Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength

"So, what do we do now?"

Upon hearing the voiceover's hint, Nicole's expression turned serious.

When it comes to crucial issues concerning safety, the usually lively investigator girl put aside her playful demeanor.

As she voiced her inquiry, she even took the initiative to hold Ronald close to an ice pillar by the roadside, stopping their forward sliding steps before continuing:

"Should we follow the hint and complete this so-called King's trial, or should we think of another way?"

"Ronald, whatever you decide, I'll go with it."

"..."

This is the trap within the maze game.

Ronald's thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind like a fleeting horse.

Last time during a chase in Springs, due to the short seal duration, he and the [Nine Commandments Secret Meeting] had both the assistance of cat and dog factions.

But this time, Ronald set the seal duration for a century.

This meant the maze itself would impose significant resistance on the two fugitives.

And within the void, the voiceover offered two options.

Although both seemed viable at first glance, attention needed to be paid to the details in the first option—[fulfill the King's request].

Ronald couldn't determine what the King's request was.

But if they chose this path, then negotiating with the guards at the front pass, meeting their King, and finally fulfilling a request would follow.

Such a complicated process would evidently severely delay the escape time of Ronald and Nicole.

This was clearly unfavorable for their goal of winning the game.

So this seemingly reasonable recommendation was actually still a trap. The current maze escape meant that finding a way themselves was the optimal choice for a quick passage.

"..."

"Nicole, let's find a way through here!"

Making a swift decision, Ronald dragged the investigator girl toward the pass ahead, intending to take a good look at the terrain and environment there.

The two first caught up with the refugee line of cavern creatures.

Since this time unfolded in a region almost devoid of humans, the transformation extent of the environment by the original version of the [Maze Picture Book] far exceeded the degree of the previous game in Springs.

As Ronald and Nicole followed the traces of the refugee trail forward.

They could even overhear some bizarre discussions within the line, which were completely unlike what normal creatures would discuss:

"I heard the whole world will be flooded by the sea in two weeks?"

"I can't swim. Escaping now seems pointless, we'll still die anyway!"

"You fool! How could the world be completely swallowed by the sea!"

"Besides—us getting out doesn't necessarily mean we have to live on land. Just change places and keep digging as long as we can avoid these terrifying humans!"

"What if there's an earthquake again? Our tribe only breathes fire to roast meat, we have no way to deal with such things!"

"Good question, I don't know either!"

"..."

These conversations, upon hearing them, were just what they were.

But realizing the cavern creatures' worries about the future made Nicole shrink her neck somewhat guiltily.

"Ronald, this couldn't be blamed on me, right?"

"When I tore through the underground earlier, I was just in a rush to find that dust colossus with you."

Seeing Nicole's cautious expression.

Ronald didn't seem too concerned with the investigator girl's current worry:

"Nicole, don't worry about it."

"These cavern creatures, even if they flee the underground, won't withstand the low temperatures on the surface of Antarctica. Your spells won't cause any major trouble."

Consoling Nicole, the two continued moving forward.

And so the checkpoint inspecting the refugee line unfolded before them.

At this moment, the scene in their sight differed from the initial view. The narrow-looking ice crack overhead expanded significantly once reaching the ground level.

Even a rough estimate showed it exceeded five or six meters.

The refugee line of cavern creatures maintained a slow pace due to strict discipline, accepting inspections one by one before proceeding ahead.

"..."

"This path is quite wide..."

Watching the scene before him, Ronald commented lightly.

While Ronald mused, both his and Nicole's gazes drifted over the surrounding environment.

At critical moments, neither of them were particularly compliant individuals.

Although forceful means were banned now, finding some solutions through creative thinking posed no problem.

"Ronald, look over there!"

Among the two, the investigator girl spoke up first.

With an investigator's mindset, she traced along the ice crack, discovering some precarious ice stalactites from the wall's side up to the top. These elements connected as a group and, should they fall... though they wouldn't annihilate everyone here, they would certainly cause considerable trouble.

Nicole's idea stemmed precisely from this observation:

"We could find a way to make those things fall!"

"If we can create some turmoil for the guards and cavern creatures here, the two of us could definitely slip quietly behind, and these falling ice stalactites might even hinder the pursuers coming after!"

Ronald's eyes quickly swept over in the direction Nicole indicated.

He soon confirmed the investigator girl's plan was feasible.

Then he nodded in affirmation of her idea, also pointing out what he had discovered:

"Nicole, have you ever skateboarded?"

Ronald was pointing to some scale-like ice blocks attached around the icy cavern.

Due to the earlier earthquake, these scatteredly appeared on the surrounding ground. If they could be pulled off as skateboard-like transportation tools, their forward speed would be extremely fast, even bypassing the guards at the pass completely wouldn't be an issue.

Nicole followed Ronald's direction, immediately understanding his thought.

Her head vigorously nodded:

"No problem, I'm quite confident in balance!"

"So, Ronald, shall we use your..."

"No, let's do it both ways together!" Ronald interrupted Nicole just as she was about to agree with his choice, "I'll go over there to collect the skateboards for later use, you figure out how to dislodge those ice stalactites from above."

"Let's proceed on both sides and seize every possible advantage!"

Hearing Ronald's decision.

Nicole's already adorably cartoon-like face burst into an impish and excited expression, her eyes squinting into a single black line:

"Great, let's do it!"

"..."

Having ended their strategic discussion, they promptly prepared to carry out their respective tasks.

And at this moment, the voiceover from the void conveniently appeared, as if validating the correctness of their choice—

[The courageous adventurers have discovered their hope to escape from here.]

[It's time to take action!]