"Ready—set—go!" The audience responded enthusiastically with deafening shouts.
"Very good, very good! Now, let's invite the guests of this challenge to the stage again!" The Countess excitedly announced.
Then, accompanied by the resounding cheers, the vines enveloping the challenge team immediately receded, weaving into four walls of vines with sharp thorns around the team. Looking up, the team found the sky pitch-black, but within the high walls they were in, they were brightly illuminated from an unknown source. However, compared to the fantastical scene before them, the team preferred to focus on the night sky above their heads. Because there, floating in the air, were two metal platforms, one with the Countess standing on it and the other with the hunting team ready to go.
After all scenes were set up, the Countess began to introduce, "Next, the challenge for our guests is the Vine Maze. As the name suggests, the challenge is to escape from the large maze composed of vines as quickly as possible. The fewer failures the challenge team has when escaping, and the less time they consume, the greater advantage they will have in the subsequent challenges. Conversely, it will give the hunting team a greater advantage."
The Countess continued, "After the maze challenge begins, we will select one member from both the hunting team and the challenge team to compete in a game called 'Military Flag'. According to the rules of the game, the two sides first determine the order of playing by rock-paper-scissors, and then determine the winner by comparing the values of the cards they choose. The items shown on the winning player's card will be sent into the maze, either as obstacles blocking the challenge team's progress or as protective gear for the challenge team. If both sides tie during the game, then all items will be sent into the maze."
While the Countess was introducing the game, a chess table and a set of exquisitely crafted military flags appeared on the platform where she stood. The Countess briefly demonstrated the rules of the Military Flag game to the participating teams and the audience, as well as the effects of the winning player's items being sent into the maze after each round. Then she announced, "Next, let's invite Ayun and Bad Temper as representatives of both sides to participate in the first round of the Military Flag game!"
After the Countess's announcement, a drumbeat resounded in the sky above the venue. Then, the figures of Ayun and Bad Temper disappeared, and in the next moment, they both appeared next to the Countess.
"Remember, the longer we delay the challenge team in the maze, the more advantageous it will be for our hunting team. Conversely, it will be advantageous for the challenge team. I hope you can both select cards that will benefit your own side and gain the upper hand in this Military Flag battle!" The Countess emphasized the importance of the Military Flag game once again, then waved her parasol towards the vines below. The four walls of vines surrounding the challenge team opened four large gates in different directions.
Through these gates, four narrow paths could be seen. On each side of these paths were towering walls of vines with sharp thorns, giving people the feeling that these paths were full of danger and immediately making them feel an inexplicable fear of hesitation. However, the arrow-shaped signposts, suspended crookedly on the four gates and woven from colorful neon lights, as well as the four large characters "Maze Entrance" written on the signposts, were telling the members of the challenge team that if they wanted to escape from this maze, they had no choice but to enter these dangerous paths.
"There are a total of four maze entrances here. You can choose one entrance to enter, or you can enter several entrances at the same time to challenge the maze. Similar to the first challenge, the production team has set up multiple safe points in this maze. Each safe point can be activated for one minute and will kick you out forcibly after the safety protection function expires. Once you enter a safe point, if you fail in the subsequent challenges, you will return to the last safe point you entered and start the challenge from there. In this case, the protection mechanism of the safe point will reset automatically and provide you with one minute of protection again." The Countess continued to introduce the details of the maze challenge while rapidly surveying the maze from above.
"Of course, due to the challenge team's excessive failure in the first challenge, the size of this maze has increased significantly. So, if you want to minimize the impact on the next challenge as much as possible, you really need to work harder in the upcoming challenge!" The Countess concluded.
Then, the Countess raised her hand to signal the challenge team and the hunting team and eagerly announced, "Alright! Since everyone has no questions, let the second challenge officially begin! Go—you!"
As the Countess finished speaking, the metal platform carrying her, Ayun, and Bad Temper swiftly changed its direction and ascended rapidly above the vine maze. Simultaneously, a rush of airflow surged from the vines, instantly filling the maze. The tendrils, resembling tentacles, making up the walls of vines seemed to awaken, immediately writhing more excitedly.
With the challenge officially underway, the ground beneath the challenge team began to sprout thorny vines. Seeing this, the team naturally didn't hesitate to stay in place. Thus, Uncle Mold, assuming the role of temporary leader, immediately issued a command, "We absolutely mustn't split up! That's how it always goes on TV; once we split up, we'll surely be picked off one by one! No matter what happens ahead, we absolutely mustn't separate! We must maintain collective action, everyone stick close to me!"
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After Uncle Mold finished speaking, he relied on instinct to randomly choose a gate and led everyone into the maze in a frenzy, rushing in before the rapidly growing vines could occupy the starting point.
"Everyone, be extremely careful of those vines, don't let their thorns scratch you! Knowing the Countess's preferences, these vine thorns might be coated with lethal poison!" Uncle Mold reminded as he led everyone into the maze. The other four team members, after receiving Uncle Mold's reminder, hurriedly tightened their arms around their necks and half-turned their bodies, running awkwardly through the maze as fast as they could.
"Ayun, you've got to give it your all! Military Flag is your favorite entertainment, you must defeat Bad Temper and ensure our smooth progress!" Sister Jia shouted to the sky as she ran.
"Ugh! Liking something doesn't mean you're good at it! Ayun is just a rookie Military Flag enthusiast with a big appetite for failure! He can't even beat me, so how can we expect him to defeat Bad Temper? I heard Bad Temper almost became a professional Military Flag player in the past! So, relying on Ayun, we might as well rely on ourselves to find the maze exit quickly!" Uncle Mold said with a helpless expression, seemingly having no expectations for Ayun's chess skills from the start.
"Haoyun? Haoyun? Come in if you hear me. What's the situation over there?" Seeing that Uncle Mold's team had already started the maze challenge, Dao Lao asked through the Mold Spirit Energy channel.
"I'm here. Right now, Ah Yun—no, Ayun, he's preparing to play rock-paper-scissors with Bad Temper to decide who goes first!" Upon hearing Dao Lao's call, Haoyun immediately described the situation on his end. Due to most of Haoyun's Mold Spirit Energy pursuit system's functions being malfunctioning, he couldn't share the scenes he saw with Dao Lao and Dream Jia through the system. So now, he could only use detailed language to describe his situation to Dao Lao and Dream Jia as much as possible.
"Haoyun, are you doing well in Military Flag? I heard your substitute is a terrible chess basket!" Dream Jia asked.
"Um... I played Military Flag a few times when I was a kid, but I wasn't very good at it. But from the current situation, the so-called Military Flag duel they're having is just flipping over two cards from the already laid out chessboard and comparing their sizes. It's completely luck-based, there's no need for any skill!" Haoyun complained.
Hearing Haoyun's words, Dao Lao immediately understood the reason. So he reminded somewhat regretfully, "Luck? Hmph! Let's not even talk about whether your luck is worth expecting. Based on the situation you described, this duel is simply following the script set by the Countess! In that case, what awaits us in the future will definitely not be good! Looks like we're in for trouble again! Everyone must be mentally prepared!"
"Ugh! I'm your teammate! Can't you have some confidence in me? Besides, it's Ayun who's playing chess, not me. What if he's bad at chess but lucky?" Haoyun protested against Dao Lao's lack of trust in his luck while also making it clear that if they lost the chess game next, Dao Lao should blame Ayun, not him.
"Ah! Both you and Ayun are unreliable trash! Whatever, let's just hope they five can escape from the maze as soon as possible!" Dream Jia worriedly interjected.
Just when Dao Lao and Dream Jia seriously doubted Haoyun and Ayun's luck and chess skills, Ayun had already won the rock-paper-scissors and obtained the right to make the first move. Haoyun, seeing this, excitedly shouted, "Wow! Who said I have bad luck?! Did you see that?! I won the rock-paper-scissors! Ayun, well done! Let's flip a good card, one that ensures everyone's smooth progress! Hey! I think the second card from the right on the third row from the bottom looks good! Ayun, flip that one, flip that one! Oh my! Ayun, why aren't you moving? Hey? Why aren't you revealing the card?"
Dao Lao, hearing the anxious calls from the system, furrowed his brows and asked, "What's wrong, Haoyun? What happened?"
"It's Ayun, he's having a problem! Why is he just staring at the chessboard and not flipping the card?! What's there to think about? Anyway, these cards are all prepared by the Countess, if there's any trick, you can't avoid it!" Haoyun continued to urge helplessly in his consciousness.
But after a while, Ayun still showed no intention of revealing the card. He just furrowed his brows and reached out to feel around the military chessboard, as if he could see what items were behind each chess piece through touch, or as if he was suffering from severe choice paralysis due to the overwhelming number of chess pieces on the table, unable to decide which card to choose.
Seeing Ayun's hesitant appearance, the Countess just wore an expression of "I'll quietly watch you perform," stood by, smiled without saying a word, and waited for a while. Then, she slowly reached out her right hand and snapped her fingers. Suddenly, thunder roared in the sky, and lightning bolts like fiery dragons slashed through the sky, smashing towards Ayun and the challenge team members running in the maze, instantly electrocuting them from head to toe.
After being burnt to ashes by the powerful electric shock, the five members of the challenge team quickly reappeared at the starting point of the maze, while Ayun appeared next to the Countess again. Although the powerful lightning attack had ended, the pain caused by the electric current, which continued to rampage in their bodies, paralyzing their nervous systems and tearing and burning them, still lingered on each member of the challenge team, causing their bodies to continue twitching after they reappeared.
While enduring the spasms caused by the remaining electric current in his body, Ayun looked at the Countess with a puzzled expression, indicating that he had not flipped the card just now, so why did he inexplicably suffer a lightning attack?
The Countess, upon seeing this, chuckled and replied, "Ahem ahem! I forgot to mention! During the Military Flag duel, each round you have a limited time to choose chess pieces. If someone fails to choose the chess piece to battle within the specified time, or if the player responsible for the Military Flag duel intentionally doesn't choose a chess piece, suspecting that the challenge team is trying to proceed through the level without being affected by the items, then our production team has the right to impose additional punishment on you! Moreover, this punishment will not only be counted as a failure for the challenge but will also have a double impact on the subsequent challenges! Ahem ahem!"