Even though Jacob wanted to, he couldn't move carelessly in this catacomb maze.
But he was more worried about the footsteps behind him, which would catch up to him no matter which direction he took or how fast and silent his steps were.
In the end, he decided to confront whoever it was, or he won't have peace of mind.
A sniper rifle appeared in his hand, but it wasn't the Titan rifle but CT.408 Sniper Rifle with a normal 32X standard infrared scope created by him.
Jacob coldly placed the sniper rifle at the end of the cross path, hid it with those skulls, and then placed his eye behind the scope.
He won't care if it is undead or living. He was going to get rid of them since this person kept chasing after him.
Without his hearing, he might not be able to hear the other person, so he knew just how stealthy the other party was. This place was teeming with an unknown danger, and Jacob couldn't have a threat that was proficient in tracking.
Jacob's finger was the trigger as he heard those footsteps slowly approaching.
Thereupon, something entered Jacob's view, and he pulled the trigger!
'Boom…'
The bullet sound reverberated in the silent vicinity of the catacomb pathways.
But Jacob's eyes narrowed because the thing that was blasted apart was a random dry skull on a blade tip. But what made Jacob astonished was the bullet didn't pierce through the silver tip of the sword but bounced off without leaving a scratch!
Not only that but the holder of that sword didn't seem affected by the bullet impact either, as the blade was still held at the same spot without dropping.
The other party is extremely strong!
"So, you can hear my footsteps and go for a decisive kill, huh? Nice, you have some skills and grit to survive." A crisp voice filled with disdain rang at this moment.
It was clearly the owner of the sword.
Jacob frowned, 'Not a Dark Being. Since everyone is fighting for survival in this place, each faction might be more untied than the outside. Furthermore, from this person's tone, she let me hear her footsteps so she could test me?'
"Who are you?" He decided to question since having an experienced person around would only do better than harm.
Well, as long as they had no malicious intentions, that is.
"I'm also just like you, who was mysteriously thrown into this shityard two years ago. You are the first person I have encountered in two years. How about we team up? I have no ill intention and only wanted to leave this godforsaken shityard!" revealed the woman in an aggravated tone.
Jacob was startled when he heard she had been trapped here for two years!
'Just what kind of place is it? Or she might be just lying to win my trust. But if what she said is true, then I need to know why she couldn't leave even after two years.' Jacob was sullen.
"Look, I know it is difficult to trust someone you just met. But I'm sincere in working with you to get out of here. I'm going to come out to show my sincerity!" The women declared.
Jacob remained stoic as he coldly watched as white furry hands slowly appeared, and seeing the infrared view, he confirmed it was a living person.
A petite woman with wolf ears, wearing short black armor, only covering her vitals, appeared while holding her hands above in surrender. A sword and an assault rifle were attached to her slim waist.
'A wolf demi human!' He instantly guessed when he saw those features.
Since the other party was showing their hands, it was clear she was sincere about her words or simply too confident in her act.
But Jacob decided to believe her since she might hold vital information about this maze.
However, he didn't lower his rifle and walked in front of her, "What is this place?" He asked.
The wolf woman's eyes lit up when she saw Jacob and smiled while she said, "Can I lower my hands?"
"You may, but if you so much as twitch your finger, I'll shoot!" Jacob coldly stated.
"So scary!" She giggled, "As I said before, this place is called Dark Ruin."
Jacob frowned, "I know. I'm talking about, where are we?"
He didn't know if this woman was being deliberately cute or not, but it wasn't working.
"Oh, you must also receive that message in your star watch, right? Sigh… is this some kind of game played by the Star Network?" She wondered out loud.
'Close enough.' Jacob thought.
"Then you didn't find the way out of this place in two years?" He asked another question.
"How long have you been in this place?" She questioned instead with a hint of anticipation.
Jacob frowned but still answered, "Couple of hours."
The Wolf Woman's eyes shone brilliantly, "I knew it! Who is the current ruler of the Ice Nation? And did we win the Nightmare Championship?
Jacob wanted to shoot her down as she started asking meaningless questions like a curious baby.
Suppressing his dark urges, he coldly uttered, "I have no idea, nor do I care. If this is all you have to say, then I better wonder alone. Don't follow me anymore!"
The Wolf Woman quickly changed the topic as her curious expression turned severe and aggravated, "Alright, you won't have to be so mean to a fellow tribesman, you know."
Jacob remained silent even after being called a fellow tribesman. She was clearly his species with those sublet words, which was proof enough of this woman's cunning nature, just like a real wolf.
The Wolf Woman suddenly smiled charmingly when she saw Jacob didn't fall for her trap, "I'll tell you straight this time, it's not like I don't find a way out, but it's just that there is something terrifying blocking the way out. If you wander in this shityard long enough, you'll naturally bump into that fellow.
"But that thing is probably Extraordinary-Tier-1 or even 2, so unless you are one as well, there is no other way out of this place. No matter how much you dig or blast, this strange maze is endless.
"Because this maze changes every 72 hours, any damage done to it will also reset with it. You won't even know it has, and you'll keep moving in circles while thinking you have made progress.
"But you'll die of hunger and thirst soon, if not madness. Trust me. I'll learn the hard way!"
Jacob suddenly felt something was not adding up with her explanation, "How do you survive in two years?"
The wolf woman's lips suddenly move into a crescent smile, "Of course, it's because I found a special room in this place which had a clear water pond with some fish. It also recovered every three days, no matter how much you drank or ate from it. It's just that finding it is a hassle, but now I'm a pro at it."
Jacob felt silent when he heard this. No matter how much it sounds ridiculous, it might be possible in this place.
"Now, you should understand teaming up with is your only way to survive and leave this place!" Her smile was somewhat foreboding.
After thinking for a moment, he lowered his rifle and nodded, "Alright, I'll help you, but only if I am confident. I won't throw my life away."
She smiled broadly when she heard this and nodded, "Don't worry, I won't ask you to commit suicide. I also wanted to leave this place more than you could ever."
Jacob could only take her words for it.
"My name is Livia, and I'm from Blue Wolf Human Tribe of Ice Nation." Livia introduced herself.
"Jack." Jacob coldly uttered.
"Just Jack? Hmm, well, it is easy to remember, I guess. Let's go. I'll show you around this shityard." Livia giggled as she didn't mind Jacob still hiding his origin.
She would do the same if she were in his shoe or even worse.
Jacob then followed Livia as she led him through different pathways. He had to admit this maze was big, and all the passages looked almost identical.
"Look carefully, the skulls on each pathway had different patterns, and as long as you can remember them, you can easily navigate this place. This is also how I discovered the reset time of this maze. I must say I almost go berserk when I do, though!" Livia sighed as she told about her nasty experience in this place.
Jacob also frowned. He might do the same if it was him. It could be said that Jacob was quite lucky to encounter Livia or hunger was something he dreaded most after death.
He also noticed the walls' skulls were arranged in different patterns. It was hard to notice if someone really hadn't been paying attention to them.
Soon, they reached their destination!