As Mars excitedly announced their departure, confusion quickly spread among the group. "Where's the entrance?" Twix asked, looking around frantically.

"It's not just a regular door, it's a teleportation stone," Kit explained, leading them to the top of the waterfall.

The runes on the stone lit up as they approached, and once they all stood within its circle, the runes burst into a blinding light that caused Kit to shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he was greeted with the sight of a twelve-meter high hedge blocking their view of the cavern.

Were they supposed to hack their way through?

Before Kit could voice his thoughts, Cadbury pointed to an opening on the right. "Looks like we enter through there." Kit turned his head towards Cadbury's pointed finger and saw a neatly cut arch in the hedge.

As they walked through, Kit noticed another hedge in front of them. He looked to his side and saw a long corridor framed by more hedges. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach at the thought of navigating through this maze.

"Is this a maze?" Mars eagerly shook Kit's shoulder as they walked. "Should we split up or stick together?"

"I don't think splitting up is a good idea. I have a feeling there could be monsters inside," Kit replied.

Snickers wailed beside him. "I'm terrible with directions. Can't we just blast our way through?"

Kit chuckled. "That might not be necessary, and it could attract the monster's attention to us."

Snickers pursed her lips. "Then what do we do?"

Kit grinned, finally having an answer. "We can use the right-hand rule."

Snickers raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Kit explained the simple maze-solving rule: keep your right hand on the wall at all times, and eventually you'll find your way out.

Snickers looked skeptical. "Does that really work?"

"We won't know until we try it. If it doesn't work, then we can go with your idea," Mars suggested.

"Alright, Kit, put your hand on the wall and everyone else get ready for any surprise attacks," Cadbury commanded as she led the group down the right path. Kit placed his hand on the wall and followed along.

After five minutes of navigating through the maze, they still hadn't encountered any monsters. Mars voiced his thoughts, "Do you think there are actually any creatures in this maze, Kit? Or is the goal just to find our way out?"

"Personally, I wouldn't mind if this was just a plain old maze," Kit replied. "It would be a nice break from constantly fighting for our lives."

"You're being greedy now," Mars pouted. "The safe rooms have no monsters, what's the fun in that?"

As if on cue, the ground began to shake and split open, revealing a horde of giant ant-like creatures. "Finally!" Mars exclaimed as he charged towards them.

Kit went to grab his sword but received a slap on the wrist from Snickers. "Don't take your hand off the wall! We don't want to get lost in here for days!"

Kit chuckled and reassured her, "I'll just put my hand back on the wall when we're ready to move on."

“Touch it and you'll lose your hand!” Snickers warned, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Moo Moo, keep an eye on him. If he tries anything funny, take a bite out of him.” The other wolves joined Snickers in attacking the approaching ants.

Kit let out a deep sigh. It seemed like his role in this group was to hold up walls. He observed as the others swiftly eliminated the ants and moved on. Every few turns, they would encounter more monsters.

After six hours of navigating through the maze, they finally reached the end. A large golden chest sat at the intersection of four tunnels. Kit's eyes widened with excitement as he eagerly approached the chest to claim their prize. But before he could reach it, a bright light blinded him and he shielded his eyes. When he opened them again, the chest was revealed to be filled with valuable loot.

Without hesitation, Kit emptied the contents of the chest and shared the spoils with his companions.

[Boots of Fire Ant Hide]

Made from the hides of the Underground blind fire ants by master forger Duck.

Increases defence by 5%

Increases speed by 5%

[Helmet of Samlot Fire Bones]

Made from the bones of the Samlot Fire by master forger Duck.

Increases fire resistance by 3%

Defence + 3,000

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Increase stamina by 3%

[Book of silent blades]

Once learned will be able to use silent blades attack.

[Book of binding]

Once learned will have the ability to bind targets for 3seconds.

[Magic illuminating crystal] x 80

[Blood red ruby, flawless]

[Dragon jade, flawless]

[Blood soul crystal] x 100

A surge of excitement washed over Kit as he gazed at the loot. This dungeon was truly a treasure trove, constantly dishing out amazing rewards. He wondered if each time they entered, they would be met with such bountiful spoils or if it was just beginner's luck.

Determined to test this theory when he had more time, Kit knew that for now, it was time to make their way to the treasure room and then head back. The restaurant needed his attention and he couldn't let any problems go unresolved while he was away.

Grandpa stepped forward once again to distribute the loot. "Kit, you could use some more swordsman skills, so take this skill book. As for the rest, we'll settle it with a good old game of rock, paper, scissors!" Kit watched in fascination as everyone's competitive spirits came to life.

Chaos erupted as each person chose their fate. Shouts of joy and cries of defeat filled the air as items were claimed. "Haha! Take that, Dove! This beauty is all mine!" Mars exclaimed happily, sliding on a new helmet. Cupcake emerged victorious in the second round for a pair of boots, and Grandpa claimed the binding skill. Poor Peaches looked crestfallen as he lost the skill book to the wily old man.

Once everyone finished, Kit pulled out the map and furrowed his brow. They had to navigate through four rooms before reaching the designated rest area. With the others trailing behind, he led them towards the middle door.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, Kit let out a groan. Another maze awaited them! This time, instead of hedges, the walls were made of bones. Kit couldn't shake off his unease about this room. However, Peaches beside him was grinning. "Don't worry, Kit," he said cheerfully. "We have a necromancer on our team. I can sense the death energy from here."

That's right, they had a necromancer who could control and communicate with the undead. Kit remembered how effortlessly Peaches had subdued them in the Twisted tunnels. His prediction proved to be accurate as they breezed through this cavern in a record three hours and arrived at a golden chest.

The next two caverns presented mazes made of different materials. In the third room, they encountered thick glass walls which gave them a clear view of what lay ahead. The fourth room was breathtaking to Kit - its shimmering water walls housed swimming fish. Unfortunately, no matter what they tried, they couldn't reach or extract any of the fish. Kit was still bitter about this as they entered the final room before reaching the safe area.

His already sour mood plummeted when he saw what awaited them - a centaur. But not just any centaur; this one exuded an aura of a spiritual beast!

Faced with the daunting task of defeating a spiritual Centaur, Kit's mind raced in a panic. But the Centaur seemed to have other plans as it noticed the group's arrival.

"Brave souls," the Centaur announced. "If you want to pass, you must answer my riddle. You will have three chances; fail, and I will destroy your entire group."

"Why a riddle?" Mars pouted.

"I hate riddles," complained Snickers.

"Me too," added Cadbury.

Kit looked around at his comrades, feeling his own anxiety rise. However, one person seemed unfazed by the Centaur's challenge: Leonard. The creature approached them, its aura pressing down on them like a heavy weight.

"I can be tall or short, natural or built," the Centaur began its riddle. "A challenge for some, or an expertise quilt. Lost within, you might plead for a clue; escape is your goal. What am I to you?"

Leonard frowned and began tapping his chin in thought, while Dove voiced his frustration at the difficulty of the riddle. Kit was just as lost as the others; at least with his last riddle challenge, he had some clues to work with. Solving that riddle had led him to the ingredients for the moon juice magic.

Kit felt a surge of excitement as he thought back to his last reward for solving a riddle. He wondered if the prize for this one would be just as amazing. Kit turned to Leonard, hoping the man had an answer. His hope grew as Leonard confidently approached the mythical creature.

"Puzzle," Leonard declared with confidence. But the Centaur simply shook its head.

Snickers cheered on Leonard, "You've got this, no one can outsmart you!"

Leonard's ego inflated at Snickers' praise and he turned back to the Centaur with a grin, "If it's not puzzle, then it must be maze!"

"You are correct, brave soul," the Centaur bowed its head and pointed to the door at the end of the room. Kit couldn't help but feel disappointed that there was no chest in this room; he wasn't alone in this feeling.

"What? No chest?" Mars exclaimed in frustration.

Kit's heart pounded as he watched the Centaur's stare fixate on Mars, who immediately raised his hands in self-defence. "I'm not complaining, just stating a fact," Mars nervously stuttered before making a beeline for the door on the other side of the room.

The rest of the group hurriedly followed suit, not wanting to linger in case the Centaur suddenly changed his mind about letting them enter. As Kit approached the door, he noticed it was identical to the previous one that led to the safe room.

He longed to stop and carefully examine the door this time, but a quick glance over his shoulder made him think otherwise. He hoped that if they encountered another safe room, he would have a chance to study it more closely.

Exhaustion washed over Kit as he stepped into the safe room. He quickly set up his tent and collapsed onto his bed.

Later, he woke to the sound of chatter outside. Curious, he crawled out of his tent to see Cadbury and Dove peering into a pool of water at the base of a nearby waterfall. Kit scanned the area and realised that this safe room was an exact replica of the previous one.

Without hesitation, Kit rushed over to join Cadbury and Dove at the water's edge. He wanted to see if this body of water was also enchanted like the last one. But just as he was about to dip his hand in, Dove warned him: "Don't try to collect anything here or you'll be teleported out of the dungeon."

After Kit nodded to show he understood, Dove released his wrist. Kit chuckled and submerged his hand into the water. Dove and Cadbury looked at him in fear, questioning what was happening.

"Are you possessed, Kit? What did you just do?" wailed Cadbury. Kit pulled the bottle out of the water and stood in front of them, causing Dove and Cadbury to scowl in confusion. "Relax, it's safe to drink the water. I grabbed some from the previous room," Kit explained before taking a sip from the bottle.

Ding!

[You are under the effects of Ice Summer Blooming Lillie of Life.]

Mana will remain filled for two hours. Ice Spring Blooming Lillie of life has a cooldown time of 24hours, cannot be taken out to the Black winged fire bird dungeon.

Kit let out a low whistle as he read the description. Suddenly, he realised that he had completely forgotten about the water from the previous room and hadn't shared it with the others. He quickly explained the two different types of water to them.

"We'll need all of our resources for the next floor," Dove said with a serious tone.

"Yeah, it's suspiciously easy that an intelligent spirit creature just let us pass without a fight," added Cadbury.

The ease of getting past the creature hadn't occurred to Kit before; he was just relieved to have made it to the safe room to rest. But now, after hearing Cadbury's suspicions, Kit also felt a sense of foreboding about what lies ahead.