Elf Lord, intelligence updated daily.

Chapter 70: Killed in one strike?
"Which level do you plan to explore?" Loren asked.

"The first three floors are enough; going any further is too dangerous."

Loren thought about it. He had no experience exploring mazes on his own, so having someone guide him on the first few floors was helpful.

"Okay, let's team up then."

Get ready, Loren follows the brother and sister to the ice labyrinth.

Leaving Wolf King City, the area to the north outside the city was covered in white snow.

Pedestrians continued to travel along the road towards the icy maze of the north.

At the northernmost end of the ice and snow maze, there are several majestic snow-capped mountains.

A cold wind howled, and snow began to fall again.

Lilia was shivering from the cold.

Loren chatted briefly with the brother and sister.

The older brother is named Hemu, and the younger sister is named Hermione. They are residents of Wolf King City.

"Do you Ice and Snow Clan rely on hunting magical beasts to make a living?"

“That’s right, most of the humans living here are like that,” Hemu said.

"Haven't you ever thought about moving to another place?"

Hemu shook his head.

“We’ve lived here since we were little and we’re used to the cold climate. We’d feel uncomfortable going to other places.”

Ok……

Penguin tribe.

The wind and snow gradually intensified.

The further north you go, the colder it gets.

Half a day later, Loren and the others finally arrived at the Ice and Snow Maze.

According to Hemu, there is more than one entrance to the maze.

Besides Wolf King City, many districts in the Ice and Snow Empire have passages leading into the labyrinth.

There was no one guarding the entrance, and people were constantly going in and out.

Upon entering the maze, there is a wide staircase leading to it.

As you descend the stairs, the light gradually dims before returning to its original brightness.

The maze was surprisingly bright.

Hemu explained, "There are many glowing creatures on the walls around the labyrinth, and abundant magic makes them glow."

Loren clearly sensed that the concentration of magic inside the labyrinth was indeed slightly higher than outside.

This is a characteristic of the ice and snow maze.

The main reason it's called a maze is because its passageways are so intricate that it's easy to get lost even with a map.

Before exploring the maze, Loren bought a simple map.

Because the first level of the maze is too large, the map can only show its general structure.

Moreover, the guild only provides maps for the first three floors.

The maze beyond the fourth level can only be explored on your own.

Not long after, Loren and his group encountered their first monster, the Ice Arrow Frog.

Lilia exclaimed, "What a huge frog!"

This frog is indeed large, about half the size of an adult.

Hemu ordered the Frost Wolves to launch an attack, which successfully killed them.

Through this battle, Loren discovered that the Frost Frog was stronger than ordinary low-level magical beasts.

Not only the Frost Frog, but all the monsters that appeared afterward were like this.

Their strength far surpasses that of ordinary low-level magical beasts.

To Loren's surprise, Hemlock and Hermione actually ate raw food.

To be precise, it was frozen raw food.

The monsters in the maze are almost all ice-type.

After they are killed, a layer of frost forms on them, as if they have been frozen.

Hermes and Heme have excellent teeth.

A small monster can be eaten in just a few bites.

It's like eating an ice pop.

"Don't you grill the meat before you eat it?"

"Roast?" Hemu asked, puzzled.

Loren summoned flames and roasted four frog legs.

The aroma was enticing, and Hemu and Hermione's eyes flickered.

"Are you a wizard?" Hermu asked in surprise.

“I’ve heard that wizards live on the distant human continent. Aren’t you from the Elf Kingdom?” Loren explained. “I only know a little bit of witchcraft.”

He couldn't possibly eat raw food like those siblings.

The temperature in the maze was too low to live in, so he had to resort to witchcraft.

Loren shared the roasted frog legs with the two siblings.

The two were very hungry and couldn't wait to enjoy the food.

"Wow! This is delicious! I've never eaten anything so good!" Hermione exclaimed.

Loren suddenly felt sorry for them; they had never even eaten barbecue.

Lilia almost thought there was something wrong with her sense of taste.

What's so delicious about this stuff?
They have no taste at all!

After eating the roasted frog, the four rested for a while and then continued their exploration.

Because the maze was so large, it took them three whole days to reach the entrance to the second level of the maze.

During the exploration, Loren gathered a great deal of intelligence.

Many of them are hidden areas from the first maze.

Hidden areas are usually located in dark places.

There are no bioluminescent organisms in those places, so many people wouldn't risk exploring them.

There weren't any valuable treasures in the hidden room on the first floor, so Loren simply followed the two siblings and decided to go to the next floor first.

On the sixth day of their exploration, the four of them successively slew monsters and arrived at the third level.

During this time, Hemu discovered various magic crystals, as well as the spoils of war left behind by the dead.

Explorers who die in the maze will be eaten by monsters.

They may be carrying items such as gold coins and weapons.

These things are difficult to digest and often drop out after killing monsters.

While exploring the third level of the maze, Hemu discovered an ice crystal flower in a corner.

"It's a demonic plant!"

He excitedly stepped forward to take it off, but Hermione grabbed him.

"Wait, brother, that's not an ice crystal flower!"

"Not an ice crystal flower?"

Hemu took a closer look, and his expression changed.

"It's an Ice Crystal Flower Fairy! Oh no, run!"

Loren didn't recognize the Ice Crystal Flower at all, nor had he ever seen the Ice Crystal Flower Fairy, so naturally he couldn't tell them apart.

As he and Lilia fled with the two siblings, he asked, "Why are you running?"

"The Ice Crystal Flower Fairy is a mid-level magical beast. It likes to disguise itself as an ice crystal flower to launch sneak attacks. If it is recognized, it will immediately launch an attack."

"It's just a mid-level magical beast, we should be able to handle it, right?"

"It's possible, but injuries are inevitable. Once injured, further exploration will be very difficult, and if the injury is too severe, it may even be impossible to leave the maze."

Loren understood what Hermu meant.

No wonder they had the strength of a mid-level knight, yet only explored the first three levels of the labyrinth.

"So, as long as we kill it with one sword, it'll be fine, right?"

Before she finished speaking, the Ice Crystal Flower Fairy had already caught up with them.

It is not a plant, but a monster that resembles a plant.

The ice crystal flower is the form it manifests.

The flower fairy's true form is the size of an average adult, and it looks more like a man-eating flower.

The twisting and dancing vines on its body are its limbs.

Loren stopped and turned to take down his longsword.

Before Hemu and Hermione could react to what Loren had said, they saw him charge forward with his sword.

The longsword was enveloped in fiery battle aura, and with a single strike, it slew the Ice Crystal Flower Demon.

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "You...you...aren't you a wizard? How did you turn into a knight?"

"Of course I'm a knight! Wizards don't use swords!"

Hemu never expected Loren to be so powerful.

He always thought Loren was about the same strength as him, but in reality he was a level above him.

Loren felt an immense sense of satisfaction as he looked at the flower fairy's corpse, now split in two.

It's definitely more satisfying to buy in seconds!

I used to fight a Steel Bear to a standstill, but now I can easily kill mid-level monsters.

not enough!
He still needs to continue developing.

I'll strive to slay the dragon with a single sword someday!
(End of this chapter)