Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

”Hall of Power, Eighth Floor.

\\”Heavenly Feather\\”

Drawing the Longbow, a streak of radiant light burst forth from Iyas’s hands, skimming the face of a two-person-tall clay figure, and striking the wall behind it.

Charging towards the feather shot by Iyas, with his Sword Blade wrapped in black, Yang Yu landed a slash on the strangely shaped clay figure.

The clay figure clenched its fist, gathering strength, and targeted Yang Yu, whose sword was embedded in its body, with \\”Gravity Sealing\\”.

Under the control of this skill, Yang Yu found himself unable to move an inch.

He Meng leapt up just in time, spreading out his body like an iron sheet, and was sent flying towards the giant clay figure.

Approaching the wall, He Meng curled up into a ball and bounced off the wall like a rubber ball, ricocheting back to Yang Yu’s side.

Bai Jin raised her Magic Wand, and several Frost Ice Arrows formed instantly, speeding straight towards the clay figure’s chest.

The clay figure’s body lit up, and a polyhedral protective shield assembled above its head, extending in all directions.

Lotcar shifted back to his human form, flicking his white tail, closing in to deliver a \\”Fearless Shock,\\” disrupting the protective shield budding from the clay figure.

The Frost Ice Arrows hit the clay figure with rapid ’bam’ sounds, splashing mud in all directions.

This mud, as if alive, continued to stretch and shape, but before it could morph into human forms,

Yang Yu swiftly slashed with his Sword Blade, nipping these would-be clay dolls in the cradle before they could fully form.

\\”This time, it’s the final blow,\\”

Iyas drew her bows and arrows, the shining Light Arrow targeting the forehead of the Hall of Power’s Eighth Floor Guardian, piercing it with one shot.

With a sound of discontent, the clay figure, along with the mud it left behind, slowly dissolved into points of light and vanished, leaving an assortment of spoils of war scattered on the ground.

Upon close examination, they totaled 51632G, five Rare Equipments, one Epic Equipment, and three nameless pages of a book.

Indeed, having Iyas deliver the final blow had been a wise decision.

This was only the second Maze Guardian, and Yang Yu and his team had secured an Epic Equipment.

Though it was an axe that they could not use, its attributes were good, and it should fetch them a usable sword or shield from His Majesty.

The Hall of Power’s Eighth Floor could be considered an enhanced Plus version of the seventh floor, with ape-like creatures wielding weapons and armor as a new breed of monster.

The overall difficulty had increased slightly but was still within an acceptable range.

The only troublesome point was the Maze Guardian made of clay.

It was like a melting ice cream cone, every attack a waste of one of Yang Yu’s swords.

However, once he got the hang of it, Yang Yu led his team to defeat it as easily as beating a sandbag.

After collecting the spoils, Yang Yu let his team rest on the spot, then they crossed the opened grey stone door and ascended, step by step, towards the Ninth Floor.

The monsters on the eighth floor were already above level eighty, pushing level ninety.

The situation on the Ninth Floor was not hard to imagine.

Before fully reaching the Ninth Floor, Yang Yu already heard thudding noises coming from it.

It was not the sound of adventurers fighting monsters, but monsters fighting each other.

Gigantic humanoid monsters, as tall as three adults, wielding long sticks, were sparring two by two on the broad, rugged, dark earthen floor.

Their skin was the color of aged bronze, yet they had a rough, murky feel like that of soil.

These monsters were very large, and Yang Yu could see their attributes clearly from a distance.

Opening his panel, Yang Yu switched to the prep tab and took out the best equipment that he currently had for Bai Jin and Iyas.

When clearing the Eighth Floor, Yang Yu had specifically left some monsters that were less fond of attacking humans, so even if others came, they would prioritize handling those monsters, and the chances of them heading straight to the Ninth Floor were slim.

Receiving the fancy Angel’s Bow, Iyas couldn’t help wanting to bring her face close to it.”

Every time she held this bow, she felt an inexplicable sense of kinship, as if something was calling out to her.

Bai Jin received a Magic Wand from Yang Yu that resembled the gnarled roots of an ancient tree.

At the very top of the Magic Wand were seven red beads, arranged in the shape of a spoon.

When Bai Jin took hold of the Magic Wand, she thought she saw a white Centipede moving towards her through the withered wand’s roots, and in the blink of an eye, the white Centipede turned its head and disappeared into the twisted root-like design of the Magic Wand.

Noticing the fleeting fear that Bai Jin had inadvertently shown, Yang Yu asked:

”What’s wrong?”

Bai Jin shook her head, ”It’s nothing. I must have seen it wrong.”

When he heard Bai Jin say she might have seen something wrong, Yang Yu immediately became cautious.

”Even if you saw it wrong, I’d like to hear exactly what you saw.

The Magic Wand in your hand was used by one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings, known as the Centipede Queen.

It’s uncertain what kind of weapon it is, so use it with caution, and don’t overlook any details.”

Holding the Magic Wand full of a sense of the past, Bai Jin’s eyes widened slightly.

”Eh? A weapon from the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings? Where did this Magic Wand come from...”

Speaking of which, the rewards from conquering the Magic Hall had not yet been shared with Bai Jin.

During that battle, using Hani’s tiles, I followed along with Hani to focus on the Catastrophe Witch, leaving Bai Jin alone outside the Hani Maze.

It was an unavoidable circumstance.

Hani was immune to magic, so if Bai Jin went to the Hani Maze, she could only hit Hani with her Magic Wand, causing negligible damage.

For safety, Yang Yu decided to leave Bai Jin outside the Hani Maze.

”Do you remember Hani’s Maze?”

”Mhm.” Bai Jin nodded lightly in acknowledgment.

”Beneath the maze built by Hani, there actually lies another constructed by the Hero Lox. I conquered it with Hani and obtained this Magic Wand.”

”Together with Hani... Conquering the Underground Maze... At that time... I...”

Bai Jin gripped the Magic Wand in her hand a little tighter when a large hand gently patted her head.

”Feeling bummed because you couldn’t be of much help, right?

Don’t worry about that. Everyone has moments when they’re not of much use.

If we encounter an enemy immune to physical attacks, it’s me, the warrior, who wouldn’t be useful, and we’d have to rely on you.”

Removing his hand, Yang Yu lifted his chin slightly and showed Bai Jin a smile.

”Back to the topic of the Magic Wand, what you saw might not be an illusion.

Perhaps, there truly is something hidden within this Magic Wand.

Bai Jin, I believe you’re strong enough to handle it, even if there’s something in the Magic Wand.

Have a little more confidence in yourself.

If it comes to it and you feel like something is about to crawl out and bite you, kicking the Magic Wand away is also an option.”

This time, Yang Yu didn’t call Bai Jin by her alias, but instead used her real name.

In such a rarely trodden Underground Maze, there wasn’t a special need for aliases.

At least, not until someone else reached the same level.

Bai Jin gazed at the Magic Wand she had received and nodded firmly.