Monster Pet Evolution

Gao Peng thought they could easily find the subsequent labyrinths. However, Fatty Big Sea seemed to be leading them in circles.

“Here… no, not here. Direction’s off by a bit.

“… Not here either. I think it’s back where we came from. We may have taken a wrong turn.

“I, Fatty Big Sea, swear that I will not lead us astray this time. If so, may God smite me down!

“… I’m sorry, Gao Peng. I don’t care if I get struck by lightning at this point. Give me one more chance, just one!

“Why are you looking at me like that? I can sense that we’re getting close,” said Fatty Big Sea as it turned around coyly, its huge round face screwed up in concentration.

“Pah!” Goldie spat at it. “We’ve been searching for half a year. You’ve said the same stupid thing 124 times already!”

“Oh? You’ve been keeping count, baldie?” said Flamy. It sounded surprised. “Aren’t you supposed to be the slow-witted one? I never knew you had a head for numbers.” The air around them grew tense.

Goldie rubbed its bald scalp absently. There was an embarrassed look on its face. “I just said the first number that popped into my head…”

Flamy rolled its eyes at Goldie.

“Enough. Let’s just keep on moving,” said Gao Peng, breaking his squabbling familiars apart. He let Fatty Big Sea continue leading the way. As they turned around a mountain, Gao Peng, who was growing less and less optimistic about his familiar’s navigational skill, suddenly came to a halt.

Right before him lay an empty plain, in the middle of which stood a massive labyrinth. The labyrinth stood tall and magnificent, with a faint glimmer of gold in the sky above it. The whole structure was so vast that it seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon.

The labyrinth seemed to be teeming with monsters. Behind its 300-foot-tall walls, monsters of all shapes and sizes went about their business. It was like another world, the occupants of which had probably lived their whole lives behind these walls without even once setting foot in the outside world.

Gao Peng could see huge trees growing from behind the labyrinth’s outer walls, as well as bird nests nestled in their lush canopies.

A couple of red-feathered bird monsters poked their heads out from their nests and began chirping noisily at each other. Out of the corner of his eye, Gao Peng saw a huge snake slithering across one of the tree’s stems, its scales the same shade of brown as the tree. It was drawing closer and closer towards one of the bird nests… In one explosive movement, it lunged at one of the red-feathered birds before devouring it instantly.

Gao Peng then noticed that the labyrinth’s outer walls gradually took on a brownish-yellow color some distance away. They also seemed to be covered with blemishes. The pathways near that section of the wall were submerged in sand…

The labyrinth seemed to contain all kinds of terrain in it, from lush forests to murky swamps.

Da Zi exclaimed, “This place is huge.”

“I’ve never seen a labyrinth this big,” said Desolion, nodding.

“It’s here,” said Fatty Big Sea, its eyes lighting up. “I told you, didn’t I? That the labyrinth was in this direction!”

“Shut your trap, you spineless b*stard. You have quite the nerve to open your mouth when you were the one leading us in circles for half a year,” spat Goldie.

“I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing back then,” Fatty Big Sea muttered in an attempt to excuse itself.

As Gao Peng had no idea how big the labyrinth was, he climbed onto Da Zi’s back and ordered it to gain some altitude. When they were a few miles up in the air, Gao Peng saw that he couldn’t see where the labyrinth ended.

The other end of the labyrinth seemed to have disappeared behind the horizon.

“It’s huge…” said Gao Peng under his breath, frowning. Inside the labyrinth lay an intricate network of pathways. One could easily get lost inside it if one didn’t know his or her way around the place.

Gao Peng began taking pictures of the place with a camera. The pictures he had taken were filled with vague shadowy forms, though some of them were obscured by blotches of light. It was as if a thick layer of fog was hanging over the whole place.

After some thought, Gao Peng took a few more pictures with his phone, then compared the pictures he had taken with his phone with those he had taken just before. There was certainly something obscuring the overhead view of the labyrinth. Every picture he took, be it with his phone or camera, had come out blemished and unfocused.

“I guess I’ll just have to commit the labyrinth’s layout to memory the old-fashioned way.” Gao Peng strained his eyes at the labyrinth below. Curiously enough, when he tried to recall the labyrinth’s layout, all he had was a vague image of the place. The more Gao Peng tried to focus on it, the more unclear it became.

Ten minutes later, Gao Peng kneaded his brow in exasperation.

I can’t remember anything about it… What kind of place is this?

When Gao Peng returned to solid ground, Fatty Big Sea grinned at him smugly. “Gao Peng, were you trying to memorize the labyrinth’s layout, but then you realized that you couldn’t remember anything about it?”

“Do you know what’s going on?” asked Gao Peng, shooting it a sideways look.

“Well sure, I’ve fought with that guy for so long. Of course I knew what some of its powers were. It’s the god of labyrinths. If anyone could memorize the layout of its labyrinths with just one glance… well, then it wouldn’t be the god of anything now, would it?” said Fatty Big Sea.

“Even if you were able to memorize the labyrinth’s layout by some miracle, you would find out sooner or later that the labyrinth’s interior is constantly changing.”

Gao Peng was stunned to hear this. “I didn’t see anything change just now.”

“You can’t see it happen from above… It’s kind of hard to put it into words. The labyrinths operate on the concept of precepts; they can muddle your sixth sense without you knowing about it,” said Fatty Big Sea, sighing. “However, this guy’s specialty isn’t labyrinths. It’s the ability to easily mow down its enemies. For a time, I thought it was the god of war.

“Despite being the god of labyrinths, its combat power was second to none, even among other minor gods.”

Before, Gao Peng had only been interested in the god of labyrinths’ divine artifacts. Now, he was growing more and more curious about the god of labyrinths itself.

“Let’s go. I used to frequent these labyrinths in the past. You could say I know them like the back of my hand.” Fatty Big Sea flopped forward to the front of the group. “I’m going to take that guy’s divine artifact and dance on its grave! It’s dead, and I’m not!” it said in a sing-song voice.

When they were inside the labyrinth, Gao Peng realized that Fatty Big Sea hadn’t been lying when it said it knew its way around the labyrinth. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of loneliness. How many times had it been trapped inside these labyrinths in order for it to become so familiar with their ins and outs?

Gao Peng stared at it wide-eyed when he saw Fatty Big Sea wriggle into a hole on one of the outer walls. How on earth did you even know that was there? Did you live here before?

Fatty Big Sea turned around and saw that Gao Peng was still standing there. It called out to him, “What are you standing there for? Follow me!”

Gao Peng contorted his lips, then nodded. “Coming.”

Fatty Big Sea led Gao Peng through the tunnel. Along the way, it told Gao Peng a few things he needed to keep in mind. “Don’t run off on your own when there’s a sandstorm, or you might fall into a trap. Keep close to the walls… Also, be careful when you’re near the labyrinth’s swampy areas. There’s…”