Surprisingly, while the Hookshot does allow for some shortcuts, it doesn't unlock any interesting new areas, so Link heads for the next labyrinth. However, he does need to use one of the other warp tiles hidden around the world to get there. This labyrinth is in the Skull Woods, found where the Bewilderment Forest is in the Light World. Only two of the four entrances to the woods actually connect to the temple, and the temple itself has numerous ways in, including several holes in the ground. This makes it very confusing to navigate. To make things worse, there are mummies that take a very long time to kill with anything but the Bombar Magic, Ether Magic, or Ice Rod. Many rooms even include a giant hand that periodically drops from the ceiling, tries to grab Link, and dumps him back at the entrance if it succeeds. On top of that, energy swirls are also introduced that temporarily turn Link into a helpless pink bunny despite the Moon Pearl.
The big key takes some thinking to reach, and Link has to jump into a pit hidden under a bush and bomb his way through a wall to reach the big chest:
真紅の炎が ほとばしる
魔法メーターには気を付けろ！
Crimson flames gush forth.
Pay attention to the magic meter!
This rod commands the red fire!
But watch your Magic Meter!
The Fire Rod shoots fireballs, which burn enemies much like the Bombar Magic does, and uses 16 magic (base cost) per use. Oddly, the Fire Rod and the Bombar magic do not always have the same effect on the same enemies.
With the Fire Rod, Link can burn open the entrance to the final section of this labyrinth. Adding in the Fire Rod allows for more difficult torch-lighting puzzles, but there's nothing too remarkable, though the movable pitfalls and the grabbing hands can get annoying. The boss here is a giant moth. Both the sword and the Fire Rod are effective. The moth itself is relatively weak; it's the shifting floor and the moving spikes that are the problem. Anyway, Link wins, moth explodes, heart container appears, crystal drops.
魔族の手から、のがれる事が
できました。ありがとう…。
…『オオイナル ワザワイ』の
予言は知っていますか？
私は、こうきいています…。
もしも、悪しき心をもつ者が
トライフォースを手にするなら
ば、『勇者』が必ず現れ、
この『オオイナル ワザワイ』
のもととなる者をうつであろう
しかし、『勇者』が倒れた時は
悪しき心の者に世界は、おおわ
れてしまうであろう、と…。
そう、『勇者』になれるのは、
ハイリアの王家を守っていた
ナイトの一族の者だけのはず…
あなたは、その血をひいていた
のね。 ゼルダ姫を必ず救って
あげてね。
勇者の行く道がトライフォースイ
へと、みちびかれますように。
the fiend's clutches because
of you. Thank you...
...do you know of the prophecy
of the [Great Catastrophe]?
This is how I heard it...
"Should one with an evil heart
claim the Triforce, a [Hero] shall
surely appear, and will strike
down the one who would cause
this [Great Catastrophe].
However, should the [Hero] fall,
the world shall be overrun by
the evil-hearted one..."
Yes, the only ones supposed to
have the potential to be the [Hero]
are from the Knight Clan that
protected the Hylian royal family...
You carry their blood, don't you.
Be sure to rescue Princess Zelda.
May the way the hero travels
be guided unto the Triforce.
escape from the clutches of
the evil monsters. Thank you!
...Do you know the prophecy of
the Great Cataclysm?
This is the way I heard it...
If a person who has an evil
heart gets the Triforce, a Hero
is destined to appear...
...and he alone must face the
person who began the Great
Cataclysm.
If the evil one destroys the
Hero, nothing can save the
world from his wicked reign.
Only a person of the Knights Of
Hyrule, who protected the
royalty of Hylia, can become
the Hero... You are of their
blood-line, aren't you? Then
you must rescue
Zelda without fail.
May the way of the Hero lead
to the Triforce.
While the Fire Rod is useful, it doesn't let Link get anywhere new, so he heads to the next labyrinth...