Before coming to this world, Yang Yu had played many strategy chess games.

He thought that once he figured out all the details, he could easily clear the Ninth Floor using his intelligence and the various strategies he knew, and move on to the Tenth floor.

However, Yang Yu was wrong.

After one of his moves, the Angel Chess piece paused for a very long time, as if someone was contemplating something.

Yang Yu immediately realized that he might not be the only player in this strategy chess game.

He wasn’t engaged in a rigid, formulaic duel with the maze’s AI; rather, it was likely he was battling one-on-one with a chess master who had died in the past.

Everything that happened afterward gradually confirmed Yang Yu’s thoughts.

During one match, Yang Yu set several traps in a row, luring out the opponent’s [Gabriel], using the Demon Chess pieces for a combined attack, and killed [Gabriel], but due to mishandling the situation and failing to anticipate the enemy’s intention, he lost a crucial piece and had to restart the game.

When Yang Yu later used the same trap, the opponent seemed to have anticipated several of Yang Yu’s moves, perfectly evading all his traps.

Yang Yu had to reset the game and find another way.

After a long time, Yang Yu suddenly wanted to try a previous method again, and unexpectedly, it successfully tricked the opponent.

If it were a self-learning AI, it shouldn’t stumble in the same place twice, reinforcing Yang Yu’s belief that he was facing a real soul, not a rigid maze intelligence.

The opponent’s chess skills were high and could learn his strategies.

Yang Yu deeply felt the tremendous pressure of conquering this level.

The strategy for the Ninth Floor had taken more than half a month.

Bai Jin woke up, bleary-eyed, from her blue sleeping bag and saw a figure leaning against a giant chess piece.

Yang Yu, as always, woke up very early.

If possible, Bai Jin wished Yang Yu would rest well and get proper sleep.

When she went to sleep, Yang Yu was still awake, and when she woke up, Yang Yu was already awake.

After washing up, Bai Jin blew a puff of breath into her palms.

Winter was not entirely over, and outside had not welcomed the new spring yet. The Underground Maze, especially at dawn, was particularly cold.

The only consolation was that the interior of the maze emitted a faint, gentle light, eliminating any visibility issues.

And that light would gradually change over time, turning soft and serene like moonlight at night, reminding the Tamers to take a good rest.

Over more than half a month, Yang Yu and the others scheduled their routines according to the light changes in the Underground Maze.

Bai Jin looked up at Yang Yu, who was rarely seen with a downcast expression, as a pencil tapped against the pages of a book.

Since a week ago, her involvement in moving the chess pieces with Yang Yu had decreased.

Yang Yu had explained this was to prevent their strategy from being prematurely discovered by the opponent.

It was uncommon for Bai Jin and Yang Yu to spend so much time alone together.

But over the past half month, they hadn’t behaved like an ordinary couple, and Bai Jin hadn’t acted spoiled with Yang Yu, as conquering the Underground Maze was their current priority.

To say Bai Jin felt no reluctance would be untrue.

Perhaps Yang Yu was too engrossed, Bai Jin felt Yang Yu had become rather wooden, and when answering her questions, only responded with "Mm," "Oh," or "Yes," without another word.

Seeing Yang Yu frown so deeply now, Bai Jin felt both heartache and a bit of irritation.

She wanted to shout at Yang Yu, "You haven’t rested well for days, go get a good sleep, and you might think of a good solution when you wake up," but Bai Jin was afraid of disrupting Yang Yu’s train of thought completely.

Bai Jin realized she had changed a lot but still couldn’t change in some areas.

Just like now...

She didn’t know how to handle this rare situation.

Bai Jin lost her mother when she was very young and didn’t know how her mother interacted with her father... she’d never paid special attention to how other lovers interact.

Bai Jin often felt that after officially becoming Yang Yu’s girlfriend, her courage had reverted bit by bit.

Now that their relationship was public, maybe she should be more active.

Just like Yang Yu, follow her heart and take action.

Bai Jin slowly walked over and sat down beside Yang Yu. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Yang Yu still looked troubled.

"Any...progress?" Bai Jin asked, her heart calming after she spoke the first word.

"It’s difficult." Yang Yu succinctly described the current predicament.

Yang Yu didn’t say anything unpleasant, which gave Bai Jin a bit of confidence,

"Yang Yu, could you turn your back towards me a little?"

"What’s the matter?" Yang Yu asked.

"I just want to massage your back. Leaning against such a metal block must be uncomfortable, right?"

"You have a point."

Without much thought, Yang Yu turned his back.

Suddenly, Bai Jin wrapped her arms around Yang Yu’s neck, embracing him from behind.

The sudden hug short-circuited Yang Yu’s brain with a "snap."

What was going on? Was Bai Jin always this forward? Something felt off! Could it be that their half-month solo time had slightly changed her mindset, or was she possessed by something?

Yang Yu turned his head, his face brushed against something hot, and as he looked aside, his cheek accidentally touched Bai Jin’s cheek.

Bai Jin was already blushing deeply, not knowing where to focus her gaze, yet her hands tightly clasped around Yang Yu’s neck, pressing her modest body close to him, wanting to offer warmth with her small embrace.

Bai Jin was still Bai Jin.

It’s just that sometimes... she remains clumsy like before.

But speaking of clumsy, I am just as clumsy.

How could clearing this floor be so hard? If someone like me can’t conquer it, would it take others a century to clear the Underground Maze?

No, with good luck, as long as the opponent frequently makes mistakes... perhaps we could pass this Underground Maze floor.

Unlucky people like me can’t rely on the opponent’s errors...

How about letting Iyas give it a shot?

As the saying goes, novices are protected. Maybe she’ll win by a stroke of luck.

No matter how Yang Yu thought, he couldn’t see this method working.

And then suddenly, Yang Yu thought of something.

Perhaps, in this strategy chess game, defeating the opponent might not require skill but rather...