Chapter 543: Illusion Mist Stones
Chapter 543: Illusion Mist Stones
"Always expecting the best outcome, aren’t you?" Marcus said with a chuckle as he gently pinched Jade’s delicate nose. "What if there’s a high-level boss waiting for us in there?"Even as he teased her, his arms instinctively tightened around her slender waist, drawing her a little closer. She settled comfortably against him, warm and soft, and Marcus couldn’t help feeling strangely content.
Jade, naturally, wasn’t worried in the slightest. She leaned into his embrace without the slightest hesitation, resting her smooth hands lightly on his arm as she looked up at him with sparkling eyes full of trust, and pouting her perfect lips, she smiled mischievously.
’This little devil...’ She was practically inviting him to tease her. Marcus smiled helplessly before giving her nose another light flick.
Putting the moment behind him, he activated Eagle’s Vision once more and carefully guided everyone toward the center of the formation.
Unfortunately, reaching it proved far more difficult than spotting it. He had first seen the formation’s core nearly eighty meters to their right hours earlier, yet after two full hours of winding through the Illusion Mist Palace, constantly doubling back through twisting passages and dead ends, they still hadn’t arrived.
Several times, the maze forced them so far off course that the core disappeared beyond the range of Eagle’s Vision altogether, making it feel as though they were moving away from their destination instead of toward it.
Fortunately, nobody minded. The girls chatted and laughed as they traveled, casually clearing every group of monsters they encountered along the way. The atmosphere remained relaxed enough that, when lunchtime arrived in the real world, no one wanted to log out. They simply took a quick break and hurried back, eager to continue exploring together.
Somehow, the maze no longer felt like a frustrating trap. It had become part of the adventure.
By the time everyone returned from lunch and spent another three hours making their way through the winding passages, they finally emerged before a broad stone entrance. Beyond it lay a square clearing, the heart of the Illusion Mist Palace.
"Marcus, I don’t see a boss anywhere," Amber called after having Amethyst fly above the doorway for a better look. The entire chamber was clearly visible from above, yet apart from the three enormous pillars constantly releasing white mist, it appeared completely empty.