Once done killing the [Toxic Flower] and [Flower Seeds], Karl stepped deeper into the maze.

He didn't slow down at all.

He kept walking over the last bits of withering petals and broken vines, letting them crumble under his boots as he moved forward.

The air around him still carried the smell of poison, that faint sharp scent that the [Toxic Flower] released.

Even after it died, the smell lingered, almost trying to remind him of the fight he just finished.

Karl didn't care. He stepped over everything and pushed onward.

He encountered some other monsters on the way, but they didn't stand a chance either as he wiped them all out one after the other.

Any plant creature that tried to block his path ended up burned, frozen, or blasted away depending on which spell Karl used.

He had no reason to hold back, and no reason to stop.

Each monster appeared, roared, lunged, or crawled toward him, and Karl answered all of them the same way: he simply deleted them in a few seconds.

Trying to head deeper into the maze might have been his goal, but actually finding the path to do so was incredibly difficult.

The maze twisted, turned, split into multiple paths, then curved again into dead ends.

Some areas looked identical to ones Karl had already walked through.

Sometimes the walls of vines shifted slightly, making the place feel alive.

Even when he burned some of them down, the maze reconstructed itself, making navigation even harder.

Still though, Karl pushed forward. His pace never faltered.

Even when he felt like he might have walked in a circle, he kept going.

He didn't plan to stop until he reached the deepest part.

He knew what he wanted, and he wasn't going to let a maze slow him down.

On the way he found some players either fighting monsters or trying to find the way like he was.

Some groups were struggling with packs of [Flower Seeds], yelling at each other while trying not to die.

Others stood around a crossroads, arguing about which direction they should take.

A few players rushed past Karl, running the opposite way as if something scared them deeper inside the maze.

Karl ignored all of them unless they spoke to him directly.

He even saw a level 45 team of players that were back at the starting area as they got lost.

The moment they saw him walking toward them, they looked confused, then annoyed.

"We took the opposite direction, didn't we?" one of them asked Karl, clearly disappointed in their own navigation skills.

"Yeah, this is the starting area," Karl shrugged.

"Oh come on!"

"This is so stupid, we should have probably bought the map."

"Why didn't we buy the map? Who told us we didn't need the map?"

They all complained before turning around and waving goodbye to Karl.

He waved back once, then kept walking.

Their frustrated voices faded behind him as he re-entered the thicker parts of the maze.

Just like that, another thirty minutes passed with nothing of interest happening.

More monsters appeared, and Karl defeated them without even breaking his stride.

The maze remained exactly what it was: annoying, long, repetitive, and full of ways to get lost.

And eventually...

Ding!

---

[You have entered the "Center of the Flower Labyrinth"]

[Lives loss rate: 125]

[Description: The center of the "Flower Labyrinth"]

---

The notification confirmed that he was halfway through, and though there was the possibility of getting lost and going back like those other players, Karl was confident in himself.

He knew where he was now, and he knew where he needed to go next.

After all, if he could defeat the [Gardener], then nothing in this maze could defeat him, right?

The thought wasn't arrogance, it was simple truth.

Compared to that giant monster, everything else felt weaker and easier to deal with.

The center of the [Flower Labyrinth] was a massive clearing located at the middle point of the maze.

The moment Karl stepped into it, he noticed how spacious it was.

The vines formed a perfect circle around the area, leaving an open patch of ground big enough for hundreds of players to gather.

In there, Karl saw many other players like him, either resting or protecting it from other monsters.

Some players sat on the ground, drinking potions or sorting through their inventories.

Others stood guard on the edges, ready to attack anything that tried to enter the clearing.

It wasn't a [Safe Zone], but there were so many players that it essentially became one.

If any monster or boss tried to enter, every player would do their best to attack.

With so many people gathered, and some of them being quite strong, monsters barely lasted a few seconds inside this place.

And since there were even some level 50 ones, they could deal with most of the monsters easily.

In the middle of the clearing was a small stone altar though.

It stood alone, old and covered in cracks, like it had been there long before the maze even existed.

On the altar was a statue of a giant flower, resembling the giant crimson one you could see in the [Blooming Lands].

Even though it was just stone, the carving was detailed enough to look alive, like the petals might bloom at any moment.

"Y'all think we'll ever manage to climb it?" one player asked nearby while pointing toward the distance, clearly talking about the massive flower outside the maze.

"I heard nobody actually tries to even see what's at the base, since it's pretty far."

"Some top players said that you can't even access it anyway, since you need items."

This last line had also intrigued Karl.

He listened without reacting, but the information aligned with what he already suspected.

After all, the [Flower Labyrinth] and [Blooming Lands] could still be accessed by everyone, even if your level was above 50.

Meaning that an overleveled player could indeed come back and face all of the dangers without worrying about their safety.

And yet, despite that...

'Yet none of them found the three keys?' Karl scratched his chin.

He assumed they probably acquired the [Key of the Guardian].

But... perhaps they couldn't find the last two?

Which meant that one, if not both of them, were in secret spots that were hard to find even for overleveled players.

Still though, Karl wasn't tired at all, so he would step forward.

Ahead, a sign with a giant red arrow was located.

[Head deeper]

Players had planted it to make sure others didn't get lost as easily.

Karl appreciated the effort, even if he didn't need it.

And from the path which Karl came from was another sign:

[Go back]

Karl approached the stone altar and decided to look around it.

If there was any kind of clue about this thing, he wouldn't refuse it.

He walked slowly around the altar, looking at every crack, every carving, every shape in the stone.

Nothing seemed special at first glance, but he still wanted to check.

He extended his arm toward it and touched it, and the moment he did, a faint green line appeared.

It glowed softly under his fingers.

At the same time, vines erupted slowly from the ground surrounding the stone altar.

They moved like living snakes, curling upward before freezing in place.

And then...

Ding!

A sudden announcement rang across the entirety of the [Blooming Lands].

[A Special Boss has spawned in the "Depths" of the "Flower Labyrinth"]

And below it...

[They will drop the "Flower Compass" upon death, allowing you to navigate it more easily.]

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