“Meow~ Meow~!”
“Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling!”
“Hrrr~ Hrrr~”
Three sounds echoed through the hall, blending into chaos. Lilia couldn’t tell which one was driving her crazier.
She dashed around the hall in a panic, her footsteps stumbling.
The threat of electrocution hung above her, making it impossible to stop.
Just as she tried to find a corner to catch her breath, the world beneath her feet collapsed first.
“Since you’re done running.”
Lucia’s voice came from above.
“Let’s change the game.”
Before she finished speaking, a snap of fingers.
“Pa!”
The Obsidian Floor under Lilia’s feet lost its color, turning transparent in an instant!
Beneath the floor, there was no foundation.
Only a raging, purple Abyss of Lightning!
Countless violet currents rolled and crashed within the abyss, erupting with harsh “zzzt! zzzt!” sounds.
The destructive energy was separated only by a thin Energy Shield.
Just looking at it made Lilia’s whole body tingle and her hairs stand on end.
She was standing on an Energy Shield that could vanish at any moment.
If she fell, the lightning in the abyss would tear her apart in an instant and reduce her to a wisp of flying ash!
“Wha… What are you trying to do this time? Meow?!”
Lilia’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
Her legs weakened, nearly collapsing on the transparent “floor.”
“A new game.”
Lucia floated in midair, raising her hand to point at the other end of the hall.
On the distant transparent shield, glowing white squares appeared out of thin air.
The squares varied in size and were arranged in a messy pattern, stretching all the way to the end of the hall.
“It’s called ‘Hopscotch.’”
Lucia’s voice was cheerful, blending with the roar of the Thunder Pool below.
“The rules are simple. Your feet can only touch those glowing squares.”
She finished, and her black high-heeled shoe tapped lightly on the shield beside Lilia.
“If you step outside the squares…”
“Zzzzt—!”
Before she finished speaking, a purple bolt of lightning shot up from the abyss, skimming along the edge of the shield!
The scorching wave and smell of burning instantly scorched a large section of lace from Lilia’s gothic dress.
“Meow—!”
Lilia let out a sharp scream, instinctively jumping backward and crashing to the ground.
Her heart pounded wildly, threatening to burst from her throat.
“Ding-ling-ling-ling—!”
The Bell on her neck shrieked along with her.
“…Or.”
Lucia, unfazed by her pitiful state, slowly finished the rest of the rules.
“If you stay on the same square for more than three seconds, you’ll get the same ‘surprise’ to hurry you along.”
“Now.”
Lucia’s voice grew emotionless.
“The game begins.”
At the same time.
The only safe area beneath Lilia began to flash red.
Once, twice…
A three-second countdown!
Lilia had no time to think.
She scrambled to her feet, using both hands and feet.
With all her strength, she lunged toward the nearest white square!
“Meow~!”
Her body arced through the air.
The Cat Paw Boots on her feet let out a soft, squishy sound.
She landed heavily on the square.
Her body wobbled from the impact, barely steady—
The white square beneath her started to flash red without mercy!
There was no time to catch her breath!
She could only grit her teeth and twist her body.
Jump again, leaping to the next square.
“Meow~!”
Jump!
“Meow~!”
In the hall, Lilia was forced to jump from one vanishing square to another above the Thunder Pool.
Each leap, each landing, was accompanied by a cat’s cry.
She had to judge the position and distance of the next square within three seconds.
She used all her strength, aiming for perfection with every jump.
Some squares were just steps away, forcing her to shuffle quickly.
She was terrified of overshooting and falling into the lightning.
Other squares were several meters apart.
She had to push her body to the limit, using every ounce of strength to barely reach the edge.
It was driving her physical, mental, and spiritual endurance to madness.
Worse yet, were the soft Cat Paw Boots on her feet.
The pink pads on the soles made it impossible to use strength effectively.
Several times, her feet slipped.
Half her body dangled off the square, nearly falling.
“Zzzzt—!”
Another bolt of lightning brushed past her arm.
The burning pain made her scalp tingle, leaving a scorched mark on her skin.
“Ding-ling-ling”
“Hrrr—!”
Desperate to keep her balance, her arms flailed in the air.
The rumbling from her gloves mixed with the Bell’s fearful shriek.
Lucia floated silently in the air, arms folded, watching the spectacle with interest.
At the edge of the hall, Lilith stood motionless, head bowed.
The tips of her White Gloves traced the edge of a Silver Tray back and forth.
“I can’t… I really… can’t… Meow…”
After hundreds of extreme jumps.
Every ounce of strength had been drained from Lilia’s body.
Her lungs screamed, each breath tinged with the taste of blood.
Her legs felt unbearably heavy, every movement tearing at her muscles.
Gasping, she barely landed on another square.
But what she saw shattered her hope.
The square beneath her feet was flashing red violently.
And the next safe white square…
It was five meters away, separated by a bottomless Abyss of Lightning!
There’s no way.
In her state, she couldn’t possibly make the jump.
Was she going to die?
Would she fall and be fried to ashes by the raging lightning?
No!
I haven’t made that perverted Demon Lord kneel and sing for mercy yet!
I can’t die here!
Lilia’s golden-blue heterochromatic pupils shrank to pinpoints!
If I can’t jump…
Then I’ll fly!
“Ahhhhh—!”
She drew every last drop of magic power from her body.
Ignoring the agony, she tore what remained from the Magic Energy Network and poured it all into her feet!
Her veins burned like fire, blood vessels threatening to burst!
“Get up… Move! Meow!”
She lifted her head, glaring at the demon in midair, letting out a hoarse, defiant roar.
A chaotic airflow exploded under her feet, forming a wildly unstable mini-whirlwind.
Pain and weightlessness struck at once as the whirlwind hurled her body upward.
In the last second, it ripped her from the vanishing square!
She could only rise less than half a meter.
Her whole body wobbled in the air, ready to fall at any moment.
But she had really flown!
“Oh?”
For the first time, surprise flickered in Lucia’s blood-red eyes.
At the edge of life and death, this little creature had awakened the rudimentary form of the Floating Spell through pure survival instinct?
She was even more interesting than expected.
Lilia used the last thread of her will.
Controlling the wild energy beneath her, she slowly inched toward the distant white square.
Five meters—a hopeless distance.
Finally, she landed on the square.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
Before relief could fill her, disaster struck again.
The square beneath her, and all the surrounding safe zones.
Vanished at once.
In their place, directly in front of her—
A massive Maze of Lightning formed entirely of pure electricity appeared out of thin air.
The maze walls were writhing violet lightning.
There was only one entrance—and one exit, far beyond.
“Congratulations on finishing the warm-up.”
Lucia’s icy voice echoed from above.
“Now, it’s the second stage, the ‘Maze of Lightning’.”
“If you reach the end, the game ends, and you may rest.”
“But.”
Her voice grew colder.
“If you touch the walls…”
Zzzzt—
A terrifying current shot from the maze wall, slamming into the Energy Shield before Lilia and sending violent ripples across it.
“You take responsibility for the consequences.”
Lilia lay sprawled on the ground.
She stared at the endless Maze of Lightning, then glanced down at the roaring Thunder Pool.
The last thread of “sanity” in her mind snapped.
With a “thud,” she dropped to her knees before the figure in midair.
This time, it wasn’t from fear, or exhaustion.
It was complete defeat at the hands of endless torment.
She looked up, tears and sweat mixing on her dirty face.
With her final ounce of strength, she wailed at the expressionless figure in the air.
“Mistress… I was wrong… I really was wrong… Meow…”
“I give up! I surrender everything! Please… stop playing, okay? Meow…”
“I’m begging you… Please have mercy on me… Meow…”