Free Web NovelChapter 123: Chapter 91: Don’t Tell Me You Can’t Even Afford This?
Meng Kai’s expression froze.
Although he was highly regarded in his family, receiving a generous allocation of resources and occasional financial support from his older brother, Meng Wei, it still wasn’t easy for him to produce five hundred Magic Stone Coins on the spot.
That was practically his entire net worth.
"Oh? Don’t tell me you can’t even scrape that much together?"
Gu Lin drawled, his voice intentionally loud, drawing even more attention from the crowd.
Noticing the strange looks from the people around him, Meng Kai couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ’The Gu Family are all just a bunch of crass nouveau riche!’
With a cold snort, he decided to accept the challenge.
"Fine. I’ll take that bet. Five hundred Magic Stone Coins!"
He refused to believe it. ’How could a Wizard Apprentice promoted less than three months ago possibly outperform veteran apprentices with years of experience?!’
Seeing Meng Kai agree, a cunning glint flashed in Gu Lin’s eyes, and he immediately drew up a contract with him.
With the contract in place, there was no fear of the other party backing out.
Yin Guang watched the entire exchange, shaking his head secretly.
He didn’t know where Gu Lin’s confidence came from, but he was fairly certain Gu Lin was going to lose.
Pei Ze was undeniably powerful, but in a trial packed with elites, powerful individuals were a dime a dozen. How was Pei Ze supposed to stand out?
If this trial had been postponed for a few months, giving Pei Ze a little more time to grow, perhaps he could have secured a spot in the competition.
But as things stood...
Yin Guang shook his head.
’Oh well. Gu Lin has money to burn. Losing five hundred Magic Stone Coins won’t be a devastating blow for him.’
As news of the bet between Gu Lin and Meng Kai spread, another stir went through the crowd. Many were stunned by the staggering wager of five hundred Magic Stone Coins, and a constant buzz of discussion filled the air.
Because of this, the name Pei Ze quickly drew a great deal of attention.
Countless gazes, filled with either curiosity or scrutiny, focused on the screen displaying his image.
...
It felt like passing through a thin membrane. After a brief moment of disorientation, Pei Ze found himself standing in a wide corridor.
The entire corridor was about ten meters wide and nearly eight meters high. The walls on both sides, as well as the floor and ceiling, were all constructed from grayish-blue stone.
Torches were mounted on both walls every five meters. Their dim, yellow flames flickered incessantly, causing the halos of light on the walls and floor to brighten and dim in turn, lending the corridor a sinister air.
Pei Ze looked back. The Light Gate he had come through was gone, leaving only a solid wall in its place.
After composing himself, Pei Ze took out a Longsword, gripped it firmly, and then began to walk forward.
The rules for this trial were even simpler than the previous one for new students.
Most notably, there was no rule prohibiting the killing of other participants.
What isn’t forbidden is permitted.
In other words, killing was allowed in the trial.
However, considering everyone was issued a Teleportation Ring that could instantly transport them out of the maze upon activation, it was like having a life-saving tool. Thus, killing another participant would not be easy.
That being said, the fact that killing was permitted would undoubtedly raise the intensity of the trial by a notch.
TAP! TAP!
Pei Ze’s footsteps echoed through the corridor. Aside from that, there was no other sound.
Pei Ze didn’t walk quickly, strolling along as if he were out for a leisurely walk.
He wasn’t in a hurry.
The rules had already stated that even if one obtained the Rainbow Gemstone at the center of the maze, they had to hold onto it until the end of the trial.
So, there was no need to worry even if someone else got their hands on the Camouflage Gemstone first; he could just take it from them when the time came.
The Dawn Council had clearly established this rule to encourage the participants to fight amongst themselves.
At the end of the corridor was a corner turning to the right. freewēbnoveℓ.com
After the corner was another long corridor, this one stretching over a kilometer.
Four or five hundred meters away, more than a dozen gaunt figures shambled about in the middle of the corridor.
With their pale white bones, tattered leather armor, rust-eaten weapons, and the flickering Soul Flames in their eye sockets, they were clearly skeleton soldiers, the most common type of Undead Creature.
Pei Ze wasn’t surprised. ’Since it’s a maze, it’s only natural for there to be monsters.’
The Dawn Council wouldn’t just have a group of participants fight and kill each other. They were bound to add some other difficulties.
Soon, the skeleton soldiers spotted Pei Ze and immediately charged toward him with a clatter of bones.
As the cannon fodder of Undead Creatures, skeleton soldiers weren’t considered very strong.
Any random Apprentice Knight could take on four or five of them at once.
However, as the distance closed, Pei Ze noticed that these skeleton soldiers looked a bit unusual.
Their exposed bones faintly shimmered with a jade-like luster, as if they had been strengthened.
Once they actually clashed, Pei Ze confirmed his suspicion.
These skeleton soldiers had indeed been strengthened in some way; their combat strength was now on par with that of a junior Knight.
But to Pei Ze, this level of power was still nothing to write home about.
With a mere thought, the gray robe he was wearing instantly contracted, transforming into a form-fitting hunting outfit better suited for movement.
Then, without even casting any Magic, he charged forward with his sword and hacked all the skeleton soldiers into a pile of shattered bones as if he were slicing melons.
Stepping over the scattered bone fragments, Pei Ze continued forward.
At the end of the corridor, he came to a fork in the path, with two smaller passages leading to different stone chambers.
The heavy stone doors were shut tight, obscuring the view of what lay behind them.
Pei Ze stopped in his tracks, a contemplative look on his face.
’When it comes to mazes, the most troublesome part, besides the countless monsters, is the labyrinthine network of paths and rooms.’
’A place like a maze would normally be most advantageous for Wizards specializing in the school of divination.’
