Cornflower Witch

Chapter 306 Level Rewards
Hiltiya now stands at a new fork in the road, the two patterns revealing what she will encounter next.

On one side is a shield, and on the other side is a two-headed stork.

After thinking for a moment, Hilti guessed that the shield side might be for armor or defensive cards, but she didn't need those right now. Instead, she was interested in the 'two-headed stork' side.

After making her choice, she walked toward the side of the 'two-headed stork'.

After walking for a while, she came to a new room. As soon as she entered, the stone door behind her closed, and then a stone platform rose up from the ground. The platform had a pattern of a two-headed stork. Below the head of one of the storks was an empty card slot, but there were no cards stored in it. When Hilti placed her hand on the stone platform, the newly acquired [Killing Fist] in her destiny chart felt like it was about to fall off.

This must be where you take off the cards, Hiltiya suddenly realized.

She thought for a moment, then released the restriction on the card, and the [Killing Fist] left her body and fell into the groove on the stone platform.

Then the two-headed stork emitted black and white light, and the pattern on the stone platform flipped, revealing the same pattern on the other side of the bottom, but with a card under the head of the other stork.

The card depicts a butterfly sipping nectar, with what appears to be pale gold patterns of the same color as the nectar visible on its body.

[Sealed Card - Honey Breathing Technique] (Insect/Moth): Enhances itself using nectar. (Further exploration is needed for more information.)
Looking at the emerald green card in front of her, Hilti took it into her hand and examined it carefully.

There seemed to be no danger. She tried to incorporate the cards into her destiny chart, and then a strange desire rose from the bottom of her heart—a longing for sweet nectar.

Taking out the sweet nectar she had previously stored in the courtyard, Hilti took a small sip and then closed her eyes to sense it.

The sweetness, rich in the properties of 'emerald honey,' was quickly absorbed into her body and transformed into a strange power in her blood. It then circulated throughout her body, making her body exceptionally light and agile, and her sense of touch particularly acute.

It's basically about being able to clearly sense the flow of air with your fingertips, and being able to flexibly detect any disturbances or changes in airflow, and then react accordingly.

Compared to traditional breathing techniques, this breathing method, after absorbing nectar, can make the body feel lighter and increase speed and perception. If a normal breathing method can temporarily increase reaction time and speed by 30%, this method can increase reaction time and speed by 50% and gain additional tactile perception.

The effect was quite good. After adapting, Hilti felt that she had lost about 20% of her weight. If she were to master some kind of flight ability, the effect would be even better.

This should be a breathing technique used in conjunction with flight capabilities; it cannot be fully effective when used alone on the ground.

Therefore, it seems that the meaning of the 【Two-Headed Stork】is an exchange card with an unknown outcome.

Having realized this, she glanced at the stone platform where the [Killing Fist] card had disappeared, then turned and left.

Although the card has disappeared, she has recorded its detailed information in a picture book. With just three portions of 'Crimson Blood', she can completely deduce the cultivation method, and it won't be difficult to learn it in the future.

After leaving this place, Hilti continued forward, and then another room pattern representing monsters appeared ahead.

Looks like another fight is about to break out, but it's a good opportunity to test the power of the new cards.

She stepped inside and began to fight the awakened monster...

In another corner of the maze, a woman wrapped in a veil squatted on the ground, surveying the environment of the passage. Then, she cautiously stepped into a room. At that moment, the sound of a mechanism rang out, and several crossbow bolts shot out, piercing the spot where she had just stood. Shortly after, another volley of crossbow bolts shot out, chasing after the spot where she had landed.

After dodging all five waves of crossbow bolts, a stone platform rose up inside the room, revealing a gray shield.

[Grey Rhino Shield] (Tier 2, Excellent)

"Tsk, this shield isn't suitable for me." She was somewhat disgusted by the shield, but couldn't bear to throw it away, so she held it in her hand and continued forward.

When she arrived at a new room, she saw the double-headed stork pattern that Hilti had experienced not long ago.

"Oh, this time I'm in luck." She smiled excitedly, then placed her hand on the image of the two-headed stork, where a forged, twisted card was placed.

This card is not a normal ability, but an ability card that is arbitrarily created in some way. It contains a chaotic 'twisted' aspect. Its rank conforms to the characteristics of a normal card, but it is completely unusable.

After being placed, the two-headed stork on the stone slab flipped over, revealing another card hidden at the bottom.

【Red-tailed Bee Sting】(Insect Moth); A burst of highly venomous bee stings that can be used for desperate attacks.

"I've gotten another card for free, hehe." She picked up the card triumphantly, merged it into herself, and then a red glint flashed in her eyes. A special red poisonous sting extended from the elbow of one of her arms.

"The bee stinger is perfect for me." She nodded in satisfaction and continued on her way.

...Apart from Hilti, the other people in the labyrinth gradually understood the purpose of these rooms during their exploration and were pleasantly surprised by what they gained here. They used the cards they temporarily acquired to strengthen themselves, defeat the monsters along the way, and then gain new rewards, gradually becoming immersed in this special 'trial game'.

Of course, some clever players began to discover many loopholes in the game. For example, after choosing one side of the path and getting what they wanted, they could quickly return to the other side of the path and get what they wanted there. Or, when faced with invincible monsters, they could simply escape the room and go to the next passage, leaving the monsters behind, and use fake cards at the two-headed stork where cards needed to be exchanged.

These loopholes are exploited without penalty, and the extra profits are addictive. After tasting the benefits, many people start to try them, even if there are small risks involved.

The only exception was the silver-haired girl, who showed no intention of exploiting the loopholes, even though she discovered that the rules here were not perfect.

'Although I don't know why this strange tomb exists, since the rules have been set, I should just follow them. There's no harm in it anyway.' That's what the obedient girl, Sylvia, thought.

As she passed through another room and obtained a dark red serrated scimitar weapon, a new room appeared before her, its design featuring magnified animal heads spewing flames from their mouths.

After the door opened, the room was five times larger than a normal room. As she entered, the door behind her closed, blocking her escape route.

Soon, a giant scorpion with a brass metal shell crawled down from above Hilti's head. After it landed on the ground, the metal shell scraped against each other, making a rapid shaking and impacting sound, as if to frighten the girl and demonstrate its power.

【Brass Sand Scorpion】(Tier 3, Insect Moth); This scorpion is covered in tough copper armor and possesses powerful claws. When fighting it, you must also be careful of the venomous stinger raised from its tail.

Although it is also a Tier 3 creature, this is the strongest Tier 3 creature that Hilti has encountered, several times stronger than the 'Lion-Headed Monster' she fought before.

Using the speed of her 'Nectar Breathing Technique', Hilti nimbly dodged the massive hammer's claw as it slammed down.

Stone chips flew as Hilti leaped into the air and brandished her newly acquired dark red scimitar, slicing at the brass-colored armor plates.

The hissing sparks and sounds passed by, and the serrated blades left faint scratches on the carapace, but could not break through the defenses.

After that, Hilti switched to several more weapons, but even the sharp, gleaming gold blades could not cut through the sturdy bronze armor.

Faced with the girl's attack, the sand scorpion repeatedly struck with its front claws and then took the opportunity to lash out with its tail stinger, attacking the dodging Hilti.

If it weren't for her quick reflexes and the fact that the 'Nectar Breathing Technique' granted her even stronger tactile and manipulative abilities, she probably would have been hit by its attack.

The difficulty has increased. After several unsuccessful attempts at close-range attacks, the girl thought to herself.

It seems that she would have a hard time defeating her opponent in terms of physical means and direct strength when they were at the same level, after all, this guy weighed five or six tons, and his bronze armor alone was extremely sturdy and heavy.

In her 'Emerald' state, her melee abilities are quite limited, and switching to a 'Tier 4 Castle' knight to deal with her would be making a mountain out of a molehill, like a high school student taking a middle school exam.

She still remembered the purpose of her expedition: to test the practical application of her various abilities, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Since the various abilities under 'Emerald Honey' are not easy to use here, let's change our tactics.

Thinking of this, the light in Hilti's eyes flickered, changing from 'Emerald Honey' to 'Alien Star', then she closed her eyes slightly and opened them again.

Golden eyes appeared, and that majestic will struck the sand scorpion waving its giant claws, causing it to freeze and fall to the ground.

Then, purple eye patterns appeared around the girl, their light converging and numerous rays focusing on the sand scorpion's tail, where they converged at a single point.

A dazzling light flashed, and then the sand scorpion's erect stinger was melted, broken off, and fell to the ground.

In excruciating pain, the Sand Scorpion broke free from the control of the [Eye of Majesty] and once again swung its massive pincers. However, the girl in front of it had eyes that changed color, and the overflowing purple made the Sand Scorpion lose its focus. It gradually lost its desire to fight and slowly lay down on the ground.

Despite its immense strength and sturdy shell, its mental fortitude and willpower as an insect moth were weak, and it was easily subdued by the girl's eerie eye technique.

"It doesn't seem that powerful," the girl thought, raising her finger to seal the giant sand scorpion in front of her.

Inside the room, the sand scorpion's signs of life disappeared, and soon the sealed wall slowly opened, revealing the passage behind it.

At the end of the passage, you can see three raised stone platforms, each holding a [potion bottle], a [card], and a [brass pendant], respectively.

So this is the reward for defeating the level. Filled with curiosity, Hilti walked toward the three stone platforms.

(End of this chapter)