Mystic Overlord: Reading Gives Strength-Chapter 1103 - 1097: The Gate at the End

"Miss Costate, is Mr. Ronald really okay?"

In the team running towards the great labyrinth's exit, Costate raced ahead holding the ocean lantern high.

Following behind the maid were several casters.

Only an investigator adept at running could catch up with her.

Not long after leaving their original position, sensing the constant commotion from behind, the investigator, accustomed to team action, naturally spoke:

"Judging by the sound from behind, it's even more terrifying than the sea beasts we encountered in Karpen. Shouldn't some of us go back and help?"

"Sir, I thank you on behalf of my master for your kind offer." Although her gaze faltered momentarily, Costate tried to control her emotions and declined the investigator's proposal, "But sending someone back now would only increase the uncertainty of our actions."

"So, please stay close to me."

"..."

Costate spoke fairly tactfully.

Her actual judgment was that if anyone turned back to help now, not only would they fail to assist Ronald, they would instead become a negative factor hindering Ronald's battle.

Refusing with such words at this moment was thanks to Costate's increasingly adept interpersonal communication skills.

Upon hearing this, the only investigator able to keep up with Costate glanced back.

Looking beyond the teammates struggling to keep pace, leaving behind the ocean lantern—that beacon of hope for the team.

In the ancient tomb at this time, as if a literal darkness danced wildly there, far exceeding imagination, the magic fluctuations erupted constantly from this direction, battling the ever-intensifying darkness.

The investigator couldn't fathom the degree of this battle.

But he could identify the owner of this magic—Ronald.

Recalling his work experience, he'd faced plenty of crises, even participated in the mystic war against the Barrier Mountain wizards' invasion in Springs.

Yet compared to today's spell domain encounter…

It may disrespect his boss a little, but such an exaggerated battle was beyond their capability to handle.

"Hey, look over here!"

"What's this?"

After running a bit further along the winding labyrinth tunnel, someone suddenly shouted from behind.

At the front, Costate remained unmoved by this.

The maid pressed forward without slowing down, not even turning her head, only replying:

"Don't linger, pick up the pace!"

"..."

The swiftest investigator turned his head to look back.

As the only one in the team capable of actions beyond running, he sacrificed a slight lag behind Costate to turn and check on the teammate who had called out.

Then he saw a skilled civilian caster halted and remained there.

If he recalled correctly, this was a caster with extremely strong observational skills.

Precisely due to this strength, when everyone focused solely on fleeing, this caster noticed the edge of the ocean lantern's light, at a position barely illuminated.

In the serpentine great labyrinth, this spot was certainly distinctive.

There was a room situated there!

Moreover, through the open door, its interior structure was visible.

The empty room was blocked by three closed walls, yet simultaneously, ancient, time-eroded colorful pigments covered the entire wall.

The investigator couldn't recognize what the ancient mural depicted.

But merely seeing the image itself made him feel dizzy, as if witnessing something humans weren't meant to see.

"..."

The next second, the investigator snapped back.

He suddenly realized the danger of his current state and promptly bit his tongue to wake himself from the dizziness with pain.

Upon barely regaining consciousness, he realized how precarious the situation was.

Just now halted, a civilian caster proficient in spells vanished within the blink of his dizzying eyes, leaving not the slightest trace!

So... where is everyone?

Just as unease sprouted in the investigator's heart, without much guessing required, reality laid out the cause before him the next second.

As he was in a daze, Costate at the front showed no intention to stop and wait, and as the maid moved away, the ocean lantern's light naturally shifted forward.

At that moment, the investigator happened to leave the light's protective range.

He immediately saw the murals on the opposite wall seemed to possess life, then came alive, surging towards him.

The darkness spreading from those images matched that of the unknown ancient entity battling Ronald.

The ancient tomb's ruler wasn't just locking hostility onto Ronald.

It wouldn't spare those escaping either.

The reason they'd managed to flee smoothly until now—

Was purely because most of its strength was focused on dealing with Ronald, hence it didn't have the effort to diminish the formidable ocean lantern's light!

Facing the crisis at present—

The investigator instantly fortified his spells and accelerated like an arrow shot from a bow.

Swipe—

The investigator unleashed his potential in a life-or-death crisis, boosting his speed to the limit in an instant. By this means, he finally returned to within the ocean lantern's radiant range just before the bizarre images embraced him. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Turning back to look—

The eerie images had vanished, and even his nearby companions seemed unaware of what had transpired in the darkness.

"..."

"Do not leave the light's range, there are traps everywhere!"

The investigator loudly reminded his companions, swiftly accelerating to reach Costate or the sea lantern's proximity.

After such an encounter—

He no longer planned to think about extraneous matters, merely focusing on staying close to the protective firelight.

In the following minutes, the fleeing team passed through many areas of the ancient tomb.

The terrifying burial grounds filled with skeletons, the treasure room storing valuables, and the execution and sacrificial grounds for condemned prisoners.

Due to the winding roads or surrounding dark will influence, these places were passed one by one. Yet fortunately, with the ocean lantern's protection and prior investigator's warning—

So, when passing these areas, no member of the team faced incident at last.

...

Finally, a large door appeared at the path's end.

Based on shared memories' information, Costate was certain this was the correct exit from the labyrinth. But the sealed magic fluctuations above intended not to let anyone leave.

"..."

Meanwhile, Costate's expression remained unchanged.

Her face bore cold indifference, silently charging ahead, then slammed her body against the sealed door before her.

Boom—!