The light in the labyrinth was dim.
The dark green tones were very oppressive, and the air was filled with a suffocating sense of fear. The corridor was quiet, occasionally pierced by a chilling cry that sounded like the wail of a wronged soul, echoing in one's ears for a long time.
It felt as if the end of the pitch-black corridor was the gateway to hell, making every step filled with dread.
The rusted sword blades and axes, broken pottery, and scattered bones all hinted at the presence of terrifying monsters.
Ji Xun observed and confirmed that the atmosphere of the labyrinth was deliberately created.
This was a clever psychological suggestion, subtly affecting the mindset of intruders.
Just like how turning off the sound in a horror movie can reduce the fear factor by ninety percent.
But he still didn't understand the purpose of this setting.
Ji Xun walked through the maze at a steady pace.
As he walked, he left some marks on the walls.
The underground labyrinth was completely enclosed, and without knowing the correct path, he could only use traditional marking methods to explore.
However, Ji Xun knew that if he continued exploring like this, he would eventually encounter monsters, so he didn't dare to walk too fast.
While walking, he kept thinking about where the breakthrough point in this labyrinth might be.
With 300,000 laborers turned into monsters, the probability of encountering them was very high.
But perhaps another intense battle had attracted the attention of most monsters, so he didn't encounter any danger after walking through several corridors.
However, he frequently saw piles of bones in the corners.
This didn't make much sense to him.
Ji Xun vaguely felt that he was close to grasping something crucial.
But he knew that he was not the only one thinking of avoiding the people from the governor's mansion.
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind him.
...
"Captain, the skeletons are increasing..."
"Forget about the skeletons, move quickly! If we get targeted by the Confidential Keepers, we're done for!"
"This is too terrifying! That Confidential Keeper killed the Frost Knight with a single move! Damn it, what's happening? Isn't this supposed to be a D-level space?"
"..."
As the voices echoed, three people ran over in a panic, as if being chased by some monster.
Behind them, the empty corridor echoed with the dense sound of bones clashing.
They couldn't avoid colliding head-on with Ji Xun.
Ji Xun took a closer look and saw that it was Captain Dong Jiu and two other corpse collectors.
However, he didn't care who these three were.
He was more intrigued by another strange scene.
As soon as the three arrived, the bones scattered around the corridor suddenly stood up, seemingly awakened by some mysterious force, and transformed into skeleton monsters.
Ji Xun squinted slightly, thinking, "Are these bones really monsters?"
It seemed to trigger a chain reaction, as the previously dormant skeletons in the corridor all stood up, turning into Skeleton Artisans.
As these undead creatures appeared, the entire corridor became even more eerie.
Seeing this, Ji Xun didn't feel frightened; instead, a flash of insight struck him.
He thought, "If that's the case, I think I understand a bit more now..."
...
The three people who had been fleeing in panic were surprised to run into Ji Xun in the corridor.
Isn't that the newbie?
Sometimes, a look can reveal someone's malicious intent.
The three, having fled for a long time, were now considering using Ji Xun as bait. The guy named Bucktooth already had his hand on the dagger at his waist with ill intentions.
Ji Xun, who had been contemplating the awakening of the skeletons, noticed this movement out of the corner of his eye and murmured, "Isn't it better to stay alive..."
He knew exactly why the three were acting this way.
These guys weren't stupid. With skeleton monsters all around, getting entangled almost meant a dead end. Clearly, they thought using bait to attract the monsters would increase their chances of survival.
Preferably a bait that bleeds.
Hunters often use such methods to lure monsters in the wild.
Bucktooth confidently drew his dagger, probably thinking that his Tier 2 strength could easily sever Ji Xun's leg.
However, at that moment, something unexpected happened.
Ji Xun's unfocused eyes suddenly turned sharp as he swiftly drew his gun.
Almost simultaneously with the glint of Bucktooth's dagger, a black muzzle was pressed against his head.
With the gun to his head, Bucktooth's expression shifted from disdain to sheer terror, his pupils dilating in shock.
But this was already the last scene of his life.
With a "bang," the thunderous gunshot echoed in the corridor.
Without any hesitation, Ji Xun pulled the trigger as soon as he drew the gun.
He didn't spare a glance at the now headless Bucktooth, swiftly turning the gun toward Captain Dong Jiu a few meters away and decisively pulling the trigger again.
Although he had no intention of killing, when it came to actual killing, he was not hesitant.
These three were a group.
Since he decided to act, he had to kill swiftly.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two gunshots rang out.
In an instant, the bullets created air currents as they shot through the air.
Dong Jiu, who had been glancing at the scene, was first shocked to see Bucktooth's head explode. When he saw the gun aimed at him, he instinctively stopped and sidestepped, using his combat skills to make an extreme evasive maneuver.
He was a card apprentice at the sixth level of curse power, following the "fighter" path, which gave him nerve response speed and muscle explosiveness several times greater than that of an ordinary person.
This extreme dodge caused the two originally aimed chest shots to miss, one missing entirely and the other hitting his shoulder.
The bullet grazed his shoulder.
Moreover, the toughness of a transcendent's body was far superior to that of an ordinary person, so this shot didn't cause much damage.
"You...!"
Dong Jiu looked at Ji Xun, who was coldly aiming at him, with extreme astonishment.
Was this really the timid rookie in his team who didn't dare to complain even when his salary was deducted?
No time to think, Dong Jiu endured the intense pain in his shoulder and suddenly flipped and kicked off the ground, his thigh muscles knotting and bursting with power, his shoes making a screeching sound as they scraped the floor. He charged at Ji Xun like a cheetah.
Extremely fast!
What good is having a gun?
At such a close distance, firearms might not be faster than combat techniques.
Ji Xun's expression didn't change at all when he saw that two shots hadn't killed Dong Jiu.
He had to admit, Dong Jiu's skills were indeed not bad.
He had used the money extorted from rookies to buy a lot of supplements, making his physical qualities much stronger than average, and his combat skills weren't bad either.
Ji Xun believed that if it were him, he couldn't have dodged those two shots.
Strength doesn't mean knowing how to use it.
That's the difference in combat skills.
Even with an empty gun, Ji Xun's expression showed no fluctuation.
He kept his eyes locked on Dong Jiu, stabilizing his arm after the recoil of the previous shots, and decisively pulled the trigger again.
However, the third shot missed as well.
This distance was no longer suitable for shooting.
During the interval between shots, Dong Jiu had lowered his stance and lunged at Ji Xun's waist, thinking with glee, "This guy is dead!"
Now in close combat, this was the ideal position for an over-the-chest throw. With inertia locking the opponent's waist, he could instantly flip back and slam them into the ground, breaking their skull and spine.
This was a deadly move.
However, Dong Jiu's relief lasted only a moment.
In the next second, his face changed drastically!
Instead of lifting Ji Xun, Dong Jiu felt as if he had hit a strong bull, shocked to find Ji Xun unmoving. How could this be?
He was already at the sixth level of curse power, a top card apprentice, with strong power and explosive strength, yet he couldn't throw this rookie?
Dong Jiu quickly realized: This rookie was also a close-combat card apprentice! And stronger than him!
But he couldn't understand why someone so strong would work as a corpse collector, hiding their strength.
Ji Xun didn't give Dong Jiu time to figure it out.
Seeing himself being grabbed, Ji Xun took a step back to stabilize himself, pressed the gun to Dong Jiu's waist, and fired two more shots.
At this range, a throw was deadly.
But a firearm was deadlier.
Without the protection of curse power, the bullets easily pierced through muscle and bone.
As the gunshots rang out, blood gushed out instantly.
The bullets penetrated Dong Jiu's organs, his face rapidly losing color.
Ji Xun watched Dong Jiu, who lay on the ground gasping, and fired another shot into his head.
Now he was completely dead.
The body lay in a pool of blood.
...
Ji Xun killed two people in quick succession without even glancing at the corpses, then turned his gun towards the last survivor.
Laitou Liu was stunned, his eyes filled with fear and disbelief: Captain Dong Jiu is dead?
He never imagined that the usually timid rookie would be so ruthless, killing two people without his hands trembling.
Staring down the barrel of Ji Xun's gun, Laitou Liu trembled, "Brother... no, big brother... please don't kill me!"
Ji Xun tilted his head, looked at him, and didn't pull the trigger. He just stared coldly.
Pulling the trigger would waste a bullet, but he didn't do it.
Leaving one alive would help verify his earlier judgment.
...
In the span of a few breaths, the skeleton monsters in the labyrinth were gradually closing in.
These skeleton monsters weren't fast, nor very strong, but three to five small skeletons could pose a deadly threat to ordinary people.
Their combat strength was lacking, but their numbers were overwhelming.
Soon, hundreds of clattering skeletons filled the corridor.
And more were coming.
Some of these monsters held old axes, swords, and shields.
Though the weapons were worn, they were still deadly.
Seeing more and more skeletons approaching, Laitou Liu was scared out of his wits.
He wanted to run.
But the dark barrel of the gun pointed at him kept him from moving.
What confused him was why the rookie with the gun wasn't running either.
If he wanted to use me as bait, why didn't he run himself?
...
Ji Xun didn't say a word, holding the gun, and quietly retreated to another fork in the path.
The experience he gained from the [407 Anomalous Creature Research Institute] gave him a lot of insights and inspiration.
He now understood that adhering to the rules of the space was the only reasonable way to clear it.
Although the enlightenment he received earlier wasn't much, it was already quite clear.
The keyword was: puzzle-solving.
This labyrinth had killed 300,000 laborers, which meant there were 300,000 skeleton monsters.
For curse card masters, these low-level skeleton monsters could indeed be taken down with one punch each.
But in this grand cemetery labyrinth, there were 300,000 skeletons—could you punch 300,000 times?
Moreover, there seemed to be a [Secrecy Keeper] capable of instantly killing a Frost Knight.
Ji Xun didn't think killing monsters was the correct way to clear the labyrinth.
So, at this moment, he needed to figure out a few things.
For instance, the aggro mechanism of the monsters.
...
Ji Xun carefully observed the various details of the skeleton monsters' limbs.
Standing at the fork in the path was to ensure that if he judged incorrectly, he could still retreat calmly.
Being prepared for both advances and retreats, Ji Xun had no reason to panic.
However, Laitou Liu, who had a gun pointed at him, was already scared out of his wits, his face as pale as paper from fear.
He couldn't understand why the person facing him wasn't running when the monsters were already here.
At that moment, the skeleton monsters were closing in within ten meters, the creaking sound of bones rubbing together making one's hair stand on end.
Laitou Liu finally couldn't endure the approaching death.
Either way, he was going to die!
Better to try and escape than to wait for death!
With a scream, he ignored the gun pointed at him, turned around, and started running frantically down another passage.
Immediately, a large number of skeleton monsters pursued him relentlessly.
Watching the skeletons swarm like a tide, Ji Xun still didn't move.
He didn't shoot, nor did he flee, but hid in the dark corner, suppressing his breath as much as possible.
Because a strange scene was unfolding.
The skeleton monsters, as if they couldn't see the living person nearby, all chased after Laitou Liu who was running away.
Seeing the countless skeletons rushing past him, Ji Xun's eyes sparkled with understanding: "So that's it."
At this moment, he finally arrived at an accurate conclusion: The skeleton monsters detect their targets based on fluctuations in sanity, or in terms of his previous life, Sanity Value (San)!
...
Previously, when Ji Xun heard Dong Jiu and the others talking about the labyrinth's skeleton monsters in the car, he had a question in his mind: How did those skeletons, with only bones, sense and lock onto their targets?
Ordinary creatures rely on various sensory organs for target perception, such as smell, temperature, vision, and sound...
But skeletons have no organs.
Not even a brain.
This was a magical world, but that didn't mean there was no basic logic.
Since skeletons could sense living people, there must be some objective factors causing this.
He couldn't figure it out alone, but encountering Dong Jiu and the others provided him with the conditions to verify his theory.
There were two fresh corpses on the ground, with fresh blood and warmth.
Yet, the skeleton monsters showed no interest.
This directly proved that flesh, smell, and temperature were not factors attracting the skeletons' aggro.
The scope of possibilities immediately narrowed.
Ji Xun left one alive to rule out the last few possibilities.
Actually, when the three had first entered, Ji Xun observed the skeletal reactions and noticed an anomaly.
When the skeleton monsters appeared at the corner of the passage, almost all of their skulls had a tilting motion as if "seeing" the targets.
This didn't mean their empty eye sockets actually saw anything; it was likely a remnant of their instincts from when they were alive.
But it indicated how the monsters targeted their aggro.
Clearly, their attention was all on Dong Jiu and the others, completely ignoring Ji Xun.
Only a few taller [Elite Skeletons] noticed him, but once he donned the clown mask and suppressed his emotional fluctuations, the monsters instantly lost their target.
Ji Xun thus ruled out two of the skeletons' sensory methods: soul and breath.
There weren't many options left.
Among two living people, the biggest difference was that one was full of fear, while Ji Xun controlled his fear.
The evidence was right before him: the skeletons all chased after the terrified Laitou Liu.
Thus, the final conclusion: the fear-induced drop in Sanity Value was the main factor attracting the skeleton monsters!
Thinking back to when he was walking alone in the passage, those skeletons didn't awaken, which he hadn't understood at the time.
Now he realized that from the moment he entered the labyrinth, his Sanity Value fluctuations were very small, not reaching the threshold to trigger the monsters' aggro.
And the labyrinth's environment was constantly suggesting terror to induce Sanity Value fluctuations.
For Ji Xun, who had already noticed the anomaly, this had little effect.
Understanding this, the labyrinth's danger was immediately reduced by more than half.
This was the difficulty level that the original [Grand Cemetery Labyrinth] should have for a D-level space.
Ji Xun had seen a glimmer of hope for breaking through.
Of course, this didn't include the [Secret Keeper] that no one had ever seen.