Chapter 1195 Mirroring Pond
Michael stood there, his sword still raised in the aftermath of his swift and decisive victory over the huntress. The ease with which he had dispatched the creature that had killed several adventurers and seemed almost invincible caused quite a commotion among the onlookers.
"Did you see that? He just... cut it down like it was nothing!" one adventurer exclaimed in disbelief.
"Who is this guy? That was incredible!" another voice chimed in, the shock evident in their tone.
A third adventurer muttered, "I've never seen anything like that. We're lucky he's on our side."
Finally, Michael lowered his sword and casually threw his dark swords into the air. They spun gracefully before landing perfectly into the sheathes on his back, forming an 'X'. The action was both cool and efficient, further cementing his status as a formidable presence.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 10,000 Badass points]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 15,000 Badass points]
With the dark swords sheathed, Michael scanned the area for any other lurking enemies. Finding none, he ignored the shocked gazes of the onlookers and began to walk forward into the darkness.
Since Michael had killed the huntress, the adventurers and others present began to decide to follow him inwardly. It made sense, as Michael had established himself as the strongest among them.
Now that the creature was killed and they were following an unknown youngster, some of the group began to wonder about Jin's whereabouts.
"Where did Jin go?" one of them asked, looking around.
"That sneaky assassin slipped away when we needed him," another cursed under their breath.
"Can't blame him, really. He's rumored to be in the Assassin's Guild. Not exactly a poster boy for leadership," a third person reasoned, understanding the nature of Jin's profession and allegiance.
As Michael continued forward, his keen eyes noticed something amidst the dusty floor: a series of subtle footsteps. He recognized them instantly as Gaya's, a sign that she had passed this way.
More intriguingly, Michael observed several markings on the walls and ground. These marks were distinguished by green droplets, visible only to him. "Gaya's poison," he murmured to himself, recognizing her unique method of leaving behind a trail.
Michael understood that these marks were Gaya's way of indicating traps. With this knowledge, he navigated the corridor with ease, skillfully avoiding the tiles marked with her poison. His movements formed a seemingly erratic pattern, but each step was calculated and deliberate.
The crowd following him began to notice his peculiar way of moving. "Why is he walking like that?" one adventurer whispered to another, puzzled by Michael's seemingly random steps.
"Is he following some kind of pattern?" another questioned, trying to make sense of his actions.
Among the group of adventurers, a small, unruly faction stood out. They were a motley crew, one was a burly man with a scarred face and a mismatched set of armor, another a lean rogue with sly eyes and a smirking expression, and there was also a tall, wiry woman with tattoos covering her arms.
"Why are we even following this guy's path, walking around like a bunch of clowns?" the burly man grumbled, his voice tinged with defiance.
"Yeah, I'm not playing this silly game," the rogue chimed in, his tone dismissive.
Ignoring Michael's carefully chosen path, they boldly stepped onto a tile that Michael had deliberately avoided. In an instant, the ground beneath them gave way, opening into a dark, deep abyss.
As they fell, sharp, pointy metal spikes emerged from all directions in the abyss, skewering them mercilessly. Their screams echoed through the corridor, abruptly cut off as they met their grisly end.
The remaining adventurers reacted with horror and shock. "By the gods, did you see that?" one of them exclaimed, his voice shaking.
"They didn't listen, and now... they're gone," another whispered, her eyes wide with fear.
"We need to follow his path. He knows what he's doing!" a third adventurer said, pointing at Michael, a newfound respect and urgency in his voice.
Michael continued forward, his thoughts preoccupied with how Gaya had managed to identify the traps. He could sense them using his X-ray vision, but Gaya's method was a mystery to him. He speculated that she might have followed Jin, mirroring his pattern to avoid the traps. If that were the case, it suggested that Jin was as cunning as he was sneaky.
Meanwhile, the recent demise of the adventurers who had disregarded Michael's path had a profound effect on the rest of the group. They now followed him with intense focus, fully aware of the consequences of deviating from his lead.
Eventually, the narrow path they were traversing opened up into a large, spacious hall. As they entered, torches along the walls flickered to life one by one, illuminating the space. The hall was vast, the walls and floor covered in a thick layer of dust, untouched for what seemed like ages. In the center of the hall, there was a small pond, its water still and clear, reflecting the flickering torchlight. The pond stood out in stark contrast to the dusty surroundings, adding an element of mystery to the otherwise desolate hall.
"What is that?" one of the adventurers asked, curiosity piqued by the sight of the glistening pond in the middle of the hall.
A dwarf stepped forward from the group. He was short in stature, as dwarves usually are, but his build was solid, with broad shoulders and arms that spoke of years working in forges or wielding heavy axes. His beard was thick and peppered with grey, braided in the traditional style of his people.
"What's now?" he asked Michael, looking for guidance in the face of uncertainty.
Michael glanced down at the dwarf and simply shrugged. "I don't have all the answers," he admitted candidly. "And I'm not here to lead anyone."
As they pondered their next move, Jin suddenly landed before them, his arrival almost as stealthy as his disappearance had been. The way out of this hall, and forward, is related to the pond in the middle," Jin stated, his voice carrying a hint of certainty.
Upon seeing Jin, Michael quickly scanned the area with his thermal vision. He noticed Gaya still invisible, blending into a corner of the hall. It was a subtle reminder of her presence and her ongoing efforts to support their journey.
"In the pond? What does that mean?" the dwarf asked, his confusion evident.
The adventurers, intrigued by Jin's statement, began to slowly scatter across the hall, surrounding the pond while maintaining a safe distance from it. They observed the still water cautiously, each trying to decipher what Jin's cryptic clue meant and how it related to their path forward.
Michael discreetly slipped away from the crowd and joined Gaya. He leaned against the wall, engaging in a quiet conversation with her, careful not to draw the attention of the others.
"So, what did you learn?" Michael asked Gaya, his voice low.
"Seems like our friend Jin is either extremely perceptive of traps, or he knew the layout of this dungeon pretty well," Gaya replied, her observation sharp.
"When I was tailing Jin, I noticed how effortlessly he avoided the traps. It was almost as if he knew the dungeon and its traps like the back of his hand. He navigated through them with such ease that it's hard to believe he was just being cautious. It seemed more like he was familiar with them." She described her experience while following Jin.
Michael listened intently, processing Gaya's insights. Jin's behavior suggested that he might have had prior knowledge of the dungeon's layout, which raised new questions about his connections to the dungeon.
"That pond seems more dangerous than it looks," she said cautiously. "Even Jin hasn't dared to step into the water."
As they discussed, the dwarf who had spoken to Michael earlier, growing impatient with the lack of action, threw his hands up in exasperation. "I'm tired of waiting around!" he declared loudly, walking determinedly toward the pond.
He bent down at the water's edge and scooped up a handful of water and turned around to address his group.
"See, nothing is ha—" His words were cut short when, suddenly, a figure emerged from the water behind him. The water shifted and morphed, transforming into a duplicate that looked exactly like the dwarf, right down to his armor and battle axe.
The other adventurers, witnessing the bizarre occurrence, shouted warnings. "Look out!" one of them yelled.
"Behind you, you fool!" another cried.
The dwarf, hearing the commotion, turned around and saw his watery doppelg?nger. His eyes widened in shock, and he stammered, But before he could react further, the duplicate swung its battle axe with a swift, deadly precision, cleaving the dwarf's head in a single, brutal stroke. The real dwarf fell to the ground lifelessly as his watery duplicate stood over him, its expression an eerie mimicry of the dwarf's own.
After the brutal execution of the original dwarf, the doppelganger's figure began to change. It lost its solid form, turning back into water, and cascaded down into the pond. The water rippled momentarily before becoming still once more, as if nothing had happened.
At that exact moment, the way they had come through was suddenly sealed off. A heavy stone wall slid into place, blocking the corridor with a resounding thud. The path they had followed into the hall was now completely cut off, leaving them with no apparent way back.
An elf and his group, desperate to find an escape, lunged at the newly formed stone door. They punched and shook it, trying to force it open, but their efforts were in vain. The door remained steadfast, immovable against their attempts.
Realizing the futility of their actions, the elf turned around to face the rest of the group, his expression one of despair and resignation. "We're trapped," he announced
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