!"
The leading goddess was full of vigor, spreading her arms as if to embrace this "Aboveground Labyrinth" full of life.
"Ah ha ha... If we get separated here, I'm not confident I can find my way back."
"That's why the Captain prepared signal flares, just in case."
"But seriously, why did we end up using Loki's ridiculous suggestion?"
Feeling the gazes of her Familia, mixed with helplessness and indulgence, Loki huffed and put her hands on her hips, ignoring all questions.
"I don't care! The First Annual Loki Familia Unlimited Hide-and-Seek Tournament begins now!"
Finn raised a hand to his forehead, a hint of habitual helplessness in his voice.
"What do you mean 'begins now', Loki? At least wait until we've finished dividing into teams."
Taking advantage of the commotion, Arthur's sharp silver eyes narrowed, subtly scanning the surroundings for any movement.
The residents of Daedalus Street were drawn by the noise, peeking out to watch.
Many children's eyes sparkled with admiration when they saw the legendary First-Class Adventurers.
No abnormalities for now. Has the Dark Faction not planted any spies in the slum?
This eye-catching "all-hands entertainment event" was an excuse only usable thanks to a god's whim, and it could only be used this one time.
They had to seize this sole opportunity to completely tear open the secret of the artificial labyrinth, "Nothus"!
Finn clapped his hands, expertly dividing the Familia members into several teams of five to ten people, his voice clear and carrying across the entire area.
"The time limit for the competition is this evening. As long as one person in a team remains undiscovered, that team wins."
"Remember, if you encounter any emergency, immediately fire a signal flare! Waiting Familia members will come to assist!"
Loki stood to the side, smiling like a cat that had stolen fish, adding mysteriously.
"Everyone, cheer up! The final winning team... will enjoy the top prize I've prepared!"
The Familia members burst into laughter, clearly not taking their patron god's words seriously.
Under the cover of the laughter and commotion, teams seemingly casually dispersed.
In reality, the Familia members followed their pre-planned routes, firmly imprinting the surrounding terrain and key points in their minds.
Arthur and Finn exchanged a glance at the entrance, then led the male executives away.
The female executives, led by Riveria and Loki, arrived at the dried-up fountain in the slum, which was an excellent observation and rendezvous point.
Amidst the goddesses' and girls' jokes and banter, no one noticed that a powerful mental force, centered on the Elf, was quietly spreading like an invisible spider web, covering the entire slum.
Meanwhile, the male executives, acting as a guerrilla force, had already disappeared from sight.
They plunged into the damp, cold, and foul-smelling underground waterways, heading straight for the only entrance Ishtar knew of.
...
The sound of water echoed in the gloomy underground waterway, and the bluish phosphorescence of the magic-stone lamps stretched the figures of the few into long, thin shadows, twisting and swaying on the mottled walls.
As the team advanced to the southeastern region, Burt, with his keenest sense of smell, flared his nostrils, suddenly stopped, and said in a low, confident voice.
"The smell has changed. This is near the abandoned old waterway; the secret passage is further down."
Arthur handed the magic-stone lamp forward, signaling for him to continue leading the way.
They pried open an old iron door leading to a broken stone bridge, and at the end of a dry path far from the main waterway, they discovered a thick stone slab with obvious signs of friction.
"Gareth."
"Leave it to me."
Gareth, the Dwarf, responded and stepped forward, his thick fingers gripping the edge of the stone slab, muscles bulging, as he silently moved the massive stone aside.
A stone passage, completely different in construction from the underground waterway, was exposed before everyone's eyes.
"A metal... door?"
"And a red gem with a structure similar to a key..."
"This luster... Could it be orichalcum!?"
At the end of the passage, a five-meter-tall metal door stood grimly.
It shimmered with flawless silver light, with only the blood-red gem at its center flaunting an unsettling evil aura.
A cold chill, originating from inorganic matter, crept up their necks and spines.
The oppressive and suffocating feeling emanating from this artificial labyrinth was far more stifling than any living thing.
Here, the stillness characteristic of the Underworld permeated the air.
Arthur raised his arm, his fingertips tracing the meticulously carved demon reliefs on the inner wall of the passage.
The dense cracks covering the stone statues silently spoke of the erosion of time.
"The artificial labyrinth 'Nothus' lurking beneath the city... It looks like this place is even more dangerous than the Dungeon itself."
Finn took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, then unconsciously licked his thumb; the familiar stinging sensation lingered.
"The unknown mist is already deadly enough, let alone a living labyrinth controlled by the enemy, whose structure can change at any moment."
Burt cautiously approached the metal door, leaning down to sniff the stagnant, dead-water-like airflow from the crack.
"Even the most complex labyrinth needs air circulation, otherwise the rats inside would just suffocate themselves."
The Werewolf said, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"The airflow at the entrance is completely still; there isn't even a breeze caused by the temperature difference between inside and out... This isn't normal."
Arthur pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "Perhaps the structure of this underground labyrinth far exceeds our imagination."
"Moreover, the Dark Faction wouldn't have told Ishtar about all the nodes. I suspect this passage beneath our feet could be cut off at any moment, turning into a deadly trap."
Finn nodded in agreement, "Highly likely."
Gareth squatted down, digging at the soil around the door with his bare hands.
A moment later, he stopped, holding some fine metal powder in his palm, and frowned.
"Beneath the surface slab is a super-hard alloy, second only to orichalcum in hardness."
"Even a First-Class Adventurer wouldn't be able to forcibly break through the wall and open an emergency passage in a short amount of time."
"So, the strategy of digging around traps won't work?"
Hearing this, Finn took out the only key from his pouch, shrugging and chuckling lightly, as if finding humor in adversity.
"It seems whether we survive this 'hide-and-seek' depends entirely on how 'merciful' the enemy's traps are."
Arthur took out weapons and supply packs from his storage bag, tossing them to Finn and the other two, his tone calm but filled with strong confidence.
"Don't worry, the mission is just to get the map. A mere remnant of the Dark Faction won't be able to keep us."
The faint glow of the magic-stone lamp illuminated their four grim faces, and a strange, blood-red light flickered on the key.
With a heavy hum, the orichalcum door slowly rose, revealing a bottomless passage, like the throat of a giant beast.
The moment the door opened, the four First-Class Adventurers didn't hesitate for a second, pushing off the ground, their figures transforming into four gusts of wind, silently rushing in!
The race against time had officially begun!
However, moments after they entered the labyrinth, the risen orichalcum giant door slammed shut with a deafening crash, completely sealing off their retreat!