Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Road to Death
The difficulty of this lock is that the final test remains the same, but the prior four are subject to change. The doors created by the Mechanical Gnomes can be managed, for their knowledge is limited.
However, if the locks are established by the Titans, it is even more terrifying. To decipher the first four nodes is already a tremendous challenge.
Furthermore, the final node is usually the most complicated. Some individuals may be powerful enough to defeat strong monsters, yet overcoming oneself is an entirely different matter.
As the proverb goes, ‘It is easier to conquer heaven and earth than oneself’.
This certainly rings true for those who are not adept at battling. For instance, a second-tier individual who lacks combat skills can only fail to use his potential power effectively.
The self-image simulated by the Titans, though formulaic, is always equipped with top-tier tactics and strategies. Any combat newbie fighting this duplication of oneself is simply walking down the path of death.
For these reasons, the Cryptic Lock is referred to as the ‘Door of Despair.’ Unless one knows the exact code to unlock it, failure and frustration await on the path of decryption.
“Heh, time’s almost up.” chortled a Dwarf Master, feeling somewhat relieved.
“It seems the leader’s favorite person isn’t so impressive. No one really knows his origin. I wonder why the leader even lent him the Golden Puppet.” Being a master, of course, he understood the value of the Golden Puppet. In the entire Dwarf Race, no more than thirty owned Golden Quality Puppets.
Even the Purple Puppet was a sought-after rarity, virtually unattainable unless you were a race level boss or had accomplished something extraordinary.
The object they had yearned for was now under the control of a foreigner, causing resentment. Why were the amazing things always found by him? And such an ambiguous character, too.
The others obviously heaved a sigh of relief. This indicated an opportunity to obtain the legacy left by the Titans, their ultimate desire.
“Well, well, unlocking the Titan’s lock… It’s easier said than done… Oops, time’s up?” A dwarf gaped as he noticed Li Yao leaving the console.
“Okay then, brother. You must be tired. Why don’t you go take a rest? It’s my turn now.” Another dwarf, who had been healing a monster, said jubilantly.
Li Yao retreated a few steps, stating, “I’m afraid you won’t get a chance to begin. You should go find another door.”
“What do you mean, huh? Are you attempting to monopolize this place?” The masters were visibly displeased.
Li Yao shook his head and said, “How could someone as pure as me harbor such nasty ideas as you guys? You’ll see soon.”
Following Li Yao’s words, six bright spots appeared on the door, resembling a star-filled sky. These lights formed a halo and all the other lights on the door disappeared, leaving only a plain, monumental stone door.
“The Cryptic Lock, you actually unlocked it. Impossible!”
“Half an hour was all it took you to unlock the Cryptic Lock, what kind of creature are you?”
“This is impossible! Nothing like this has ever happened. It cannot be.”
The players had no idea what the Cryptic Lock was. However, seeing the shocked expression on the masters’ faces, they guessed that its complexity was unprecedentedly high. Otherwise, the masters would not be so stunned.
The players instantly felt a wave of disappointment. They had yet to complete a single quest. On the other hand, Li Yao’s five comrades were elated as they had already completed two tasks. Unfortunately, their role had merely been limited to insignificant aiding tasks while following Li Yao.
“It’s an illusion, it must be! It’s highly unlikely to decipher a normal lock within half an hour, let alone the damn Cryptic Lock which seems impossible to unlock. I must have been struck by a hallucination spell.” A goblin commander bucketed cold water over his head only to find himself looking into the six bright spots that formed the halo again when turned his gaze back to the door. The halo moved into Li Yao’s forehead.
Everyone knew the implication of this– Li Yao had received the message hidden within the door.
Li Yao was also surprised. He hadn’t had high hopes for this information at first, seeing as he’d obtained a lot of similar information in his past life. But it was beyond his expectation that the information in this door allowed him to learn new engineering skills. These techniques, derived from Titan technology, were held by very few.
The value of this was immense. Even without any other schematics gained, merely having these techniques meant a massive win.
“Indeed, as expected from the ‘Door of Despair’, aka the Cryptic Lock, the concealed information is extraordinary.” Li Yao, coming back to his senses, noticed the masters who seemed to be in a Demon-barrier-like state.
“You may all retreat now. According to our agreement, this place is mine,” Li Yao said in a loud voice.
The masters finally snapped out of their shock upon hearing Li Yao’s words. This goes to show how profound an impact unlocking the Cryptic Lock had made on them.
“Wait!” A Goblin master riding a monster stood in the way of the other masters who were about to leave.
“Let’s go and find the next door. There’s no point in staying around if we’re outperformed.” A Dwarf Master said remorsefully. However, he didn’t show much disappointment. Once they found out that it was the Cryptic Lock, they all understood that none of them had the capability to unlock it.
The Goblin riding the monster sneered, “Have you all forgotten? We only agreed to let him unlock the door. When did we agree that everything inside would belong to him?”
Another Goblin also remarked with an enlightened expression, “Right, you’ve already obtained tremendous knowledge and technology from the Titans. You can’t take all the treasures too, can you? After all, we did work hard as well.”
“So, are you planning on going back on your word?” A faint, cold smile spread across Li Yao’s face.
“How could it be going back on our word? We are of the same kinship after all. Isn’t it only natural for us to assist each other?”
“Yes, there must be a lot of things in there. You won’t be able to take all of them yourself. We should help you carry some.”
The Goblin added, “That’s right. Your kin have already agreed. There might be dangers inside, so we should go in to remove the obstacles for you. You wouldn’t object, right?”
“Do I have a say in this?” Li Yao asked neutrally, lowering his head.
“You do not.” The five masters had already mounted their vehicles and stood in alignment, ready to confront Li Yao.
“This is intolerable! Master, let’s fight them.” War Horizon and the others were furious. Though they wouldn’t get a large share, they’d still earn a little from Li Yao’s findings. Now these people wanted to ruin everything—it was absolutely unbearable.
“Alright, let’s go in together.” Ignoring War Horizon, Li Yao seemed to have been intimidated by their imposing manner.
Seeing Li Yao being submissive sparked an even greater sense of superiority within the masters. One of them even said, “Wrong, we go in first. After all, you have already gained Titan technology and cannot be the first one again.”
“Fine, you make the rules.” Li Yao expressed his dissatisfaction.
“Let’s go.” The masters proceeded shoulder to shoulder. The players jubilantly smirked at Li Yao’s group before pushing the door open and walking in.
War Horizon and the others were filled with unwillingness. However, they noticed that instead of following them, Li Yao summoned the console again.
“Door System: Are you sure you would like to close the door again?”
Li Yao’s face which was filled with disappointment was now calm, “I’m sure.”
As the door closed, noises of monsters fighting with people emerged from inside.
“You chose to walk down the path of death yourselves. You can’t blame me.”
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