NOVEL NEXT Chapter 276 First Encounter with “Aqua Nest”
Chapter 276 First Encounter with “Aqua Nest”
Upon learning of the sent death-row convicts yesterday, Tyler began to consult with Ice Polestar, Sheryl, and altered their original course of action.
Since the Scarlet Family had shown their cards, blatantly communicating to Sheryl that the two teams from Delis Town entering the labyrinth were marching to their doom, Tyler believed there was no need for him to accompany these convicts into the labyrinth.
According to the labyrinth's rules, as long as all the teams corresponding to a particular entrance had either all withdrawn from the labyrinth or all perished, that entrance would reopen.
Tyler deemed it best to enter the labyrinth under these circumstances.
Sheryl concurred with Tyler's perspective and agreed to the alteration of the plan. However, after really implementing it, she couldn't help but feel somewhat anxious.
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Tyler, Sheryl, and the branch leader Pamela quietly waited at the entrance of the labyrinth.
The two gray entrances of the labyrinth made the atmosphere exceedingly oppressive. As time ticked by, this oppressive feeling became increasingly heavy.
Ten minutes passed. Tyler remained calm, while Sheryl's expression visibly tightened.
Another ten minutes elapsed. Sheryl had paced back and forth over a hundred times, but Tyler was still as relaxed as ever.
Tyler could tell that Sheryl was enduring a torment that made each second feel like a year. If Tyler's timing for entering the labyrinth was indeed too late, she would not be able to know what the Scarlet Family had done in the labyrinth.
However, Tyler had faith in his judgment. One of his bases was that his future death time was "July 23", still a day away from now.
This meant that the interior of the "Aqua Nest" was considerably vast. Even if the Scarlet Family planned to kill the two teams from Delis Town as soon as they entered the labyrinth, it would still take a significant amount of time to accomplish it.
The difficult half-hour mark passed, with Tyler still in a calm and composed state, but it seemed Sheryl was about to lose her patience with him.
Just then, the labyrinth entrance further away from them suddenly lit up, once again emitting an eerie green light!
"Q-Quick! It's open, Felix, Felix! You have to go in now!"
Ice Polestar Sheryl was so excited she began to stammer. Branch leader Pamela was also so shocked she couldn't utter a word. Seeing this, Tyler didn't delay and immediately mounted his Moto-chan, charging into the entrance of the labyrinth!
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Upon entering the labyrinth, the sensation was much like entering the Gateway of Trials. After a brief loss of consciousness, Tyler opened his eyes to find himself standing at the foot of a mountain, still astride his Moto-chan.
Tyler looked around. He noticed that the entire area was indeed very vast. However, there was a semi-transparent barrier surrounding him, with the mountains in the center. It restricted the movement range, as if to tell Tyler: the range of the labyrinth is just this large, don't think of moving elsewhere.
Then, the green-lit entrance of the labyrinth was right behind him. If he wanted to flee the labyrinth, he could just reenter this rectangular light.
The ignorant death-row convicts were told that if they fled the labyrinth, they would be executed immediately. If they could successfully conquer the labyrinth, their death sentences would be lifted, and they would be released without charges.
Hence, none of the convicts chose to flee. They all marched towards the mountains at the center of the labyrinth.
Tyler observed the footprints on the ground for a while, confirming the direction of the five death-row convicts, and then dismounted to follow their tracks along with Moto-chan.
(The group was killed off almost half an hour after entering the labyrinth...)
(Were they killed by the demon... or did the Scarlet Family make a move?)
Not long after following the tracks, Tyler saw a column of red light in the sky, shining directly down from the clouds onto the center of the mountains.
It seemed to be indicating that the core of the labyrinth was there, as if inviting those wishing to conquer the labyrinth to come and destroy the core.
Based on the scenes he had observed in his "Precognitive Death Scene", Tyler was able to discern the structure of this "Aqua Nest" labyrinth.
The labyrinth was set within a mountain-forest range, with three parties started from the safety zones located at the foot of the mountains.
In the heart of the labyrinth, atop a central mountain, sat a heavily guarded fortress. At the center of this fortress, illuminated by the red light pillar, resided the core of the labyrinth.
(The Scarlet family must be circling the foot of the mountain to engage with the convicts…)
(Is Viviana involved in such an act? It doesn't seem characteristic of her. )
However, the thought of potentially facing Viviana as an adversary induced a certain level of anxiety in Tyler.
He was uncertain whether the gap between himself and Viviana had diminished since their encounter at Sandrift Gorge, and if so, by how much.
Nonetheless, under the influence of his unique skill "Heart of Fearlessness", Tyler was not hindered by these concerns.
Unacquainted with fear, he trusted his rational judgment and steadily continued his search for clues.
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After fifteen minutes, Tyler came across three corpses of convicts, as well as several goblin bodies scattered nearby. It was evident that a fierce battle had recently occurred here.
The convicts, from the looks of their wounds, were slain by the goblins who expertly utilized the terrain to their advantage, employing a combination of traps and ambushes. When ambushed, the convicts fought back desperately, resulting in mutual destruction.
However, it appeared that two of the five convicts had collapsed in will and abandoned their comrades in their final moments.
(Such a dreadful battle…)
Tyler inspected each goblin corpse. If the convicts hadn't engaged with these goblins first, he would've had to face them alone.
"Goblin Scout, Level 19..."
"Goblin Rogue, Level 26..."
"Goblin Archer, Level 18..."
"Goblin Sharpshooter, Level 37..."
"Goblin Berserker, Level 48..."
After assessing the information of the goblins, Tyler started forming an initial impression of the strength of the labyrinth's creatures.
Several traps laid by goblins could have ensnared Tyler if not for his hunter skills. Given the levels of the convicts he had observed previously, ranging from 35 to 50, victory against these goblins on their home turf was virtually impossible.
Tyler now had a grasp of the Scarlet Family's scheme. They must have sent formidable individuals into the "Aqua Nest", including Viviana, which would explain the formidable strength of the creatures, leaving no chance for the convicts.
Even if any convicts were fortunate enough to survive, they would likely be hunted down and killed by the Scarlet Family's operatives.
The intentions of the Scarlet Family were clear: they sought to annihilate both parties from Delis Town.
As for their motives, Tyler speculated that such actions might trigger a special mechanism within the "Aqua Nest", thereby fulfilling some clandestine objective.