Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The coral maze groaned as the lakebed trembled beneath it.

Massive walls of coral and stone shifted with deep grinding force, sending up clouds of silt that blurred the visibility underwater.

Whole sections of the labyrinth rotated or shifted sideways, rearranging passageways and sealing off familiar paths.

The once still labyrinth had now become a churning, ever-shifting puzzle!

From above, the layout no longer resembled what it had just moments ago. New corridors opened where there were none before, and others closed off without warning.

The entire structure felt alive, like it was breathing, adapting, and…

Watching.

Adam frowned when he noticed the abrupt change. He glanced back toward the path he had taken into the maze… only to find it gone.

In its place stood a solid wall of pink coral, its jagged edges glinting faintly in the dim underwater light.

A second ago, when the labyrinth had shifted, he had felt something. It was for the briefest of moments, but he had undoubtedly felt it.

Is this place…

He lowered his head and gazed at his webbed feet. Then, he looked at the lakebed, his eyes squinting.

Slowly, his pupils dilated.

He shook his head and took a deep breath, then turned around to head deeper into the coral maze.

Through his Sphere of Resonance, he had already sensed several areas emitting abnormal mana fluctuations. He surmised that these places must be where the magical keys were located.

However, he had also sensed something—or rather, someone else.

And it wasn't the participants.

***

Edward had an extremely cautious expression on his face as he traversed through the maze.

One moment, he was holding Lisa's hands and walking through the corridor; the next moment, he watched in shock as the coral walls shifted, swallowing her up and separating them.

After that, no matter how hard he clawed at the wall, it was all in vain. He couldn't even leave a scratch on it.

And with the maze constantly shifting every few minutes, he soon found himself in a completely different section, far from where Lisa had vanished.

He gritted his teeth in frustration as he ran through the winding corridors, trying to look for Lisa.

Damn it, she should be somewhere here!

In this unfamiliar, ominous place, being suddenly separated from Lisa filled him with deep anxiety.

Naturally, it wasn't for his own safety. He was worried about her.

So much so that he had shifted his priority from finding the magical key to finding her first.

Is she going to be alright?

What if something happens to her?

What if…

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. As he rounded the corner, a monstrous, shadowy figure suddenly loomed before him.

Before he could react, it lunged forward, thrusting a claw straight at his chest, aiming to incapacitate him.

Edward's eyes widened as he clumsily leaned to the side, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth. But his forward momentum carried him too close to the creature, and its second strike landed squarely on his torso.

The blue-eyed youth doubled over from the blow and was sent flying backward—no, swimming—several meters through the water.

Edward adjusted his body mid-water and gracefully landed on his webbed feet, immediately getting into a fighting stance.

When he saw the creature that had attacked him, his face darkened.

What in the world is that thing?

The creature standing before Edward was an odd amalgamation of crab and centaur.

Its upper body resembled a humanoid centaur, complete with a torso and arms, but its hands ended in massive crab-like pincers.

Whereas, the lower half of the creature was thick and armored like that of a crab with eight legs—four on each side.

Overall, it possessed an eerie blend of agility and brute strength, its very presence radiating a menacing aura.

Edward's eyes narrowed. He knew he was at a clear disadvantage.

First, this was enemy territory. Fighting underwater was already difficult for surface-dwelling Magi, where spellcasting was slower and mobility was highly restricted.

Second, and more importantly, the crab centaur's body was built like a fortress. Its lower half was encased in thick, natural armor plating, making it nearly impervious to physical attacks—and most likely magical attacks.

Even the upper body, though more streamlined for agility, was still protected by a thinner layer of shell, offering both defence and flexibility.

The blue-eyed youth instantly understood that this was a difficult opponent to deal with. If he wanted to win this battle, it would require him some time.

But time was a luxury he could not afford…

Alter Self had a maximum duration of one hour. However, since he was a Mana Liquefaction Magus, he could barely stretch it to thirty minutes—forty, if he pushed his limits and risked instability.

Having come to a decision, Edward glared at the crab-centaur, fully focused on making the next move.

Sensing the human's intention, the crab-centaur brandished his sharp pincers, ready to incapacitate him just as instructed.

Like all the creatures dwelling in the depths, it had been ordered not to kill the Magi.

A moment passed, and then…

Edward turned around and swam away at full speed!

The crab-centaur blinked in brief confusion, then let out a furious roar and surged forward in hot pursuit.

***

Scenes such as these were unfolding throughout the coral maze. While some chose to stand their ground and fight the crab-centaurs, others simply opted to flee.

The latter was undoubtedly the wiser choice.

Although the crab-centaurs were at the Mana Liquefaction Rank as well, the Magi simply couldn't defeat them in a one-on-one battle—at least not while they were still underwater.

In a certain section of the labyrinth, the first person to overcome the First Trial was about to emerge.

A young elf with blond hair and green eyes swam swiftly through the winding corridors. Behind him, a couple of crab-centaurs pursued, their pincers snapping in fury.

Daneli Ambermind had a calm expression on his face as he lured his enemies straight into a trap he had prepared. Upon reaching the designated point, he came to a halt and turned to face the pursuers.

As soon as they reached the trap zone, he yanked on a vine protruding from the wall beside him. Instantly, a net made of thick vines sprang out and ensnared the crab-centaurs.

Without wasting another moment, Daneli swam back the way he came. The net would only hold the crab-centaurs for a few seconds, but that was all the time he needed.

The elf turned a corner and entered a small, secluded alcove within the maze. There, nestled against the coral wall, was a small wooden chest.

Those crab-centaurs were guarding this item earlier. Knowing it was precious and something that he was most likely looking for, Daneli opened it without hesitation.

Behind him, the underwater creatures had already broken free and charged into the alcove, their eyes locked on his back.

Without an ounce of hesitation, all three of them thrust their pincers at the elf.

Just as their pincers lunged forward…

The elf grasped the copper key inside the chest and infused mana into it.

The crab-centaurs ended up hitting nothing but water and bubbles.

Daneli had teleported back to the surface.