Another two hours passed after Karl first saw the panels left behind by the [Blooming Witch].

During that entire time, she didn't try to stop him even once.

She simply waited.

Karl could almost picture it clearly, her watching him wander through the maze, confident that he would never find the path leading to her so-called "tower."

And if Karl had to be honest with himself, she probably wasn't wrong.

He was struggling far more than he wanted to admit.

The maze wasn't just confusing. It felt malicious.

Every turn seemed designed to waste his time, every path crafted to lead him in circles.

And unlike the outer parts of the [Flower Labyrinth], there was nothing here to break the monotony.

No landmarks. No hidden chambers. No bosses jumping out to at least make things interesting.

Just walls. Paths. And silence.

Karl frowned slightly as he continued walking.

He didn't want to spend an entire day trapped in this place, even if it technically counted as progress.

Time mattered.

He still had many things he wanted, and needed, to accomplish in the [Blooming Lands].

Staying stuck here too long would throw off everything.

Still, since he was forced to wander anyway, Karl decided to make the best of it.

As he explored the maze, he also took time to train with his [Dweller Boots].

After all, if he ever had to fight seriously in this environment, being able to use them properly could be the deciding factor between life and death.

At first, he practiced simply climbing the walls quickly.

Learning how to gain momentum.

Learning when to push off and when to reattach.

Then he started leaping from one wall to the other, using short bursts of movement to maintain speed.

Eventually, he even figured out how to run along the walls at full speed, albeit only for short durations before the passive wore off.

It wasn't perfect.

But it was progress.

And surprisingly enough, Karl actually had a bit of fun doing it.

'Mazes are always boring when you can't find the exit anyway,' Karl thought with a groan as he landed back on the ground.

'At least the [Flower Labyrinth] had some places to keep you entertained.'

And right as that thought crossed his mind, he turned another corner.

Then—

"Oh shit."

Karl froze.

He had entered another clearing.

And it definitely wasn't the one at the beginning of the [Danger Zone].

His eyes immediately sharpened as he stepped forward, his instincts screaming that something was different here.

Then a panel appeared.

[Congrats, you have reached the halfway point of the "Danger Zone"!]

"...Damn."

Karl let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Halfway.

That meant there was still just as much distance left to cover.

But strangely enough, he didn't feel discouraged.

As long as he was making progress, that was enough for him.

Reaching this point meant he was heading in the right direction, even if the path had been hellishly confusing.

And more importantly…

It meant the [Blooming Witch] could no longer ignore him.

As if on cue, another panel appeared in front of his eyes.

[Well, I guess I'll present you one of my three toys then~]

Karl barely had time to react.

The moment he took another step into the clearing—

BOOM!

The ground beneath his feet began to rumble violently.

Karl was forced to leap backward as a massive explosion tore through the earth where he had just been standing, chunks of stone and dirt flying everywhere.

Another panel appeared, dripping with mockery.

[Here we go~ Don't die too quickly please!]

The ground cracked open.

And from it, a massive entity emerged.

---

[Danger Orc (Level 50)]

[Rank: Legendary (Unique Boss)]

[HP: 2,700,000]

---

Karl stared at the towering figure in front of him.

"First [Unique Boss] I encounter in this life," he muttered quietly.

"Makes sense… they usually appear later."

He had already faced [Boss], [Special Boss], and even a [Zone Boss].

But this was different.

[Unique Boss].

That title alone carried weight.

Unlike other bosses, [Unique Bosses] existed only once.

If they died, they were gone forever.

And to make up for that, they were absurdly strong.

Some of the most terrifying beings in [Gods Ascension] carried that title.

It was incredibly rare for a [Unique Boss] to ever be killed.

Most players never even encountered one in their entire lifetime.

Karl's gaze returned to the orc.

'I guess this is one of her three toys.'

The [Blooming Witch] had clearly said she had three of them.

Which meant that even if Karl managed to defeat this one, he'd have to face two more eventually.

The [Danger Orc] stood nearly three meters tall, its crimson skin pulsing faintly.

It was completely naked except for a small piece of cloth barely covering its lower body.

In its hands was a massive bat, easily large enough to crush a man in a single swing.

ROOOOAR!

The roar shook the clearing.

Karl glanced around quickly. No other monsters.

And worse—

Darkened vines erupted behind him, sealing off the entrance of the clearing entirely.

He'd have to fight. Regardless of how strong it was.

Karl spun his staff in his hand, his expression calm.

Blazing Meteor!Storm of Lightning!Frostbite Crystals!Lunar Beam!

Fwoosh! BOOM!

The spells detonated one after another, slamming directly into the [Danger Orc]'s massive body.

-444,800! -266,880! -15,000! -15,000! -15,000!

The orc staggered slightly under the barrage.

But just as it lifted its massive bat to smash it down at Karl—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[You have afflicted "Burn" on "Danger Orc"]

[You have afflicted "Stun" on "Danger Orc"]

[You have afflicted "Slowness" on "Danger Orc"]

All three status effects triggered instantly.

Flames clung to the orc's body, steadily eating away at its health.

Its movements slowed drastically, and for a brief moment, its entire body froze in place.

By the time the [Danger Orc] was able to move again, the beam from [Lunar Beam] had already fully charged.

BOOM!

-40,000!-40,000!-40,000!

The continuous beam carved into its chest, forcing it to roar in pain.

From that single barrage alone, the orc lost over 900,000 HP.

Nearly a third of its total health.

Yet despite that…

It didn't back down.

Danger Smash!

The [Danger Orc] raised its bat and slammed it into the ground where Karl had been standing moments earlier.

Thanks to the [Slowness] effect, the attack was just slow enough for Karl to sidestep it easily.

The ground shattered, sending cracks spreading outward.

The orc kept smashing again and again, roaring in frustration as Karl calmly avoided every strike.

Karl wasn't particularly worried.

Even if he took a direct hit, his [All-Powerful Magic Barrier] alone had 40,000 HP.

One mistake wouldn't immediately kill him.

Still, there was no reason to be careless.

A panel appeared again.

[Looks like this toy isn't very smart... perhaps I should have trained it better.]

The [Blooming Witch] sounded disappointed.

But amused.

Karl frowned slightly.

'Let's just end this.'

He unleashed another full barrage of spells, tearing away yet another massive chunk of the boss's health.

Only one more round.

That was all it would take.

But then—

ROOOOOOAR!

The [Danger Orc] suddenly roared and began smashing its own head with its bat.

Bam!

-7,500! -7,300! -7,400!

"Damn," Karl muttered.

Even he didn't know what to make of that.

Had it gone insane?

After hitting itself several times, blood pouring down its face, the orc suddenly stomped the ground with terrifying force, creating a small crater around its feet.

Another panel appeared.

[Finally, do something you useless toy!]

ROOOAR!

In response to the witch's command, the orc's aura exploded outward.

Its muscles bulged. Its presence became heavier. Stronger.

And without hesitation, it lunged straight toward Karl.

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