Chapter 235: Strange Appearance [1]

[Kael’s POV]

Kael walked through a secluded passage inside the royal palace, his hands resting inside the pockets of his worn coat.

His expression remained calm, but the moment he was certain nobody was following him, he glanced down at the ring on his finger.

A faint vibration passed through the metal.

Did you do what I asked?

The voice echoed inside his mind, old and strangely hollow, as though it had travelled through countless years before reaching him.

Kael slowed his steps. "I did. I encountered Amon and inflicted the poison you gave me."

And?

"He looked like he was about to collapse, but he managed to walk away after a few seconds." Kael frowned, remembering the strange expression on Amon’s face. "I thought the poison would incapacitate him immediately. Why did he recover so quickly?"

For a moment, the ring remained silent.

That boy’s body is far more unusual than I initially suspected.

Kael’s fingers tightened around the metal.

"What does that mean?"

The poison was never meant to kill him immediately. It was designed to erode his soul gradually, weakening his resistance until I could enter his body and take control.

The voice carried no emotion, yet Kael felt an inexplicable chill as its meaning settled over him.

"You want to abandon my body and take his?"

Your body has served its purpose, Kael. Amon possesses an extraordinary foundation, something that could allow me to regain powers I lost long ago. Once his soul has weakened sufficiently, his body will become a far better vessel.

Kael stared at the ring, his expression growing increasingly unpleasant.

"And what happens to me?"

You will receive the power I promised you.

The answer came so smoothly that Kael laughed softly.

He had sacrificed years of his life following the entity’s instructions, believing that the ancient soul would eventually make him powerful enough to stand above those who had always looked down on him.

Now, it wanted to abandon him for someone better.

"Can Amon discover our involvement?" he asked, hiding his irritation behind a composed voice. "If he realizes that the poison came from me, he might investigate."

There is little evidence for him to discover. The poison leaves almost no trace, and he has no reason to suspect the ring unless he begins investigating it.

The metal suddenly vibrated again.

Wait.

Kael stopped walking.

The poison has been significantly weakened.

"What?" Kael looked at the ring with a horrified expression.

In all this time with the old being in the ring this was the first time he found his method to not work.

He possesses a method capable of resisting soul erosion. I didn’t anticipate that he could refine the poison so quickly.

The ancient soul sounded genuinely displeased.

We must avoid confronting him directly until I understand his abilities. Another opportunity will present itself, preferably when he is isolated and occupied with something dangerous.

Kael lowered his gaze toward the ring. "Fine. I’ll follow your instructions."

He resumed walking, his expression returning to its usual indifference, but dissatisfaction lingered deep within his eyes.

’Just wait’, he thought. ’Once I have enough power, I’ll decide my own future.’

He had no intention of remaining anyone’s subordinate forever.

---

Amon followed the location Marielle had sent him, eventually reaching the outskirts of the capital.

The area was usually quiet, but today, adventurers and officials crowded a large clearing.

Several barricades surrounded the site, and uniformed Bureau personnel stood near the entrance, preventing curious onlookers from approaching.

Amon stepped through the crowd and immediately understood why Marielle had summoned him.

Multiple dungeon entrances stretched across the landscape in a long line, each displaying a completely different architectural style.

Some resembled ancient temples, others looked like enormous stone gates, and a few were decorated with carvings so strange that he couldn’t even guess what they represented.

Despite their differences, every structure appeared ancient, with weathered stones and intricate inscriptions covering its surface.

"You’re finally here."

Amon turned toward the familiar voice and found Marielle standing beside a Bureau official.

Her purple hair moved gently in the breeze, while several documents rested beneath her arm.

She looked him over before raising an eyebrow. "Did you get lost on the way here, or were you busy finding another way to annoy someone?"

"Nice to see you too, Marielle. I’ve missed your charming personality."

"Too bad, I don’t missed your perverted personality.’

Amon smiled faintly.

She turned toward the dungeon entrances before he could tease her further.

"The Adventurer Bureau contacted me after these structures appeared simultaneously. They want me to examine the inscriptions and determine whether they belong to any known civilization."

Amon studied the nearest entrance. "Appeared simultaneously? You mean they weren’t here yesterday?"

"According to the Bureau’s records, there was nothing here before this morning."

She opened one of her documents and showed him several sketches of the inscriptions.

"The architecture suggests that these structures are ancient, but their sudden appearance makes no sense. Even the oldest records in the royal archives contain nothing that could explain them."

Amon looked along the line of entrances, noticing that the carvings differed considerably from one structure to another.

One depicted what appeared to be a battle between enormous figures.

Some carvings showed strange creatures, and others depicted humanoid figures standing beneath what looked like a shattered sky.

"What exactly do you expect to find?" he asked.

"That’s what I’m trying to determine."

Marielle gave him an unimpressed look.

"Since you supposedly have special eyes, the least you can do is help me examine them."

Amon stared at her. "That’s your reason for calling me? You could have simply asked instead of insulting me."

"...Don’t be ridiculous."

Despite her sharp response, Marielle shifted slightly to make room beside her, allowing him to examine the documents more closely.

Amon noticed the gesture but decided not to comment.

He had a feeling that doing so would earn him another lecture.

Before he could examine the sketches further, a nearby adventurer approached them.

The man wore reinforced leather armor, and a sword rested at his waist, though his attention remained fixed on the mysterious structures.

"The Bureau hasn’t permitted anyone to enter yet," he explained. "We’re still trying to determine whether the dungeons are stable. Their simultaneous appearance could be a coordinated event, and nobody knows what might happen if someone activates them."

"Have there been any reactions from inside?" Amon asked.

"How are you?" He asked.

Amon pointed at Marielle. "Her boyfrie--."

"My niece’s boyfriend." Marielle corrected him. "He is here as my assistant, don’t worry."

The man looked confused but he decided not to say anything about it, instead, he looked at the dungeon.

"We’ve detected fluctuations in the surrounding mana, but the readings keep changing. Some entrances are nearly dormant, while others produce occasional surges."

Amon thanked him before approaching the nearest entrance, ignoring Marielle’s warning to be careful.

The closer he came, the more clearly he could sense the mana surrounding the structure.

It felt different from the energy he had encountered in ordinary dungeons, carrying a strange quality that he couldn’t immediately identify.

’Now that I think about it, my mana furnace is also taking in mana like crazy.’ He thought.

Amon examined the weathered carvings and for a brief moment, the symbols shimmered.

Amon stopped moving.

The faint glow travelled across the stone surface before gathering around a particular inscription.

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving the entrance looking exactly as it had before.

He narrowed his eyes. ’...What the hell was that?’

"Amon?" Marielle called from behind him. "Did you find something?"

"Maybe. I’m not sure yet."

He glanced at the other entrances, wondering whether they would respond in the same way.

Whatever these structures were, their appearance couldn’t be a coincidence, and the strange reaction suggested that there was more to them than their ancient architecture.

Amon turned toward Marielle.

"Let’s investigate the nearest dungeon together. We won’t learn anything by standing outside and staring at the entrance."

Marielle studied him briefly before sighing. "Fine, but if something tries to kill us, I’m blaming you."

"Of course. I’d expect nothing less."

Just as they began discussing their preparations, a notification appeared before Amon’s eyes.

[A New Quest Has Been Generated!]

Amon’s smile disappeared as he focused on the message.