Chapter 279 Disrupted Clues

Chapter 279 Disrupted Clues

— (Hahaha! Such incredible power! This is the might of a Tier 3 creature!)

The treant reveled in its success, having ensnared the young girl with great satisfaction!

At this moment, it felt like a mighty wolf, having firmly trampled the helpless chick beneath its feet.

Seizing the opportunity while the girl was immobilized, the treant extended its usually concealed, highly toxic branches. With a single prick, the neurotoxic venom would render her lifeless within minutes.

— (Spare me no blame, girl.)

— (In this Aqua Nest, the law of the jungle reigns supreme!)

The treant steadily approached the girl, constantly regenerating its roots faster than she could sever them, ensuring her delicate feet remained bound to the ground.

However, just as it closed in to within five meters, the treant suddenly felt a sharp pain in its leg, causing it to lose balance and topple forward.

— (What... what happened?!)

Struggling to its feet, the treant noticed a cluster of silver swords, previously hidden, now surrounding it. These swords, unlike the initial ones, gleamed with a white radiance, clearly enhanced by magic power.

It was these silver swords that had ambushed the treant's leg from behind, causing it to fall!

— (Damn it, I didn't expect you to have a hidden move!)

With its leg temporarily out of commission, the treant resorted to using its branches as makeshift limbs for support.

Faced with the onslaught of the magically enhanced silver swords, the treant invoked its "Vine Armor" skill, summoning vines to reinforce its body and continue its advance!

As long as it could withstand the girl's attacks and deliver a single strike, victory would still belong to the treant!

— (Ahhhhhh! My leg may be crippled, but you're still bound and unable to move!)

But in the next instant, the treant's last hope was dashed.

Although the girl's feet were still entwined, her hands remained free.

Before the treant's very eyes, she merged three silver swords with the one in her hand, forging a magnificent, two-meter-long crimson greatsword.

"Scarlet Sword Technique: Giant Sword Style." (Human language)

The treant couldn't understand the girl's words, but it clearly saw the dazzling light erupting from the crimson greatsword in her hands.

Then, with a swing of the greatsword, a crescent-shaped beam of white light was unleashed, becoming the most beautiful sight the treant had ever witnessed in its life.

.

After the treant's demise, the roots binding Viviana's legs automatically loosened.

Brushing off the dirt clinging to her body, she recalled all the summoned silver swords and downed an entire bottle of potent magic potion, finally allowing her tense nerves to relax slightly.

— (Something's off about this labyrinth...)

An hour earlier, Viviana had entered the "Labyrinth: Aqua Nest" with a team arranged by the Scarlet Family.

According to the pre-established plan, she proceeded alone towards the labyrinth's center, while the other four members split into two groups to lure away the demons, reducing Viviana's losses along the way.

For the first stretch, the battles Viviana encountered were relatively easy, mostly involving Tier 1 or early Tier 2 enemies, hardly requiring her to break stride.

However, about half an hour in, she distinctly sensed a sudden increase in the strength of the labyrinth's demons.

Viviana didn't believe she had ventured too deep into the labyrinth, making this change in demon strength unnatural.

The only plausible explanation was that a formidable individual had entered the labyrinth, causing its difficulty to spike.

— (A new individual...Does it mean that the two teams from Delis Town have been eliminated? )

Viviana was astonished by this possibility. To her knowledge, the person responsible for the two teams from Delis Town was the renowned Ice Polar Star, Sheryl. With her wealth of experience, it was unlikely she would assemble such a weak team.

Various signs led Viviana to suspect that something was amiss with this labyrinth expedition.

Given the current situation, she could still handle a single Tier 3 monster, but if she continued to be worn down like this, the likelihood of encountering danger would gradually increase.

.

Viviana's mission this time was to swiftly reach the labyrinth's core, and upon encountering its boss, activate the magic circle inscribed within her, summoning the Cardinal and Obsidian Elders.

Although she personally disapproved of this arrangement and deemed the use of the hidden magic circle wasteful, she dared not oppose the family's decision.

However, based on the strength of the demons on the labyrinth's periphery, Viviana surmised that the labyrinth's boss might astonishingly be of the fifth tier, rather than the manageable fourth tier she had anticipated.

If so, the family's foresight was truly remarkable.

— (I could only proceed cautiously.)

Viviana extracted the magic core from the ancient treant and, concealing her presence, continued towards the location of the red light pillar.

.

The perspective shifts back to Tyler, who followed Sibyl's footsteps to an orchard.

Judging by Sibyl's path, Tyler guessed that he had completed his task and was heading towards the labyrinth's core to rendezvous with his companions.

However, Sibyl failed to achieve this goal, as his corpse now hung from a tower.

Gazing at the gruesome remains of the middle-aged man, Tyler gained a deeper understanding of the labyrinth's horrors.

.

At this moment, Tyler hid in the distant woods, observing the orchard's situation through a binocle.

The orchard was tended by a group of female goblins, who chatted and laughed while caring for the fruit trees, unarmed and unarmored.

Four wooden towers stood around the orchard, each manned by several goblin archers on watch.

Additionally, three squads of goblin soldiers patrolled the area, with dozens more resting in a nearby camp.

Overall, the orchard was heavily guarded and difficult to infiltrate.

Sibyl's footsteps did not lead to the orchard; he merely passed nearby but was unfortunately discovered by patrolling goblin soldiers. After a battle, Sibyl was overpowered and killed.

Of course, this was merely Tyler's conjecture based on the scene's traces; without the binocle 's aid, he could not confirm that the corpse hanging from the tower was Sibyl's.

Relying on vague and disjointed information, Tyler learned that Sibyl was a 75th-level, third-tier dual-gun wielder.

Sibyl's death meant that Tyler's leads were severed, and he had to search for the Scarlet Family's team anew.

However, Tyler harbored another thought: he wanted to retrieve Sibyl's body from the tower, as it might hold useful clues.