The slimes in the maze wreaked havoc; in less than half a day, two out of the three teams were completely scattered by them.
What? You can’t see any slimes at all?
Well, there’s no helping that. Let me give a quick introduction anyway.
First, set up a pitfall trap at a suitable spot, no concealment necessary.
Of course, to ensure the safety of those who fall into the trap, several large water slimes are placed at the bottom.
Next, imagine the large rock slime in the shape of a rolling boulder, summon it, and place it behind the “wall”-shaped Gargoyle.
When someone passes behind the Gargoyle, it will seize the opportunity to move aside and release the rolling rock slime.
The surrounding Gargoyles will block other branching paths while the people panic and flee, ensuring they inevitably fall into the pitfall trap.
Those who fall are caught and captured by the water slimes at the bottom of the pit.
How is it? Pretty perfect, right? No one fell in?
Don’t rush—there are other slime combinations in the maze!
In the corridor behind a stone wall disguised as a Gargoyle, summon these two types of slimes, but first separate them with a mechanism to prevent premature contact and reactions.
When someone approaches, the mechanism deactivates, and the Gargoyle behind the water slime pushes it toward the thunder slime.
The one shocked by the thunder slime will be left barely alive and start secreting liquid that seeps through the cracks in the stone wall.
Anyone touching this small puddle will, naturally, become paralyzed.
At times like this, don’t try to use your hands to rescue them; the correct method is to pull them out of the puddle with a rope.
Of course, the soldiers who don’t understand what’s happening try to carry the paralyzed victims out, predictably increasing the number of casualties.
Not enough yet?
No problem. Have you heard of landmines?
Rest assured, this world probably doesn’t have terrifying weapons.
But that doesn’t mean Su Yao won’t set up similar traps in the maze.
Summon these two types of slimes and separate them with a mechanism, then bury them under the maze corridor floor.
The vibrations from passing footsteps trigger the mechanism, causing the thunder slime and fire slime to collide, producing a small explosion.
Though the power is modest, what if flammable oil is added?
Exactly—the explosion will scatter the disorganized group, and the resulting sea of flames from burning flammable materials will force the two factions to seek other branching paths to regroup.
Whether they manage to reunite or not, that’s uncertain.
……
Su Yao applied the advanced elemental theory from a certain game to the maze traps, using only the cheapest slimes and simple trap mechanisms to inflict “heavy casualties” on the army invading her dungeon.
Only one of the three teams had yet to suffer losses.
She sensed that the well-equipped and well-trained soldiers at the dungeon entrance had been assigned to this group.
They worked cooperatively to dismantle one carefully designed trap after another.
Surprisingly, all the soldiers in this team could use some magic—not very strong, but practical.
When encountering fire, someone cast water magic to extinguish it; when facing rolling boulders, someone used earth magic to halt them; when encountering electrified puddles, someone cast vines to pull trapped people out…
They were probably the enemy nation’s soldiers tasked with clearing this dungeon.
Since sneaky tricks didn’t work, Su Yao had no choice but to rely on sheer strength to defeat them.
She planned to lure them into the Boss Room where Sofia was located. Incidentally, the white-haired, red-eyed beauty’s Boss Room was marked by a “dungeon” and “transmission failure.”
She herself had told Su Yao that she wanted this team handed over to her for resolution. It seemed that the man named Balder was among this group.
What a cunning man—leading the team while hiding among the soldiers.
Too bad his cleverness was only superficial. From the moment he stepped into this dungeon, everything was already sealed.
As the Dungeon Master, her wisdom surpassed Balder’s.
In a way, she was the more cunning, no, the smarter one.
“Sofia, they’re almost here. Are you ready?”
Rather than asking Sofia, Su Yao was really asking herself.
To ensure the plan’s success, she arrived at the room ahead of the monsters and treasure chests that would lead the team in.
She had also left a “little decoration” on Sofia to guarantee victory.
Honestly, she was still uneasy about killing with her own hands.
But now that she had resolved to stand by Chlor’s side, she was prepared to take someone’s life.
It wasn’t difficult; even if she had never met Chlor, this day would have come eventually. Since the dungeon’s opening a month ago, many had lost their lives directly or indirectly, and their debts of life could just as well be counted on her.
The white-haired, red-eyed beauty nodded. “Leave it to me. Miss Su Yao, you just watch from the sidelines. This battle belongs to me.”
As expected of Sofia—she clearly sensed Su Yao’s nervousness. “You just do what you want. My existence is to protect your wishes.”
Damn it, that kind of cool line should come from her own mouth. What’s a pretty girl doing showing off like that!
But thanks to Sofia’s words, Su Yao understood: “Not wanting to kill” was just her own whim. The thing she wanted, her wish, had always been one.
“…Thank you.”
Originally, she wanted to reply with a cool declaration, but Sofia’s serious gaze and what she’d just said made Su Yao hesitate.
She hurried to the farthest corner of the room, feeling as if she was almost captured by an offhand remark from the beauty.
This wouldn’t do. If the order of attraction got reversed, her position in the relationship would become passive. She knew this well from sleeping next to Chlor every night…
She left the first half of the battle to Sofia, planning to step in as the hero saving the beauty should danger arise.
Sweet strategy, that’s the way!
…….
Creak
The massive wooden door swung open, and a squad of soldiers rushed in.
About forty in number, they formed a semicircle.
Armed and alert, they stood facing Sofia in the room.
“Amazing! I never thought I’d see you again here. I thought they had destroyed you.”
A man’s mocking voice echoed through the room. The soldiers’ faces were hidden by helmets, so it was unclear who was speaking.
“I’m surprised too, but now that we’ve met, you won’t be leaving.”
“Ahahahaha…”
The speaker laughed heartily, as if hearing a good joke.
Yeah, if he ever cosplayed as a Pikachu on a streetlamp, he’d fit perfectly.
“Have you forgotten who put that Magic Restriction Collar on your neck?”
The mention of something significant seemed to shake the atmosphere. Their feud was evidently more complicated than Sofia had indicated before.
“Though I wouldn’t mind beating you again, I advise you to surrender.”
“Don’t dream such things, you despicable scoundrel!”
Leaving behind a blunt refusal, Sofia raised her sword and charged forward…