Chapter 213 – Ice Labyrinth (Part 1)

That night, the Dutch Ghosts not only defeated five sorcerers but also completed many miscellaneous tasks and ran through countless winding paths. Yet, by 3 AM, their quest progress remained stubbornly stuck at 98%. This number hadn’t budged for hours, no matter how hard they tried—it seemed impossible to push it any further.

Originally, the team had planned to charge ahead and secure the first kill in one go. But first, those who had to work during the day couldn’t hold on any longer. Second, judging by the current situation, the final 2% of the quest was bound to be an extremely difficult hurdle—even if they reached it, they might not be able to clear it. Third, and most importantly, the progress of other guilds was still behind theirs: Iceborn and Silence were at 94%, the Five Peaks Pavilion, War Banner, and Huaxia Dominion joint team at 93%, and Meteor Sata and Outer Flame were both at 91%. It didn’t seem like any of them would catch up anytime soon, so the first kill was temporarily secure. Considering all this, the team decided to preserve their strength, rest for now, and continue the next night.

The Ghost Server Legion disbanded and logged off, but the Dutch Chamber of Commerce didn’t. Don’t Stop the Meds kept the entire team in the YY channel for a meeting. Essentially, this elite squad of ten from Lover’s Constellation represented the highest leadership of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. Although Don’t Stop the Meds had begun to reconsider his ambition to dominate Huaxia, he still wanted to hear his comrades’ opinions.

“Close the recruitment stalls and stop recruiting?” The commander phrased it delicately, but Rain Ceases caught the gist immediately.

“Yeah,” Don’t Stop the Meds didn’t beat around the bush, answering bluntly. “My thinking has shifted a bit.”

Dutch Souvenir asked, “Shifted to what?”

Don’t Stop the Meds thought for a moment before replying calmly, “I’m not entirely sure either. I just suddenly feel like the domination and unification I’ve been chasing don’t seem as fun as I imagined.”

“Boss Yao,” Scholar Lu spoke up, “is this a sudden thought, a temporary hesitation where you want to take a break, or have you genuinely given up? Be clear so the brothers know where they stand.”

Don’t Stop the Meds fell silent. He wasn’t sure how his teammates would react, so he could only say, “I’d like to hear your opinions.”

The core members fell silent in turn.

Don’t Stop the Meds suddenly regretted his words: “Sorry. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce has grown to this scale, and it’s no longer something I can whimsically change on a whim. I acted impulsively…”

X: “Boss Yao…”

Finally, someone spoke.

Don’t Stop the Meds let out a long breath: “Yeah, I’m listening.”

X: “Were you… just apologizing…?”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “…”

Little Willow: “I thought so too, but I wasn’t sure if my headset was acting up.”

War of the Gods: “I heard it too. He said sorry and that our guild doesn’t let him act on whims.”

Mocha: “But haven’t we always let him run wild with his love for unification?”

Don’t Stop the Meds was bewildered, unable to tell if his teammates were being sincere or sarcastic…

Rain Through the Woods: “Boss Yao, they’re too embarrassed to say it, but they actually love this fulfilling life—leading newbies through dungeons for gear, organizing guild wars for territory with veterans, always remembering that they’re bricks of the guild to be placed wherever needed, tiles bearing a thousand pounds without crumbling!”

Great, it was sarcasm. =_=

“Hey, Yao Yao, since when has ‘acting on whims’ become a bad thing in your dictionary?” Thousand Mountains, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. “Games are meant to be played. Playing, of course, means doing as you please.”

Don’t Stop the Meds raised an eyebrow: “So?”

Thousand Mountains chuckled: “I love your ‘weary bird returning to the nest’ attitude.”

When the Ghost Server players logged in that night, they immediately sensed a change in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce comrades’ demeanor. It wasn’t superficial or external but something intrinsic—an indescribable feel. If they had to put it into words, it was as if everyone’s spirit had transformed from armored soldiers into bare-armed, heroic outlaws from Liangshan, just one step away from feasting on meat, downing bowls of wine, and singing The Stars Align.

“Shall we go?” For some reason, the Ghost Server Legion Leader asked cautiously.

The Dutch Chamber of Commerce in unison: “Go where? Charge!”

The group marched grandly through the Royal Capital and arrived at the border of Violet Kingdom—the location their quest had pointed to the day before. The border of Violet Kingdom was a long, narrow lake, its waters winding along the boundary. Players needed to cross to the other side, where the lair of the ultimate boss—the mastermind behind the evil sorcerers attempting to control the Seven Kingdoms—was hidden.

The scenery was bizarre. On this side of the lake, birds sang and flowers bloomed, while on the other side, ice and snow dominated. Even the lake seemed to mirror these two worlds: the half near the lush side shimmered with ripples, while the half near the frozen side was covered in ice, reflecting a cold glare under the sun.

Thus arose the question: How to cross a lake that was half water, half ice?

The Dutch Ghosts’ attempts—diving, jumping, running along the shore—all ended in failure. Especially the last one: Your Uncle, after using a Speed Scroll, nearly ran to the edge of Lover’s Constellation but still couldn’t leave Violet Kingdom’s spring. The conclusion? The Earth might be round, but this damn lake wasn’t! TAT

While Your Uncle was still sprinting along the border, the Dutch Ghosts were greeted by unexpected old friends—not one, but three: Iceborn, Silence, and Outer Flame.

Iceborn and Silence still had their 20-man squad, while Outer Flame brought their own 20-man team, totaling 40 players who trampled all the flowers and grass at the border.

The Dutch Ghosts scrutinized the newcomers several times before the Ghost Server Legion Leader spoke on their behalf—

[Local] Milk is Mom: Hi Iceborn~~ Hi Lingling~~ Hi Wangwang~~ What an… interesting trio you’ve got there~~

[Wait, Iceborn is ice Iceborn, Lingling is Silent Hill, but who’s Wangwang?]

[Duh, King of the Gods.]

[But that sounds awful. ‘Zhizhi’ would be better.]

[Then wouldn’t it get mixed up with our ‘Zhanzhan’?]

[Piss off.]

[Am I the only one curious how the Ghost Server Legion Leader can type to outsiders while telepathically communicating with us? Also, who leaked the password to our telepathy channel?!]

[Local] Silent Hill: Who said we’re a trio? If your eyesight’s bad, buy glasses—don’t be stingy!

[Local] King of the Gods: Who said we’re a trio? If your eyesight’s bad, buy glasses—don’t be stingy!

[Local] Silent Hill: …

[Local] King of the Gods: …

[Local] Milk is Mom: Really, not convincing at all ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Local] ice Iceborn: Good evening, Ghost Server Legion Leader.

[Local] Milk is Mom: Hi~~~ Lailai~~~ You’re definitely not part of their trio—I believe you now!

[Local] ice Iceborn: Hehe, have you been here long?

Iceborn seemed to be in a good mood—for some reason, the Dutch Ghosts could just feel it. But a glance at the quest progress leaderboard made his cheerfulness understandable—the top tier now included five guilds, all at 98%.

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: Just got here, not long. But you guys are fast.

[Local] King of the Gods: When you’re behind, you have to hurry. Unlike you, leisurely admiring the lake view.

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: Admired too much and got caught up.

[Local] King of the Gods: The tortoise and the hare—if you’ve heard the story, maybe you won’t take this too hard.

[Local] Polly: Since you’ve already won, don’t rub salt in the leisurely hare’s wounds, Tortoise-kun.

[Local] King of the Gods: …

[Local] Milk is Mom: Did you guys not sleep at all last night or today?! So impressive! How’d you clear the Triple Illusion? We tried so many conventional methods, none worked—had to cheese it with blitzkrieg tactics. Didn’t get to enjoy the joy of a martial arts champion embroidering at all~~~~~~ So sad >_<

[Local] Silent Hill: …

[Local] Iceborn: …

Perhaps the high player density left no room for NPCs to hide—shortly after the three guilds arrived, the boatman tasked with ferrying players across the lake was found. Since the boat could only carry ten people at a time, the joint teams disbanded and crossed separately.

The boatman led the players to the center of the lake. Since the other half was frozen, the boat couldn’t proceed further, so the players disembarked, ready to walk across the ice. But the moment they stepped onto it—

[System] Kristie: I sense something’s presence.

With these words, the Mermaid Princess appeared. She struck the ice with her beautiful tail, and slowly, the ice cracked. One after another, icy walls rose from the lakebed, forming a labyrinth of ice and snow right in front of them!

[System] Welcome to the Ice Labyrinth. Only true warriors can break through the maze, reach the end, and use the Holy Flame to banish the cold, bringing warmth back to the world.

Mad Lad: “So… we just walk through the maze now?”

Rain Ceases: “Seems like it.”

Mad Lad: “Then let’s go! GOGOGO!”

Drink Your Sister: “Wait, there’s a description here.”

Following Your Sister’s reminder, the team noticed a massive, translucent ice block at the maze’s entrance. A double-click revealed the maze’s rules:

1. Players must enter the maze in teams of 10.

2. If more than two teams are in the maze, the system has a certain probability of randomly selecting players from different teams for a solo PvP match in a parallel arena. During PvP, the player’s team must remain in place and cannot progress. After the match, the victor returns to the team to continue, while the losing player and their entire team are sent back to the maze entrance to restart.

3. If a team has been sent back to the entrance three times, they will no longer be selected for random solo PvP.

The rules were designed to be player-friendly—competitive yet balanced. The random PvP added excitement, while the three-attempt limit ensured even weaker teams could keep pushing forward. The only catch was the mandatory 10-player teams…

Milk Mom: “Why must we part~~~~ when we love each other so~~~~ TAT”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “You’ve successfully diluted the sorrow of parting.”

Milk Mom: “I should’ve realized when only ten could board the boat! 555555~~~”

Polly: “Did you also realize that after clearing the maze, we might still have to compete for the final boss’s first kill?”

Milk Mom: “…”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “…”

Ghost Server comrades: “Dutch comrades, farewell.”

Dutch comrades: “Ghost Server comrades, goodbye.”

After the “touching farewell,” the Ghost Server Legion returned to their YY channel. From then on, the Dutch Ghosts embarked on their respective journeys. Iceborn and Silence, sharing the same plight, thought they’d grow old together but ended up parting ways. Outer Flame had it easiest—they simply split their first and second squads. Even if they met later, priority would go to the team with their commander.

As the teams filed into the maze, players worldwide were eagerly watching. Unfortunately, only those with quest progress this far could enter, so the masses could only refresh the leaderboard every ten seconds, hoping to see someone hit 99%.

The maze was incredibly complex, with forks at nearly every step and everything a blinding white, making it hard to distinguish walls from paths.

Following the deputy’s suggestion, the team sketched maps as they walked. Though the path ahead was uncertain, at least they could track where they’d been. Of course, their doodling skills varied wildly, so every five minutes, they’d snap photos of their maps and send them via QQ to the deputy, who compiled them.

But this harmony lasted only ten minutes. As the team handed over their second round of sketches, the ever-concerned Your Uncle remembered the ticking time bomb: “What’s the probability of being randomly selected for PvP?”

[System] Attention: Refined Into a Demon 715 has entered the PvP zone!

The Ghost Server team had braced themselves for this. If Your Uncle hadn’t asked, the probability might’ve been 5% or 7%. But since he did, it was undoubtedly 100%. However—

438: “Why is it always me who suffers!! TAT”

The Ghost Server team collectively sighed, ready to say his sacrifice wouldn’t be forgotten—but before they could speak…

[System] Attention: Refined Into a Demon 715 has returned to the team!

Brother, you’re faster than The Flash!!!

Fang Zheng: “Did the opponent surrender?”

438: “Nope.”

Fang Zheng: “Then did you surrender? No way—if you did, we’d be back at the start.”

438: “I used the Purple-Gold Red Gourd.”

Fang Zheng: “That works on players too?”

438: “Yep! Instantly empties their HP bar~\(≧▽≦)/~”

Wait, that wasn’t the point =_=

Fang Zheng: “How could you just casually use such a divine artifact?!!”

438: “It wasn’t casual! We’re only 2% away from the first kill—every second counts!!!”

Fang Zheng: “…”

Crossplayer: “First time seeing 438 so fierce…”

Drink Your Sister: “But kinda cool…”

Your Uncle: “Will the commander get mad…?”

Mad Lad: “Probably fall in love with him…”

Coffin Shop: “Uh, am I the only one curious who he PvP’d against?”

…

[Outer Flame YY Channel]

Flame of the Gods: “Why are we back at the entrance?”

Milk Bottle of the Gods: “And instantly, too.”

Zongzi of the Gods: “Did the commander lose?”

Angel of the Gods: “No way. Even if it were an average player, who gets insta-killed in PvP? Let alone our commander.”

Weapon of the Gods: “Commander?”

King of the Gods: “Here. My PC just lagged.”

Angel of the Gods: “See? Maybe the lag kicked you out of the PvP zone, and the system auto-counted it as a loss?”

King of the Gods: “…Yeah.”

Angel of the Gods: “Commander, don’t dwell on it—we’ll just start over!”

King of the Gods: “Hold on, I need to use the bathroom…”

Truthfully, the Outer Flame commander left out a detail—during the PvP, he’d experienced a terrifying hallucination of his entire body dissolving into pus. He needed a bathroom break to contemplate life.