80: Chapter 80 First appearance and companions

The light gate rippled as the first team to step into the Numerology Maze took shape. They were three "adventurers" who looked quite green.

Leading them was a sturdy youth holding a crude wooden shield. His movements carried an instinctive sense of protection; his Talent was clearly inclined toward defense or guardianship. His Dream Spirit was a Stone-shelled Turtle clinging to his shoulder guard, its shell shimmering with an earthy yellow aura.

Following closely behind was a lithe girl with a vigilant gaze. Her steps were light as she constantly scanned the shadows of the passage; her Talent was related to agility or perception. Her spirit was a Shadow Marten that almost blended into the environment, save for the ghostly glow of its eyes.

Finally, there was a slightly nervous youth clutching a short staff. Faint energy fluctuations swirled around him; his Talent should be elementary energy channeling. His spirit was a cluster of Light Fluff floating beside him, shifting between pale blue and milky white.

The three moved cautiously through the Rock passage. In the silence, only the sounds of footsteps and breathing echoed.

“A fork in the road...” the shield youth whispered.

Just then, a soft “click” came from the corner of the main passage—the “Loose Tile” had been triggered. The three instantly tensed up, the first stirrings of anxiety appearing.

They chose the main passage. As they turned the corner, two “Rock Beetles” suddenly pounced!

“Shields up!” the shield youth shouted while blocking. The Shadow Marten girl nimbly circled behind to attack. The staff-wielding youth channeled a faint light, attempting to provide encouragement.

The brief, fierce battle ended. The three panted, their faces a mix of excitement from victory and lingering fear. The staff-wielding youth then discovered a “Glimmer Healing Potion” in a wall niche.

“We found something!” A surge of pleasant surprise emerged.

Continuing deeper, the “Weak Slowness Field” brought discomfort and irritability. While exploring another fork and obtaining a “Damaged Magic Talisman,” the joy of discovery and a sense of satisfaction intertwined.

However, the staff-wielding youth accidentally triggered a “Small Net Trap” and was caught in a sticky net. He cried out in panic for help, and his teammates scrambled to rescue him. After being freed, he was filled with relief and embarrassment.

Finally, facing the immense pressure of the “Small Wolf-shaped Magic Golem,” they endured a hard-fought battle. They defeated it amidst fear, determination, and a final burst of immense accomplishment. The three collapsed in exhaustion, smiling at each other, filled with the thrill of surviving a disaster.

They discovered an “Unknown Metal Fragment” on a stone platform.

“Part of a key? Is there a deeper level?” the staff-wielding youth guessed, curiosity and anticipation rising again.

But with their physical strength and energy exhausted, they decided to return to the surface with their gains.

“The mission requirement is ‘Clear the Dungeon and return safely to the surface,’” the shield youth said, wiping sweat. “This exploration counts as completing the basic requirements. We can go back to rest and recover first, then come back next time.”

No white light teleported them away immediately. They cautiously returned the way they came and successfully reached the entrance's light gate. Their figures vanished into it, returning to Adventurers Town. Clearly, they chose to return for rest rather than leaving this world entirely.

In the underground core space, Zhang Hao watched the panel flicker.

[Cumulative Number of Adventurers]: 3

[maze construction points]: 100 → 187 (Settlement complete)

The gains were considerable. But what concerned him more were the fragments of information he had just captured.

“Mission... Clear the Dungeon...” he murmured to himself, his brow gradually furrowing. This way of phrasing, this feeling...

A previously ignored, or rather, taken-for-granted perception was suddenly shaken.

“Those adventurers... they aren't native residents or NPCs of this world... they are also Hosts?!” A flash of gold and Chaos light appeared in Zhang Hao's eyes simultaneously, revealing genuine surprise.

He had been immersed in his identity as a “Maze Builder,” subconsciously viewing the entrants as adventurers derived from this specific mission world, a part of its ecology. But now, he suddenly realized that these “actors,” just like him, were Hosts who entered this Dream World to complete their respective missions! Their mission was to explore and clear the Dungeon he, the “Maze Builder,” operated!

This realization brought a subtle feeling. He wasn't interacting with the background of a fictional world, but was engaged in an indirect Gambling of asymmetric information with fellow Hosts. He wove their fates, while they struggled to survive in his maze for their own mission goals; their emotions became the nourishment for his growth.

“Fellow Hosts, yet in my maze...” Zhang Hao whispered to himself. After the surprise passed, a deeper enlightenment surfaced.

The missions of these Hosts (clearing the maze) were the cause and the carrier of his own mission (building the maze to absorb emotions). His “mission” was to provide these fellow travelers with a “Trial Ground” that followed the rules, and to absorb power and strengthen himself through their trial process.

This wasn't a simple confrontation; it was more like a peculiar symbiotic System built upon information Bastions. He sat high behind the scenes, weaving the web of fate, while the Hosts in the web performed with all their hearts—offering their joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—for their own survival and missions under the established rules.

“Numerology Maze... so I'm hosting ‘our own people’.” Zhang Hao slowly let out a breath, the surprise in his eyes calming into a more complex and profound expression. He looked at the builder panel again; those 187 points and the remaining space now held a different meaning in his eyes.

He knew that next, he needed to prepare a more elaborate and “effective” stage for these special “guests.” Using the power of the [Child of Numerology], he would more precisely pluck the threads of fate and Karma, guiding their emotions to present a more brilliant “performance” for himself, and for them...