novelraw Chapter 296: The Secret Realm's Reward, the Scent of Time Magic?
Chapter 296: The Secret Realm's Reward, the Scent of Time Magic?
"Eve?"
Lin Mo looked at the golden-haired girl before him with great surprise.
He had just been wondering who it could possibly be inside this secret realm, even considering the possibility that the Necromancer had arranged a backup plan here in advance.
He never expected it to be her.
Then again, given the complexity of this secret realm, trying to lie in wait for him here would be an utterly impossible task.
So now, the question was...
"How are you here?"
Both of them asked this question almost simultaneously. Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, then smiled knowingly. "I think... it's probably for the same reason."
After a brief exchange, as expected, Eve and her group had also encountered an attack by undead creatures. Although the undead creatures on their side weren't as exaggerated as the ones on Lin Mo's side, they were still very strong, at least strong for them.
Eve had fought with all her might to hold back that Level 12 undead creature, allowing her companions to flee the scene. She then planned to use her speed advantage to shake off her opponent and find an opportunity to reunite with her companions later. Who could have guessed that during this process, several more undead creatures would appear to encircle and block her.With no other choice, she had to abandon the idea of reuniting. Under the relentless pursuit and interception of the undead creatures, she barely managed to break through the blockade and then, by chance, came across the entrance to the secret realm. Without hesitation, she rushed inside.
Her story was somewhat similar to Lin Mo's experience, but it seemed Eve had entered the secret realm much earlier than Lin Mo.
He didn't know if anyone else would accidentally wander in later...
It probably wouldn't be that easy, after all, secret realm entrances aren't so easily encountered.
Come to think of it, to actually meet in this exact space within this incredibly complex maze was truly no ordinary coincidence.
Lin Mo looked at the monster that Eve had just killed. Its strength wasn't particularly high, probably only around Level 5. Most of the injuries on Eve's body were likely sustained during the pursuit and encirclement by the undead creatures.
"Have you run out of Life Potions?"
"Not yet..."
Eve shook her head. "But there really aren't many left. My injuries aren't very serious, I wanted to save them for a more critical moment."
Indeed, for a normal adventurer, this was undoubtedly the correct strategy.
However, ever since Finnie joined the team, and especially after he himself learned the Healing Art later on, Lin Mo had found it hard to hold onto such concepts.
He raised his hand and cast a [Greater Healing Art]. The injuries on the girl's body instantly healed completely, though her complexion still looked somewhat haggard.
Eve showed an expression of surprise, but not shock.
After all, she had already seen too many things that defied common sense about Lin Mo. With him already mastering so many professions, adding Priest to the list didn't seem strange at all.
"Thank you."
Lin Mo waved his hand dismissively, then remembered something. "By the way, I remember you once entered a secret realm in the Silent Forest before, right? Was it this one?"
Eve shook her head. "The scale of this secret realm is much larger... and much more complex than the one I entered years ago. The secret realm I entered should have disappeared after I left it."
After all, she had already obtained that secret realm's core inheritance.
That was more troublesome.
If Eve had been here before, she would have some understanding of the secret realm and could have provided some useful information.
Without that, they could only rely completely on their own exploration.
Right, come to think of it, since this is a secret realm, and a relatively special stage-based one at that, then it should...
Lin Mo searched around the area where the monster Eve killed had been. He didn't find anything like a treasure chest, but he did discover a blue door.
Come to think of it, this space was rather special, not like the predetermined paths from before. This door should be the way forward.
Of course, it could also be the exit.
But Lin Mo felt that this secret realm was probably far from that simple.
Eve followed behind him, her gaze also carefully examining the door shimmering with blue light.
"Do you want to rest for a while?"
Eve shook her head. "Let's keep moving. The situation outside is still unclear..."
"Don't think about it too much."
Lin Mo patted her shoulder, offering comfort. "Even if we go out, we can't really do anything about it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have hidden in here."
Eve was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
However, hearing Lin Mo say that he couldn't do anything either gave her a strange sense of relief.
So... he wasn't omnipotent either...
Even though the youth before her seemed to be less than 20 years old, and upon careful thought this was actually perfectly reasonable, for Eve, who had been single-mindedly chasing after Lin Mo to the point of obsession, it felt like the towering mountain before her had finally revealed its peak. It gave her a more grounded feeling.
In her eyes, Lin Mo also gained a bit more of a "human" hue.
This phrasing might not be appropriate, but in Eve's view, she suddenly felt—ah, so he was just like her, just an ordinary person who, in the eyes of those not as strong as him, wasn't so ordinary.
She followed behind Lin Mo, these messy thoughts swirling in her mind.
Pushing open the blue-glowing door, the scene that appeared before them completely exceeded both of their expectations.
"This place is..."
Lin Mo looked around with a bewildered expression.
It wasn't the familiar maze paths from before, nor was it the special forest-like space from earlier.
It was a room that wasn't very large in area, but was exquisitely furnished.
The room was fully equipped, with tables, chairs, a bed, even a bathroom. In the center of the room, there was also a large chest.
Lin Mo approached the chest and observed it carefully for a while, but couldn't discern anything unusual. In the end, he chose the safer option and used his Shadow Split to open the chest.
Inside the chest were some food supplies. They didn't look lavish, but in reality, their grade was not low. Both the meat and vegetables contained very powerful energy.
Besides these ingredients, in the center of the chest, there was also a glass case. Inside it lay quietly a scroll, a ring, and a blue key.
"It looks like... this is the reward for this secret realm?"
As he spoke, the "blue light" (referring to his Shadow Split) opened the glass case. There were no traps or mechanisms.
He picked up the scroll and opened it for a look.
Recorded on it was a blue Exceptional-Grade skill named — Demonic Slash · Initial Form.
Lin Mo skimmed through it briefly. This skill was a warrior-type skill with special effectiveness against magic, which fit its name perfectly.
According to the description on the scroll, when facing magic-based professions, especially against protective measures like magic barriers, magic arrays, or magic items, this skill could exhibit exceptionally powerful effects.
Lin Mo had never heard of this type of skill before...
In the common perception of people, under the current professional system, Mages were undoubtedly the strongest profession, bar none.
Powerful Mages possessed terrifying destructive power, and while they might be slow-moving, they had fairly decent self-preservation abilities. Even the Assassin profession, if they wanted to assassinate a Mage, had to catch them off guard and rely on surprise attacks to succeed.
But surprise attacks weren't that easy either... Mage professions often had strong Spirit attributes, granting them keen perception. If they sensed something wrong and promptly activated a barrier, it became very difficult for an Assassin to succeed.
If an Assassin could assassinate a Mage of the same level or even a higher level, it would undoubtedly be a glorious highlight on their record.
But if there were skills of this anti-magic type, then everything would be different. Although Mages could still stand at the pinnacle of all professions with their powerful area-of-effect output, at least they wouldn't be as nearly flawless as they are now.
Warriors and other professions could truly pose a threat to Mages.
Demonic Slash... Was this type of skill widely prevalent on the continent in the past, or was it originally created by certain powerful experts and lost over the long course of history?
Lin Mo didn't dwell on this aspect too much. He simply memorized the Qi and Blood circulation route for this skill and then handed the scroll to Eve beside him.
Eve looked at the scroll before her, also sinking into shock.
Lin Mo then picked up the other two items in the chest.
The blue key's purpose was unclear. He tried Appraising it.
Blue Key: A key shimmering with blue light, seems to be used to open something.
No useful information, but it would likely be needed later. For now, just take it.
As for that ring...
It was entirely silver in color. The face of the ring was wider than the band, and it was engraved with the likeness of a sword.
[Engraved Sword Ring]
Weapon Type: Accessory
Grade: Exceptional (Blue)
Attributes: Durability +80%, Sturdiness +30%
Hidden Attribute: Sword Intent III: Power of sword technique skills increased by 18%
A simple, unadorned blue Exceptional-Grade accessory. Its value wasn't low, but for Lin Mo, it wasn't significantly stronger than his current equipment.
It also wasn't very suitable for Ellie... it was hard to say the Big-tailed Wolf's fighting style was related to swordsmanship; it leaned more towards the broad and powerful type.
She resembled a Berserker more than a Swordsman.
So he directly handed it to Eve beside him.
"This ring should suit you quite well. Try it on?"
Eve was studying the scroll in her hand. Hearing his words, she looked up, momentarily dazed.
Lin Mo also realized at this moment that what he just said might have sounded a bit strange?
But a girl like Eve probably wouldn't understand such things.
In her eyes, she probably only saw swords and battle.
Sure enough, Eve glanced at him, quickly nodded, didn't pay attention to his words, and directly put the ring on her finger.
It really did suit her well...
Not just the skill effect, but also the appearance.
Lin Mo took a look, then averted his gaze, standing up to examine the room before him once more.
This place seemed to be a resting room specifically prepared for those who entered the secret realm. From this perspective, the creator of this secret realm was quite considerate.
But could those foods, sealed for who knows how long, really still be edible?
Lin Mo was somewhat doubtful.
Although they seemed fine from the outside, who knew how long this secret realm had existed? Perhaps hundreds of years, maybe even a thousand years had passed.
Lin Mo tried picking up a piece of meat. Suddenly, he noticed that on the surface of these foods, there seemed to be a layer of mana protection.
And the form of this mana was different from any mana he had seen before.
It felt heavy, carrying an aura of antiquity yet tranquility.
Lin Mo tried to touch and merge with this mana using his own mana. In an instant, he felt as if he saw the vast changes of the world, the cycle of life and death.
Lin Mo quickly associated it with that special attribute often mentioned alongside Space Magic.
— Time.
If Space Magic merely required specific talent and was extremely difficult to learn, then Time, an element inseparable from space, was almost a power beyond human grasp.
The brief lifespan, fragile bodies, and life forms of humans simply could not bear the weight of time.
From ancient times to the present, even in the modern era, there were still some people who could master Space Magic. But Time Magic... even in the records of ancient texts, no trace could be found. It existed only in the fabricated stories of some bold Bards.
At least, based on Lin Mo's current understanding of this world, there had never been any exception.
Until today...
Watching his mana slowly merge with that thin layer of mana, Lin Mo seemed to gradually sink into a mysterious state. Unfortunately, this layer of mana covering the food's surface was far too weak and too dormant, without the slightest fluctuation.
After several attempts, Lin Mo gave up.
The foods that had been invaded and disturbed by his mana all instantly turned to dust, leaving nothing behind.
Space Magic, anti-magic skills, and even the suspected existence of Time Magic!
Who was the creator of this secret realm?
Or rather... was this secret realm truly built by humans?
Lin Mo didn't let this heavy mood linger for long. He quickly stood up and searched the room once more.
"It looks like there's nothing else here... Do you want to rest a bit?"
He asked again. Eve shook her head again, so the two of them directly pushed open the door at the end of the room and left.
Before them appeared once again the familiar paths of the secret realm maze.
After a not-very-long stretch of road came a fork.
A full eight different paths. This time, it wasn't just ahead; on both sides of the path they had just walked, new forked paths had also appeared.
The forked paths were increasing, but Lin Mo, instead of feeling troubled, still trusted his intuition and directly walked towards the path on the right front.
Eve didn't say anything, just silently followed.
For them, the monsters appearing at the end of the paths naturally posed no threat. After easily dealing with them, they continued forward.
Once, twice, three times...
Finally, Eve couldn't hold back anymore and asked, "Why are you always able to choose the correct path?"
"Huh?"
Hearing her words, Lin Mo was instead stunned. "What do you mean by 'correct path'?"
With so many forked paths, could there even be a "correct" one?
Eve remained silent for a long while before finally speaking slowly, "If my guess isn't wrong, within this maze secret realm, there is only one correct path that continuously leads forward. All other paths are dead ends."
Lin Mo: "?"
Seeing his confused expression, Eve continued to explain, "Before, I have walked onto wrong paths more than once. Sometimes after two stages, sometimes after three stages, I would hit a dead end and could no longer proceed forward. I could only turn back and make a new choice."
"At every fork, there is only one correct path. Choosing the wrong path can't be known immediately; often, you only realize it after several stages. But you have no idea which choice went wrong, so you can only keep trying..."
"To reach the 10th stage where we met, that forest, it took me a full three days. And I think that was already a very fortunate situation."
"Three days?"
Lin Mo was stunned.
Now he understood why Eve had looked so haggard earlier.
It wasn't just because of her injuries, but also the continuous three-day exploration of the maze.
At the same time, this also meant that the flow of time within this secret realm was different from the outside world...
"So you really didn't know."
Eve looked at Lin Mo's bewildered face, momentarily at a loss for words.
Lin Mo scratched his head, speechless.
He didn't even know that after choosing a path in this secret realm, you could turn back.
Because his Shadow Split's teleportation function to his main body had been severed earlier, he subconsciously assumed it was impossible to turn back and choose again.
All along the way, he had been thinking this maze was all show, not "maze-like" at all...
"Sigh."