Shane was very pleased after seeing how easy it was to deal with the powerful demons. The group quickly scattered and fell to the ground with a thud. They weren't even given a second chance as all of their energy got sucked out of their bodies.
Norman's eyes lit up as he noticed the scene in front of him. This kind of power in his hands made him feel like he was on top of the world. The power to control someone's life in the palm of his hands felt amazing in the depths of his heart.
No wonder people with magic in those stories he read would often turn arrogant. Who wouldn't be arrogant after gaining so much power?
He took a deep breath and tried to curb the level of excitement in his heart as he walked down the ground filled with collapsed bodies. The entire place was still filled with fog that could barely make him see anything beyond.
It was just that there was something golden, shining brightly up ahead. His eyes squinted as he stared at that thing. He had a faint feeling in the depths of his heart about what exactly that thing was!
He continued down the road and soon found the thing he was looking for—the broken piece of wood similar to what they had already obtained. He quickly put it in the inventory. As soon as he raised his head and was about to walk out, the entire realm started trembling.
His expression changed as Shane spoke in his mind, "Get out of here! Quick!"
Norman nodded as he dashed toward the entrance. He put his legs on the collapsed bodies, not caring whether he stepped onto a pool of blood or not. He quickly walked out.
Just as his body stepped out of the shadows, the entire space crumbled down to the ground, killing the monsters. Blood splattered around the place as dust rose in the air.
Norman stared at the bloody scene in front of his eyes with a pale face. Even though he had seen enough, the current scenario still shocked him to the core. His face paled as he stumbled back a few steps and stuttered, "I-I didn't want to kill them!"
Shane said nothing as he opened the radar. Nothing could be seen at the moment, meaning all the monsters were dead. He sighed. Norman was still a common man in modern-day life. The scene of getting monsters killed in such a brutal way was still shocking to this person.
He felt a trace of sympathy, but his expression remained cold. "We don't have time. Let's get out of here."
Norman wiped his face and stood up with his shaky legs. He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."
They started their journey in another direction. The war was still going on, which was of great benefit to Norman. No one was around to handle official matters. Actually, guards were placed around the realms to stop people from entering that area.
If it were before, Norman would have to defeat those monsters before doing anything else. But now, things were better as they quickly reached their destination. The door structure and even carved designs were the same as Norman stared at the iron door.
He placed the palm of his hands on the surface and repeated what he had done previously. In no time, the door shone as he quickly backed away and watched while the door blasted just like before.
But this time, there wasn't a fog beyond it. All he could see was a wall made out of the grass on the other side. There wasn't any monster obstructing their way.
Norman's brows furrowed as he stared at the scene. He walked cautiously toward the door and entered. As soon as he entered, the broken door behind him was covered with a layer of grass, luring him up into the space. The grass separated to make him two open doors, beyond which, there was another layer of grass.
Above the two doors, he could see a board where a sentence was written—
Welcome to the maze. Choose your path.
Shane quickly opened the radar and stared at it for a moment. The two paths were empty, without any trace of monsters, but he knew it couldn't be so simple. If he ends up choosing the wrong path, the two of them will find themselves in a dangerous situation.
The two paths looked similar, but there had to be some way to tell them apart. He stared at the path for a while as an idea struck in his heart, "Why don't you try using your powers at each door?"
Norman was surprised as he raised his hand and walked over to the first door. He closed his eyes and imagined his powers flowing out of his hands. Soon enough, the energies mixed with white and black colors appeared out of his hands and entered the open door. As soon as it entered, the entire place turned scarlet red.
Even the grass wall beyond the door changed colors. It seemed that it was washed in the color of blood. Norman's face paled as he stumbled back and stared at the scene with a horrific glance, "W-What the heck is this?"
Shane was particularly calm at this time. He opened his mouth and said, "Try the other side."
Norman took a deep breath and walked over to the other side as he repeated the same process. His heart was still thundering in his chest, but he gritted his teeth and continued to use his powers. Soon enough, the energy entered inside the door, but this time, the color of the grass didn't change. It remained as it is.
Norman's eyes lit up after seeing this. Just as he was about to step inside, Shane's voice echoed in his mind, "Go to the other side."
"Why?" Norman was surprised after hearing that. He glanced at that side only to witness a darkened place as he shuddered, "I don't want to."
"Go whether you want to or not," Shane's cold voice sounded in his mind, "Or would you like to stay as a monster forever? I don't have any opinion on this, just that if I leave, you'll die."
Norman shuddered again after hearing the cold voice of his system. He had known that this particular thing inside his head was cold and ruthless, but now only did he manage to understand the meaning behind that realization.
He didn't think his system would force him to choose that door. He gnashed his jaw and stared at the door filled with red grass in fear. After a moment of staredown, he took a deep breath and walked inside.
In any case, he was already dead. This life should be a gift bestowed on him. He should listen to his system this one time.
Shane was satisfied after seeing his host act obediently. He leaned back and stared at the screen and slowly turned on the senses sharing tool. Since he had decided to take a leap of faith, he should feel what his host was feeling in case they ended up in some strange situation. Soon, Norman started walking deep into the maze for a while.
? They didn't encounter anything. Other than the deep red grass wall, they couldn't see anything else in front of their eyes. It was almost as if monsters didn't exist here in this place.
Norman frowned after seeing this, "What is happening? Where are the monsters?"
Shane narrowed his eyes as he stared at the endless maze that led them to God knows where! "Have patience. This path will surely lead us to our destination."
Norman had doubts about that. First, his system forced him into entering this place, and now, after wandering around for a while, they still haven't encountered anything. Not even a small monster was seen around here! Finally, after walking for a long time, he opened his mouth and asked, "Why did you let me enter this place?"
"The logic is simple," Shane stood up and stretched his limbs as he said, "What will you do to hide the most dangerous thing?"
Norman tilted his head, "Hide it in the safest place."
Shane shook his head, "An intelligent person won't do that. He will choose the most dangerous place because no one would dare to step foot there."
Norman's brain filled with traces of realization after hearing his system's words. It was a moment for him where he thought:
Ah, that's right. I should have realized it sooner.
Soon enough, they reached the end of the maze. Neither of them cared how much time had passed. However, Norman continued to eat snacks he purchased from the system shop to keep up his energy while walking around. As soon as they reached the end, he saw a similar door at the end, leading him to a small room. He walked over and saw a glowing piece of wood hovering in the middle of the room.
He walked over and held it in the palm of his hand. His eyes literally glowed while staring at that piece of wood.
This was easy.
Too easy.