Chen Tian looked at the interface rewards before him. A large pile of mechanical materials, and these materials were just right for upgrading the Snow Dragon. However, Chen Tian cared more about the experience points. This kill had allowed him to level up directly, which he found hard to believe.
He then checked the experience reward, and immediately understood. First kill, another first kill, and this time with quadruple experience reward. Chen Tian leveled up directly to level forty-two.
A prompt then slowly appeared on Chen Tian's panel: "Do you wish to enter the second layer?"
Chen Tian didn't hesitate. He clicked "Yes," and instantly, a void opened beneath the Snow Dragon and Chen Tian's feet. Their figures dropped in.
The Snow Dragon reacted first, spreading its wings and emitting a stream of air from its thrusters, allowing it to hover. It then gently lowered itself, carrying Chen Tian.
The entire process was like falling into an abyss, unfathomably dark and deep. They could only descend slowly, or Chen Tian would surely die.
After all, Chen Tian was currently similar to an ordinary NPC, his attributes sealed, utterly powerless. A fall from this height would undoubtedly be fatal.
Chen Tian then said, "Snow Dragon, you can descend faster. It's alright, don't worry about me!"
"Understood! Pay attention, Master!"
The Snow Dragon's descent gradually accelerated. Suddenly, a light appeared in their eyes. Chen Tian and the Snow Dragon landed directly on the ground.
Both were stunned by the scene before them. It was a vast underground world. That's right, a massive mechanical world existed beneath the surface.
The architecture here was dilapidated. Houses were in ruins, none complete, like a dead city devoid of any life.
Chen Tian asked, "Snow Dragon, how deep underground are we?"
The Snow Dragon's eyes emitted beams of light, scanning the surrounding ground. A mental image then formed, and it replied, "Master, we are at a depth of three thousand meters underground."
Chen Tian's interface then displayed, "Do you wish to proceed with the second layer trial?"
Chen Tian clicked "Yes." The ground began to shake, and a mysterious force forcibly pulled Chen Tian and the Snow Dragon into the city.
The city transformed, its buildings constantly shifting. If anyone had been watching from outside, they would have seen the entire city morph into a colossal maze.
When Chen Tian and the Snow Dragon regained their senses, they were surrounded by city walls. Chen Tian asked, "What is the trial objective?"
"Master, it appears to have become a maze. It seems we need to traverse the maze to reach the core of the second layer."
The Snow Dragon's scanner projected from its eyes, mapping out the approximate terrain. On the screen, countless houses formed a complex labyrinth.
Chen Tian then asked, "Can we get out of the maze?"
"I'll try! This maze can reconfigure itself every thirty seconds. My systems cannot calculate the optimal route, and the materials of these structures surpass those used to build me. They are indestructible."
The Snow Dragon frowned, finding it rather challenging. A maze!
Chen Tian fell into thought. It seemed this stage could not be overcome with brute force.
He then said, "Let's scout the path first."
The Snow Dragon nodded, and they began walking through the maze. Chen Tian observed his surroundings, believing there had to be a flaw. A maze couldn't be perfectly designed.
Suddenly, a sound like something giving way was heard. Numerous arrows shot out from the walls, mechanical arrows carrying terrifying force and speed, heading towards the Snow Dragon and Chen Tian from both sides.
The Snow Dragon reacted instantly, its arms extending into mechanical wrist blades. Flashes of light appeared as the mechanical arrows were cleaved in two.
Chen Tian exclaimed, "There are traps too! We can't move carelessly now!"
Chen Tian was exasperated. With such a maze design, which player could possibly pass?
Chen Tian felt a headache coming on. He then stepped forward. Nothing happened with this step.
The Snow Dragon then said, "Master, you don't need to worry about the traps here. At most, they will be troublesome; they won't harm us."
"My computer has already calculated that the materials used for these attacks are inferior to mine, meaning they pose no threat to us."
"Then why didn't you say so sooner? You made me tense up for nothing."
Chen Tian patted his chest, his expression relaxed. He was currently a mere mortal. A simple trap could instantly kill him, so naturally, he was afraid.
However, since the Snow Dragon said so, Chen Tian was no longer nervous. He slowly stepped forward, and the ground beneath his feet instantly sank. Chen Tian's face darkened.
"Oh, dear! Is every single step a trap? Am I lucky or unlucky?"
With a rumbling sound, the surrounding walls moved, slowly opening several stone doors. Then, mechanical guards appeared before Chen Tian.
However, these mechanical guards wielded different weapons, and beneath their feet were mechanical disks that adhered to the ground.
The Snow Dragon entered combat mode. Chen Tian brought up its information, and the enemy's stats appeared on the interface.
Chen Tian said, "Snow Dragon, deal with them. They're just level fifty mobs!"
"Understood!"
The Snow Dragon's twin blades flashed, and it instantly charged at the mechanical guards. Its hands transformed into mechanical dual blades, descending with a swish. But one mechanical guard, holding a shield, instantly appeared before the Snow Dragon.
The Snow Dragon's blades struck the shield, which slowly shattered. However, the mechanical guard suddenly changed. The guard who had been holding a shield now wielded a long sword.
The sword thrust out, aiming directly for the Snow Dragon's throat. Seeing this, the Snow Dragon decisively retreated.
As the Snow Dragon retreated, seven or eight mechanical guards slowly turned towards it, their mechanical joints whirring. All the mechanical guards moved towards the Snow Dragon, surrounding it.
Chen Tian watched the scene unfold calmly, observing intently. He had seen everything that had happened so far and needed to study it carefully. What exactly was going on?
The Snow Dragon, now surrounded, looked at the mechanical guards. It fired missiles from its body, scattering them in all directions.
But the mechanical guards spun, and an energy barrier appeared in a circular formation, like a wall. All the missiles were stopped by the light wall.
The silver mechanical light wall withstood the missile onslaught. As the missiles dissipated, the mechanical guards stopped spinning.
The Snow Dragon's hands transformed into laser cannons, and two beams of energy were fired towards the swordsman mechanical guard in front of it.
But the swordsman mechanical guard turned its body to the left. The spot where it had been was now occupied by a shield-wielding mechanical guard.
The two lasers struck the shield, and the shield instantly exploded. However, behind the Snow Dragon, the swordsman mechanical guard slowly thrust its sword.
The Snow Dragon reacted quickly, its arm transforming into a sword arm. The blade swung out, instantly deflecting the opponent's sword. Then, it slashed down, bisecting the mechanical guard.
As it was cut in half, seven or eight more stone doors appeared in the surrounding walls, and seven or eight more mechanical guards surrounded the Snow Dragon.
The Snow Dragon looked at the destroyed mechanical guard. Killing it had triggered a trap. Would more mechanical guards appear?
The Snow Dragon's expression became solemn as it looked around. If its guess was correct, it dared not make any rash moves, lest more appear.
Chen Tian stood outside, observing. He had a strange feeling that the mechanical guards' formation was very familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. It felt distant, and he couldn't quite recall.
But it was familiar, the pattern formed by their positions.
To the Snow Dragon's left, a cannonball shot out from the shoulder of a mechanical guard. The Snow Dragon dodged it with a horizontal slash, cutting the cannonball in half.
The Snow Dragon then stood still, observing. Lasers shot from the seven o'clock direction, and an energy shield appeared before the Snow Dragon to block them.
Slowly, it retreated to stand in front of a mechanical guard. The mechanical guard's chest slowly opened, and a cannon aimed at the Snow Dragon.
Seeing this, the Snow Dragon swung its sword horizontally, cleaving open the guard's chest. The cannon exploded, and the entire mechanical guard disintegrated into fragments.
The Snow Dragon expected more guards to appear, but this time, something different happened.