William and Chiffon retraced their steps to return to the dead end that they had seen a while ago.
After the battle against the Yara-ma-yha-whos, The Half-Elf knew that they couldn’t continue to push forward for the time being. Hundreds of blinking dots had already arrived at the area, that was just outside the black fog that covered the map in his status page.
Along the way, William used his Runemaster Job Class to place traps on the floors, and walls, that lead towards their destination. Some of the Yara-ma-yha-whos were quite impatient and followed them as they retreated, triggering the traps.
The little vampires cried out in pain as they hastily retreated. Although they had a fast regeneration ability, the power of lightning decreased the speed of their recovery. Also, the lightning traps were very painful, which made the Yara-ma-yha-whos very hesitant to follow William and Chiffon.
Their creepy chuckles spread across the maze like the cacklings of hyenas, who were encircling the prey that they had chosen.
“Sleep, don’t mind them,” William said as he softly patted Chiffon’s head.
Chiffon didn’t move because William’s touch calmed her down. However, she was still worried about the Yara-ma-yha-who whose chuckles were growing in fervor.
“How about you, Big Brother?” Chiffon inquired. “Are you not going to sleep?”
William smiled, “I will sleep later. Don’t worry, I will wake you up when it’s your turn for watch duty.”
The pink-haired girl reluctantly nodded her head before leaning her head on William’s chest.
Both of them were seated with their backs against the wall. Although this was not a comfortable position to sleep in, the two had no choice but to adjust due to their current situation.
William created a sound proofing spell and applied it to Chiffon’s ears. This way, the little girl wouldn’t be too bothered by the creepy chuckles that resounded within the maze of the 51st Floor.
Several explosions could be heard in the distance. Clearly, some of the Yara-ma-yha-whos decided to try once again, and stepped up on William’s traps.
‘Optimus, do me a favor and alert me right away when they go past the danger zone,’ William said. ‘I will also rest. I leave the watch duty to you.’
Just like Chiffon, William was very tired as well. He knew that in order to break out of their current situation, he needed to be properly rested in order to react to any kind of situation.
A few hours passed, and the defensive line that William had set was slowly being chipped away by the relentless little vampires. Due to their vast numbers, they were taking turns in clearing the lightning mines that the Half-Elf had set beforehand.
The System was paying close attention to the little critters to ensure that they wouldn’t be able to sneak attack the two teenagers who were fast asleep.
A few hours passed, before William was awoken abruptly by the System.
[ Will, they’re here. ]
William opened his eyes and dispelled the sound proofing spell on Chiffon’s ears. He then lightly shook the girl who was drooling on his chest.
“Chiffon, wake up,” William said as he stared at the blinking red dots that were only a few hundred meters away from them. “We have company.”
Chiffon opened her eyes, but she was still half asleep. However, her drowsiness disappeared instantly when she heard the familiar chuckling sounds of the Yara-ma-yha-whos.
The pink-haired girl immediately stood up and equipped her gauntlets. Although she was still fearful of the creepy, little vampires, she knew that fighting them was inevitable.
William took a step forward and took a deep breath. He had already consulted with Optimus earlier that their chances of advancing on the maze, littered with thousands of Yara-ma-yha-whos, was not ideal.
Sure, they could defeat them, but they would just keep on coming back. William had a nagging feeling that these thousands of little vampires were once the challengers who had come to the 51st Floor with the hope of conquering it.
He estimated that those below the rank of Adamantium (Centennial Rank) had all turned into Yara-ma-yha-whos. Those who were stronger might have transformed into more frightful beings, which represented the big red dots on the map.
According to Optimus’ estimate, the Yara-ma-yha-whos in the maze numbered in the hundreds of thousands, while the red dots numbered in the thousands.
It was clear that this was an uphill battle with no end in sight. This wouldn’t have been a problem if William could summon his army. Unfortunately, that option was ruled out, so he had to do what was needed in order for him and Chiffon to survive.
Although 98% of the map in his status page was still covered in black fog, something could be seen at its center.
A small, stationary, golden rectangle could be seen at the center of the map. Although William and Optimus didn’t know what it was, both of them guessed that it was something important.
‘According to your calculations, how high is the chance for that golden rectangle to be the exit of this maze?’ William inquired.
William narrowed his eyes as he came to a decision.
Finding the exit using normal means was not possible. They would have to deal with the Yara-ma-yha-whos constant harassment, and that would be an exhausting experience. Also, it greatly increased the risk of them being overwhelmed by their sheer numbers.
After careful deliberation, William decided to take a chance. He didn’t know if the plan he had in mind would work. But, he would rather try than fight a losing battle of attrition.
Chiffon unconsciously took a deep breath when a few small heads poked at the corner of the intersection.
Three Yara-ma-yha-whos, looked at William and Chiffon before chuckling. A few seconds later, more of them appeared , instantly blocking the only path that they could take.
“Chiffon, I will bulldoze my way through,” William said. “Stick to me, and don’t get left behind.”
Chiffon nodded, “Understood.”
William summoned a metallic golden staff in his hand as he took a step forward. He then pointed its tip towards the snickering little bastards who were staring at them with hunger.
“Break all the walls that stand before me!” William roared. “Ruyi Jingu Bang!”