“我叫班森，是个……僵尸。”
“My name is Benson, and I’m a… Zombie.”
在多克斯的带领下，安格尔等人在山洞里走了约莫半分钟，终于看到了一个靠坐在墙壁下，不停喘着粗气的男子。
Under the leadership of Doakes, Angel and others walked in the cave for about half a minute, and finally saw a man sitting against the wall, panting heavily.
他戴着一张白色面具，外露的皮肤都被白色纱布缠绕着。
He was wearing a white mask, and the exposed skin was wrapped in white gauze.
这个人,正是多克斯口中所说的那位融入了地火蝾螈血脉的巫师学徒。
This person is exactly the sorcerer apprentice that Doakes said had merged with the blood of the Earthfire Salamander.
他自称叫做班森，是必洛斯家族的成员。
He claimed to be Benson, a member of the Biros family.
“僵尸？”卡艾尔疑惑的看向班森，这是外号吗？很奇怪的外号……僵硬的尸体？冻僵的尸体？
“Zombie?” Kael looked at Benson suspiciously. Is this a nickname? Weird nickname…stiff corpse? Frozen corpses?
班森点点头：“是的，僵尸。”
Benson nodded: “Yes, zombies.”
一边说着，班森一边将脸上的白色面具取了下来，露出了自己的真容。
While speaking, Benson took off the white mask on his face, revealing his true face.
他的长相，很普通。乍一看去，和普通人差不多，但仔细观察就会发现,他的皮肤带着一种石质的暗沉感，而且，也没有正常皮肤的油性光泽，就像是已经出现硬化的死人皮肤般。
His appearance is very ordinary. At first glance, he looks like an ordinary person, but if you look closely, you will find that his skin has a stone-like dullness, and it does not have the oily luster of normal skin, just like dead skin that has hardened so-so.
卡艾尔不知道班森的皮肤是怎么回事，但他暗暗猜测，或许这是移植的某种魔物皮肤，又或者这是班森融入地火蝾螈血脉后产生的独特天赋？
Kael didn’t know what was going on with Benson’s skin, but he secretly guessed that maybe it was some kind of monster skin transplanted, or maybe it was Benson’s unique talent after merging into the blood of the earthfire salamander?
就在卡艾尔胡思乱想的时候，多克斯突然开口道：“这应该是一种病症吧？”
Just as Kael was thinking wildly, Doakes suddenly said: “This should be a disease, right?”
班森惊讶的看了多克斯一眼，没想到，多克斯一眼就看出来了他的情况。不过转念一想，又觉得很正常，他在家族收藏的图集中，看到过多克斯的样貌，知道多克斯是一位活跃于拉克苏姆公国的血脉侧巫师。
Benson glanced at Doakes in surprise, unexpectedly, Doakes could see his situation at a glance. But after thinking about it, he thought it was normal again. He saw the appearance of Doks in the atlas collected by his family, and knew that Doks was a blood-side wizard active in the Principality of Laxum.
最重要的是，多克斯是一個流浪巫师。
On top of that, Doakes is a wandering wizard.
流浪巫师虽然没有组织、家族作为背景，但往往流浪巫师是接触底层人群最多的，最知道底层之人真实情况,反倒是组织出来的巫师更加形而上。
Although wandering wizards have no organization or family background, wandering wizards often have the most contact with the bottom people and know the real situation of the bottom people best. On the contrary, the organized wizards are more metaphysical.
班森也没有否认，点点头道：“是的，我是一个硬皮症患者。”
Benson did not deny it, nodded and said: “Yes, I am a scleroderma patient.”
硬皮症，是一种罕见病，哪怕在底层人群中，也是少见的。它的发病机理目前还不明确，其最明显的外在表现症状，便是皮肤失去柔韧感，丧失弹性，变得硬化与厚实。
Scleroderma is a rare disease, even among the low-level people, it is rare. Its pathogenesis is still unclear, and its most obvious external symptoms are that the skin loses its flexibility, loses its elasticity, and becomes hardened and thick.
从超凡者的视角来看，硬皮症导致的皮肤变硬，更像是一种良性症状，能加强抗击打性。但对于普通人来说，硬皮症就是一种几乎无药可治的绝症，随着皮肤慢慢变硬，血管腔也会变得狭窄，因为具有压迫性，还会让脏器也跟着受损。随着时间的推移,最终会导致脏器的衰竭,病变而亡。
From the perspective of a transcendent, the hardening of the skin caused by scleroderma is more like a benign symptom, which can strengthen the resistance to blows. But for ordinary people, scleroderma is a terminal disease with almost no cure. As the skin gradually hardens, the blood vessel cavity will also become narrow, because it is oppressive, and the organs will also be affected. damage. As time goes by, it will eventually lead to organ failure, disease and death.
班森是不幸的，他在罹患硬皮症的时候，还只是一个普通人。通过各种方法，熬了五年，可也就到此为止了，生活处处受挫，完全看不到希望。
Benson is unlucky. When he suffered from scleroderma, he was just an ordinary person. Through various methods, I have survived for five years, but it has come to an end. Life is frustrated everywhere, and there is no hope at all.
班森又是幸运的，在他即将面临死亡的痛苦时，他遇到了一位巫师。这位自称月长老的巫师告诉班森，他身上拥有其亲族后裔的血脉，从某种意义上来说，班森算是必洛斯家族流落在外的子弟。
Benson was lucky again. When he was about to face the pain of death, he met a wizard. The sorcerer who called himself Elder Moon told Benson that he had the blood of the descendants of his relatives. In a sense, Benson was a descendant of the Bilos family.
一般这种流散的子弟，基本都是凡人后代，成为天赋者的几率也不高。所以，必洛斯家族也懒得去寻找这些后代。
Generally, this kind of scattered children are basically descendants of mortals, and the chance of becoming a gifted person is not high. Therefore, the Biluosi family didn’t bother to look for these descendants.
班森能遇到月长老，就是一种运气。而他的精神力数值达到了11点，有成为天赋者的底蕴，更是运气的体现。
It is a kind of luck for Benson to meet Elder Yue. And his mental power value has reached 11 points, he has the background of becoming a talented person, and it is a manifestation of luck.
被带回必洛斯家族后，班森开始了不懈的修行。
After being brought back to the Biros family, Benson began to practice unremittingly.
在成为巫师学徒后，体内脏器的强度被提升，让他终于摆脱了硬皮症带来的不利影响。
After becoming a wizard’s apprentice, the strength of internal organs was improved, allowing him to finally get rid of the adverse effects of scleroderma.
而且，坚韧的硬皮还保留了下来，这也成为了他的底蕴，让他拥有了更强的防御能力与抗性。
Moreover, the tough hard skin is still preserved, which has also become his background, giving him stronger defensive capabilities and resistance.
在月长老的指点下，班森融合了地火蝾螈的血脉，进一步的加强了皮肤的强度。可以说，单从抗揍的角度来看，班森已经可以和同阶的血脉侧学徒相比较了。
Under the guidance of Elder Moon, Benson fused the blood of the Earthfire Salamander, further strengthening the strength of the skin. It can be said that from the perspective of resistance to beatings, Benson can already be compared with the blood side apprentices of the same level.
不过代价嘛……便是皮肤比普通人时还要更加坚硬，导致他整个人都像是僵住了一般，除了说话与眼睛动弹时，其他时候完全就像是傀儡或者说死人。
But the price… is that his skin is harder than that of ordinary people, causing his whole body to freeze, except when talking and moving his eyes, he is completely like a puppet or a dead person at other times.
为此，班森戴上了面具，也给自己缠上了白色纱布，避免别人异样的眼光。这样一来，他虽然看上去不像是僵尸了，但却像是另一种和僵尸差不多的物种……木乃伊。
For this reason, Benson put on a mask and wrapped himself in white gauze to avoid other people’s strange eyes. In this way, although he doesn’t look like a zombie anymore, he looks like another species that is similar to a zombie… a mummy.
“硬皮症？真是少见。”多克斯低声嘀咕了一句，然后仔细打量着班森：“咦，你融入地火蝾螈血脉，是为了配合硬皮吧？这倒是个很天才的想法。”
“Scleroderma? It’s really rare.” Doakes muttered in a low voice, and then looked at Benson carefully: “Hey, you merged into the blood of the Earthfire Salamander to match the scleroderma, right? This is quite a problem. A genius idea.”
班森的硬皮症并不算痊愈，肆意使用硬皮挨揍，虽然加强了抗性，但也让皮肤越来越硬化。
Benson’s scleroderma is not cured, and the wanton use of the scleroderma to beat him, although the resistance has been strengthened, has also made the skin harder and harder.
当下虽然看不到不良之处，但长久下来，皮肤的硬度若是超过了班森内脏的承载上限，那硬皮症的后患又会排山倒海而来。
Although you can’t see any bad things at the moment, in the long run, if the hardness of the skin exceeds the upper limit of Benson’s internal organs, then the aftermath of scleroderma will come again.
而班森选择融入地火蝾螈血脉，却是一个既能强化硬皮，还能解决硬皮后患的一种双全之策。
As for Benson’s choice to integrate into the bloodline of the Earthfire Salamander, it is a double strategy that can not only strengthen the crust, but also solve the problem of the crust.
地火蝾螈加强了硬皮，同时，地火蝾螈还对脏器的耐受度有专门的开发，堪比一些高级别的魔物血脉。
The earth fire salamander has strengthened its hard skin. At the same time, the earth fire salamander has also specially developed the tolerance of the internal organs, which is comparable to some high-level monster blood.
加强地火蝾螈的血脉，等同于硬皮和脏器一起强化，可以说，这是班森对硬皮症做出的最好之解。
Strengthening the blood of the fire salamander is equivalent to strengthening the hard skin and internal organs together. It can be said that this is the best solution Benson has made to scleroderma.
换作多克斯，估计也会选择让班森来融入地火蝾螈血脉。
If it were Doakes, it is estimated that Benson would also choose to integrate into the blood of the Earthfire Salamander.
班森有些赧然道：“这其实是月长老给我的建议。”
Benson said a little shyly: “This is actually Elder Yue’s advice to me.”
本来还将注意力放在班森身上的多克斯，听到“月长老”这个名字，愣了一下：“月长老？是必洛斯家族的树、日、月三长老的月长老？”
Dokes, who was still focusing on Benson, was stunned when he heard the name “Elder Moon”: “Elder Moon? It’s Elder Moon who is the tree, sun, and moon elders of the Biros family.” ?”
班森点点头：“是的，我的先辈曾经是月长老的弟弟，所以月长老对我很是照顾。我能来乐土修行，也是蹭了月长老的光。”
Banson nodded: “Yes, my ancestor was Elder Yue’s younger brother, so Elder Yue took good care of me. I was able to come to Paradise to practice because of Elder Yue’s favor.”
班森这句话给出的信息很多，这也是他刻意的。
Benson’s words give a lot of information, and this is also his deliberate intention.
虽然他认识多克斯，也知道多克斯往日与必洛斯家族没有瓜葛。但谁又能确定，近日无仇呢？
Although he knew Doakes, he also knew that Doakes had nothing to do with the Biros family in the past. But who can be sure that there will be no hatred in the near future?
为了自己的小命着想，班森目前能做的，只有透露与月长老的关系，然后侧面点出月长老就在附近，以此来壮胆气。
For the sake of his own life, all Benson can do now is to disclose his relationship with Elder Yue, and then point out that Elder Yue is nearby, so as to strengthen his courage.
多克斯也听出了班森的弦外之意，不过，他并不在意。甚至在心中暗暗的将这种“转移矛盾、狐假虎威”的方法记牢，以后他也能用上了。
Doakes also heard Benson’s implication, but he didn’t care. He even secretly remembered this method of “transferring contradictions and pretending to be a tiger” in his heart, so that he can use it in the future.
真遇到打不过的，他未来也可以说，自己和安格尔关系很好，和桑德斯更是莫逆，野蛮洞窟三大祖灵都是他的靠山……这个方法很不错，在南域的话，应该可以行得通。
If he really can’t beat him, he can say in the future that he has a very good relationship with Angel, and even more irresistible with Sanders. The three ancestor spirits of the barbaric cave are all his backers… This method is very good , in the Southern Region, it should work.
反正他短时间内也要跟着安格尔，先在口头上捞点好处，总不能说他什么吧？
Anyway, he has to follow Angor for a short period of time, first to get some benefits in words, so he can’t say anything about him, right?
抛开翩跹的浮想，多克斯目光重新放到班森身上：“你的意思是，月长老就在乐土？那之前说要玩游戏的人，居然还敢在这里动手？”
Leaving aside the fluttering thoughts, Doakes looked at Benson again: “You mean, Elder Yue is in Paradise? Then the person who said he was going to play games before, dare to do it here?”
班森：“大人说的是……面具人吗？”
Benson: “Are you talking about… the masked man?”
多克斯：“面具人？面具人是谁？”
Doakes: “The masked man? Who is the masked man?”
班森一脸疑惑：“大人不知道面具人？那大人怎么会在‘泥偶迷宫’里？”
Benson looked puzzled: “My lord doesn’t know about the masked man? Then why is my lord in the ‘Mud Maze’?”
“我是从外面进来的。”多克斯也没隐瞒，直接道。
“I came in from the outside.” Doakes said directly without hiding anything.
班森眼睛一亮：“外面？乐土外面的空间封印难道被破开了？”
Benson’s eyes lit up: “Outside? Has the space seal outside the Paradise been broken?”
多克斯摇摇头：“没有被破坏，我用的是其他手段进来的。”
Doakes shook his head: “It wasn’t destroyed, I used other means to get in.”
多克斯没有说自己为何要来，转而道：“不介意说说你今晚的遭遇吧？面具人、泥偶迷宫，这些都是什么？”
Doakes did not say why he came, but instead said: “Would you mind telling me what happened to you tonight? Masked people, clay puppet maze, what are these?”
得知乐土的空间封印没有被破开，班森眼里闪过失望。但面对多克斯的询问，他依旧没有迟疑，颔首应是。
Knowing that the space seal of Paradise has not been broken, Benson’s eyes flashed with disappointment. But in the face of Doakes’ inquiry, he still did not hesitate, nodding his head should be.
这些也不是什么秘密，乐土里的人不少，就算没有他，多克斯也能找到其他人询问。所以，班森没打算隐瞒，将这段期间的经历详细的说了一遍。
These are no secrets. There are quite a few people in the paradise. Even without him, Doakes can find other people to ask. So, Benson didn’t intend to hide anything, and told about his experiences during this period in detail.
就在大半个小时前，班森还跟着月长老，在山顶沐浴着月光默默的冥想。
Just half an hour ago, Benson followed Elder Yue, meditating silently on the top of the mountain, bathed in moonlight.
可就在这时，一个穿着斗篷的面具人，突然怪笑着，从乐土上方闪现而过。
But at this moment, a masked man wearing a cloak suddenly smiled strangely and flashed past the Paradise.
乐土里每一个区域，都有设置防护，尤其是有人的区域，外人看到后，都不会选择踏进来。
Every area in the Paradise is protected, especially the area where there are people. After seeing it, outsiders will not choose to step in.
而这个面具人，不仅进来了，而且还大声的怪笑，彰显着自己的存在，显得很怪异。
And this masked man not only came in, but also laughed strangely loudly, showing his own existence, which looked very weird.
月长老发现了不对劲，便追了上去。
Elder Yue realized something was wrong, so he chased after him.
之后的事，班森并不知道，因为他留在了山顶，并没有追上去。
Benson didn’t know what happened after that, because he stayed on the top of the mountain and didn’t catch up.
可就在月长老追着面具人离开没多久，他便听到了一道传遍整个乐土的怪笑声——
But not long after Elder Yue chased the masked man away, he heard a strange laughter that spread throughout the paradise——
“我们来玩场游戏~如果你们赢了，我就放你们离开~”
“Let’s play a game~ If you win, I’ll let you go~”
班森很确定，这道怪笑声就是来自之前那个面具人。
Benson was sure that this strange laugh came from the masked man before.
还没等他想明白，为何面具人要如此喧哗时，整个乐土便被一个巨大的空间封印给笼罩了起来。
Before he figured out why the masked man was making such a fuss, the entire Paradise was enveloped by a huge space seal.
紧接着，一道道空间隔膜，将乐土内分隔成了多个不同的地盘。
Subsequently, a series of space diaphragms separated the Paradise into many different sites.
在班森以及周围其他超凡者发现不对劲时，已然无法离开这里了。
When Benson and the other transcendents around him realized something was wrong, they couldn’t leave here.
他们只能在附近寻找，看能不能找到一些缝隙。
They can only look around to see if they can find some gaps.
接着，有人在山顶发现了一个长着人脸的巨大石头。
Then, someone found a huge stone with a human face on the top of the mountain.
这个石头之前也有，但没有人脸。现在，人面纹的出现，显得十分异常。
This stone was there before, but without a human face. Now, the appearance of human facial lines is very abnormal.
石头上的人脸告诉他们，这是一场以逃脱为名，生存为实的游戏。只要他们能通关两场游戏，就能离开乐土。
The human face on the stone told them that this is a game in the name of escape and survival in reality. As long as they can clear two games, they can leave the paradise.
紧接着，人面纹的眼睛里，便闪烁着各种游戏的名字，要求所有人都进入游戏。
Immediately afterwards, the names of various games flashed in the eyes of the human face pattern, asking everyone to enter the game.
当时，班森并不打算进入这所谓的游戏。
At that time, Benson did not intend to enter this so-called game.
毕竟，班森有自知之明，很清楚自己的实力不足以掺和进如此充满诡异的事端中。
After all, Benson has self-knowledge and knows that his own strength is not enough to get involved in such a strange incident.
和班森抱着同样想法的人不少，但最后……他们还是被迫参与了游戏。
Many people had the same idea as Benson, but in the end… they were forced to participate in the game.
因为有人同意参加游戏，而人面纹告知，人数不足会导致参与游戏的人死亡率急遽升高。人数越多，生存率也会越高。
Because some people agreed to participate in the game, and the human face pattern informed that the insufficient number of people will lead to a sharp increase in the death rate of the people participating in the game. The higher the number, the higher the survival rate.
而那个参与游戏的人，是一位正式巫师。
And the person who participated in the game is an official wizard.
他直接下令，山顶上的所有人都必须参与游戏。
He directly ordered that everyone on the top of the mountain must participate in the game.
班森就这么，半推半就的也进入了游戏中。
Just like that, Benson also entered the game half-heartedly.
不过，山顶上参与游戏的众人，似乎都被投入到了不同的游戏中。班森便来到了这个名为“泥偶迷宫”的游戏内，而与他一同参与游戏的人数为……零。
However, everyone who participated in the game on the top of the mountain seemed to be involved in different games. Benson came to this game called “Clay Doll Maze”, and the number of people participating in the game with him was…zero.
也许，泥偶迷宫里有其他的游戏参与者，但至少班森所在的起始点，并没有其他人。
Maybe, there are other game participants in the clay puppet maze, but at least there is no one else at the starting point where Benson is.
班森所在的迷宫起始点，同样有一个人面纹，只是它长在了墙壁上。
The starting point of the maze where Benson is located also has a human face pattern, but it grows on the wall.
这个人面纹似乎是为了解释游戏规则而存在的，它告诉班森：泥偶迷宫是一个被改造在山体内的迷宫，通关的方法，就是找到迷宫的出口。
This human face pattern seems to exist to explain the rules of the game. It tells Benson: The clay puppet maze is a maze that has been transformed into a mountain. The way to clear the level is to find the exit of the maze.
在寻找出口的过程中，班森需要注意两件事：第一，泥偶迷宫内会有特殊的泥偶魔怪，这些泥偶魔怪会对玩家发起攻击，不过泥偶的实力不会超过三级学徒。
In the process of finding the exit, Benson needs to pay attention to two things: First, there will be special slime monsters in the clay doll maze, and these slime monsters will attack players, but the strength of the clay puppets will not More than three levels of apprenticeship.
听上去好像泥偶魔怪不强，实际上……也的确不强。但奈何它们的数目多啊，只要走到泥沼附近，就会出现一群一群的泥偶魔怪。
It sounds like golems are not strong, but in fact… they are not. But there are so many of them, as long as you walk near the swamp, groups of mud puppets will appear.
为此，班森每次看到通道里有泥沼，他就会下意识的远离。
For this reason, every time Benson sees a swamp in the passage, he will subconsciously stay away.
但随着不断的绕开泥沼，班森发现……他仿佛一直在原地打转，根本找不到出路。
But as he continued to avoid the swamp, Benson found that…he seemed to be spinning in circles, unable to find a way out.
所以，很有可能真正的出口，必须要循着泥沼走。
Therefore, it is very possible that the real exit must follow the mud.
第二，泥偶迷宫内有不少行走的毒蘑菇怪，这些蘑菇会喷发毒雾孢子，导致迷宫内有大量地方被毒雾笼罩，需要注意防护。
Second, there are many poisonous mushroom monsters walking in the mud doll maze. These mushrooms will emit poisonous fog spores, causing a large number of places in the maze to be shrouded in poisonous fog, and they need to pay attention to protection.
这一点，班森倒是没太在意，他的硬皮配合地火蝾螈血脉，让大颗粒的毒雾无法侵入体内。
Benson didn’t pay much attention to this point. His hard skin combined with the blood of the fire salamander prevented the large particles of poisonous mist from invading his body.
总得来说，人面纹告诉班森的，只是泥偶迷宫存在的魔物危险。
In general, what the human face pattern told Benson was only the danger of monsters in the clay puppet maze.
可实际上，除了魔物带来的危险外，迷宫中还有很多其他的危险。
But in fact, besides the danger brought by monsters, there are many other dangers in the maze.
譬如，墙体破坏。~Soverse.com~班森尝试过对墙体进行破坏，这样或许可以更快的找到出口。但经过数次试验，班森发现，有一部分墙体内部藏有空间陷阱，一旦破坏，就会反噬。
For example, a wall breaks. ~Soverse.com~ Benson tried to destroy the wall, so that he might be able to find the exit faster. However, after several experiments, Benson discovered that there is a space trap hidden inside a part of the wall, and once it is destroyed, it will backfire.
班森就差点被一道空间裂缝给分成两段，自此之后，他再也不敢随意破墙。
Benson was almost split in two by a crack in space. Since then, he never dared to break through the wall at will.
除此之外，还有不少触发型的陷阱。
In addition to this, there are many trigger traps.
如今班森躲在这里大喘气，就是因为之前触发了一个连环陷阱，导致的结果，便是整条通道的坍塌，同时还会遭遇到墙面被破坏后引发的空间陷阱。
Now Benson is hiding here panting, because a series of traps was triggered before. As a result, the entire passage collapsed, and at the same time, he encountered a space trap triggered by the destruction of the wall.
他为了逃命，顶着落实，扛着能量轰击，激发了体内的潜能，好不容易才跑了出来。
In order to escape for his life, he carried the energy bombardment on his shoulders, stimulated the potential in his body, and managed to escape.
班森寻了个安静的地方恢复魔源与修复伤口，便是在此地。
Benson found a quiet place to restore the magic source and repair the wound, and it was here.
不过没想到的是，多克斯会因为他体内的地火蝾螈血脉气息寻到他的所在地。
Unexpectedly, Doakes would find him because of the breath of the Earthfire Newt’s blood in his body.
(本章完)
(End of this chapter)