[Emergency Mission: Maze Rescue]
Objective: Successfully traverse the maze, find and rescue Violet
Description: Time is of the essence, and you must navigate through this maze filled with traps and monsters within a limited time.
As the mission prompt appeared.
Sakura Fubuki took a deep breath and cautiously guided Hiyakura into the maze.
The interior of the maze was dim and damp, with vines crawling along the walls and strange marks occasionally visible on the ground.
Sakura Fubuki controlled Hiyakura to move slowly, afraid of triggering any traps with a careless move.
However, after just a few steps, a piece of flooring suddenly sank.
Immediately, a row of spikes shot out from the walls, aimed directly at Hiyakura's chest.
"What the hell!"
Sakura Fubuki exclaimed, hastily maneuvering the character to retreat just in time to avoid the deadly strike.
The bullet screen instantly erupted:
"This streamer reacts way too slowly, right?"
"My grandma reacts faster than you!"
"If you can't dodge such a simple trap, how are you going to play later?"
Sakura Fubuki smiled awkwardly and said, "Everyone, don't worry, I'm just still adapting."
Continuing forward, Hiyakura encountered a gigantic hedgehog covered in spikes.
This disaster beast looked clumsy.
Yet, its movement speed was surprisingly fast, constantly charging toward Hiyakura.
Sakura Fubuki maneuvered Hiyakura to dodge left and right while releasing skills to attack.
However, due to her lack of experience, Hiyakura still got scratched by the hedgehog's spikes several times, causing her health to drop rapidly.
"Why is this monster so hard to beat?" Sakura Fubuki complained, "I remember the guide said this type of monster should be easy to deal with."
In response to Sakura Fubuki's gameplay, the bullet screen was equally speechless:
"Streamer, didn't you read the guide properly?"
"This is clearly a high-level spiked hedgehog, its damage and defense have both doubled, okay?"
Inside the maze, there were various types of disaster beasts, and after nearly half an hour of hard-fought battle, Sakura Fubuki finally managed to barely clear this part of the area with a combination of various items and skills.
However, the condition of her character was already precarious.
"Ah... finally passed."
Sakura Fubuki breathed a sigh of relief, "This game is way too difficult."
Yet, the bullet screen's reaction exceeded her expectations:
"I have to say, even though the gameplay was poor, it really got my blood boiling!"
"Even if the streamer is bad, there's entertainment value!"
"Indeed, anyone watching Snow Dog now is just here for the laughs!"
Just as Sakura Fubuki was about to move forward again.
A large shadow suddenly appeared at the end of the maze.
It was a giant dragon, entirely ice blue.
Its eyes, like two cold ice gems, stared coldly at Hiyakura.
[Sea Abyss Dragon · Aisen]
"What... what is going on?"
Sakura Fubuki was bewildered, "The guide didn't mention this type of monster!"
But the bullet screen was utterly calm:
"Isn't this the hidden boss added in the new version?"
"The streamer is about to die now!"
Sakura Fubuki took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She carefully observed the giant dragon's movements, trying to find its weaknesses.
However, before she could devise a strategy, the dragon launched an attack.
The creature opened its massive mouth and spewed forth a wave of water.
Sakura Fubuki hurriedly maneuvered Hiyakura to dodge.
But she was still caught in the blast, and the character lost more than half of her health instantly.
"This is way too exaggerated!"
Sakura Fubuki shouted, "How am I supposed to fight this?!"
The ensuing battle was a one-sided crush.
No matter how Sakura Fubuki maneuvered, Hiyakura's attacks couldn't inflict effective damage on the dragon, while every attack from the dragon put Hiyakura in peril.
After nearly an hour of constant retries.
With reminders from the bullet screen, Sakura Fubuki finally found the dragon's weakness and the corresponding strategy to defeat it.
Using this insight, she controlled Hiyakura to execute precise strikes, finally using all her skills and items to vanquish the dragon at the last moment.
"Finally... finally passed."
Sakura Fubuki slumped back in her chair, breathing heavily.
At that moment, the game screen suddenly shifted, transitioning into a cutscene.
On the screen, Hiyakura and Jasmine joined forces, using their remaining strength to defeat the Sea Abyss Dragon Aisen.
The dragon crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, the two stood there, panting, and exchanged smiles.
However, at that moment, a familiar electronic synthetic voice echoed from nearby:
"Surprisingly, you all really defeated Aisen. I specifically chose it, thinking it would cause you a great deal of trouble, but the outcome was not as expected."
"But thinking about it, it's normal after all; you're an extraordinary fire fairy!"
Upon hearing the word "fairy," Hiyakura and Jasmine instantly became alert.
They cautiously looked around but found no trace of the speaker.
Jasmine frowned and coldly asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"
The voice chuckled lightly and replied, "No need to rush, we will meet soon."
Just as the words fell, the entire room suddenly filled with dense mist.
"This is bad!"
Jasmine realized something was off and immediately shouted, "Hiyakura, cover your nose quickly!"
However, even though the two reacted swiftly.
It was already too late.
The thick mist rapidly filled the entire space, carrying a peculiar fragrance.
Hiyakura and Jasmine felt lightheaded, their consciousness gradually fading.
"Damn... it's a trap..."
This was Jasmine's last thought before she fainted.
The screen quickly turned black, and Sakura Fubuki's game screen also plunged into darkness.
Not long after, the screen lit up again.
The story continued to unfold.
On the screen, Hiyakura slowly opened her eyes, realizing she was tightly bound.
Her hands and feet were secured with a peculiar type of rope, rendering her unable to move.
The rope emitted a faint blue light, seemingly made from an unusual material.
"Where is this?" Hiyakura muttered to herself, starting to struggle.
However, just then, she heard Jasmine's voice behind her:
"Don't struggle; the way that person tied us is quite intricate. The more you struggle, the tighter the rope will become. And this doesn't seem like ordinary rope; the person who bound us clearly came prepared."
Hiyakura then noticed that Jasmine was back to back with her, and they were bound together.
"Jasmine?"
Hiyakura said in confusion, her mind still trying to recall everything that happened before she fainted.
Suddenly, she remembered something and urgently asked, "What about Violet?"
At that moment, a whimpering sound came from not far away.
Following the sound, Hiyakura saw a heartbreaking scene.
Violet was hanging in mid-air, her mouth sealed and unable to speak, struggling while giving Hiyakura a desperate look.
"Ah! Violet!"
Hiyakura exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency and heartache, "Hang on, I'm coming to save you!"
Hiyakura struggled with all her might, trying to break free from her restraints through sheer force.
However, as Jasmine had said, the rope tightened more and more, soon causing her pain.
Just then, a light, swift sound of footsteps approached.
Accompanied by was a voice that was eerily familiar to Hiyakura:
"Good afternoon, ladies!"
Hiyakura looked up and saw a person in a neatly dressed standard maid outfit standing in front of them.
The person had their hands resting on their abdomen, standing straight, with an elegant posture.
However, their face was just barely obscured by the shadows, making it hard to see clearly.
A strong sense of familiarity surged within Hiyakura.
Until that person took a step forward and the light illuminated their face.
At that moment, Hiyakura's eyes widened in disbelief as she shouted:
"What? It's you?!"