Chapter 276: The Strange Statue (1)

Chapter 276

The sound the heavy locks released after being unlocked one after another, was inconspicuously loud, making one wonder whether people had only come here a few handful times. When the final mechanism disengaged, the two guards pushed the heavily reinforced doors inward, revealing a circular chamber illuminated by strange blue lights.

Annie looked beyond the entrance with curiosity written all over her face because this place looked like something from a secret novel. At the center of the room stood a raised platform covered in complicated runes, where thin lines of blue light ran between the markings, forming a pattern that seemed to shift and warp whenever she stared straight at it for too long.

"No way... So this is the teleportation portal? I thought it was just stories or something. But I gotta say, it doesn’t really look like how I thought it’d be."

Kang Tae-hyun glanced at her.

"Were you expecting something more impressive?"

"Not really supreme leader, but I kind of imagined there would be some enormous machine or a few glowing crystals. But this... I don’t mean to be rude or anything but this looks more like something people would draw on the floor when trying to summon a demon."

Lee Joon-woo chuckled softly, while Baek Do-jin’s expression remained pleasantly amused.

"You have an interesting imagination, Annie," the old man said. "However, this device is far more valuable than its appearance suggests. Do you know there are organizations stronger than us that would spend billions just to learn how it works, and others that would gladly start a war to take it from us."

"Then I suppose I should feel honored that you’re allowing me to use it."

"Do not mistake this for a privilege," Madame Purple muttered. "You are only here because the supreme leaders need to verify your breakthrough. Nothing more."

Annie turned toward her and smiled.

"Of course. I wouldn’t dream of thinking otherwise. But I think it’s best you don’t speak in case my hands accidentally slips and hurts you."

Madame Purple’s expression tightened, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.

Baek Do-jin stepped onto the platform, and the others followed. Annie paused briefly to examine the symbols beneath her feet before joining them.

"Uhmm supreme leaders, I just want to ask where exactly does this portal lead to?"

"To an underground cavern located somewhere far-far away. Our predecessors discovered it many years ago. They found this portal there, but despite their efforts, they never managed to discover who created it or why it was abandoned."

Annie raised an eyebrow.

"So you’ve been using something for years without knowing who made it?"

"Kid, in this world, sometimes knowing how to use something is more important than knowing how it was made," Baek replied with a gentle smile.

Before Annie could ask anything else, the runes beneath their feet suddenly brightened followed immediately after by a wave of blue light that rose around them and swallowed the entire group like a gym obsessed bro chugging on protein powder shake.

In that brief time of weightlessness, Annie felt a strange pulling sensation, as though her entire body was been dragged through an incredibly narrow passage. The feeling made her stomach lurched, instinctively.

Fortunately, the sensation lasted only a moment.

By the time her vision cleared, she discovered that they were all standing somewhere completely different, proving that the teleportation portal worked. They were at the underground cavern Baek Do-jin had talked about just moments ago.

Annie slowly looked around, taking in the enormous space surrounding them. The ceiling was so high that its uppermost reaches disappeared into darkness, while jagged rock formations hung overhead like the teeth of some gigantic creature. Then there were massive stone pillars that rose from the ground, with a thin layer of mist drifting across the uneven floor.

Though there were no visible lamps or anything else to provide light, the cavern was not entirely dark. There was this strange gray light that seemed to seep from the walls, illuminating the surroundings just enough for everyone to see.

Annie frowned.

She couldn’t quite explain what she was feeling, but something about the place made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t fear exactly. She had been in dangerous situations before and had encountered enough terrifying Awakened to know what genuine danger felt like.

This was different. It was almost like the entire place was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. However, what caught her attention most of all was the enormous statue standing in the middle of the cavern.

It was several meters tall and appeared to have been carved from a strange black stone. Its shape vaguely resembled a humanoid figure, but its proportions were unsettling. Its arms were too long, its shoulders too broad, and its smooth face possessed no recognizable features.

Strange grooves also covered its body, extending from its neck down toward its chest and limbs.

Annie stared at it for a moment and couldn’t help blurting out.

"What exactly is that thing?"

"An ancient relic," Baek Do-jin answered solemnly. "It was already here when our predecessors discovered this cavern. We eventually learned that it could accurately identify the realm of an Awakened."

Annie glanced at him.

"So you brought me all the way here to let a creepy statue tell you whether I’m a Master Realm expert or not?"

"Precisely."

"Wonderful. I was beginning to worry that this trip wouldn’t be strange enough."

Lee Joon-woo laughed quietly.

"There is no need to worry. The relic has been used countless times, and it has never produced an incorrect result. Once it is activated, it will examine your Primordial Essence and reveal your current realm."

Annie nodded, although she wasn’t particularly reassured.

At that moment, several figures emerged from a passage on the far side of the cavern. Two guards were escorting a man wearing the dark uniform of Heukryeon’s Grade S Assassins. His hands were restrained, and he looked rather confused as he glanced around.

"Why was I brought here?" the man demanded. "I was told the supreme leaders wanted to see me. What is this place?"

Baek Do-jin did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned toward one of the guards standing behind him and gave a brief nod.

The man understood at once.

He stepped forward and struck the side of the assassin’s neck with the edge of his hand. The blow landed precisely against a pressure point, causing the man’s eyes to widen before his knees gave way.

The guard caught him before he hit the ground.

Annie blinked in surprise.

"What the hell? Why did you knock him out?"

"He is merely unconscious," Baek explained calmly. "We just require a small amount of his blood to activate the relic. There is no need to trouble him with the process."

The guard carried the unconscious assassin toward the statue and carefully laid him beside its feet.

Without waiting for further instructions, he raised one hand, causing a thin, brilliant beam of red light to appear above his index finger.

The guard adjusted its intensity before directing his laser beam toward the assassin’s forearm and made a thin cut appear across the man’s skin. The man remained unconscious as a small bead of blood formed and slowly dropped onto the black stone beneath him.

Since ordinary blades could never dream of penetrating the skin of an Ascendant Realm fighter, making the guard’s ability a convenient way to draw blood without causing unnecessary damage.

However, the moment the blood touched the statue, something strange happened.