CHAPTER 49: HEAVEN GRADE FORMATION!

The moment Zara tried to use her Trait on him, Eggy had already warned him, even before the System.

That was why he had tilted his head to ask what she had seen. Her answer surprised him.

"Salvation... so that’s what you are all after."

His words were a quiet murmur, meant only for himself, but in the silent desert, they carried. Zara’s eyes widened in shock, realising he had heard her.

[System analysing the concept of "Salvation" within the Labyrinth’s parameters...]

[Analysis Complete: The core theme of this Labyrinth is the fulfilment of a final wish. Every Echo of Life within this realm, from the weakest monster to the most powerful, is a memory bound by a single, powerful regret or desire.

This desire manifests as a need for salvation. Only by satisfying that final wish can the Echo be truly put to rest and its existence completely erased.]

Rhys felt a deep understanding settle in his mind. The challenge of this Labyrinth was not just to kill monsters. It was to understand them.

To understand their final wish and, if possible, to grant it. The entire Labyrinth was a place of salvation.

He looked at the Wanderers. Their final wish was to escape the desert. That was their salvation.

The journey to their settlement was quiet after that. Bael walked beside Rhys, explaining more about their tribe.

"We have always lived in these sands," the man said, his voice filled with a deep weariness.

"We are born here, we hunt here, and we die here. Our enemy is the Great One, the storm that brings only destruction."

He was talking about the Tempest Djinn.

"It is a curse," Bael continued. "A curse that keeps us trapped. But we believe that one day, a hero will come. A hero who can defeat the Great One and lead us out of this prison."

He looked at Rhys, his eyes filled with a desperate hope.

’Does he actually think I can defeat a Tyrant?’

[...]

’He is joking, right?’

[What do you think?]

’Fuck.’

No wonder these people were still wandering in the desert like lost ghosts. Their salvation was almost impossible to achieve. Rhys felt a bit uncomfortable.

How cursed did someone have to be to wander with such an intense thirst for their wish, yet be unable to achieve it even after dying countless times?

Wait...

"Why are you guys so sure that defeating the ’Great One’ will let you out of this desert?" he asked.

"The Elder will explain about it," Bael murmured mysteriously.

After walking a bit and riding the Dune Skimmers, they reached an unremarkable sand dune. Bael went to the front and placed his hand on the sand. He muttered a few strange words.

[Hidden formation detected...]

[Burning lifespan to analyse...]

[Formation type: Concealment Array.]

[Grade: Heaven (High).]

[Description: A localised formation designed to subtly conceal a specific area of the landscape, making it appear unremarkable and preventing detection by any cultivation below Tier 4 or Stage 4. Activation requires precise Qi manipulation and a specific incantation or ritual.]

Rhys was shocked. This was a high-level formation, far more complex than the simple arrays he knew how to create. To build something like this required a true Formation Master.

Presumably seeing his surprise, one of the Wanderers in the group stated proudly, "It was made by our Elder..."

He had not completed his sentence before Zara kicked his knees, forcing him to fall silent. Yet it was enough to deeply horrify Rhys.

’They have a formation master capable of making a Heaven-grade formation!’

The quality of formations is divided into four: Common, Spirit, Soul, and Heavenly.

To make a Heaven-tier formation, one not only needs to have a profession core for formations, but they also have to have a cultivation of at least Tier 3.

[Wrong. To create a high-quality Heaven-grade formation, one needs to be in Tier 4, Aura Manifestation.]

’Fuck...’

The sand in front of them began to shift and swirl, revealing a dark, hexagonal tunnel leading down into the earth.

The bug-like creatures, which Rhys now knew were called Dune Skimmers, crawled into the tunnel without hesitation.

Rhys was now riding one, with Yuki sitting behind him, her arms wrapped loosely around his waist. He had already analysed the creature.

It was a simple, Ordinary-grade monster that the Wanderers had tamed over generations. It was their only way to travel safely under the sand.

His mind wandered to the possibility of a Tier 4 powerhouse being within reach.

’How is that even possible? Doesn’t the labyrinth have a level cap... no, wait.’

His eyes widened as a realisation struck him. He instinctively peeked at Yuki, who for some unknown reason seemed to be in a daze.

’Is there a possibility the natives of this labyrinth do not have a level cap?’

[It cannot be proven accurately, unless we meet the person in question.]

’Well, we are going to do that anyway,’ Rhys slumped back, putting his back against Yuki, forcing her out of her daze.

"Can you fight that ’Elder’?" he muttered in her ear. To onlookers, it looked as if the two of them were hugging.

Zara, riding behind on her own Skimmer, yelped in a low voice.

Rhys ignored the snickering and gulping voices of the single peasants behind him as he waited for Yuki to speak.

"If you allow me to nibble a bit more of yours..." her reply was a bit louder, causing a few men riding their Skimmers to tumble to the ground.

Rhys’s mouth opened wide enough to touch the ground.

’Where did she learn to flirt?’

[...]

’Don’t tell me it was also from me.’

[What the Host believes, that is it.]

The tunnel they moved through was narrow and twisted, branching off in all directions. It was a complex maze. Without a guide, anyone would be lost here forever.

[Hidden formation detected...]

[Burning lifespan to analyse...]

[Formation type: Illusion Array.]

[Grade: Heaven (High).]

[Description: A simple illusion magic that mirrors every path into thousands. Unless one has a formation identifier, they cannot find the way out.]

Bael was smart, as he made them walk through the dark tunnels for a long time. Finally, they reached a large hall.

The hall was huge, and the walls were filled with hundreds of small, dark holes. As they arrived, people began to emerge from these holes.

Rhys looked around. The settlement was filled with women and children. There were very few men. Bael motioned to his men as they dropped the crystal shards they had collected into the centre.

The women and children formed a quiet, orderly queue to collect their share. Bael led Rhys and Yuki through the crowd.

"Our tribe is small," he said sadly. "Only fifty of us are strong enough to fight. The rest... they depend on us."

He led them to the deepest part of the hall. There, sitting on a simple stone chair, was an old man. He was so old that he looked almost like a shrivelled corpse.

His skin was thin and dry, like old paper, stretched tightly over his bones. He was bald, and his eyes were closed. He looked as if he was asleep, or perhaps already dead.

"Elder Solon," Bael said, his voice full of respect. He bowed deeply.

Rhys felt a sudden, intense sense of danger. It was a feeling he had only felt a few times before. Once when he faced the god-like cultivators, and once when he met Yuki.

This old man, this shrivelled corpse, was incredibly dangerous.

’System, analyse him,’ Rhys commanded in his mind.

The System’s response was terrifying lines of glowing text that made his blood run cold.

[Solon.]

[Race: Human.]

[Cultivation: Law Initiate (Tier 8), weakened to Aura Manifestation (Tier 4).]

[Status: Alive.]

’Alive?’ His eyes locked with the pair of lifeless pupils, which gained a bit of a spark as they stared at each other.