Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 220 - 74: Fatal Trap_1

Chapter 220: Chapter 74: Fatal Trap_1

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"What’s all this?" Catherine asked in frustration, standing at the corner; even separated by this turn, she could feel gusts of wind pouring out of the passage, "Why is there such a strong wind in the tunnel?"

"I have no clue," Pannis shouted until he was hoarse. "Maybe it’s natural, but I think it’s more likely man-made, another security measure."

"Is there a way to solve it?" Catherine asked. "It’s too hard to pass through this way."

"That’s a question for Vivian, " Pannis said, "She’s the most knowledgeable here, I can’t figure it out."

"I’ll go and take a look," Vivian said, adding several layers of shields and wards to herself and, holding the Illuminator against the wall, turned the corner. While the wards could protect the caster from strong winds, they can only create a wind-free space around the caster. The external wind pressure would still affect the wind-free space as a whole, meaning that the entire ward would be pressed against the wall by the wind, rendering it impossible to cross through the tunnel by this means.

As soon as Vivian poked her head out, the wind pushed her against the wall. While managing to maintain the wards against the wind’s destructive force, she leisurely surveyed the tunnel in front of her. The beam from the Illuminator revealed a straight tunnel about fifty meters long, the walls of which had been slightly adjusted. This detouring enabled the strong wind to pass without any hindrance, leaving no safe spaces or leverage points along the way.

"This trap is almost insurmountable." Struggling back against the wall, Vivian retreated a considerable distance to a quieter place where the others were waiting. Upon discarding her wards and thinking for a long while, she spoke, "I’ve figured it out. The trap-setting is actually rather simple, they only used an array for the Hurricane Technique, but too many of them. There are two opposing arrays every three meters, and they are hidden in the walls so it’s hard to destroy them without damaging the walls. This array doesn’t necessarily enhance the magic’s power, but the Hurricane Technique is special because wind force accumulates, intensifying its strength."

"Can we use magic to destroy the wall?" Catherine asked, "If we destroy these arrays one by one, the trap will naturally be deactivated."

"That’s difficult, don’t forget we are underground," Vivian shook her head, "The space here is too narrow, and we don’t know the condition of inner walls. I’m not confident that I can destroy the walls without causing a collapse. In the current environment, if there’s a collapse, there’s a big chance we all would be crushed here."

"So, do you mean, we can only try our luck and plough ahead?" Catherine looked agonized, "Are there no other ways?"

"Anyway, I can’t think of any other way." Vivian shrugged, "But once someone gets through, they can use a physical attack to destroy the internal arrays, which makes it much easier for others to get through."

"I think I understand what you mean," Catherine looked at Vivian skeptically, "You’re saying that I should struggle through the wind to the other side, destroy the array so that all of you can walk through easily."

"Ha, you’re getting smarter, sis," Vivian grinned, slapping Catherine’s arm, "And for that buried treasure, you keep on going, hehe."

"Ok, I surrender." Catherine sighed helplessly and started unloading the scale armor that was weighed down. Even though it provided safety, for this narrow passageway filled with strong winds, the armor was burdensome, adding weight and increasing the surface area for the wind to act upon. She was better off without it.

"I’ll come with you," Pannis stood next to Catherine after giving it some thought, "If we go together, we can look out for each other if anything happens."

"Is that even necessary?" Catherine, who had taken off her armor, stretched her limbs and tightened every loose part of her shirt so that the wind could not get in, "This place requires effort to pass through. There is no need to waste two people’s strength."

"I have some worries," Pannis looked a bit apprehensive, "I feel like there are some issues that we haven’t considered. It’s safer for two people."

"It should be fine," Vivian said, "I did not detect any other magic traps."

"I’m worried about the possibility of booby traps set up by the crafty builders halfway through. It would certainly give us quite the trouble." Pannis was firm, "Therefore, just to be safe, I think I should accompany you."

"In that case, I appreciate your help." Upon a moment of thought, Catherine deemed Pannis’s concerns valid and decided not to reject his offer: "I suppose I should go first. After all, my Aggression level is one rank higher than yours. Thus, my body is naturally stronger because of my Aggression level. If I walk in front, I can help you block the wind and save your energy."

While Pannis was bravely facing the wind to place the goblin illuminator at the last turn of the Tempest Corridor, Catherine’s body flashed, infused with Aggression. She took in a deep breath and, without looking back, plunged into the wind, struggling forward against the fierce gusts. His eyebrows furrowed, Pannis seemed perplexed by an elusive thought as he sought shelter behind Catherine and reluctantly followed her in.

Wind is one of the most common phenomena. We could say that everyone lives in the wind throughout their lives. Thus, its presence is often taken for granted. However, when the wind becomes strong enough, it turns into a disaster. Gale-force winds can make breathing impossible, prevent you from opening your eyes, and obstruct your progress. Even stronger winds might blow you off the ground entirely.

In the current tunnel, ordinary folk or Lower Rank professionals could not even stand up. They would be pinned against the wall by the strong winds. Even Silver Rank professionals categorized as Upper Rank had to exhaust all their strength to make painstaking progress forward. Even the slightest misstep could send them flying. Only those above Gold Rank could advance more stably against the wind. This is why Catherine, after assessing the situation, decided to take the lead.

After moving forward for about ten meters, Catherine began to feel she might have overestimated her abilities. She had no understanding of the arrangement of the Array within the rock. She theorized the wind should lessen as she advanced, but it remained unyielding. Her Aggression reserves and stamina were rapidly dwindling under its constant intensity, and she began feeling more and more pressure.

Step by step, she was unable to waver, retreat, rest, speak, breathe, or open her eyes. She could only press forward with her head down—either until she broke through or until she succumbed to the cyclone winds.

"Come on, Catherine," she encouraged herself, "This is the last barrier. It’s the final enemy standing between you and your dreams. Defeat it, and all the treasure of a kingdom can be yours. You absolutely can’t lose, Catherine. Imagine being surrounded by gold, think about how wonderful it’d be to roll around in golden coins. It’s the view you can only dream about, come on, come on, come on."

Fueled by persistent self-assertion, Catherine quickened her pace substantially. Her face was a contorted mess due to exertion, but under the Aggression’s enhancement, she managed a normal pace against the fierce wind and rapidly approached the end of the tunnel.

"Something’s not right." Halted three or four meters behind Catherine, Pannis suddenly blanched as he realized something. He outstretched his arm, reaching out towards Catherine’s back and yelled: "Cast your Aggression Shield! Stop advancing!"

Regrettably, Catherine, engulfed in the wind, was unable to hear Pannis clearly. Due to the severity of the wind pressure and the grave conditions, she only heard a muffled shout without catching the context, nor did she have an opportunity to ask him, so she pressed forward despite her confusion.

The moment Catherine took her step, she found herself walking on air. The intense cyclone dropped to an almost negligible strength, but a strong counter-current surged from behind her. Propelled by her maximal effort and the rearward current, Catherine darted forward like an arrow, at a speed almost equal to that of her dash ability.

"I made it through." A joyous smile spread across Catherine’s face as she lunged forward. Successfully overcoming the Tempest Corridor meant that they were one step closer to the treasure. Nothing could impede her progress. Nothing could stop her pursuit of gold.

However, her ecstatic laughter rapidly transformed into a frozen mask of shock. Catherine’s body, amplified by speed and strength, felt something make contact. It was a slender yet resilient object that she couldn’t discern under the dim light of the lamp. There were more than a dozen points on her body—head, chest, abdomen, limbs—that registered the sensation.

"Damn it." Catherine’s heart sank. Past adventures had taught her that this was likely a type of trap, but there was little she could do at this point. Her speed was too fast for her to activate her Aggression Shield in time, too fast to prevent her from hurling herself into a literal dead-end.

Time seemed to stretch in that one second. Catherine could clearly feel, under her own power, an invisible object slicing through her skin bit by bit, little by little, cutting through her muscles. Her neck, chest, waist, abdomen, limbs... Every crucial part of her body was under attack.

The fear and despair brought by impending death gripped Catherine’s heart tightly. Although she understood what was about to happen, she could do nothing but witness her demise.

"Is this it? Is this where my journey ends?" In what felt like the last millisecond of her life, Catherine’s last movement was to raise her eyes towards the ceiling. The oppressive rock ceiling offered no hope, no sky, and no moon, "Father, Grandfather, did you also feel this way at the brink of your deaths? Dying for debts, no, dying for honor and duty... I wish I could gaze at the beautiful starry sky one last time."

In the next instant, Catherine was greeted by the sight of three full moons.