89: Chapter 89 Traps in the Mirror and the Unknown Abyss

It was the eleventh day since the Numerology Maze opened. The morning sun brought little warmth to Aubrey Van Cleef; instead, it felt like a final countdown, burning away his patience. Today was his last day in this world.

The arduous training of the past six days had transformed the strength of this five-person team. With the investment of vast amounts of dream coins and countless trials in actual combat, the four bodyguards had achieved significant Breakthroughs:

Rock: His Talent upgraded from [Heavy Strike D-Rank] to [Mountain-Crushing Heavy Strike C-Rank]. His Rock giant hammer spirit increased in size, with crack-like patterns appearing on the surface of the hammerhead, emitting a dull whistling sound and a faint sense of vibration when swung.

Flameblade: His Talent upgraded from [Flame Enchantment D-Rank] to [Burst Enchantment C-Rank]. The phantom of his flame broadsword burned more fiercely, its color tending toward bright white, and when it hit a target, it would splatter small-scale sparks, causing secondary burns.

Azure Vine: Her Talent [Vine Entanglement D-Rank] control became more precise. The vine shield spirit could extend multiple vines simultaneously for multi-angle defense or binding.

Torrent: His Talent [Water Flow Manipulation D-Rank] control improved. The water arrows shot by the high-pressure water gun spirit were more condensed, and he could briefly form a fan-shaped water curtain to block flying projectiles.

Aubrey's own [Wealth Resonance D-Rank] Talent, after absorbing a large number of D-Rank and lower treasures, had also reached a Bottleneck. His golden Lock spirit shimmered with golden light, seemingly needing only one powerful opportunity to transform. However, the highest grade known in the maze remained D-Rank, which left him somewhat unwilling to accept this.

"One last push." Aubrey looked at the maze entrance, his tone carrying the determination of someone burning their bridges.

They headed straight into the second floor of the Element Heart. Relying on their improved strength and familiarity with the environment, they cleared a few waves of monsters and, in a heavily guarded treasure chest, fortunately discovered an ancient leather Incomplete Manual. The Incomplete Manual depicted a crystalline pattern emitting starlight-like radiance in an unrecognizable ancient script, with brief directional guidance on the side.

"This is... a pattern I've never seen before!" Aubrey's heart raced. A bold conjecture formed in his mind—could this be a treasure more Advanced than D-Rank? Perhaps... a C-Rank treasure that could allow his Talent to achieve a Breakthrough? Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

"Follow the guide!" He immediately gave the order, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

The guidance of the Incomplete Manual led them to an extremely remote, energy-disturbed area on the second floor. It was rugged with strange Rocks, and a faint smell of ozone permeated the air. After some searching, they found a narrow crack, only wide enough for one person to pass through, behind a giant Rock scorched as if by lightning.

"There is intense spatial fluctuation inside, very unstable." Azure Vine reported after sensing it, her brow furrowed.

But Aubrey had been blinded by the possibility of a C-Rank treasure and squeezed inside first. Behind the crack was a small, completely sealed stone room. In the center of the stone room, there was nothing, only an ancient floor mirror with complex silver runes embedded on its edges standing silently.

The mirror surface was smooth, clearly reflecting their puzzled figures.

"A mirror? Why is it here?" Aubrey subconsciously felt something was wrong. This scene was somewhat similar to his previous experience of being forcibly teleported, but different.

Just as his voice fell—

The mirror seemed to be activated by an invisible hand, and the mirror surface fluctuated violently like mercury! An irresistible suction force was generated out of thin air, sweeping through the entire stone room like a vortex!

"It's a forced teleportation trap!" Rock roared, trying to stabilize his figure with his giant hammer, but his C-Rank strength was useless in the face of this rule-based power!

"Can't resist! Watch out!" Flameblade's warning was swallowed by the distorted space.

The five of them, like fallen leaves in a gale, were instantly torn from the ground and thrown toward the shimmering mirror surface! The last thing Aubrey saw was his own terrified face in the mirror, as well as the deep, rotating darkness behind the mirror surface that seemed to connect to an unknown Domain.

Intense dizziness and a tearing sensation came, his consciousness feeling as if it had been thrown into a tumble dryer, spinning around.

It was unknown how long had passed; perhaps it was only an instant, or perhaps an eternity.

The five of them fell heavily onto the hard, cold ground. Well-trained, they sprang up almost the moment they landed, quickly forming a tight defensive circle back-to-back, weapons drawn, energy surging, scanning their surroundings vigilantly.

Then, they were all stunned, and a chill rushed from their spines to the tops of their heads.

Where... was this?

It was dim and dead silent. The Rock walls were covered with moss emitting a faint purple light, pulsating slightly like a living thing, providing the only and eerie light source, casting a sickly green hue on everyone's faces. The air was filled with a cold mist with a sweet, decaying scent, not only severely obstructing their vision but also seemingly swallowing most of the sound. Under their feet were huge black stone slabs engraved with incomprehensible patterns, cold and piercing to the touch.

Looking up, the sight made their hearts run cold—huge, broken floating stone bridges hung silently above the bottomless darkness, connecting to broken platforms with blurry outlines hidden in the thick fog in the distance. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet, with only ethereal, distorted whispers and faint echoes like metal rubbing against metal occasionally coming from the bottomless darkness beneath their feet, provoking every one of their tense nerves.

There was no map prompt, no directional identifier. But a most primitive fear stemming from the instinct of life was clearly telling them—this place was by no means any place they knew, but a place far more dangerous and unknown than the Element Heart... a dead zone.

"Stay alert!" Rock's voice was low and tense, gripping the giant hammer in his hand, feeling the invisible pressure brought by this space. "This place... is very wrong."