Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength
Chapter 310 - 309 Labyrinth

Chapter 310: Chapter 309 Labyrinth

The method of solving a typical maze is very simple.

Basically, you just mark a wall, and then keep close to that wall as you walk, moving by touch until, with any luck, you find the exit.

However, if you’re unlucky, you will eventually return to the spot where you made the mark.

In such cases, the solution is to choose another wall to mark, and then continue to move along it.

By repeating this, you will inevitably find the exit.

Of course, this assumes that the maze does not possess magical, shape-shifting abilities, or that it doesn’t have an exit at all.

As for the nature of the maze where Ronald currently found himself,

the only way to know for sure was to keep going.

With that cautious mindset geared toward exploration, Ronald began to proceed along the maze’s wall beside him.

To guard against unexpected factors,

he also looked up at the sky every few minutes.

Although the towering maze walls blocked most of his view, he could still see the sky.

This habit confirmed for Ronald that this trial environment was rather rigid.

After walking around for half an hour since entering the trial,

the state of the sky above him hadn’t changed a bit, and there was no shift in light caused by the movement of the sun.

In other words, this trial did not perfectly simulate an outside environment, much like old-time games that lacked a day-night cycle system.

The reason for this phenomenon...

was likely because the trial’s core focused on its specific content,

namely, the maze that Ronald was navigating.

Thus, treading on the ancient, worn floor, after half an hour of back and forth exploration, Ronald unluckily encountered an object.

It was the mark he had made on the wall at the start of the trial.

The direction he was currently facing was precisely the one he had left during his initial exploration.

Ronald took a deep breath, then gently slapped his cheeks:

"Phew—"

"No worries, this was expected."

"Let’s continue."

Next, he marked the opposite wall and began his exploration of another side of the maze walls.

In doing certain things, he was the type with a lot of patience.

Ronald had eaten breakfast before leaving home this morning, and as long as it wasn’t a grueling trial designed to wear participants down with starvation or dehydration, he could continue exploring bit by bit until he finally reached the trial’s end.

Accompanied by the ancient maze, Ronald continued his walk through the quiet space.

This situation lasted until an hour later.

It wasn’t that he had found the exit.

Instead, Ronald arrived at a space hidden within the maze after changing direction and progressing along the maze walls.

The walls here enclosed an area roughly the size of a football field.

It was devoid of any obstructions to the view, and a residence built of stone blocks was situated there, discernible traces of human habitation evident from the surrounding vegetable gardens and the water flowing in.

Especially noteworthy were the elegant and realistic sculptures at the entrance of the residence.

They notably elevated the prestige of the dwelling.

"A house... in the maze..."

"..."

With a hardened gaze, Ronald raised his alertness to the highest level.

Although the two who had entered the trial before had failed, Ronald didn’t think those two members of the "Scroll Research Society" were fools. There must be something here that could threaten life, as they had failed utterly silently within the trial.

Perhaps... the danger was inside this very house?

"Ah—"

"Monster, monster!"

"I don’t want to die, save me!"

"Lord Minos, you can’t do this!"

Just as Ronald had side-stepped and hidden within the maze, carefully observing the house, heartbreaking screams emerged from another maze entrance nearby.

These voices were both male and female, but most were very young.

Moreover, what surprised Ronald even more was that he could now understand the meaning of these people’s words.

This was a very delicate matter.

The screams being emitted were in Ancient Greek.

However, Ronald’s understanding of this language did not stem from his usual linguistic proficiency.

Rather, the trial itself seemed to be hinting at the meaning of this language to Ronald.

It was a very unique form of psychological suggestion.

If Ronald had no knowledge of Ancient Greek, he would subconsciously think that he was using his own language and would only leave a vague impression upon leaving the trial.

Thus, a long-held doubt had been resolved.

In Ronald’s experience, deciphering a language without understanding its pronunciation and word meanings seemed almost impossible.

And if a local passed through the trial, the subconscious fragments of this ’language’ left behind could provide an opportunity to translate some "Spell" pronunciations.

No wonder those Casters could use spells, and their tones were so eerie.

Originating from such blurred memories, wasn’t that expected?

If Ronald did not possess linguistic proficiency to remind him, his performance after leaving the trial would probably not be much different. It seemed that the Casters from other worlds had also had a tough time...

As Ronald pondered, the voices on the other side continued to approach.

Finally, the culprit appeared.

A creature with the head and shoulders of a bull and the remainder of its body human emerged. This classic Minotaur was wrapped only in a piece of rough cloth, and its body’s robust muscles displayed terrifying strength.

—Minotaur.

His initial guess was correct.

This was indeed the famous maze on the island of Crete, containing the dangerous Minotaur that endangered lives.

Subsequently, Ronald unconsciously looked down at himself.

With his small arms and legs, charging at it would probably result in being knocked down with one punch.

Trying to win using brute force was out of the question.

The following scene confirmed Ronald’s thoughts even further.

After emerging from the maze, the Minotaur, dragging chains, was leading seven boys and seven girls, whose cries he had heard earlier.

Then, the slaughter of these children by the Minotaur began.

This half-man, half-bull creature showed no mercy, quickly slaughtering the children.

After completing this task, it found a patch of grass to lie down on.

Soon, it was snoring thunderously, deep in sleep.

—This perfectly matched a scene from Greek mythology.

—The Athenians, compelled by force, begged Minos for mercy, and every nine years sent fourteen children to Crete as tribute. The King of Crete, Minos, then sent them into the Cretan Maze where the Minotaur resided, ultimately having them killed.

Thus, the most critical question Ronald faced had arisen.

What exactly was the ultimate goal of this trial?

What should he do now?