Chapter 427: Labyrinth Tower
"Tell me, what happened in the labyrinth?"
Caroline's adventurer squad originally had four people.
Why was it only her husband who got into trouble?
Caroline glanced secretly at the boy in front of her.
Then quickly lowered her head again.
"It happened five days ago. That day, we were planning to hunt one-eyed crabs on the seventh floor to collect magic crystals. Everything was going well at first. We gained a lot, until we stumbled upon a teleportation magic circle."
"While we were curiously examining the intricate runes on the teleportation circle, it suddenly activated!"
As she spoke, Caroline clenched her fists.
Her eyes were filled with anger and hatred.
"At that time, Mille, Bart, and I were outside the teleportation circle and weren't transported. But Landon, who was inside the circle, was teleported away. We intended to follow him, but a group of people suddenly rushed out, seized the teleportation circle without a word, and forbade us from approaching. We could only wait outside, helplessly watching them enter the teleportation circle."
"Five hours later, the teleportation circle activated again. Those people returned, but only a few survived, and the survivors were all wounded. They brought back an important piece of news."
"That magic circle randomly transports people to a certain labyrinth, and every so often, the teleportation circles within the labyrinth automatically activate, lasting only for ten breaths."
Caroline's account made Li Meng's expression thoughtful.
So, not only would they have to face the labyrinth monsters on the way to the seventh floor,
They also had to deal with the adventurer groups that seized the teleportation circle.
"Are those people still occupying the teleportation circle?"
Caroline shook her head.
"The news couldn't be kept secret. As more and more adventurers learned about the teleportation circle, those people gave up trying to monopolize it."
"Driven by curiosity, more and more adventurer squads entered the teleportation circle. But the number who returned could be counted on one hand. The few who did return were all insane, unable to provide any useful information. Each person's experience differed, making it impossible to gather reliable intelligence. Eventually, no one dared to approach the teleportation circle anymore."
Everyone who returned went mad?
Li Meng frowned, deep in thought.
Making a person go insane wasn't an easy feat.
He wondered what they had encountered.
"Li Meng, can we really manage just the two of us? You're a good person. I don't want to drag you into this!"
Caroline looked at the boy before her with a face full of struggle.
She wanted to find her husband.
She needed companions to help.
But this trip was extremely dangerous, and the chance of returning alive was very slim.
Li Meng was still young, and Caroline didn't want him risking his life.
Li Meng smiled and leaned back.
"Even if your companions hadn't left, I wouldn't have let them come along!"
Caroline blinked, surprised by his words.
"W-why?"
She looked at Li Meng, puzzled.
"You're too weak. The more people there are, the more they get in the way."
Although Caroline had the strength of a high-ranking mage,
In Li Meng's eyes, it was no better than an ant.
Caroline looked speechless at the boy before her.
She knew he was strong.
But to say something so bluntly,
It truly showed just how young he was.
Even if he thought they were weak,
He shouldn't have said it out loud.
"Li Meng, are you a Sword King?"
Facing Caroline's gaze, Li Meng just smiled.
"Caroline, don't worry, I'm very strong."
Li Meng didn't think a small labyrinth could trouble him.
With his current strength, he could easily erase the entire labyrinth.
He could even wipe out a continent if he wanted to.
Of course, that was if he didn't consider the toll on his body.
But it wouldn't be easy.
After all, the size of the Augus Planet was ridiculously large.
Any one of its continents was several times the size of all the land on Earth combined.
Erasing a continent would still be extremely difficult.
"But..."
"No buts. I'm very interested in that teleportation circle. Even without you, I'd still go."
Caroline sighed internally and said no more.
Since Li Meng insisted, she couldn't say anything else.
The entrance to the Sea Dragon King's Roaring Labyrinth was inside Dragon King City.
In the eastern district stood a tall tower.
The tower was called "Labyrinth Tower."
The labyrinth's entrance lay beneath it.
Surrounding the tower was a vast square.
In the morning, the square was bustling.
Groups of adventurers gathered, waiting for their companions.
Many adventurers were queuing up to enter the tower's large gate.
Beyond the gate was the entrance to the labyrinth.
At the edge of the square,
A passenger beast-drawn carriage came to a stop.
The carriage door quickly opened.
Li Meng and Caroline stepped out.
Both carried bulging backpacks.
They really looked like traveling adventurers.
"Li Meng, let's go line up!"
The two of them didn't linger in the square.
They directly joined the queue heading into the tower.
"Caroline, is Labyrinth Tower always this lively?"
The square was bustling.
Adventurers were everywhere.
Just by sight, there were already more than a hundred adventurers.
"Yes. Today is actually a quiet day. Professionals who want to quickly increase their strength can't do without magic crystals and elemental crystals. Although elemental crystals are far more effective for training than magic crystals, they're extremely rare and considered strategic resources by all human kingdoms. Ordinary adventurers can hardly get their hands on them. The only resources they can access are magic crystals and potions."
"Even if just to obtain training resources, adventurers have to frequently hunt in the labyrinth."
Li Meng glanced sideways at the tower's entrance.
The line was moving steadily.
In this world, the training methods for swordsmen and mages were very simple.
Whether mage or swordsman, they could only train by releasing and recovering mana repeatedly.
Every time they exhausted their mana and restored it,
Their mana capacity would increase slightly.
The amount of improvement depended on individual talent.
Thus, to quickly improve strength, one had to boost mana recovery speed.
And to do that, external aids were necessary.
Those aids were magic crystals and elemental crystals.
Of course, some potions could also help restore mana.
But potions were expensive,
Affordable only to the rich.
Ordinary adventurers had no choice but to painstakingly hunt in the labyrinth to gather magic crystals.