The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 178: Selection Ceremony: Palen's Labyrinth

Vol 2 Chapter 178 Selection Ceremony: Palen's Labyrinth

After accepting this precious fruit, there was nothing else of greater value left in the Blood-Limbed Forest.

When the fruit emitting the enticing aura vanished, the monsters that had been lingering around also gradually dispersed.

This secret realm was pretty much explored, Sylutia thought.

Her body levitated, rising into the air. She surveyed the Blood-Limbed Forest below for a moment, then without further delay, flew towards the direction of the other secret realm, the 'Wailing Caverns'.

Compared to the flight capability of birds, the flight speed of 'Astral Float' was not particularly fast, because the fundamental principles of the two were completely different.

However, this ability had other advantages; it was less affected by air currents and wind direction, and could even be used for floating movement underwater.

After traveling for several hours, Sylutia gradually approached the distant black ridge, and the entrance to the Wailing Caverns was within a rocky fissure at the foot of the mountain.

Descending, Sylutia did not enter immediately. Instead, she checked the time. She had spent nearly 16 hours exploring the Blood-Limbed Forest today. Although she wasn't tired yet, there were no safe resting spots inside the Wailing Caverns. Considering the significant effort the upcoming adventure would require, she decided to sleep outside first before setting off.

Moving to the other side of the ridge, she found a clean, sheltered spot. Sylutia set up her small tent, then took out her small stove to fry and grill her meal for the night, enjoying it with some delicious fruit.Night fell. The meat slices on the wire grill sizzled softly, some of the sprinkled seasoning falling into the charcoal, emitting fragrant bluish smoke.

Sylutia watched the dark red charcoal, gently turning the meat slices with her fingers, her gaze distant and lost in thought.

Suddenly, she remembered things from a long time ago. Back then, she really wanted a relaxed and carefree life, where she could sleep as she pleased, eat what she liked, and not be controlled or constrained by anyone.

Unintentionally, she had already achieved this without even realizing it. Although she wasn't among the upper echelons of Transcendents now, in her current circumstances, she no longer felt the anxiety of lacking security. With the manor, she could carry various things with her, including good food. She could sleep whenever she wanted, without worrying about alarms or rushing.

This subtle sense of comfort and freedom gradually relaxed her body and mind, leaving her state of mind exceptionally calm.

"It's really nice," she whispered softly.

Her consciousness slowly returned from her thoughts. Sylutia took the grilled meat slice and began eating it in small bites. The hot, tender meat mixed with cumin and spices burst with flavor between her teeth, stimulating her appetite intensely.

After finishing that slice, Sylutia skewered another piece of meat and placed it over the charcoal fire to roast slowly, watching the pale red meat gradually turn white, then golden brown, releasing its aroma.

...

After a peaceful night's rest, Sylutia got up again.

Packing up her things, she descended from the ridge, slowly lowering herself into the pitch-black, massive rock fissure.

This place seemed to be a fissure torn open after a landmass fractured, exposing the deep interior of the mountain. It also emanated a thick aura of Distortion.

After observing for a while, the girl shook her head slightly.

The environment here was quite harsh. An ordinary apprentice stepping inside would likely suffer severe erosion from the Distortion and wouldn't be able to stay for long before having to come out.

She really didn't know how those apprentices explored here. Perhaps they prepared special items. However, she herself wasn't afraid of this kind of erosion.

Her black dress fluttered as Sylutia hovered in the air, her toes occasionally lightly touching protruding rocks below as she navigated through the dark cavern. A special, faint glow appeared in her eyes as she surveyed the surroundings.

[Dim Vision Lv.5]; Can see in extremely dim light conditions.

This ability was quite simple. Generally, very few people specifically learned it. However, some creatures were born with it, such as nocturnal owls.

While floating forward, Sylutia occasionally noticed footprints left on the ground and rocks. It seemed some apprentices had already been here.

Continuing deeper into the cavern, the environment grew increasingly dark and exceptionally complex. One could easily get lost if not careful.

('Dim Vision' proficiency +7)

('Dim Vision' proficiency +5)

...

[Dim Vision Lv.5 → Lv.6]; Can see in extremely dim light conditions.

After leveling up, Sylutia could see things more clearly and farther in the darkness. Now she could perceive more details in the dark, such as slight scratches on a rock, areas on the stone walls lacking a thin layer of dust, and so on.

Based on these traces, Sylutia guessed that the ones who took this path before were probably a three-person team: one with weaker stamina, needing to rest against the wall occasionally; one wearing heavy armor; and the last one agile, leaving very faint traces.

After walking for about 2 hours through the winding cavern, Sylutia finally heard voices coming from deep within the cave.

"Fitch is almost done for," said a female voice with a rather dry, hard tone.

"He was attacked by a shadow creature from the depths. Although the injury isn't fatal, most of his Fate Card has been polluted and eroded. I think it's hard to save him," another deep, rough male voice replied.

"What should we do? Turn back now? But the tomb area is right ahead. We've worked so hard to get this deep," the female voice hesitated.

"Sigh, Lusha, I know you planned a lot for this expedition, but Fitch's life is important," the male voice replied helplessly.

...

After a period of silence, just as Sylutia thought their conversation was over and prepared to approach, she heard the sounds of a scuffle.

"What are you doing?" the male voice exclaimed in surprise.

"You shouldn't have stopped me, Lando. Fitch can't survive. Look, his face is already darkening, and there are black-purple blood vessels in the whites of his eyes."

"His fate has already been corroded by nearly 70%. We don't have the means to isolate the erosion. Even if we take him back to 'Flint Fortress' at the fastest speed, his corruption level will be at least 80%. That's already similar to a Twilight Monster."

"At that point, no one can save him. It's better to let him rest in peace now, reducing his suffering so he doesn't turn into a mindless, biting, frenzied monster."

"But he's our teammate. How can you just do this?" the male voice responded, unable to comprehend.

"He was, in the past. But now, what's the use of clinging to that?"

"Forget it. If you want to guard his corpse, guard it. I'll go ahead alone," the female voice said, then footsteps faded into the distance.

Hearing the voice fade away, Sylutia continued forward. After turning several corners, she finally saw one of the people from the conversation.

A warrior clad in black heavy armor was bent over, sitting before his unconscious companion, trying to feed him a potion.

"Who's there!" Hearing a sound, he stood up alertly, his heavy armor rustling as he moved.

"Wait, I'm just here exploring," Sylutia said, lighting her lantern to illuminate herself and the surroundings.

"Who are you?"

Seeing it was a living person and not a monster, his tone softened slightly, but he remained highly vigilant. He put down the potion in his hand and gripped his shield and sword tightly.

"My name is Tia, an apprentice of the Hidden Grove," Sylutia said, taking out the badge she received when she first arrived at the Hidden Grove.

Seeing the badge, his thoughts calmed a bit, and his expression gradually relaxed.

"Did you come alone?" he still asked, puzzled.

"Yes, it's more convenient alone," Sylutia answered.

"Don't you know it's very dangerous here, and the erosion is severe?" He was a heavy-armor warrior of the Castle Aspect, with stronger tolerance and resistance to erosion.

"I know, but I also have means to resist it," Sylutia blinked, a faint silver moonlight covering her body, showcasing the traits of 'Luminous Moon'.

"Luminous Moon? Although Luminous Moon can purify, the consumption is also..." He shook his head, feeling it wasn't a cost-effective approach.

The two talked for a while, and Sylutia understood the general situation.

It turned out Fitch, Lando, and Lusha were friends who formed a team half a year ago. They had experienced many secret realm explorations together, all being seasoned veterans at the Third Tier. Their cooperation had always been smooth, so they embarked on this collective expedition to the Wailing Caverns.

Unexpectedly, halfway through, the trio encountered shadow creatures in the cavern that could pass through walls. They spent great effort repelling the enemy, but one of their companions, Fitch, fell due to his injuries.

"I want to save his life, but it seems it might be in vain," he said regretfully, shaking his head.

"What about Lusha?" Sylutia asked, then walked over to take a closer look at the unconscious Fitch's condition.

"Lusha didn't want to wait. She went ahead alone."

"Lusha reached the Third Tier a long time ago, but she has difficulty advancing further. She failed several times before. The treasure rumored to be in this ruin is very precious. If she can find one, she can try again."

"What if she doesn't succeed this time either?" Sylutia asked curiously.

"She'll probably be recalled to the surface by the Hidden Grove alliance to serve the organization she joined."

"Isn't that good?"

"For some people it is, but not for those who still want to advance further," Lando shook his head.

"The Shadow World is rich in resources. A few more expeditions here can yield income equivalent to five or six years on the surface continent. Moreover, it's easy to access various kinds of knowledge and secret arts here, even learning things across different schools."

"If she returns to the surface, only receiving that portion of compensation and staying in resource-poor areas, it will be very difficult to advance in the future," he shook his head again.

"She can't bear that state." After saying this, Lando sighed.

"Fitch probably won't live to see the return to the surface continent this time."

"His hometown is in the distant Howling Wind Mountains. It's a quiet place."

"It's not time to give up yet, is it? Perhaps I can help a little," Sylutia said, squatting down to carefully examine the lying black-haired young man. He had a small mustache at the corner of his mouth and looked to be in his early thirties.

Closing her eyes in prayer, the silhouette of a human figure composed of silver radiant dots appeared behind Sylutia once more.

Soon, the enlarged figure of the girl lifted a water vessel, pouring forth purifying clear spring water that swept over Fitch's entire body, enveloping him.

After some time, the spring water evaporated and dissipated. The unconscious Fitch's complexion had also recovered somewhat.

"It actually worked," Lando looked at this scene in shock, then approached to check Fitch's condition again.

"The corrosion level is now roughly 50%. Although still serious, it's not immediately fatal. I need to take him back right away," Lando said, then hoisted the other man onto his shoulder, preparing to leave.

"Thank you for your help, Tia. I still have an unused 'Wolf Heart Blood Bag'. Take it. It can absorb the surrounding Distortion erosion on the way, reducing contamination."

"Afterwards, Fitch and I will recuperate at Flint Fortress for a while. If you return safely, you can find us at the Gray Rat Inn."

After that, he carried Fitch and left eagerly, the copper-cased lantern at his waist swaying and clinking with metallic sounds.

He left really fast, Sylutia thought, then picked up the special leather bag. Opening it, a strange, bloody stench assaulted her senses.

Stepping back several paces, Sylutia took a closer look at its contents.

"Inside, soaked in blood, was a wolf's heart. The black heart beat slowly within the blood, absorbing the surrounding 'Distortion' Aspect as the driving force for its continued existence."

Looking at the heart, it seemed to have been made recently, not more than a week old. The blood inside was also black and murky, probably used for several days already.

This was likely a small tool made according to the experiences circulated among adventurers, capable of slowing the environmental Distortion erosion.

Compared to equipment that isolates or resists erosion, making something like this was much simpler and cheaper, mostly using locally sourced materials.

After understanding the making and use of such an item, Sylutia put down the 'Wolf Heart Blood Bag' and continued forward.

Three minutes later, as she passed a stone wall, a strange black shadow emerged from the rock behind her and charged at her.

The entire process was completely silent and without any aura fluctuation, and it happened in the dark environment of the cavern. A normal person would be utterly unable to perceive it.

No wonder that Third Tier wizard got hit, Sylutia thought, her steps shifting lightly, her skirt fluttering like a fan blade. She then swung her blade in a reverse arc, slicing through the shadow.

[Undying Shadow] (Third Tier · Nightmare): A shadow lifeform that can hide within shadows, has no physical form.

A few seconds later, the shadow creature, split into two halves, launched attacks again from different directions.

The Glittergold Longsword in Sylutia's hand flipped nimbly as her figure shifted within the cavern.

Again and again, she cleaved the shadow lifeform. Although the separated parts could still move, their speed and strength continuously declined.

It doesn't seem that powerful, she thought. She had imagined it could split infinitely.

Sheathing her longsword, Sylutia held the lantern in one hand. A drop of emerald dew fell into the spark's core, and then flames surged from the base, sweeping through the long tunnel.

The shadow lifeform, unable to escape in time, slowly dissipated within the flames.

Unfortunately, the shadow lifeform didn't leave behind any legacy or treasure, only some ash resembling gray fluff.

Sylutia was about to leave, but seeing this ash, she squatted down again, carefully pinching it with her fingers, then collected it.

It might be useful, she thought, continuing downward.

Passing through a damp, cold rock fissure, she soon came upon a temporarily excavated pit. Descending several meters, Sylutia landed on a cold, stone-paved path.

Here?

She looked around, observing that the environment was no longer natural stone walls but man-made structures, and the style suggested a tomb.

So she had reached the tomb area those adventurers talked about. She just didn't know what would be here, or if there were any records of the 'Star-Gazing School' she hoped to find.

However, even if not, finding other rare things would be good. During her exploration here, improving her ability proficiency meant it wasn't a loss; everything else was extra gain.

Raising the lantern, its orange-yellow light illuminated the way as Sylutia walked step by step deeper into the passage.

Not long after she entered, the passage entrance she just came through gradually changed. The restored stone wall slowly filled it in until it disappeared. The patterns throughout the passage were uniform, making it impossible to find the original entrance.

The view slowly pulled back. Throughout this tomb, various places were continuously self-healing and changing. Passage entrances shifted, walls rotated, resembling a massive, active maze.

"All seven Trial Takers have arrived."

A line of text appeared on the stone platform at the center of the maze.

"Selection Ceremony · Pallen's Maze, begins."

"We beseech the Spirit of Conspiracy and Doubt, the Deity of Disbelief and Lies, Pallen Markov."

"Your will shall be made manifest in the world once more."

On the wall behind the stone platform, the ancient mural that had been silent for a thousand years revealed a faint glow. It depicted a bizarre Deity with bull horns and the lower body of a snake. He waved a long flute, inciting warriors of various races below to slaughter each other. An invisible force rose from the ground, converging upon him.