Chapter 38: The Labyrinth Princess on the Run
"Leaving the labyrinth is forbidden! Return at once! Return at once!"
The powerful mental surge jolted their very souls, causing Shiro and Shirazawa to freeze in their tracks simultaneously.
Shiro's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Is this... Mother's mental frequency?"
"Indeed." Shirazawa nodded. "Mother's mission is to guard the system core in the deepest part of the labyrinth, so she doesn't allow her kin to leave the labyrinth without permission."
"Oh." Realization dawned on Shiro. No wonder she felt like she'd forgotten something. "Does this mean Mother actually cares about us?"
Shirazawa's expression stiffened slightly. He twitched the corner of his mouth. "You're overthinking it. It's simply that we've slipped out of her control, and she's extremely displeased about it."
Hearing this, Shiro gave a small snort. "I won't give up this hard-won freedom so easily."
"Well~ we have Heresy Nullification anyway, so we can just ignore her orders. Kin Control doesn't work on us." She dusted off her claws and turned to leave with a flourish.
It had to be said—the Ruler skill Perseverance was a true god-tier skill. Not only did it come with a health-lock, but it also granted Heresy Nullification, the highest tier of mental defense. Those 500 skill points were worth every penny.
Watching Shiro, who clearly didn't give a damn about Mother, Shirazawa kept his lips tight and followed in silence. He knew very well that Mother wouldn't be dealt with so easily.
Body Mind: (Information Mind, do we need to step in?)
Magic Mind No. 1: (Chipping away at Mother's mental energy is our only way, plus we can plunder all her abilities. Info, what's the verdict?)
Information Mind: (No rush. Let the bullet fly for a bit.)
Magic Mind No. 2: (Info, are you saying... we use the kin Mother sends as training fodder?)
Information Mind: (Heh heh, they're quite excellent experience packs, aren't they?)
Body Mind: (Oh~~ as expected of the Information Lead.)
Information Mind: (You flatter me...)
...
[Individual: Ede Saine evolved into: Zana Horowa.]
[All attributes increased. Skill proficiency reached. Massive skill upgrades. Skill points obtained...]
[Obtained skill
As they trekked through the forest, the two naturally evolved into their sixth stage. Due to the skill Decadence—a sub-skill of Sloth—they were immune to all forms of sleep. Thus, they didn't need to enter the usual brief slumber to evolve; it happened seamlessly while they walked.
"Immortality?!" Shiro exclaimed excitedly. "Shirazawa, we seem to have gained something incredible!"
"True." Shirazawa nodded with a smile. From this moment on, possessing Immortality meant they stood on invincible ground.
"Wa-ha-ha! In that case, can't we just waltz up to Mother and she won't be able to do anything to us?" She rubbed her claws together, looking ready for a fight.
"Calm down." Shirazawa pressed a hand to his forehead. "Even though we have Immortality, it doesn't mean we can be completely reckless. First of all, Immortality only applies to the physical body. The soul can still perish."
"However," he continued, "Heresy Nullification can block all soul-based attacks. Theoretically speaking, our souls cannot be extinguished."
Hearing this, Shiro became even more ecstatic. Her face beamed with joy. "Then what's there to be afraid of? Body and soul are both indestructible—who could possibly be our match?"
Watching Shiro's excitement, Shirazawa couldn't help but sigh. "You're being too naive."
"Eh?" Shiro tilted her head, her big cute eyes blinking with confusion. "Why?"
"Heresy attacks attempt to annihilate the soul directly, causing permanent death—we can indeed block that. But we cannot block Abyss Magic!" Shirazawa looked at her with a serious, earnest expression.
"Abyss Magic doesn't damage the soul. Instead, it returns the soul directly to the system. Therefore, Heresy Nullification won't trigger."
"Huh? Return to the system?!" Shiro's eyes widened, looking completely bewildered.
"After you maxed out Taboo, didn't you see the truth of this world? When humans die, the energy in their souls is absorbed by the system to repair this collapsing world. The soul then continues to reincarnate, gaining energy through skills, dying, and being absorbed again in a perpetual cycle. Abyss Magic essentially forces a soul into the system to enter reincarnation immediately. Otherwise, where do you think the energy absorbed by
Shiro: "..."
She blinked, wearing a blank, dazed expression. Fine—this girl had completely given up on thinking.
"Sigh~" Shirazawa let out a long sigh and explained it in simpler terms. "Basically, if you see Abyss Magic, run. Otherwise, fight whoever you want."
"Got it!" Shiro clenched her claw in a victory pose.
Sighing again, Shirazawa suddenly felt that his presence had limited Shiro's critical thinking. *Shirazawa will solve everything anyway, so I don't need to worry about these annoying things!* That was the current true reflection of Shiro's inner thoughts.
She had officially "laid flat." If there's trouble, find Shirazawa. If there's no trouble, don't bother him. Aside from calling him when it's time to eat, she intended to be a quiet, beautiful girl—after all, socializing was just too exhausting.
"Gurgle gurgle~"
"Shirazawa, I'm hungry," Shiro said, rubbing her belly with a pitiful look.
"Let's look ahead. In a forest this big, there should be something to eat." Shirazawa patted her head affectionately and led her deeper into the lush woods.
"Yay! Let's have roasted suckling pig tonight!" Shiro chirped, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Shirazawa smiled. "Okay."
In reality, through Clairvoyance, the two had spotted a medieval-style town not far away. However, as spiders, their appearance was too fearsome; they clearly wouldn't be allowed inside. Through detection, the information of the mountain was gathered into a 3D virtual image in their minds. They quickly found tonight's dinner—the Peppa family.
"Hehe~" Shiro bared two sharp fangs and pounced forward.
Then came the fire, the firewood, and finally, the fragrant roasted suckling pig was ready.
"Mmm~ it's been so long since I've eaten something this sweet and savory." Shiro took a bite of meat and squinted her eyes with a happy, satisfied smile.
Shirazawa: "..."
*You said the same thing when we found the giant catfish.* And the result? The catfish are gone... Hopefully, the "Peppas" in this mountain can last a bit longer.
"So good! Om-nom-nom!" Shiro praised as she ate. She licked her greasy, rosy lips, her eyes curving into crescent moons. Under the moonlight, Shirazawa watched her charmingly naive behavior, the corners of his mouth curving into a gentle, tender smile. He hoped this tranquility could last forever.
...
In the early morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, forming dappled shadows.
*Chirp—chirp chirp—*
The birds were singing. But what came into view was a group of massive... spider monsters.
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