The maze was built starting with the mother skeleton replenishing its magic.

Ross, southern province of Aneman.

The "Kru Maze," located a few kilometers from the town, has recently become a hot topic.

Adventurers in the tavern often talked about the interesting phenomena of that labyrinth.

For example, the skeletons in the labyrinth have recently started competing with other monsters for territory, the monsters don't seem to have much of an appetite for adventurers, and the deepest lord has been unusually active lately, etc.

But since it's a necromantic dungeon, there are too few resources to collect and no treasure rooms.

Adventurers would rather spend an extra day visiting the "Starfall Labyrinth" near the main city of Byronding than waste time in this labyrinth.

Ross Town, Storm Troll Tavern.

Ethan tilted his head back and drank the beer in his glass, letting out an exaggerated exhale.

Across from him, Martin was only taking small sips of his drink, and it seemed that his thoughts were not on the matter.

"Is everything taken care of over there?" Ethan wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then looked at Martin.

"Um."

Martin nodded.

The carriage bound for Auckland was just outside the door; this was his last meal with Ethan.

"Alright then." Ethan waved to the bartender for another drink. "It's time for you to move on to the next chapter of your life."

"Um."

Martin raised his glass, and the two clinked glasses.

"Bang—"

The door was suddenly pushed open.

The noise inside the tavern fell completely silent at that moment, and everyone, including the bartender and the customers, looked towards the door.

A girl with long red hair, holding a magic crystal staff, stood at the entrance.

If Linovie, the goddess of love and art, had a treasure trove, the girl before her would surely be the most precious ruby ​​in her treasury.

Her face was smooth and fair, and when she tilted her head slightly, her eyes held a unique arrogance unique to young girls. Her blue eyes were like a clear sky, and a white cloak wrapped her body inside.

Beside her was a boy with a long sword at his waist and armor plates on his body, who was one or two steps behind her and looked reserved, as if he were a servant.

"Welcome, please find a seat." The bartender greeted the two of them.

The girl gave a soft snort, walked to the bar, and placed her staff across it:

"Register me as an adventurer."

"Then you'll have to go to the Adventurers' Guild, miss," the bartender said, wiping the glasses. "This is a bar."

"Hmm?" The girl frowned slightly, turned around and glared at the servant behind her. "What's going on, Glenn!"

Glenn smiled and replied, "Miss Anna, the Adventurers' Guild needs to go a little further ahead."

Why didn't you say so sooner!

"You said you were tired and wanted to find a place to rest."

"Shut up!"

Anna interrupted Glenn, then her gaze swept across the room before finally settling on Martin.

Right before everyone's eyes, she walked straight to Martin's table and slammed her staff down on it.

"You're carrying a bow and arrows, are you an adventurer?"

Martin merely glanced at her indifferently, continuing to drink his wine and ignoring her.

Upon seeing this, Glenn quickly ran over, took out a few gold coins from his purse, and handed them over, explaining sincerely.

"Sir, we are travelers from Byronde."

Martin glanced at the gold coins but ignored them.

Ethan, sitting at the same table, smiled and took the gold coin, replying, "My name is Ethan, and his name is Martin. We are both adventurers."

"Mmm." Anna crossed her arms and gave a soft hum, her face beaming with excitement. "You guys team up with me and conquer the maze together."

"Miss, what is your rank?"

"Level 15 mage." A hint of pride played on her lips as she said this.

"I'm Glenn, level 12."

Level 15 is already beyond the beginner level even among adventurers; it's a proper starting point.

"I advise you not to underestimate the maze," Martin said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Glenn handed over a few more gold coins.

Ethan chuckled and was about to take it when Martin slapped his hand away, glared at him, and then took the gold coin himself.

Take it if it's for you!

"When we passed through this town of Ross, we heard about a place called the 'Kru Labyrinth,' where the monsters are low-level and won't attack adventurers unless provoked."

"So I'd like to take a look..."

At this point, Glenn glanced at the girl discreetly and, taking advantage of her inattention, shoved the entire money bag into Martin's hand.

Lowering her voice, she whispered in his ear:

"Mr. Martin, please just say something to appease her. Once we're in the maze, I'll pretend to be unwell and persuade her to retreat. You don't need to worry about it."

Martin looked at Glenn with a complicated expression.

It was obvious at a glance that this girl was someone of extraordinary status.

Is being a nobleman's servant really that difficult now, having to provide emotional support as well?

Martin looked at the money pouch, sighed, and finally accepted it.

Since I'm leaving anyway, it wouldn't hurt to make one last fortune as an adventurer before I go.

"The monsters in that labyrinth have been acting strangely lately, and don't underestimate the labyrinth just because the monsters are low-level."

"Why!" Anna seemed very interested in the topic, and for a moment she forgot to use her high-pitched voice.

Realizing she had lost her composure, she cleared her throat and repeated the sentence in that rigid, arrogant tone.

Why?

Ethan was the one who answered.

"The lord of that labyrinth is a level 20 skeletal hound, which is very difficult to deal with. It would take at least a fourth-tier spell to kill it in one hit."

To cast a fourth-tier spell, you need to reach level 30 or use a fourth-tier spell scroll, which costs at least 800 gold coins.

However, the young lady in front of me is probably not short of money.

"Okay, you two will team up with me for the maze." Anna glanced at them. "I'll pay you afterwards."

"I've already retired," Ethan said with a forced smile, waving his hand.

Martin calmly took a sip of beer: "I just retired."

"snort!"

The noble lady seemed very unhappy, picked up her staff, and got up to leave.

"Glenn! We'll go ourselves!"

Glenn immediately got up and wanted to chase after him.

Martin handed over a blueprint from his pocket.

"This is?"

"A map of the Kru Labyrinth," he said. "After all, I've taken your money. Remember, don't go to the lord's room without a fourth-tier magic scroll."

"Other monsters are not a big problem for you at your level."

"Also, watch out for skeletons."

......

After a brief incident.

The tavern returned to its usual bustling state.

Ethan clicked his tongue repeatedly: "You're such a nice guy."

"Don't you think it looks a lot like it?" Martin said abruptly.

"Like what?" Ethan asked.

"Back in our day, we weren't afraid of anything. As long as we were with our friends, we dared to venture into any maze."

"That's true, Elena had the same impatient personality back then... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought her up."

"It's all in the past."

The two clinked glasses, spilling drinks onto the table.

......

"Is this the maze?"

Anna looked at the entrance to the maze with some excitement.

"Miss, don't forget you snuck out," Glenn reminded her with a smile. "Just have some fun, don't go too deep into the areas."

"Stop nagging!" Anna rolled her eyes at him.

Then Glenn walked in front, while Anna shrank behind him, looking like a complete idiot who loved to play.

As you descend the stairs, darkness slowly engulfs you. The damp, cold wind is different from the ground, until the stairs beneath your feet become a flat road.

This means they have officially entered the maze.

"Glenn! Don't stray so far from me!"

"Miss, you're practically pressed against me."

Glenn was somewhat helpless.

This daughter of the Phoenix family has unique advantages in both magical talent and her parents' doting love.

Perhaps the only thing that gave her father a headache was that the child had loved listening to stories of adventurers since she was little.

How could the daughter of a prince of the empire, the supreme king of the southern region, and the lord of Byrondin, become an adventurer!

In the stories Anna had heard, adventurers were always inseparable from labyrinths, which led to her sneaking out to experience the labyrinth.

"Don't be nervous, Miss," Glenn comforted her. "It's said that the monsters in this labyrinth are mainly skeletons and zombies, the weakest of all monsters."

"You don't need to tell me! I know!"

Glenn took out the map Martin had given him and used the flames illuminating Anna's staff to determine the direction.

The two traversed three cave chambers, but strangely enough, they hadn't encountered a single monster yet.

In the next cave, they finally encountered the first monster in the maze—the corpse of a walking corpse.

Glenn stepped forward to examine the wound, which was a sword wound on the neck, and did not seem to be caused by a monster.

Moreover, the faint sounds of fighting could be heard from deep within, leading Glenn to guess that a small team was already navigating the maze ahead of them.

"You're amazing, miss. You scared that zombie to death," Glenn said with a laugh. "Let's go back to the surface."

"What kind of adventure is this!" Anna was very unhappy.

He kept poking Glenn's waist with his staff.

"Miss, there seems to be another squad ahead of us," Glenn explained patiently. "They've wiped out all the monsters."

"Then let's catch up with them and join them!"

Glenn sighed.

My young lady is good in every way, except that she can become a bit reckless when it comes to matters involving adventurers.

"Then please stay close to me, miss."

"Uh-huh!"

"I will protect you with my life."

"Don't just die like that!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Where did these adventurers come from?"

Lance, who was commanding an army of skeletons and zombies in the boss room, was puzzled.

I had to temporarily stop commanding and check the surveillance footage, lest I ruin my plans; the boss only had two-thirds of its health left.

The so-called surveillance is actually the maze bats, which possess the talents of [dark vision] and [shared vision].

Let me see what these adventurers are up to.