Words flickered rapidly before Gauss’s eyes. Its destructive effect on nearby wandering spirits was astonishing. “Total monsters killed: 1526” In an instant, a full twenty-five wandering spirits turned to ash. Moreover, if not for the other wandering spirits escaping swiftly outside, the number would likely have been even higher. Gauss was not surprised by this. His Light Cantrip was no ordinary illumination spell. With the Bone Staff's blessing, it carried a powerful strike against dark creatures. Therefore, those wandering spirits exposed to the Light Cantrip were no different from ordinary beings caught in a bonfire. the text before Gauss’s eyes still flickered from time to time. “Wandering spirit killed *1” Perhaps some escaping spirits were still dying under the lingering Scorch effect? Finally, the kill count settled at: “Total monsters killed: 1535” A total of thirty-four wandering spirits purified. “That should be fine.” Gauss cast the Light Cantrip on a large stone at the entrance. The magical effect would last for several more hours. During this time, any wandering spirit passing by would be driven away by the Light Cantrip. “Alright, I’m going back to rest first. You should rest early too.” Aria’s eyelids were heavy with sleep. “Mm.” Gauss nodded and set up a new Alarm spell around the area. Then he cupped a small brush and carefully collected the white ashes scattered on the ground into a transparent jar. These ashes were the remnants left behind when the wandering spirits died just now and should have some value. Under the Light Cantrip’s illumination, the hall shone as brightly as daytime. Gauss yawned and returned to his tent. He could probably be considered a super bane to ghost-type creatures. Ghost-type monsters hated sunlight naturally, and his Light Cantrip came with a special strike effect. Now, with Scorch layered on top, this auxiliary spell originally meant for exploration and illumination had been forcibly transformed into an offensive spell. The only pity was that ghost-type monsters were rare due to the harsh conditions needed for their formation in the material world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just unlocked the 26th entry in the ordinary monster encyclopedia moments ago. Lying on his blanket, he couldn’t help but recall the vague shadowy forms of the wandering spirits he had just seen. They seemed humanoid in shape but taller than normal humans, their bodies covered with peculiar shell-like shadows. Could those be the intelligent life forms from the lost civilization era? The night passed without incident. When morning came, they woke up. They did not encounter any other wandering spirits afterward. It was unclear whether the Light Cantrip’s effect released in the camp was so strong that it drove away other wandering spirits far away, or if there were only that one group of wandering spirits nearby—and after suffering such a blow, they were thoroughly scared and dared not return to the Grand Hall. The two woke up later than usual. Aria stretched lazily. The longer adventurers stayed in the maze, the easier it seemed to become fatigued. Whether this was caused by the environment or psychological effect, she couldn’t tell. “Let’s explore for the last day today. Tomorrow we start heading out,” Gauss said to Aria. “Okay, it’s also time to go back to Barry for supplies,” Aria nodded in agreement. Gauss’s team’s first maze exploration plan was always intended to be short-term. They had gained plenty in these few days but needed to go out to process and digest their findings. Also, they had received a maze exploration “side quest” to search for the Qingting Key. Gauss nodded and glanced at the elite interface of the monster encyclopedia. Kill five types of elite monsters (4/5). Follow current novels on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 He wondered if they could find the fifth elite monster on this last day of exploration. After tidying their backpacks and cleaning up the camp’s garbage, they set off on their final day of exploration. The entire morning, they moved steadily through the lush second level. Gauss’s ordinary monster encyclopedia gained several new members. They were: Upright Beetle, Spore Mosquito, and Jumping Bug. The count of ordinary monsters in the encyclopedia jumped to twenty-nine, accumulating rapidly. Thanks to the maze’s rich and diverse ecology, Gauss was confident about completing the next phase goal of collecting fifty types of ordinary monsters. The three new monsters they encountered in the morning were not particularly difficult, but they were unsuitable as food and looked unappetizing. “There seem to be more bugs around here now?” She waved her hand to shoo away a persistent little fly and looked toward the distance where more various buzzing insects flew, her expression full of helplessness. Although they were harmless, landing on skin or burrowing into hair made one feel uncomfortable all over. “Yes.” Gauss confirmed their position on the mental map. They had already walked a long way along the eastern side of the maze’s second level. The path they had traveled was clearly illuminated on the map. Including the initial entrance, the location where they harvested Lantern Fruit, the sinking platform where they encountered the Mimic Chest, and the strange hall where they camped last night—Gauss marked each special location casually to prevent forgetting later. Of course, despite walking far, due to the linear nature, their overall exploration of the second level was still low. Most of the map remained pitch black. After walking a while longer, the two suddenly stopped. It wasn’t because they wanted to rest. Gauss looked at the road abruptly ending ahead and exchanged a glance with Aria. Looking down, beneath and ahead was bottomless, swirling, pitch-black mist. It resembled a map boundary not yet loaded or rendered. From deep within the mist, faint eerie chanting could be heard—part song, part lament, imbued with an indescribable sinister and ominous aura. “Is this the end for now?” Gauss recalled the description in the Labyrinth Guide about the maze’s growth stages. They had likely reached the maze’s temporary boundary. Perhaps as the maze “grew” further, subsequent areas would gradually open. But it felt very strange. Looking at the rolling black mist, Gauss felt an uneasy chill in his heart. Was this really the maze world’s end? However, the Light Cantrip in his hand produced no effect. Clearly, this was not some ominous entity but a natural phenomenon. “Should we go back...” Aria began to say, but before she finished, Gauss pushed her aside. Above their heads, a pale streamlined figure plummeted like lightning. Gauss’s reflexes were sharp. While dodging Aria, he drew his sword to block the strike aimed at Aria’s neck. Sparks flew where the steel longsword clashed with the pale hand blade. Gauss grunted, a tremendous force surged through his sword. He was violently shaken, forced to stumble backward. He took several heavy steps, barely managing to steady himself, avoiding falling into the swirling black mist. At the maze’s end, they faced a pale guardian.