booktalesy Chapter 39 The End of the Road for Klar
Chapter 39 The End of the Road for Klar
In the dark and desolate cave.
One of the leading third-level apprentices stood there, gazing at the interconnected, deep passageways before him, all exuding an equally ominous aura, his voice dry and bewildered:
"Now... what do we do?"
A seasoned Level 3 apprentice, his face ashen and stern, spat out a mouthful of venom, his eyes flashing with malice:
"What do we do? Not go in? The Tower Master's laboratory is waiting for us outside! If we want to live, we have to go in! That guy is so badly injured, he can't have gone far! If we find him, we can get out of this hellhole!"
Under the desperate, fear-suppressed roars of several level-three apprentices, the crowd, like a flock of sheep being herded, along with various probing monsters, surged into those passages that seemed to lead to hell.
However, hope was soon crushed by deeper despair.
Not long after venturing deeper into the passage, new forks in the road appeared again, like the fangs of a venomous snake!
The team was forced to split up again and again, and the manpower was constantly being thinned out.
Each fork in the road was like a cold knife, cutting into the apprentices' already taut nerves and injecting deeper unease and fear into their hearts.
"Damn it! Is that damn bastard a rat?! How can he run so fast with only one arm?!"
In one of the small groups, an apprentice couldn't help but mutter curses under his breath. His voice echoed in the narrow passage, making it sound even more oppressive.
"Exactly! Wouldn't it be better to just die peacefully out there? Why did they have to drag us down with them into this godforsaken place!"
Another apprentice immediately chimed in, his tone full of resentment and displeasure.
They dared not resent the Tower Master and Hick's cruel orders, and could only vent their fear and anger in a twisted way on the "culprit" who had driven them to this desperate situation—Klar.
In their numb and selfish logic, a small, lowly first-level apprentice should be like an insect, obediently and quietly waiting to die outside, instead of making these apprentices risk their lives to search bitterly in this hellish maze!
As for where Klar is now?
At the entrance to the underground passage, Krall, who had buried himself firmly in the ground, was already mentally blurred by the pain.
As for how he hid at the entrance without being discovered?
Clara felt the bracelet, which had been nearly destroyed by level two sorcery, slowly dissipating its power in the underground environment, leaving her with only a sense of desolation.
After learning the secret of the ring in his hand, he thought he would become a great man, just like the bards had described.
This idea became even stronger after he was chosen to become a wizard's apprentice.
He never considered the apprentices in the wizard tower as rivals, and he didn't even take some of the mentors seriously.
He was confident that he, who possessed this ring, would eventually become a powerful and influential figure.
A powerful wizard!
But reality seemed to be against his good luck, even though he hadn't done anything!
Jona, Belon, Kurt, Hick, Perot, and the affected apprentices inexplicably came to cause him trouble!
What did I do? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
If Hick knew what Clara was thinking, he could only say one thing—naive!
In this wizarding world where great power is concentrated in one's own body, when a person's strength is not commensurate with what they possess, tragedy will only follow!
He was too obvious and too flamboyant. Even Jona, who was still an ordinary person, could see his extraordinary nature. Therefore, tragedy was inevitable!
Like a stray dog wearing a gold necklace, who would let it go?
"Boss Hick, it's been so long, shouldn't we...?"
Before Kurt could finish speaking, Hick glanced at him expressionlessly and then fell silent.
"Is this the protagonist? Even with such severe injuries and his cheat abilities disabled, he still managed to escape from the pursuit of thousands of people and numerous magical artifacts?"
At that moment, Hick felt a chill run through his entire body!
Recalling the ways the protagonist dealt with the villains in his previous life's works, he felt terrible!
In my past life, I was described as a late-stage development type with unlimited potential for growth, while this Clara...
An assassin with six full items at the start? They don't even give you time to develop!
"By the way! Doesn't that Clara always carry a bracelet with her?"
After racking his brains for a long time, Hick suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and asked Kurt.
Upon hearing Hick's question, Kurt, though unsure of the connection, still replied:
"Yes, there is a bracelet that can protect its owner. It looks ordinary, and its value can only be seen when it is activated."
"Bracelet...seriously injured...bracelet..."
Hick kept repeating these words to himself, pacing back and forth, his CPU running at full speed.
"Understood!" He stopped abruptly, his voice trembling slightly with excitement and fear. "Quick! Bring everyone back! Focus your search on the area near the entrance! Search every inch of the place! Dig him out if you have to! He didn't even go inside! He's hiding near the entrance!!"
The apprentices behind him looked at each other, full of doubts, but carried out Hick's orders without hesitation.
Deep within the cave, the apprentices who received the order to retreat felt as if they had been granted a pardon!
The deeper they went, the more bizarre and suffocating the environment became, which had already terrified them!
At that moment, they practically tumbled and crawled back, their faces beaming with the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster!
At the same time, Hick had already flipped onto the eagle-headed bat and urged it to fly high into the sky without hesitation!
Get away! We must get away from this place of trouble immediately!
The mentor's strange orders, and the deep-seated caution he showed when facing the "protagonist," were all warning signs!
"Search! Search them thoroughly!!"
The third-level apprentices, returning to the entrance area, were filled with rage, shame, and indignation.
"That bastard dared to trick us! If it weren't for Lord Hick's keen insight, we'd still be like a bunch of fools, venturing deeper into the cave!"
"That son of a bitch, Klar! He almost killed me!"
"Don't let me catch you! I'll make you regret being born!"
The venomous curses rose and fell, all the fear of being fooled turning into violence against the prey.
Under a near-frenzied, thorough search...
"There's something strange about this place! The soil here is weird!!"
A sharp-eyed new apprentice suddenly pointed to an unusually soft area on the ground and screamed!
Like a swarm of sharks drawn by the scent of blood, the surrounding apprentices instantly swarmed over!
"Cough...cough...cough."
Knowing she had been discovered, Krall stopped hiding, withdrew the power of the bracelet, and looked at the apprentices who had surrounded her with a bitter smile.
"Didn't expect to be discovered after all? Heh, I... um..."
Before Krall could say anything, the apprentice who had first discovered him, his eyes filled with greed, plunged a short blade into his chest.
"I killed him! I killed him! The reward is mine! Hahahaha!"
As Clara's vision blurred, she looked at the apprentice whose face was full of madness and smugness. She felt no hatred for him, only a trace of pity.
However, just as Clara breathed her last—
High in the sky, as Hick was urging the eagle-headed bats, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible, cold giant hand!
A sense of deadly crisis, originating from the depths of one's soul, exploded instantly!
"I...I'm going to die!!"