Chapter 370: The Trap
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 370: The Trap
"Muen, what do we do next?"
Liya tugged on Muen’s sleeve, casting a playful and triumphant glance at Seviel before asking in a soft voice.
Her knight was the most capable of all; there was no way he could be wrong!
"Ahem, for now, we still need to be careful."
Muen gave a low, humble cough.
Posturing was all well and good, but in a chaotic brawl like this, one never knew when they might become collateral damage. According to his experience, the more chaotic the situation, the more cautious one had to be. Sticking your neck out blindly would only lead to getting your head smashed.
"We’ll try to stick to the edges and keep a low profile. If we get dragged into the quagmire of a free-for-all now, it would be extremely... Holy crap!"
The second half of his sentence was startled out of him.
Before Muen could finish, he saw an ugly face with thick eyebrows and large eyes staring straight at him from the darkness, its copper-bell-like eyes wide and unblinking.
It stood motionless, like a statue.
Just as Muen was wondering if this was yet another man smitten by his dashing looks, the face turned slightly. A sinister gaze swept over the girls behind Muen, and then... the man’s expression twisted violently.
It was the kind of distortion seen on a traveler returning from the desert, dying of thirst, only to see someone else luxuriously soaking their feet in a freshwater spring.
"I recognize you! You're that pretty boy, Muen Campbell!"
"Motherfucker! Why? Why is your team full of girls, and all of them so cute? While a real macho man like me has to team up with these stinky bastards?"
"You even have a damn fiancée!"
"Is it just because you're handsome?!"
An emotion known as jealousy erupted instantly, manifesting as throbbing veins bulging across the ugly man’s forehead.
Muen’s body stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat.
Following those ear-splitting roars, he clearly felt the surrounding chaos and noise quiet down significantly. More gazes, burning red with envy, converged on him. After having just finished turning the bastard who showed off his affection in mid-air into ashes, the mob shifted their focus to him under the ugly man's shouting.
For a moment, Muen felt like he had kicked a hornet's nest.
"..."
Wait, something’s not right. In a situation like this, is that really what you guys are focusing on?
Shouldn't men pursue hot-blooded passion, honor, power, and treasure? Why do you care if there are girls in my party?
Are girls that important?
Are women that important?
Don't you know that women only slow down the speed at which you draw your sword?
Unfortunately, Muen’s internal roar couldn't reach anyone.
On the contrary, his current composed, elegant, and handsome demeanor—coupled with the adorable girls behind him looking at him with adoration—struck a nerve in many.
Thus, in the single second he stood dazed, over a dozen powerful spells came crashing toward him.
"Just die already!"
"Whoa, you guys are serious?"
No matter how tough a man was, he couldn't face a siege from so many people at once, nor could he maintain his "cool and elegant" act under such circumstances. Muen’s face turned slightly pale. He grabbed Liya’s small hand, pushed the others along, and decisively chose to get the hell out of there.
"What are you standing around for? Run!"
*
A few minutes later, after the chaotic crowd had passed through like a swarm of locusts, heading deeper into the ruins, the light in an inconspicuous corner suddenly distorted for a split second.
Several disheveled figures appeared, pressed tightly against the wall.
"They... they should be gone by now."
Muen poked his head out to scout for a while. Once he was sure it was safe, he finally had the chance to take a deep breath.
That was terrifying.
He had nearly been beaten to death before even starting his mission. If he hadn't invested an unprecedented amount of skill points into his Illumination Spell, they might have actually been done for.
Those bastards... they couldn't even handle that much provocation? If he told them he didn't just have a fiancée, but also a sexy and charming girlfriend and a dignified, obedient personal maid, wouldn't they just explode on the spot?
No magnanimity at all. How could they call themselves experts?
Fortunately, he was a broad-minded, good man.
"Junior Muen, I’m starting to feel like traveling with you isn't exactly a good thing."
Fanny clutched several damaged scrolls, her heart aching to the point of tears as she thought about the precious items she had just burned to save her life.
But then she remembered that the money used to buy those items had been won by betting on Muen earlier, and her mood improved significantly. Her tone remained teasing.
"If this keeps up, we might all be mistaken for one of the girlfriends you've swindled, you playboy."
"No way. Those guys couldn't have actually besieged us just for that. No one who made it this far is stupid; they just knew the free-for-all was pointless and were looking for any excuse to shift the conflict and call a truce."
Muen shrugged helplessly and smiled. "Besides, to have someone as beautiful as Senior Fanny as a girlfriend, I would... Hiss! Ow, ow, ow..."
Muen suddenly hissed in pain and looked down. He found Liya secretly pinching his palm with her fingernails. He had been holding her hand this whole time and hadn't had a chance to let go.
"Mr. Muen."
Liya glared at him adorably, her tone uncharacteristically serious and her cheeks puffed out in anger. "It seems you're quite proud of having only girls as companions."
"..."
Muen immediately shut his mouth. Experience told him that in moments like this, anything he said would be wrong.
*
After a brief rest, the group continued their exploration.
Knowing they had fallen behind, they picked up the pace, though they remained vigilant. Muen led the way, using his Illumination Spell to light the surroundings. Liya followed closely behind him, with tiny specks of light—like fireflies—spreading out around her to cautiously probe the environment.
"Wait."
Liya suddenly tugged on Muen’s sleeve.
"Is there something?"
"Yes."
Liya reached out, pointing to a spot not far in front of Muen.
At Liya’s words, everyone’s nerves instantly tightened. Although her appearance was so cute it was hard to take her seriously, even Seviel had to admit her profound mastery of magical knowledge.
Muen patted Liya’s hand, drew Elizabeth, and stepped forward steadily.
He cautiously approached the boundary Liya had indicated. He glanced back at her, and after receiving a nod of confirmation, he pulled out a pitch-black metal sphere and rolled it gently across the ground.
Click.
The faint sound of a mechanism activating rang out.
As the metal sphere rolled, the ground—which had previously shown no signs of anything unusual—began to glow with faint threads of mana. They intertwined in a complex pattern, resembling layers of creeping ivy. It possessed a peculiar beauty, yet it made one's skin crawl.
Muen sensed it for a moment, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
Who the hell is so malicious that they’d set such a sinister trap?
Although Muen couldn't cast many spells himself, after cramming magical theory recently, he could roughly tell that what lay beneath the floor was a composite multi-layered magic formation.
It was extremely well-hidden, so the mana infused within wasn't particularly lethal in terms of raw damage. However, its effects...
Dizziness, Hallucination, Sleep, Aphrodisiac, Berserk, Mana Dissipation... and it even thoughtfully included Clothing-Dissolving.
If one were to accidentally step on it... the result would likely be far more complicated than just being disqualified. It would probably leave an unspeakable psychological shadow for the rest of one's life.
"Can you crack it?"
Muen looked back. Liya had been carefully observing the mana threads since the beginning, her mind busy with calculations.
Soon, a charming smile blossomed on her pretty face, and she nodded vigorously. "I can."
At this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. While they could have forced their way through, it would have cost an unknown amount of energy, and no one knew what other hidden traps were waiting for them.
Muen stepped aside and watched Liya tinker for a while. Finally, she was the first to step onto the trap.
"You have to follow my footsteps exactly."
Liya turned back and reached out her small hand to Muen. Her cheeks were flushed like the evening clouds, looking utterly adorable. "But... just to be safe, Muen should come with me first to test it."
"Then I'm third!"
Seviel rushed over excitedly, also wanting to take Muen’s hand.
"No."
Liya glared at her. "The two of us will complete the test first. After that, you just need to step where we stepped."
"Then why does it have to be him?!" Seviel pouted.
"Muen can protect me. Can you?" Liya said righteously.
After saying it, she seemed to get shy herself and quickly turned her head away. Muen saw the blush rapidly spread down the girl’s swan-like neck, even staining her small earlobes a tender red.
Too cute.
"Tch."
Seviel clicked her tongue in annoyance but didn't say anything else. In terms of strength, she was indeed no match for Muen.
Muen naturally took Liya’s small hand.
In truth, he had held this soft, delicate hand more than once. Even during their escape just now, he had instinctively gripped it tight. But even after so many times, the cool, soft sensation against his palm still made his heart race and his throat go dry.
He believed Liya felt the same, as he could clearly feel the girl’s tense body and stiff movements through their skin contact. Yet, this wonderful sensation was something one couldn't help but linger on.
It was just that the meaningful stares from behind were a bit annoying.
I already said this is just for the test. Why are you all looking at us like that?
Liya and I are perfectly innocent!
It’s just the relationship between a knight and the Saintess he serves. That’s all.
"Let's go."
Liya’s voice trembled slightly as she led Muen forward with extreme caution.
Beneath them, dense threads of mana were still shifting. The trap hadn't been completely deactivated; Liya had merely used her exquisite skill to pry open a loophole. Consequently, both were very careful and moved slowly.
The passage, less than ten meters long, felt more arduous than the dark tunnels they had traversed before.
It wasn't until Seviel shouted impatiently from the other side, asking if they were done "testing," that the two pulled their hands apart as if they had been electrocuted.
"It’s fine now. Follow our footsteps across."
"Great."
Liya secretly rubbed her palm, feeling the fading warmth. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Seviel, who was crossing the trap with great interest...
As expected, I really hate this woman!
Seviel’s neck suddenly shrank back as she felt an inexplicable chill down her spine...
*
Once everyone had crossed the trap and was preparing to move on, Muen noticed that Liya’s gaze was still fixed on the magic formation. She had her chin in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.
"Is something wrong?"
"No... it’s nothing. I just suddenly had an idea."
"An idea?"
"Mhm."
Liya replied, then knelt down and began drawing and sketching over the trap, outlining something new.
"What are you doing?"
Muen could only tell that she seemed to be overlaying a new magic formation on top of the existing trap.
"Simply put, because these kinds of formations are very difficult to cancel, the creator usually leaves a 'backdoor'—a specific condition for passing through without triggering it—just in case."
"I’m currently modifying that backdoor. If the person who set this trap returns here, they’ll end up hoisting themselves with their own petard."
"Not only that, I’ve extended the trigger distance forward by another meter. That way, even if they think they’re at a safe distance, they’ll still get caught..."
"Oh, and one more thing. I’ve made some adjustments to other aspects, simplifying some of the conflicting negative effects to make them... even more powerful!"
"..."
Watching Liya talk enthusiastically while obsessively modifying the trap, not only Muen, but even the seniors Fanny and Vicky, instinctively swallowed hard.
Seviel even took several steps back, beginning to wonder if she had offended this beautiful girl who looked so cute you’d want to take a bite out of her supple cheek...
In short, it was inexplicably terrifying.
*
After bypassing several more mechanical traps, they endured a long and tedious period of exploration.
Perhaps the route they chose was too remote, or perhaps they were too far behind; they hadn't seen another soul for a long time. They had stopped to rest several times to conserve their strength.
Muen pulled out his pocket watch. The eight hours of daylight had long since passed; it was now late at night.
"But... there are no signs of rot here, and we haven't encountered any of those monsters."
Muen idly scooped up a handful of sand. It was dry and ordinary, with no abnormalities.
"Is it because the pollution hasn't reached this far yet, or is it really as the diary said—that the 'Wall' can block the corruption?"
"Muen, Muen! Look over here!"
While he was lost in thought, Muen heard Liya’s slightly excited cry.
Following that captivating figure, Muen saw the space around them suddenly open up under the expanding glow of her light. They seemed to have finally passed through the narrow tunnels and arrived in a vast, open chamber.
However, the joy didn't last long. As the light spread further, majestic shadows appeared in everyone’s field of vision. The overwhelming sense of pressure made even someone like Muen, who had seen his fair share of grand spectacles, catch his breath.
All around them, massive statues stood in neat phalanxes, seemingly filling the entire vast space.
The statues weren't human. They were shaped like ferocious hounds poised to strike. Each one was at least three meters tall, their muscle lines carved so vividly they seemed to pulse with explosive power.
Muen was reminded of the Terracotta Army from his previous life, but these statues were undoubtedly far more psychologically taxing. Even Muen felt his scalp go numb.
"These... they aren't some kind of mechanical guardians, are they?"
Seviel’s voice trembled. She was thinking of the mechanical puppets commonly found in ancient ruins. Those puppets were notoriously difficult to deal with; ancient magical technology allowed them to retain their terrifying power even after eons. Every single one was a massive headache for explorers.
And here... there were so many they were impossible to count.
Seviel could already imagine herself being finely minced into meat stuffing by these mechanical hounds.