Two orcs with excellent night vision moved in front of the group while keeping at least a ten-meter distance. It's been five minutes since they all entered this passage behind the sealed door, and the tension was at an all-time high.
Jacob was positioned in the center as he walked in the dark passage. With his own night vision, he could clearly see the structure of this passage was carefully created by master craftsmen, and the architecture was quite grand.
'How could this place be just a hideout? It's more like a palace.' Jacob thought as he remembered the map, 'According to the map, this place is a massive death maze. The only way to move forward is…'
His eyes suddenly moved when he spotted a faint trace of light right up ahead, and he wasn't alone.
"That should be the exit." The troll who was at the front exclaimed with a hint of excitement.
Not just him, but everyone was quite excited about finding treasures and almost forgot about their leader.
As the team approached the faint white light, they were shocked once they reached the source.
It was a completely sealed passage with a dark wall filled with rune symbols, and there were three stone doors in red, blue, and yellow color. White magic touches were blazing beside each door.
Furthermore, on each door, a statue of a magic beast maw was attached. On the red door was a wolf, on the blue was a lion, while on the yellow door was a bear. All of them were bearing their sharp fangs.
Right at this moment, out of everyone's expectation, even Jacob's, a static voice rang.
"Unidentified life signature detected…
"18 life signals confirmed!
"The inheritance grounds have been activated!
"Welcome to the Witch Palace's Inheritance Grounds!"
Everyone was astounded by this revelation as it became extremely clear who this place belonged to now.
"It was really the legendary Vile Witch Layer!" Oply exclaimed as she looked at Jacob.
However, Jacob was not in the mood to pay attention to the multiple gazes because he didn't know that there was some sort of AI in this place. He just had a detailed map and key, nothing else.
Now, everyone knows this place belonged to the Vile Witch, and if he were correct, then it would be tough to do what he wanted to if this place was some sort of inheritance trial.
'Could it be the 'Sacrifice Checkpoints' in the map were hurdles to test the people who came here after the Vile Witch treasures, and like those two, I also thought these sacrifices meant living sacrifices?
'If this is true, then this also means there was no need to take any of the people here at all, and now I have 17 more people to compete against…' Jacob's mind raced as he felt he was being tricked.
But it wasn't his fault entirely. Who could've expected the Vile Witch, infamous for her cruelty, would give a fair chance to anyone who sought her inheritance? Furthermore, the Sacrifice Checkpoints didn't give a peaceful vibe either.
However, Jacob controlled his emotions, as he was still an absolute advantage since he had the map and the key. He still does not believe that these Sacrifice Checkpoints were as simple as just trials.
There were also Spirit Checkpoints other than the Sacrifice Checkpoints, so it was still unclear whether his conjecture was correct or incorrect.
All he could do was to be prepared for the worst and do his best to overcome these mysterious checkpoints.
At this moment, the voice rang again,
"Congratulations Participants. You are the first ground who had ever entered the Witch Palace since the time it was built by my master, Witch Queen.
"1 Inheritor Points will be awarded to each of you!
"Your Life Signals has been saved in the database of Witch Palace.
"Now you must compete with each other for the inheritance of Witch Queen!
"There are multiple checkpoints scattered in the inheritance grounds known as Sacrifice Checkpoints and Spirit Checkpoints!
"You need to find those checkpoints and clear them to become the Master of Witch Palace. But be warned; the entire inheritance ground is a death maze, so consider your steps very carefully.
"Each successfully cleared checkpoint will be rewarded in either Sacrifice Points or Spirit Points in corresponding to the checkpoint you cleared.
"The Sacrifice Points and Spirit Points are your prime targets if you want to become the master of Witch Palace.
"Because you need to collect 100 Inheritor Points to become the master of the Witch Palace. To earn Inheritor Points, you need to combine 10 Sacrifice Points and 10 Spirit Points, and you will get 1 Inheritor point in return.
"You are also free to kill each other to plunder others' points. Also, please keep in mind that each and every checkpoint will result in death if failed, and only by using five inheritor points could a lifeline be earned.
"Right now, except for the 'Faery Human,' you all possessed 1 Inheritor Point. The Faery Human has opened the palace door, and he also has the Witch Queen's Key, so he has 61 Inheritor Points!
"Let me remind you all, only one can be the Master of Witch Palace, while the others will be killed the moment a participant earns 100 inheritor points!"
The moment they all heard the rules of the Witch Palace, the atmosphere turned icy cold as everyone started to look at Jacob with greed and malicious intentions. It was quite clear whoever killed Jacob would get the 61 inheritor points!
But the voice was far from done as it continued,
"Right in front of you all is the very First Sacrifice Checkpoint. It is also an entrance test to the death maze.
"The three-color doors in front of you represent three vicious beasts. Choose any door, and you will be given a corresponding test according to the door you choose. Furthermore, the Wolf Door will give the least amount of Sacrifice Points, while the Bear Door will be rewarded with the most.
"But as it is a sacrifice checkpoint, you must provide a sufficient sacrifice to enter the door of your choosing, and without sufficient sacrifice, the door won't open!
"The Wolf demands a sacrifice of One Heart!
"The Lion demands a sacrifice of Two Hearts!
"The Bear demands a sacrifice of Three Hearts!"