I really only stop

Lu Xi hesitated for a moment, and there was a hint of deepness in his eyes:

"……some."

When I first traveled through time, the system helped me activate what [the ability I should have]—that is, the current time stop—which caused me to almost die at the beginning.

Not to mention the obliteration of the world, according to the system, I am indeed [abnormally lucky] to activate this ability. A powerful force that can be recognized as a threat by the world is coveted wherever it is placed.

"All in all, I had a great~~~great luck, anyway, it's the kind that you, Xiao Lika, will never meet in your life."

Lu Xi spread his hands, but he was not too entangled: "However, Celica, you can open this treasure chest if you want to. Let's leave as soon as we finish."

Anyway, it's just a treasure chest in a lower-level labyrinth, so it doesn't matter if you open it to Celica to make her happy.The three of them are fine. I spent several hours looking for a room leading here. I wanted to go back to the guild for a long time to rest, okay?

Moreover, I don't know what's going on with my new house. If it's suitable, I have to find time to look at the house, so I don't have time to spend here.

To Lu Xi's surprise, Celica, who got the approval, became coy:

"Is this really good? After all, this is the treasure chest that everyone found together for the first time, why don't we open it together?"

Then what happened to your grabbing talk just now?Do you simply want me to complain about you?

Lu Xi shook his head helplessly, and pushed Celica behind:

"Go quickly."

--------

The lower maze, the exit.

"..."

"..."

"...Pfft."

"Hey! Did you laugh just now! Did you definitely laugh at me?!"

Immediately caught Lu Xi's inaudible puffing sound, Celica jumped up:

"I want to duel with you! Put on the name of my magic swordsman, I absolutely want to duel with you!"

"..."

Rarely, Lu Xi didn't fight back immediately, but turned his head and muttered in a low voice:

"I can't even hold the sword I drew myself, so I have the guts to call myself a swordsman~ Puff puff puff~"

Even though about half an hour had passed, Lu Xi couldn't help but burst out laughing when recalling Celica's expression at the moment when she opened the treasure chest and excitedly wanted to take out the contents.

How can I describe it? It's unexpected and kind of cute.

Like a child who finally got permission to eat her favorite fruit candy, Celica held the contents of the treasure chest with her hands with a bright smile.The purity shown at that moment made Lu Xi stunned for a few seconds.

Of course, that quickly turned to ridicule.

"Oh, isn't it just a [sword] used by a [swordsman]~"

Lu Xi hugged Celica's shoulder affectionately, and suppressed a smile:

"It's not your fault that you don't have enough strength to pick it up~ After all, you're just a [magician], why don't you take a look at how this sword looks on me? Isn't it very handsome?"

Taking a closer look, what Lu Xi hung on his body was no longer the ordinary iron sword when he entered the maze. Instead, it was a long sword with a faint magical light and a very luxurious shape.

It's a pity that Celica, who is a magician and a girl, doesn't have enough power to pick it up because of the magic attached to her.

"so……"

"Enough! I don't want to talk to Ruoweixi anymore!"

Leaving aside the intimidating harsh words commonly used by children in fighting, Celica turned her head and ran towards the exit of the maze with tears in her eyes, but was stunned for some reason when she was about to take that step:

"……Eh?"

Chapter 38 The Maze and the Secret of Time

"What's wrong? Magician Miss Celica?"

Looking at the back of Celica who was stunned at the exit of the maze, Lu Xi laughed and shouted loudly:

"Did something fall into the maze? Really~ I can't do anything about you~"

"That's the end of the ridicule, Lucy don't bully Celica anymore."

Whispering to stop Lu Xi's rare active face-jumping behavior, Nana looked at Zorika who was standing still, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes:

"……I gonna go see!"

"Hmm, what's so interesting?"

Looking at the back of Nana hurriedly running towards the exit, Lu Xi, who felt that she was a little too much in comparison, complained to Yuxia as if evading:

"It's just a child's temper tantrum. I think Celica must want to make up, but because she was embarrassed by her behavior just now, she stood there waiting for us to chase after her?"

"Okay~ Nana is just worried about Celica!"

Yuxia looked at Lu Xi jokingly: "I think Lu Xi's behavior is also [children's temper tantrum], huh? Whether it's a deliberate show-off behavior, or the blunt behavior just now--really~ Lu Xi is still I haven't grown up~"

"Don't look at me with that big sister's eyes!"

After being told his thoughts in such a simple and clear way, Lu Xi felt a fever on his face:

"I didn't—eh? Why is Nana standing there?"

Following Lu Xi's gaze, Nana, who had been running to comfort Celica, also stood side by side with her for some reason.

This unusual fact made Lu Xi vigilant in an instant. While he was secretly preparing for the activation of the time-stop ability, he looked at Yuxiya who was also serious:

"Let's go take a look and be careful."

"Yes, got it."

----------

Carefully approaching the Nana and Nai who were standing side by side, Lu Xi looked around and found no danger.

[No problem. 】

Reading the same meaning from Yushiya's eyes beside her, Lu Xi relaxed and patted Celica's back carelessly:

"Don't be awkward! Isn't it just opening a weapon that you can't use from the treasure chest? At worst, I'll go and match it for you later. I know the equipment department of the guild very well!"

"Weak, weak and weak..."

Turning a deaf ear to Lu Xi's words, Celica asked in a daze:

"When did we enter this maze?"

"Morning, what's the matter?"

"Then how long have we been in this maze?"

"This one……"

Lu Xi scratched his head with some difficulty.

In the maze, he turns on and off for a while to find the location of the treasure chest.It is extremely difficult to estimate the current time during the time-stop process.

Lu Xi is not a scientist with green onion hair, of course it is impossible to have the ability to count his own heartbeat and estimate the time.

Fortunately, Yuxia who was next to him answered the question in time:

"It's been about two hours, right? Including the time of walking, it should be right."

"In my feeling, it seems to be the same. But——"

In Celica's eyes, a rare flash of confusion:

"—Why is it...it's evening outside now?"

--------

In order to prevent the adventurers from being attacked by the dangers around the outside world when they leave the maze, an observation port is set at the exit of the maze very humanely.Although the exit is one-way and you cannot go in, it is still possible to just observe the surrounding situation.

It was the scene seen through the observation port of about one square meter that made the four members of Lu Xi's team stunned in place.

The breeze, the grass, the smoke from a distant village—the most direct evidence is the crimson sun that is about to be overwhelmed by the horizon.

"It's...it's really evening."

After being silent for a while, Lu Xi murmured in disbelief: "Why?"

Obviously only stayed in the maze for two hours, why has it already been half a day outside?This maze also has its own time room function?

"Probably not."

As if seeing what Lu Xi was thinking, Nana shook her head:

"The manual says that what we are currently in is just the most common one in the lower-level maze. There is nothing special about it, it only has the most basic refresh function of the maze, not to mention the time that even the upper-level maze doesn't necessarily have. jumped."

"Whirring whirring!"

After a long downtime, Celica forced a smile:

"Look, it seems that Time Devourer Thamesville stole my precious time! It's really despicable to do it while I'm fully suppressing the fallen dragon in my body. I'll write down this account!"

Come on, that weird name seems to be something that you guys came up with right now.

Giving Zerika a supercilious look, Lu Xi rubbed his chin.

Although what Zelika said was as illogical as ever, some parts of it were worth noting.

"Stealing" time—Of course, it doesn't mean that anyone has the ability to steal time, but is there such a person who can have an impact on time that no one else can?

it is me.

Calm down and think about it, if you count the time I spent trying to find my way in the maze, from [my] perspective, [now] should indeed be the time for the sun to set.

Could it be that using [Time Stop] in the maze will not affect the flow of time outside?

As soon as this idea popped up, it took root in Lu Xi's mind irresistibly.

Now it seems that only it can explain the sudden disappearance of time.

The existence of the maze itself is full of fog, coupled with the intermittent stop of bugs, it is not unacceptable to produce any wonderful reactions.

While Lu Xi was thinking, the discussion among the three girls also came to fruition.

"If you think about it this way, there must be something wrong with the maze itself, or maybe we have encountered some hidden mechanism."

Nana thought for a while, and said the usual two possibilities:

"Don't everyone often say 'anything can happen in the maze'? Scholars have different opinions on the reason for the formation of the maze until now, and it is even more impossible for us to figure it out."

"Well, I think so too."

Yuxia followed suit and nodded: "The Pope... Well, the elders in my family also said that behind the maze, there may be a secret about a world-class event in ancient times."

"Oh! Everyone has said so much, I can't understand a word at all!"

Celica, who was trying her best to keep up with the topic, was getting steamy in her head. Fortunately, she carried forward her usual carefree style:

"Don't think about topics that you don't understand! What we need to understand now is that I'm hungry and I didn't eat lunch! Just right, since Ruoweixi got the biggest spoils, Let him treat you tonight~"

"Hey! Why do you bastard me every chance you get!"

Lu Xi, who came back to his senses, complained subconsciously, and then shook his head helplessly:

"Okay, after returning to the guild, order whatever you want to eat."

Brother is not short of this little money. I'm ready to buy a house, so I'm afraid I won't be able to afford a meal?

In response to Lu Xi's rare generosity, Celica embraced excitedly:

"Long live!!!!"

Chapter 39 Buying a house with full payment is tough!

... In the future, try to avoid using [Time Stop] in the maze.

Seeing his 'countdown to erasure' which was apparently several hours faster than expected, Lu Xi sighed faintly.