Seeing the sudden announcement, every player nearby was shocked.

The chatter broke out instantly, loud enough to echo through the clearing.

"Holy hell, when was the last time there was a [Special Boss] in this place?"

"I've been here for three months and the last time was two months ago!"

"Wait, so does that mean anyone got the [Flower Compass]? I'm kind of new in here."

"Nah, the boss is too strong. No one could defeat it. Also it's in the [Depths], meaning the most dangerous place."

Karl heard all of that, but none of it surprised him.

Everything they were saying was information he had already pieced together over the past days, so he didn't even react.

Their shock was loud and messy, but his thoughts stayed sharp and calm.

But…

'The timing was a bit too good.'

The exact moment he touched the stone altar, vines had moved, the green line had lit up, and then the announcement arrived.

Karl wasn't stupid enough to ignore that kind of connection.

Something he had done triggered this entire event.

Whether the altar reacted to him, or even perhaps to his class, he had no idea yet, but it wasn't a coincidence.

Still, the [Depths] were further ahead from where he currently stood.

Getting there in time to actually find the [Special Boss] would be the real problem.

The maze was enormous, confusing, shifting, and filled with monsters strong enough to slow down most players.

Even with his strength, Karl knew it wouldn't be easy.

'I never heard of that [Flower Compass] either,' he thought as he tightened his grip on his staff.

'Must be powerful though if nobody has it.'

If no one in months had managed to kill that boss, and no one had even obtained the compass, then that single item had probably never been seen by regular players.

That only made it more important.

Anything strong enough to help navigate this maze could definitely help him find the two remaining keys.

And those keys were required to open the gate to the "Death" flower.

That gate was his real goal. The compass was just a tool to make that goal easier.

Though Karl knew for sure that if it could help him even a little, he would do anything to get it.

Karl didn't waste time.

He immediately pushed forward at full speed, sprinting straight past the crowd of confused players.

Some turned and watched him go, but nobody tried to stop him.

They were far too focused on the announcement and their fear of the [Depths].

After all, special bosses still had [Time] constraints.

If no player found or killed it fast enough, the boss would disappear.

Karl needed to locate it before that happened.

He doubted he'd have to worry about other players to be honest.

After all, [Special Bosses] were simply on another league.

Meaning it could potentially be even stronger than the [Gardener].

And he had no interest in missing out on something this rare.

'The EP and experience will also be rather good,' Karl thought, smiling at the idea.

'Nice.'

Behind him, some teams of level 50 players also began to move.

They weren't going to waste the opportunity to try killing a [Special Boss] either, even if they knew the chances were slim.

The last one had wiped entire squads, and nobody had the strength to withstand its attacks.

But this time, everyone rushed in together.

And so, a huge wave of players surged deeper into the [Flower Labyrinth].

Karl didn't slow down.

He ignored everyone's presence and went straight for the inner paths.

Fire Meteor!

He cast the spell at any monster daring to move near him.

The flaming meteors smashed into plant-like creatures, seed beasts, and vine serpents, killing almost all of them in a single strike.

Petals burned black, vines snapped, and the entire path behind him became a trail of destruction.

Karl didn't bother checking if any players followed the path he cleared.

He didn't care. He had one target, and nothing else mattered.

The [Flower Labyrinth] was separated into three main zones.

[The Entry], the starting zone, had monsters around level 25–30.

[The Center], the middle zone, had monsters from level 31–40.

And finally, the [Depths], the third zone, had level 41–50 monsters.

As one might notice, there was no [Danger Zone] within the labyrinth layout.

That zone was special—hidden, unique, and the place where Karl had gotten the key from the [Gardener].

If he had to guess, it was somewhere inside the [Depths].

That was the only logical place for it.

A danger zone that surpassed even the [Depths] must naturally be located deeper than everything else.

Eventually, Karl arrived inside a massive hall within the maze, one of the few areas large enough to serve as a junction point between multiple routes.

The air grew colder, and he immediately felt a sense of tension.

Something was different here.

"Klklkl…!"

"Krrkaa!"

Strange noises echoed from above. Karl looked up.

Monsters stood on the walls and ceiling, clinging to the stone using long, sharp limbs.

They were humanoid in a twisted way, gray-skinned with elongated arms and legs.

Four spider-like legs sprouted from each of their backs, anchoring them firmly to the walls.

Their glowing white eyes locked onto Karl at once.

Their enormous mouths opened, showing rows of jagged teeth.

---

[Maze Dwellers (Level 38)]

[Rank: Elite]

[HP: 230,000]

---

"Good, looks like I caught up to my level," Karl said with a grin, "Was getting tired of underleveled enemies."

He hadn't encountered many enemies in the [Center], but the fact that the first group here was level 38 meant he was close to the next zone.

The deeper you went, the stronger the monsters became after all.

Fire Meteor!

Karl pointed his staff upward at a cluster of [Maze Dwellers].

But the monsters jumped instantly, leaping from the walls and landing on other surfaces with surprising speed.

They completely avoided the spell.

"…Alright," Karl groaned.

That was when every dweller in the hall turned toward him. And then they moved.

They rushed down the walls like spiders, extremely fast, their limbs scraping against the stone as they descended.

There were around fifteen of them, which meant they could easily overwhelm Karl if he wasn't careful.

Still, he stayed calm.

Storm of Lightning!

Zap! Zap! Zap!

-257,280!

Karl blinked.

"Oh."

He didn't expect that amount of damage.

His plan had been simple: hit them with [Storm of Lightning] to stun them.

If they lost their grip on the walls, they'd fall and crash to their deaths.

But he didn't even need to wait.

Most of the [Maze Dwellers] were instantly scorched, their bodies crackling with electricity as they fell from the walls like burned insects.

Only a few managed to survive, mostly the ones positioned higher.

Seeing their kin die so easily, the remaining dwellers froze for a moment.

Then, all at once, they lifted their heads and let out a loud, bone-rattling roar.

ROOOOOOAR!

The entire hall darkened, as if something massive was approaching.

Karl reacted instantly.

All-Powerful Magic Barrier!

His barrier wrapped around him.

After evolving it, the barrier had 40,000 HP. Very few monsters could break something like that.

But he didn't relax.

Fwoosh!

A sudden rush of wind echoed from above.

Karl looked upward, and his eyes widened.

A massive figure descended from the ceiling.

'Oh shit.'

It looked similar to a [Maze Dweller], but everything about it was bigger and more dangerous.

Its limbs were thicker, its teeth sharper, and its spider-like legs extended far enough to cover half the hall.

Karl only had a few seconds to glance at the panel.

---

[Maze Dweller Leader (Level 40)]

[Rank: Epic (Boss)]

[HP: 1,200,000]

---

At this point in the game, monster HP values were becoming absurd.

Anyone without a powerful team, class, talent, or skills wouldn't stand a chance.

But that was exactly the point. This labyrinth wasn't meant for weaklings.

Only players strong enough to push through its challenges could reach the next region.

That also meant that the deeper Karl went, the fewer players he'd see. Only the strong survived here.

'I bet all of those at the top have hidden classes and even S-Rank or SS-Rank talents,' Karl thought.

Still, he kept his focus on the boss.

Karl tried to dodge, but the boss used its multiple spider-legs to propel itself forward without losing speed.

BOOM!

The boss slammed into him.

-116,700!

"Holy shit!"

The damage was insane.

The attack crushed his barrier instantly, shattering it before Karl was thrown backward.

The boss snarled, landing heavily on all limbs.

[Maze Dweller Leader HP: 1,083,300/1,200,000]

It had sacrificed its own HP to execute that massive burst attack.

The attack was strong enough that any player would get deleted instantly.

ROOOOAR!

The boss roared again, its enormous body towering over Karl.

Karl planted his feet, raised his staff, and pointed it directly at the monster.

He wasn't running. He was ready to fight.

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