The maze was built starting with the mother skeleton replenishing its magic.

"A monster... saved me?"

Bell looked shocked; if this hadn't just happened, he wouldn't have been able to believe it.

Harvey was equally shocked.

These skeletons must be the man's men, especially the huge skeleton at the very front of the procession, the one wearing a cloak.

He even bears a resemblance to that esteemed person.

Shocked, Harvey felt both relieved and deeply frustrated.

Fortunately, her colleagues arrived in time to save Belle, but she felt frustrated because she almost failed to fulfill the adult's request.

The great man gave him a second life and the opportunity to find his sister and take revenge on the witch, but he almost ruined the great man's plan because of his carelessness.

hateful!

Martin and Boneka led their army of skeletons slowly closer.

"Are you alright?" Martin asked, looking at Harvey.

Mr. Lance mentioned before that if you encounter someone in the Starfall Maze who is clearly human but smells of an undead, do not attack them; they are one of your own.

Moreover, in terms of seniority, he is Martin's younger brother.

He's clearly human, yet he smells like an undead... There really are guys like that!

Bell couldn't hear the monsters' conversations, while Harvey could hear them but couldn't answer Martin's questions, otherwise he would be exposed.

He could only nod at Martin with a slight angle.

Martin nodded, then turned to his men and said, "Rest here for a moment. Also, these two are friends, so do not attack them."

The little skeletons perked up at the word "friends" and swarmed around Bell and Harvey, surrounding them and curiously examining the two.

"Mr. Blazer," Bell said, trembling as he looked at the circle of white bones around him, forcing a smile. "These skeletons shouldn't attack us, right?"

"Probably not," Harvey nodded. "Otherwise, why would I have saved you?"

"But why, uh, why are they giving me a thumbs up?"

"How would I know?"

Harvey genuinely didn't know.

But looking at the skulls around me constantly giving me thumbs up, I didn't sense any hostility; in fact, I found them strangely cute.

So he followed suit and gave a thumbs up, and Bale copied Harvey's gesture by giving a thumbs up as well.

The little skeletons were overjoyed and danced hand in hand around the two, celebrating their new friends.

For skeletons, as long as their gestures are in sync, they are good friends.

Bell felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around and found the giant skeleton standing behind him, scratching the back of its head and bowing humbly.

Then he pointed to the raiders stuck in the ground not far away.

The skull looked at Bell, its expression and words devoid of any emotion, yet Bell could sense that it was saying, "Do you still want that person over there? If not, I'll take him."

"Ah, please go ahead." Bell quickly waved his hand.

Guka nodded again, scratching the back of his head. He walked up to the raider, stepped on his body, and pulled out the black sword with both hands.

The raider, not quite dead yet, let out a weak scream.

Then, he was dragged behind by the leg by the bone, and the blood on the ground almost wrote the word "tragic".

Anything that isn't quite dead must be thrown back home before it dies, otherwise you'll get a scolding from Boss Lance.

Martin took some healing potions from his backpack and handed them to Harvey.

“We can’t use these medicines,” Martin said. “He’s badly injured; you need to take him back to the surface to find a healer.”

Xavi desperately wants to knock Bale unconscious right now!

He really wanted to communicate with the talking skeleton in front of him!

He could only accept the potion, symbolically say "thank you" to Martin, and help Bell walk out of the maze.

"Monsters giving adventurers potions? That's unheard of... Hmm!"

Just as Bell was about to exclaim in amazement, Harvey silenced him with a potion.

"Talk less and take your medicine more," Harvey instructed. "Once your injuries heal, the engagement will be over."

"Gurgle gurgle (Thank you, Mr. Blazer)."

The skeletons watched the two figures leave, then lined up straight, stood at attention, and saluted as they went.

Martin put his hands on his hips and let out a sigh.

"That's great, we can finally get out of the maze."

I wish he could leave the maze someday.

No, I'm a skeleton now. If I leave the maze, won't I just get chased and beaten by adventurers?

Thinking about it that way, a maze is better.

I wonder when Mr. Lance plans to conquer the Kings' Labyrinth.

......

Byrondin, Animian Province.

This city, located almost at the southernmost tip of the continent, is bordered by a deep, misty forest to the east, and the majestic, winding Rocky Mountains to the west and south.

Bards like to use the title "breeding ground for evil" to refer to Byronde—after all, the climate there is pleasant, and the people are rich and happy, which makes even the demons of Naraku envious.

If one day I manage to travel through dimensions to the material world, the first place I'll invade is here!

A north-south street divides Byronding in two: the left side is the "poor district" where residents live, and the right side is the "aristocratic district" centered around aristocratic mansions and commercial streets.

"jingle--"

The Adventurers' Guild gate, bearing the emblem of "Crossed Swords and Wands," was suddenly pushed open, striking the bell behind the door and making a crisp sound.

The noise inside paused for a moment, then returned to normal.

Harvey and Bell arrived at the guild hall and found an empty table to sit down.

The guild's interior is spacious, with task areas on both sides. Tasks are posted on a notice board in paper form, and you need to tear off the relevant paper to accept a task.

In addition, there are many wooden dining tables from the counter all the way to the door, where adventurers can team up or discuss mission matters—which also allows the association to make some money from drinks.

That's how the Adventurers' Guild is; it's always bustling with activity whenever you walk in.

An adventurer with a thick blond beard gulped down a mouthful of beer and shouted in a gruff voice:

"Damn it, have you guys encountered any skeletons in the Starfall Maze lately?"

This topic instantly sparked heated discussions, and even Harvey and Bale exchanged a glance, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

So they weren't the only ones who encountered this?

"Of course!" The knight sitting at the other table of the bearded adventurer turned around, leaned back in his chair and gripped the armrests with both hands. "Our party encountered skeletons on the third floor."

"Me too! But we're on the fourth floor!" another group of adventurers chimed in.

"That's really weird." The bearded adventurer took another sip of wine and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I was fighting the underground wolves on the third level. There were so many wolves that I was cornered for a while. That's when a small group of skeletons appeared."

"These skeletons worked together incredibly well, they seemed very well-trained, and they quickly beat these subterranean wolves half to death. Just when I thought they were going to kill me... damn it! Can you believe it, I actually saw a skeleton giving me a thumbs up!"

"You too?!" The knight's eyes widened, and he stood up abruptly. "Our squad was also saved by skeletons!"

"These skeletons don't seem to be hostile to humans. They only attack the monsters in the Starfall Labyrinth, and sometimes they even save adventurers from the monsters, provided you don't attack them first."

"But then again... why are there skeletons in the maze?"

The discussion among the adventurers grew increasingly heated.

I learned that almost everyone who had visited the Starfall Maze during this period had encountered skeletons.

Furthermore, these skeletons are usually quite clever; they will use various materials and potions to trade with adventurers for some useful equipment.

Many adventurers have even had their lives saved by skeletons.

The discussion intensified, and the weakest of the undead monsters had become the guardians of the upper levels of the Starfall Labyrinth.

Even at the very end, the adventurers discussed philosophical questions about the ecological relationship between monsters and humans.

The bard, playing his lute, had already given these skeletons a resounding name.

[Gray and White March]

They have created some fantastical stories and poems featuring skeletons as the main characters, which have recently become very popular among adventurers.

E.g.

"When you are trapped in the labyrinth and plunged into despair, the 'Grey March,' composed of the undead, will appear to dispel despair and confiscate death."

Only Harvey knew that all of this was part of that person's plan.

They are in a maze, yet they are plotting against humanity.

My admiration for him grew stronger.

"I have fulfilled that lord's request." Harvey composed himself and looked at Bell. "We shall part ways here."

"Thank you, Mr. Blaze!" Bell clenched his fists and placed them on the table, saying excitedly, "May I ask, could you tell me the name of that mysterious knight?"

"Need not."

Harvey shook his head.

He looked at the adventurers discussing among themselves and slowly began to speak:

You'll hear his name sooner or later.