Genius Chapter 155: Unknown Exploration β2 Star Domain

Chapter 155: Unknown Exploration β2 Star Domain

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

The result of the second match was decided in an instant, and even the slowest viewers in the livestream finally understood what had happened. While the spectators could only see the players but not the buffs on the field, the array master and the two assassins had lured the opponents into a trap, allowing the Advertising team to turn the game around. Each buff on the field lasted 10 seconds; leaving the maze reset the effect, but staying within the maze continually stacked the buff every 10 seconds. The advertising team managed to make use of the beneficial buffs while trapping their opponents with debuffs, which revealed one key fact:

The advertising team had fully grasped the mechanism of the Five Elements map.

[Oh my god, wait, did they already understand the maze even before deciding on the chopper team lineup?]

[Suddenly remembering how FireworksAndLanterns was running all over the place… turns out they were testing the mechanics.]

[Wow, does that mean they intentionally threw the first round?]

[They threw one round to understand the mechanics, then used that to counterattack… Advertising team with the ultimate play!]

[Damn, this is giving me chills.]

“The advertising team’s command in this round was incredibly steady. Facing Veiled Cloud Sanctuary, they actually dared to let the first round go just to test the mechanics. With the maze changing so quickly, how did the commander manage to react and issue commands so swiftly?” SkilfulEmptyHand remarked, “And to lead Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team into a trap while calculating every move… that’s pretty ruthless.”

FirstUnderHeaven remained silent for a moment before responding, “Maybe this is just the beginning… The Advertising team already has the advantage, while Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team is stuck in place. Have you noticed? After the Advertising team figured out the mechanics, they kept leading the other team around. For example, in the first round, FireworksAndLanterns and CloudTraveller were stuck in the same maze, and in the second round, Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team was passive, fighting back in the middle when there were no buffs… Comparing the two teams, only the Advertising team members were constantly moving through the maze.”

[…So after figuring out the mechanics, they didn’t even give their opponents a chance to learn them.]
[Their execution is also really strong. If I were constantly being chased like that, my mindset would’ve probably collapsed long ago.]

[CloudTraveller going up against Momo, only to be outplayed like this…]

Soon, the competition format refreshed, and the next match was a [2v2].

Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team sent out a warrior and a Daoist priest, while the Advertising team fielded a physical swordsman and a magical swordsman. Neither team brought a healer, clearly indicating they didn’t intend to drag out the fight.

Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team was a standard lineup with a shield and a caster, while the Advertising team opted for the rare double swordsman combo, one physical and one magical.

In terms of damage output, Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team couldn’t match the Advertising team.
But in terms of control, Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team had the upper hand.

The magical swordsman was known for being a high-attack profession, and under equal gear conditions, their damage output was unmatched. However, going up against a Doaist priest, who combined both control and damage, this round wouldn’t be an easy fight.

“CloudTraveller is back for the third round, which shows how eager they are to secure this win. His partner is the second Doaist priest, Falling Feathers. Based on their strength, Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team has a clear advantage over the Advertising team,” SkilfulEmptyHand commented. “However, the Advertising team is quite good at winning from a disadvantage, and physical swordsman ClearWindIsHere and magical swordsman Apple are also formidable.”

Despite seeing this lineup, the Advertising team didn’t panic. The two players preparing to enter the arena had already started planning their routes.

“I’ll head toward the upper area, you go to the lower,” ClearWind said. “I’m bad with directions, but the upper path looks easier to follow.”

ScarletFruit was confused, “??? How can you be bad with directions and still tell which path is easier?”

Watermelon joked, “I’m suddenly a bit worried about you two. What if the match starts with the Overcoming order, and the health-draining buff hits us?”

Yu Zhen added, “The buffs won’t appear immediately at the start. We’ll guide you through. It’s best to stay close to the maze’s position so if the health-draining debuff does appear, you can escape quickly.”

ClearWind nonchalantly replied, “Don’t worry. With our luck, the health-drain will definitely hit their side.”

Apple played along, “Yeah, all the health-draining debuffs will hit CloudTraveller’s team. He’s tanky enough—let him lose some health so we can cut him down later.”

The two continued chatting, only to notice their teammates suddenly fell silent. They suddenly remembered—Apple and ClearWind, the two notorious jinxes, had teamed up.

ScarletFruit commented, “As long as you’re happy, just don’t jinx yourselves to death…”

FireworksAndLanterns asked, “Is this really going to work?”

Watermelon held his head in despair, “No worries. Two negatives make a positive. At worst, we just throw this round…”

ClearWind was speechless.
Apple was speechless.

Soon, both teams’ players spawned inside the Five Elements Palace. As soon as the countdown ended, both teams immediately moved out of the maze area. Strangely, both teams chose to split up at the start this time, with Veiled Cloud Sanctuary seemingly also starting to explore the map mechanics, for the first time not heading straight toward the center.

Both sides tactically moved through four different mazes, seemingly calculating their moves against each other.

Finally, the first message popped up in the arena: [Yin-Yang Five Elements (Overcoming): Metal, Wood, Earth, Water, Fire]. The four players in the mazes each experienced different effects, with Veiled Cloud Sanctuary’s team being hit the hardest—CloudTraveller was unlucky and encountered the health-draining debuff, while ClearWindIsHere, Falling Feathers, and Apple stood completely still.

[Are these three playing “Red Light, Green Light”? Why did they all stop moving?]

“Holy crap! It really hit their side!”

“The jinx worked its magic!”

“CloudTraveller got the debuff!”

Inside the ad team, the atmosphere was completely different. Everyone was focused on their teammates’ miraculous ability to jinx, sending the health-draining debuff straight to the other side—right onto CloudTraveller.

“Is CloudTraveller’s team starting to put on a show, purposely hiding the debuff situation from us?” ScarletFruit immediately noticed the change on the other side and asked, “Did they send a shield and a mage just to stall for time, so their array master could figure out the maze mechanics?”

“Smart move,” Su Mo praised. “But their luck’s bad this round. We’ve already gained the upper hand from the start.”

Watermelon was a bit dazed, “Are we really relying on jinxing to win now?”

FireworksAndLanterns shouted passionately, “Apple, if you can talk like that, just keep going!”

ScarletFruit chimed in, “What are you talking about? Luck is a universally recognized positive attribute in Celestial Horizon!”

Watermelon was speechless.

Because CloudTraveller was losing health, it confirmed that the area he was in was the fire-element maze. While Falling Feathers was acting convincingly, they didn’t fully understand the details of the debuff mechanics. Over on their side, ClearWind was immobilized, and Apple had a debuff they’d never encountered before, one that reduced their attack power. Given that the Daoist Priest remained standing still, his debuff was either a slow or a defense reduction.

ClearWind asked, “What now? Should we keep standing still, or use a control removal and move?”

“You two pretend to use control removal and head straight to the area where the Daoist Priest is,” Su Mo instructed. “ClearWind, stick to the right wall, turn right at the fork, and take the middle path.”

Yu Zhen added, “Apple, go straight and turn left, then stick to the left wall the rest of the way.”

The two leaders smoothly coordinated directions for their teammates. The two swordsmen, pretending to use control removals, ran quickly. In the game, players could maintain control-removal effects for 10 seconds as long as they stayed inside the maze. Since they had been cautious of debuffs from the beginning, their positions were not far from the maze entrance.

Their swift movements soon caught the attention of Veiled Cloud Sanctuary.

CloudTraveller was also on guard. Positioned near the maze edge earlier, he immediately ran into the third area upon seeing their movements, asking, “You’re saying both of them are almost out of the maze?”

The third area had a slow debuff.

“One of the opponents is immobilized, and the other’s buff is still unknown,” someone noted.

“Yes, judging by their initial positions, their testing locations were not far from the maze entrance. I can’t tell what debuffs they have, but you’re losing health, and Falling Feathers has a defense reduction,” kawaii continued. “I haven’t figured out one of their buffs yet, and it’s probably too late to reach their current position.”

Kawaii kept a close watch and suddenly realized that the two who had left the maze were quickly closing in on the Daoist Priest’s position. “Not good, they’re heading straight for Falling Feathers.”

Falling Feathers said, “I can’t bluff my way out of this. Once they enter, they’ll immediately know what debuff this area has.”

ChatMasterWu urged, “You need to leave quickly; they’re clearly targeting you because you’re isolated.”

Kawaii found something odd but couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was.

CloudTraveller was one large area away from Falling Feathers, and his current position wasn’t close to any maze shortcuts that could allow him to assist. The health-draining buff hit at the worst possible time, cutting off the shortest route between them. “Feathers, get moving. Your position is deep inside the maze. Keep running in circles until I can meet up with you.”

At the same time, Su Mo, watching Falling Feathers’s movements, immediately caught onto the key detail when the target started moving. “Falling Feathers is affected by a defense-reducing buff, and CloudTraveller has the slow debuff.”

Yu Zhen added, “Looks like we got lucky.”

“This round, they had bad luck from the start. When testing the mechanics, they didn’t account for the maze’s layout or the consequences of the buffs,” Su Mo said. “If they had pushed toward the center, we would’ve been forced into a passive position. But CloudTraveller got impatient. He thought splitting up would allow them to regroup and regain control through the mechanics, but he overlooked that in a two-player match, it’s the worst time to test mechanics.”

In a two-player match, there’s less coverage and usually no healer. In this arena setup, once the battlefield is split, things tend to go wrong, especially since the Daoist Priest was stuck in the defense-reducing buff zone of the maze. Buffs refresh every five minutes, and for the next three minutes, Falling Feathers was a trapped lamb in the maze.

Apple had a sudden realization, “I just remembered, this is the Earth-element maze. If the next five minutes follow the counter-order, the maze will switch to Wood and become immobilizing. If it follows the natural order, the maze will change to Fire and give an attack-boosting buff.”

ClearWind sped up, “There’s no healing buff, haha, he’s definitely done for.”

Apple added, “An attack buff would be better for us. We’d both get the buff, and he’s alone. He can’t beat us.”

“He won’t go left; the health-draining zone will kill him faster. The right side is the attack-decreasing zone, which would hurt our ability to finish him off,” Su Mo said, studying the maze map. He quickly figured out where Falling Feathers might move, based on the intersection of their routes. “Force him into the health-draining area. Apple, move right. ClearWind, keep going straight along your current path… he won’t escape.”

[What the hell? Did they change their strategy this time?]

[The Advertising Team is so aggressive in this round, did they just charge straight in?]

The Advertising Team completely changed their usual roaming strategy and directly pushed into the area where the Daoist Priest, Falling Feathers, was located. This sudden move put immense pressure on the Veiled Cloud Sanctuary team. Kawaii had to focus on calculating an escape route for Falling Feathers, but his original position was awkward. The maze’s paths were complicated and interconnected, and the two attackers quickly sealed off all possible exits, forcing him into the health-draining maze.

CloudTraveller frowned, “Can you stall for time?”

“It’s difficult. They’re moving extremely fast,” Kawaii replied. “And they split up. The fact that they’re this fast even while separated means someone is guiding them.”

They knew exactly who the two were: dual commanders, UnchainedWanderer and Momo.

They had miscalculated… Their opponents also had two commanders. CloudTraveller, aiming for victory, had taken the lead, but now Kawaii was the only one able to provide quick commands. She could calculate, but not as fast as their two rivals.

CloudTraveller frowned again, “If I use two cleanses, can I get through the health-draining zone?”

All debuffs in the maze could be cleared using cleanse abilities, and he could use them to resist the health-draining buff. With the 20-second window provided, he would rush through the health-draining maze to enter Falling Feathers’ area.

“At least 25 seconds,” Kawaii said, “but if you use a cleanse…”

Without hesitation, CloudTraveller turned back. Having already crossed the path once, he moved quickly this time. “Feathers, stall them as much as you can, move toward the edge. I’m coming to save you.”

It would take CloudTraveller 25 seconds to get through the health-draining area, but including the full route, it would take him nearly a minute. Just as he reached the vicinity of the health-draining zone, the two from the Advertising Team, under the guidance of their dual commanders, had already arrived in Falling Feathers’ vicinity, executing a well-planned pincer attack.

Falling Feathers, as expected from the second Daoist Priest, managed to keep moving even under the assault from both swordsmen. He skillfully controlled the distant magical swordsman while evading the physical swordsman’s attacks. However, no matter how agile he was, it was impossible to control both at once.

With one being melee and the other ranged, their positions were carefully spread out, with maze walls adding an extra layer of complexity. His control talismans couldn’t reach both at the same time. It was clear they had planned this—both swordsmen stood just outside his control range. If he focused on controlling one, the other would get free rein. ClearWindIsHere harassed him in melee while Apple attacked from range. Even though Falling Feathers was strong, under such coordinated pressure, his health began to drop. His control abilities and cleanses were about to enter cooldown, leaving him with two choices: get killed by these two or retreat into the health-draining maze.

Just then, the game system issued a new notification—

[Yin-Yang Five Elements (Overcoming): Metal, Wood, Earth, Water, Fire]

The defense-reducing debuff disappeared, but in its place, Falling Feathers encountered an even worse situation—he got hit with a paralysis debuff.

“Damn it, my jinx worked!” Apple shouted in surprise.

Seeing this, Su Mo’s expression changed instantly. He urgently called out, “ClearWind, use your cleanse and keep the Daoist Priest tied down. Apple, stay at max range—we’re about to win.”

At the same time, the Veiled Cloud Sanctuary team was in a state of panic.

“Feathers, move!” Kawaii immediately instructed. “Go to the front maze; it shouldn’t be health-draining now.”

Falling Feathers gritted his teeth and used his cleanse, trying to take advantage of the special rule in the area that provided 10 seconds of immunity to control effects to escape the paralysis zone. However, ClearWind immediately engaged him with a fierce assault. His control was nearly depleted, and those 10 seconds dragged on second by second due to the relentless attacks of the damned physical swordsman.

This physical swordsman was exceptionally strong in close combat. While he might not be able to kill his opponent outright, he could completely keep them engaged. Unlike other physical swordsmen Falling Feathers had faced, ClearWindIsHere was remarkably agile in close quarters. Feathers had never heard of such skill in close combat before.

Finally, when the 10 seconds were up, the physical swordsman was paralyzed, and so was Falling Feathers. Both sides had exhausted their last cleanse. Falling Feathers had managed to create some distance before being paralyzed, allowing him to attack the physical swordsman, though the physical swordsman could no longer attack him…

The advantage of ranged attacks was inherent in this paralysis zone…

Falling Feathers let out a sigh of relief, but the next second, he glanced warily at his rear. A sword strike came directly at him, cutting down 30% of his health.

“Fuck!” Falling Feathers couldn’t help but curse.

Ranged attacks indeed had an advantage. He had been so focused on evading ClearWindIsHere that he had neglected the magical swordsman. The magical swordsman’s range far exceeded his own, and once everyone’s cleanses were exhausted, the biggest winner was actually the magical swordsman. Although the magical swordsman’s control was rare, his ranged output was incredibly formidable.

Falling Feathers had no way to escape. He immediately targeted ClearWind, aiming for a strong kill. However, the physical swordsman openly deployed his great sword formation to fend off the attack. Despite the defensive charms on Falling Feathers, they couldn’t withstand the magical swordsman’s 10-second charging ultimate skill.

By the time CloudTraveller finally arrived, [All Laws Return to One] had been unleashed, hitting Falling Feathers directly and efficiently taking down the Doaist priest.

With the magical swordsman at 80% health, the physical swordsman at 60%, and CloudTraveller at 60%…

The outcome was already decided.

[The luck of Veiled Cloud Sanctuary was really poor this round.] 

[The health-draining buff was in the middle, making it impossible to provide quick support.]

“If this round was a new tactic from the advertising team, they must have focused on the Doaist priest after realizing Veiled Cloud Sanctuary also wanted to seize control of the mechanism,” SkilfulEmptyHand remarked with satisfaction. “Even though their strength was inferior to Veiled Cloud Sanctuary, they didn’t shy away from confrontation. Instead, they seized on the maze’s layout and decisively chose to tear open a breakthrough.”

FirstUnderHeaven and Apple were rivals, but upon seeing [All Laws Return to One], he knew Apple had performed exceptionally well this round. “If either the magical swordsman or physical swordsman had been slower or if the encirclement hadn’t been timely, Falling Feathers might have escaped from the maze. The physical swordsman provided cover and kept the Doaist priest occupied, while the magical swordsman handled all the damage output. In a 2v2 format, the physical swordsman’s ability to entangle far surpassed that of a warrior.”

The rapid movement in the maze and the coordination of the two swordsmen were striking.

In the past, they hadn’t anticipated using two Swordsmen in the arena. After all, while the magical swordsman had high attack power, it had limited control and weak self-preservation abilities. Without team support, it was easy for it to be ambushed from behind. The physical swordsman’s ability to protect teammates was also limited, making the compatibility of a double Swordsman team quite low.

Yet, against all odds, this seemingly uncoordinated and aggressive team had managed to defeat the first warrior, CloudTraveller, and the second Doaist priest, Falling Feathers.

This success was due not only to the two players’ coordination but also to the strategic guidance they received from their commander. They swiftly identified the flaws and opportunities in the ever-changing battlefield, abandoning their advantages to break through.

“Actually, the setup for this round was very clever from the start…Apple and ClearWind were both very close to the maze entrance, as if they were ready to escape at any moment,” SkilfulEmptyHand analyzed. “CloudTraveller was a bit impatient. Losing control of the situation was critical for their team. They couldn’t match the advertising team in guerrilla tactics and wanted to engage in direct confrontation while avoiding positioning.”

“Yes… On the contrary, Veiled Cloud Sanctuary was exploring the mechanism and took a path further inside. When faced with the health-draining area as a separating factor, strategic errors in the early game were one thing, but the worst issue was their bad luck,” FirstUnderHeaven said. “If not for the bad luck, their joint efforts would have easily handled the advertising team.”

Who could they blame for the bad luck?

It couldn’t be helped; not everyone could rely on luck and craft a luck-based strategy.

The Advertising team won two consecutive matches and had already secured match point. ScarletFruit was discussing business opportunities, “Once this match is over, I’ll go find CloudTraveller to sell some equipment. I still have a lot of lucky gear stored in the warehouse that I haven’t sold yet.”

Watermelon replied, “That lucky gear is useless.”

ScarletFruit countered, “You’re not wearing it, so how could it bring you luck if it’s just sitting in the equipment storage?”

Watermelon was momentarily speechless. “But didn’t Apple and the others also not wear it?”

“Ah, Watermelon, you just don’t get it. Some people have innate luck…” ScarletFruit said with an air of mystery. “You know their special fate attributes. Besides, ClearWind has been around me for so long; he’s bound to have picked up some of my luck.”

ZenSlasher was speechless.

Could it really be described as picking up luck by being around someone?

ScarletFruit continued, “If you keep practicing and sticking around, maybe you’ll pick up some luck too.”

Watermelon responded with a blank expression, “Thanks for that.”

Whether it was luck or not, he certainly felt that sticking around was only leading to more bad luck.

The arena schedule moved quickly, and soon after the two of them arrived, the Five Elements Palace announced the next match format—[1v1].

When the result was announced, the advertising team members were stunned to see that it was once again a [1v1] match.

Su Mo was also taken aback for a moment, then he withdrew his gaze and said, “Luck is on our side.”

Without Su Mo needing to speak further, Yu Zhen, who was operating the Momo account, immediately submitted the lineup.

For the [1v1] match, they had chosen the array master UnchainedWanderer, while the Veiled Cloud Sanctuary team had sent out the assassin ChatMasterWu.

An array master against an assassin.

“Array master against an assassin, this is going to be intense.”

“Actually, the maze map gives an advantage to the assassin. As long as they’re not hit by debuffs, they can stay invisible with other buffs.”

“Yes, the array master’s arrays, no matter how strong, can’t cover the entire maze. Plus, the array master has no defensive abilities, and items can’t be used in the arena. It’s too easy for the assassin to counter the array master.”

In a regular [1v1], an array master could hold their own against an assassin.

But the maze was a natural protection map, and the assassin had too many opportunities for a preemptive strike.

“Has the shortest route been figured out?” Yu Zhen asked.

Su Mo used the five-minute preparation time to quickly find the route. “There are two paths. First, take the right path closer to the center. With the 4-layer movement speed array, you should save a lot of time. If all goes well, you should reach the intersection vicinity when you arrive, then adjust your position.”

Su Mo cleared his throat and added, “The rest depends on the sequence that comes out.”

“I understand,” Yu Zhen said. “You don’t need to talk so much. I’ve memorized the map.”

The living room was quiet. After finishing her tasks, Lele joined the others and refilled Su Mo’s cup with warm water. She also checked his temperature again. It was still a low fever, but the temperature was a bit lower than in the morning.

Lele looked at the virtual display in front of her and glanced towards the sofa. Yu Zhen was lying half-reclined beside Su Mo, with his headset glowing. Su Mo’s headset was on the table, connected to the equipment and glowing. The two were very close. Su Mo’s handkerchief was free of blood, and the situation had been gradually stabilizing over the past few days, unlike before when he would frequently have nosebleeds.

Lele did not disturb them. After some thought, it decided to go to the kitchen to get some small snacks for Su Mo. The snacks were something it and Yu Zhen had prepared together the previous day. They were healthy and would satisfy cravings. It quietly walked away from Su Mo, and out of the corner of her eye, it noticed that Su Mo’s hand, partially covered by a blanket, seemed to be holding Yu Zhen’s fingers.

Lele stopped and stared at the place where their hands were joined, immediately searching for the keyword [holding hands] in its mind.

Once it connected to the internet, the first search result for [holding hands] appeared.

[Analyzing the Emotional Changes in Romantic Hand-Holding]

Lele, “?”

It paused for a moment, ignored the search result, and added more keywords to continue searching— [hand-holding between friends] [how to read a person’s state from hand-holding] [how robots can distinguish 100 types of actions]…

In the livestream, both sides moved quickly from the start. The assassin went invisible at the beginning, so viewers focused all their attention on the array master.

The array master stacked four layers of movement speed array, and his speed was extremely fast. Before the map had refreshed with the elemental sequence, he had already reached the edge of the starting area of the maze and found a suitable spot to stop.

[Wow, he’s moving so fast.]

[Hey, why did he stop?]

[Is he waiting for the map hint?]

The audience couldn’t see the assassin, so they could only analyze the array master’s actions.

The two commentators leaned towards the idea that the array master’s approach was similar to the previous three rounds for the Advertising team, using the start time to cover more of the map. Given that this round featured an assassin, the assassin had not yet been able to get close to the array master, making the array master’s position safe for at least the first two minutes.

At that moment, the first hint appeared in the arena.

[Elemental Cycle (Creation): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water]

Upon seeing the result, the array master did not hesitate, quickly changing direction and re-entering the maze. It seemed that during the five-minute preparation time, his route had already been meticulously planned. The array master utilized his movement speed array to the fullest, with constant positional changes that made it difficult for viewers to keep up with his movements.

[My eyes can’t keep up with this.] 

[Wow, he’s running so fast. Does he know the route by heart?] 

[If I were the assassin and my opponent was moving through the maze this quickly, I might not be able to keep up either.] 

[It’s not like you can memorize the map that fast… He probably only remembers the starting area; the rest of the route is likely directed by his team.] 

[That’s terrifying. At this speed, he can’t be thinking at all; he’s just following the instructions of his team, isn’t he?]

By the fourth round, both teams were extremely familiar with the map—essentially just the maze plus mirrored flips. The mechanics aside, once accustomed to the maze routines, solving the maze became faster and faster. With two commanders on each team, calculating and remembering routes was no problem, but people still hesitated and were indecisive when faced with choices. However, the array master showed none of this hesitation. At every fork in the road, he never faltered, moving like a robot that had precisely calculated the route. Each step was quick and decisive.

“Elemental Cycle: Metal, Wood, Fire,” Yu Zhen noted as he reached the third maze, “The assassin’s side is Water and Earth.”

Su Mo said, “He should have exited the maze by now and might be closing in on you. Don’t let him catch up. Head back, take the rear exit to the Water area, and force him out.”

[Wait, the array master changed direction!?] 

[He’s heading back. Does he know something?] 

[Has he discovered the assassin’s location?] 

[Where is the assassin?]

The array master acted independently, seemingly completely disregarding the assassin, treating the maze like his own private garden. He kept stacking arrays to increase his movement speed. Although stacking arrays caused his mana to decrease, he didn’t care at all and instead kept changing his path in the maze, making his movements completely unpredictable.

“Can we block him?” CloudTraveller asked.

Kawaii replied, “It’s difficult. His route keeps changing. ChatMasterWu is following him closely.”

After several rounds of matches, they had figured out some of the maze’s mechanics. They now knew that “Creation” provided beneficial buffs, while “Overcoming” gave debuffs, and buffs and debuffs would not appear simultaneously. So when “Creation” appeared at the start, they understood that ChatMasterWu would have the advantage for the next five minutes and needed to close in on the array master quickly.

However, UnchainedWanderer seemed to have anticipated their strategy and used the speed array to quickly increase the distance. The extremely fast movement combined with the maze’s complex layout made it impossible for the assassin to time his attacks effectively.

Although ChatMasterWu was a fast-moving assassin, some of his speed was linked to his buffs, and he needed to conserve his skills to kill the array master. This meant his speed was slightly inferior to the array master’s four-layer speed array. As a result, he often missed his chance, and with only one person, he couldn’t keep up with the array master as he had done with the two Swordsmen, who were able to block paths and prevent escapes. The array master kept changing his route, making it difficult for him to predict his advance.

Thus, ChatMasterWu could only follow behind and wait for the array master to slow down.

Even the most powerful speed array would enter a cooldown phase after multiple uses. UnchainedWanderer was not a fool; he wouldn’t waste his life-saving cooldown or excessively deplete his mana.

“He has a lot of faith in Momo,” CloudTraveller suddenly said. “Despite the chaotic route, he has managed to keep moving forward, indicating that the opposing team’s strategist is meticulously directing him to disrupt our route. Even if his memory is strong, he would hesitate when changing routes. The fact that he isn’t hesitating means someone with an ‘God’s-eye view’ is guiding him, and he has chosen to trust that person without doubt.”

The more powerful a person was, the easier it was for them to hesitate while moving forward. This was a trust-based chase.

They knew that Momo wanted to distinguish the attributes of each maze area, so he would likely go to the opposing maze. However, they couldn’t determine which route UnchainedWanderer intended to take. The mazes were independently functional but could also connect to each other… It was extremely difficult to kill ReturnToSimplicity during the movement phase.

ChatMasterWu said, “I figured out the buffs in the maze by following him. There are two here: one increases attack and the other enhances skill effects. Should I check the remaining one?”

The buffs in his starting area added defense, so there should also be a healing or mana recovery buff that remained unconfirmed.

“Don’t check it. The array master might be heading to the maze outside your starting area. Once he gets there, we’ll know what the remaining buff is,”Kawaii said solemnly. “Calculate the cooldown. His speed array should be off now.”

Indeed, the array master’s speed array had stopped.

The assassin gradually caught up to the array master’s speed. As the array master entered the new maze area, ChatMasterWu also managed to keep up, noting, “This maze has a mana regeneration buff!”

“Earlier, we missed a healing buff,” CloudTraveller observed as he saw the array master’s mana recovering. “ChatMasterWu, he’s regenerating mana; act quickly.”

ChatMasterWu said, “I need to find a position. He’s not easy to kill; it’s best if I can take him down in one hit.”

Kawaii added, “This area regenerates mana quickly. He’s stacking defense arrays now. You’d better hurry; once his defense arrays are up, he’ll be much harder to kill. ReturnToSimplicity is too powerful; our opportunities are limited.”

[The array master has stopped. Is his mana bar regenerating?] 

[It appears so from the locked view. If he rests like this, his skill cooldowns will be restored soon. The array master’s cooldowns are very short.] 

[What is the assassin doing?] 

[Has he already reached him?]

ChatMasterWu abandoned the most obvious position, suspecting that the array master had deliberately lured him into a trap. He chose the right moment to rush in, only to see the array master suddenly stack his defense arrays to four layers.

Yu Zhen activated his skill, showing no fear of the assassin’s attack. After the assassin landed a blow, he randomly threw a control array while continuing to steadily stack his arrays.

“That’s not right,” Kawaii noticed a problem. “He stacked two layers of array at once.”

In a short time, the array master’s defense arrays reached six layers, and his damage increase arrays reached three layers.

CloudTraveller shouted, “ChatMasterWu, move!”

“It’s too late!” Su Mo coughed, “The assassin threw a control dispel; he can go for a decisive strike.”

Within the mana regeneration buff, the array master was completely unafraid of the high-damage assassin. The narrow passage was more suitable for placing arrays. This position was carefully selected by Su Mo and Yu Zhen, perfectly suited for the array master to counterattack and intercept in a maze with two blocked exits, also blocked by the array master’s arrays.

“Can’t get out,” kawaii said. “ChatMasterWu’s skills are all activated.”

“Enhancements are up; don’t hold back skills,” CloudTraveller advised. “He can catch you too easily.”

ChatMasterWu, left with no choice, decided to stealthily engage in a hard fight. At this point, he used all his quest skills and enhancements, even activating his dispel, to charge into the array and attack the array master.

With Yu Zhen using the Floating Life’s Wonderful Method, his array stacking speed increased. Both his defenses and attacks were up, but facing a fully activated explosive assassin, this defensive advantage was negated. Both were losing health, but the array master’s health was dropping faster. The assassin, putting in maximum effort, managed to reduce his health to 30% within just three attacks.

At that moment, both single-target arrays were fully activated, and the Celestial Punishment flashed briefly.

As ChatMasterWu used his ultimate skill to finish the fight, he completely negated all the damage from the assassin’s final attack.

The awakened Celestial Punishment skill, combined with the defense arrays, provided a 3-second damage immunity. This crucial 3 seconds allowed Yu Zhen to turn the situation around, nullifying the assassin’s ultimate skill and delivering a counterattack that eliminated the assassin, leaving him with only 5% health.

The array master, having taken a risk to lure the enemy, prevailed over the fully offensive assassin by using his remaining 5% health to secure the victory.

The kill notification popped up, and the live broadcast room instantly erupted.

[Wow, the assassin killer!] 

[UnchainedWanderer is too strong; the array master soloed the top assassin.] 

[My god, I’m covered in goosebumps, it’s so impressive!] 

“Three wins out of five!!” SkilfulEmptyHand said, “Let’s celebrate the Advertising Team and advance to the championship battle.”

[Hurry up!! Commentators, give us something, we want to see the interviews!!] 

[Please! I want to see Momo and UnchainedWanderer.] 

[The Advertising team’s members have almost all been interviewed. Why haven’t these two been on yet?] 

[FirstUnderHeaven, are you even capable?!]

The cheers of victory continued, and the news of the post-match interviews came through. Yu Zhen didn’t think much of it and immediately sent ScarletFruit to handle it. The post-match interviews seemed like a waste of time; it was better to log off early. He opened his friends list and was about to send a message to CloudTraveller when CloudTraveller sent a congratulatory message first.

CloudTraveller: You won this match fair and square. You were impressive.

UnchainedWanderer: It was just a matter of good luck.

CloudTraveller: It wasn’t just luck. You made us work for it. If the summoner in the first match had been Momo, you might have won much earlier. I had no chance against him.

CloudTraveller: The damage immunity was a weapon skill, right? Kawaii and I were misled at first.

UnchainedWanderer: Yes, it was a 3-second damage immunity.

Yu Zhen chatted briefly with CloudTraveller but then noticed the external terminal flashing with incoming messages—it was from his work account.

Was there an issue with the project? Yu Zhen switched over to check the messages.

“Damn, we actually won.”

“So impressive. Does this mean we’re going to face Zenith Expanse and Xiao Yao next?”

“We’re more likely to face Xiao Yao. BrokenOracle is tough to deal with.”

“Doesn’t matter, we’ll rest for two days after this match.”

“Hey, have you been discharged yet?”

The messages in the team chat were chaotic. Su Mo replied briefly and then continued listening to them. Yu Zhen noticed that he stood still for a while, seemingly looking at an email box but not exactly in a private chat.

What was he doing?

Yu Zhen looked at the messages in the work group and opened a private email sent by the assistant. He skimmed through the document and, when he reached the bottom, suddenly noticed an attachment prominently displayed:

[Special Investigation · Unknown Exploration β2 Star Domain]