https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-593-Scavenging-and-Group-Teleportation/13677396/
Chapter 592: Baron's Hidden Passage
The dim tunnel flickered with uneven candlelight, the cold wind slithering across the faces of those within, while grotesque shadows writhed along the stone walls like living nightmares.
“According to the map I unearthed,” the Flying Witch whispered, clutching her lamp cage tightly as she peered ahead, “this should be Baron Donald’s Hidden Chamber.”
Charlotte shot her a sideways glance and couldn’t help but scoff. “Why are you even carrying that broken lamp cage? You can’t see a thing.” She raised her staff and tapped the Flying Witch sharply on the back of the head.
“Ow!” The Flying Witch rubbed her scalp, wincing. “Guild Leader, why’d you hit me? I was just trying to set the mood—like a proper tomb raid, you know? So much spine-tingling suspense!”
“Spine-tingling? More like spine-ripping,” Charlotte muttered, pulling her out of the way. “Just grab your gear and move. If Baron Donald wakes up, we’re all dead.”
“Fine, fine…” The Flying Witch grumbled, lifting her staff and muttering under her breath.
【Light Spell】
A cascade of radiant beams erupted from the staff’s tip, instantly banishing the shadows. The entire tunnel was flooded with light—every crack, every corner, every detail now laid bare.
The Flying Witch pointed excitedly toward the distant Iron Gate. “There it is! The Hidden Chamber—Baron Donald himself marked it!”
She mounted her staff, preparing to fly across—after all, she was the Flying Witch, and such antics were expected of her nickname.
But Charlotte yanked hard on her long robe, dragging her back with a sharp tug.
“Guild Leader, what the hell?”
“You’re a complete idiot,” Charlotte snapped. “Have you forgotten the lesson Lanpu taught us? The one where we were trapped in a room full of traps and everyone died?”
The Flying Witch’s face paled. She remembered the horror—the collapsing walls, the poison darts, the way Lanpu had simply laughed as they screamed. She fell silent, rubbing her head sheepishly.
Charlotte reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, spherical metal device. She tossed it forward.
The object rolled across the ground, then—click—spun and sprouted four legs. A tail flicked up behind it, and it let out a sharp, dog-like caw.
Charlotte patted its head. “Go on, machine dog (slur)!”
“Woof! Woof!” The mechanical hound barked, tail wagging, then charged straight toward the Iron Gate.
Watching from the side, Mingyue shook his head in awe. “Mechanical DivinityCraft’s inventions keep getting weirder. A machine dog? Really?”
“Tell me about it,” Charlotte replied. “They’re cheap, portable, and now practically mandatory for dungeon runs. The only downside? Some people have too much of a sense of humor. Last time, a party in The Underdark triggered one of these with its barking—and it attracted a whole swarm of Shark Lizard Beasts. They actually filed a complaint with Mechanical Divinity’s customer service for compensation.”
“Ugh… woof, woof!” Mingyue groaned, pressing his fingers to his forehead.
The machine dog dashed through the corridor, zigzagging unpredictably—until click.
A sharp crack echoed through the tunnel. The dog had stepped on a pressure plate.
Instantly, thick, noxious poison mist surged from the ceiling, rolling like a black tide, swallowing the creature whole.
Then—thwip-thwip-thwip!—dozens of arrows erupted from cracks in the walls, raining down in a relentless storm. But the machine dog darted and weaved with uncanny precision, dodging every shot.
Charlotte raised her hand. An invisible barrier flared into existence before her, deflecting every arrow, every dart.
She turned to the Flying Witch, voice heavy with warning. “I told you. If I hadn’t pulled you back, you’d be a pincushion by now. Still too green.”
“Oh, okay, fine,” the Flying Witch shrugged, feigning nonchalance. But her eyes said she hadn’t heard a word.
“Woof! Woof!” The dog’s barks echoed from within the swirling black mist.
Yet the mechanical beast wasn’t just fast—it was smart. Thanks to Mechanical Divinity’s masterful craftsmanship and enchanted AI, it outmaneuvered even real hunting hounds.
Then—BOOM!
A violent explosion tore through the mist. The dog was split in two.
Charlotte grimaced. “This Hidden Chamber’s packed with traps. No wonder it’s the stronghold of the Thrace Kingdom. Their spellcraft level is way above the old Northern Regions.”
She recalled the Baron’s incompetence—drunk, lazy, and utterly clueless about magic. That’s why they’d gotten this far.
Had they approached a real mage or noble, they’d have been dead before they even reached the door.
But the two halves of the machine dog didn’t stop. They split, each one now independent, yipping excitedly as they scrambled forward, scanning the path ahead with their internal sensors.
Then—silence.
A low, unfamiliar voice echoed from the darkness ahead.
“Password?”
“Woof! Woof!”
Only the dog’s barking answered.
“Invasion! Die!”
Boom!
The barking cut off mid-sentence. Only the faint zzz of electric current remained.
Charlotte raised her staff again, eyes narrowing.
【Wind Generation Spell】
A 50-mile-per-hour gale roared from her staff, tearing through the corridor. The toxic black mist was swept aside like smoke in a storm.
And then—revealed.
A towering suit of armor, wielding a massive iron hammer, stood in the clearing. Empty. Yet it stood upright, its helm glowing with a red, mechanical pulse.
Beneath it lay two twisted, melted husks—what remained of the machine dogs.
Charlotte groaned, looking at the wreckage with genuine sorrow. “My machine dog! It was supposed to be reusable! This one only lasted one use?”
Mingyue studied the armor, his expression darkening. “I can feel it—strong arcane pulses. This isn’t just a construct. It’s animated.”
“Yeah, I know,” Charlotte replied. “These things are magically bound to carry out their creator’s final commands. They’re usually programmed with scripted language—can ask for passwords, issue warnings, even talk. Advanced ones can even hold conversations.”
“Damn,” Mingyue muttered. “This thing’s serious.”
Charlotte stared at the armor’s nameplate, her face paling.
【Thrace’s Animated Armor】
Challenge Rating: 12
Mingyue, known among the Guild as the living Ailezegai Encyclopedia, recognized the threat instantly.
Before he could speak, the armor began to move—clank, clank, clank—dragging its hammer across the stone floor, advancing with terrifying precision.
At thirty meters, it halted. The red glow in its helm fixed on the group.
A cold, mechanical voice rang out:
“Intruder. What is the password?”
Charlotte tugged Mingyue’s sleeve, whispering frantically. “Mingyue… you know this one?”
“Are you kidding?” Mingyue snapped. “These scripts are set by the creator! How the hell would I know?”
Charlotte’s face drained of color. She stared at the map she’d taken from Baron Donald’s hands, then, after a long pause, hesitantly tried:
“Baron Donald… your greatness… your wisdom… your divine presence?”
“Password incorrect.”
The armor’s helm flared with a burst of crimson spikes of light. It raised its hammer, roaring with a deep, guttural voice as steam hissed from its joints.
“Invasion! Die!”
Mingyue groaned. “You had to try that? You think you’re lucky?”
“Baron Donald’s orders! All invaders—must die!”
The armor charged, hammer swinging like a falling anvil. It aimed straight for Charlotte’s head.
“Too fast!” Charlotte cried, vanishing in a flash of Phantom Step, her body dissolving into a thick, white fog.
Boom!
The hammer struck the ground, shattering stone into a deep pit. Debris rained down.
Thanks to the spell, Charlotte reappeared tens of meters away—she exhaled in relief—only to see the armor turn, its red eyes locking onto her.
It charged again.
“Aggro locked!” Mingyue yelled. “It won’t stop until it kills you!”
“Don’t just stand there—do something!” Charlotte screamed, slapping on Feline Agility and Mage Armor, then sprinting backward.
But in this narrow corridor, the armored giant was too fast, too strong. She had no real chance.
“Invasion!”
Boom!
Another hammer strike. Charlotte rolled sideways, barely avoiding the blow.
“Attack it! Now! Protect the Guild Leader!”
“Right! Use lightning-based evocation spells—they’re especially effective against constructs!”
Mingyue raised his staff. A low hum filled the air.
Zzzz…
A crackling, spiky orb of lightning formed at the tip—Ball Lightning, a fifth-level spell.
It shot forward—
Zap!
But at the last second, a shimmering, pale blue membrane flared into existence. The lightning struck it—and bounced off.
The armor didn’t flinch.
Instead, it roared again.
“Attack detected! Intruders! All are enemies!”
Mingyue paled. “It’s got an anti-magic shield! No wonder—Thrace’s spellcraft is that advanced. Even a Baron has this kind of tech!”
“Mingyue, stop analyzing! Just save me! If we can’t beat it, we retreat!”
Charlotte was exhausted, dodging blow after blow. The hammer rained down like a storm. She barely kept ahead with a flurry of spells.
But the armor understood—it raised its right hand.
With a deep thud, the walls of the hidden passage slammed shut behind them.
Heavy, grinding sounds echoed from within the armor.
“Invasion. None shall escape.”
Mingyue’s eyes widened. “It’s not just a machine! It learns! Once it identifies you as a threat, it adapts!”
“Are you kidding me? Can’t you just fix this?” Charlotte screamed, sprinting again as the hammer came down.
Whooosh!
She dodged—just in time.
The rest of the Guild unleashed a barrage of fireballs, poison arrows, and lightning strikes—but every spell was deflected by the blue shield.
“Guild Leader! I’ll help!”
Flying Witch raised her Miracle Wand, grinning confidently. “If I cast a spell that exceeds the shield’s capacity, I can destroy it!”
“My turn! Gacha!”
All eyes turned to her. The final hope.
Bang!
A puff of dense white fog exploded from her staff.
And then—baa…
She transformed into a fluffy, wide-eyed sheep, letting out a shy, awkward bleat.
“Baa~”
Charlotte, covered in dust, half-dead from near-misses, stared in disbelief.
“…You’re kidding me.”
Had they come this far—survived the hardest deception—only to die to a silly iron statue?
Her spell slots were nearly empty. Charlotte gritted her teeth, gripping her staff.
“Fine. You want a fight, iron bastard? I’ll show you what Arena Phantom really means!”
【Greater Invisibility Spell】
Her body vanished—completely.
The armor’s voice echoed, unshaken:
“Master’s command: All invaders must be eliminated.”
It touched its helm. The red glow shifted—then turned white. A beam swept across the corridor, scanning.
Mingyue’s blood ran cold. “It can see invisibility! Guild Leader—do something! It’s going to find you!”
“Think! What’s Baron Donald’s weakness? His obsession?”
Charlotte, now invisible and crouched behind the armor, frantically searched her mind.
What did the fat, lazy, cowardly Baron love?
Greedy. Lustful. Arrogant. Cowardly.
Yes!
Cowardice.
That was it.
With no time to waste, she pulled out her Chameleon Cloak from her dimensional sack—still warm from its last use—and slipped it on.
Psshh… psshh…
The liquid cloak oozed over her legs, waist, and torso, then sealed around her neck. She took a deep breath.
She focused—really focused—on the Baron’s grotesque, fleshy face.
The cloak rippled.
It stretched. It bulged.
A massive, wobbling belly formed. Thick, flabby limbs. A face of jowls and wrinkles, a nose like a sausage, eyes half-closed with fear.
She was now a perfect, grotesque copy of Baron Donald.
Charlotte broke invisibility.
She stepped forward, chest puffed, voice booming:
“You insolent beast! Look upon your master! Do you recognize me?”
The armor froze. A cascade of mechanical whirrs and clicks filled the air.
“High-privilege user recognized.”
Then—clank—the suit of armor dropped to one knee.
“Master… Welcome back.”
Charlotte exhaled. Sweat poured down her face.
“…Phew. That was close.”
She hadn’t thought it would accept the disguise.
But of course—it made sense.
Baron Donald, the coward, had programmed his armor to only obey him. He’d never risk letting anyone else look like him.
No threat. No chance.
Not even a chance to be seen.
(End of Chapter)
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