Chapter 610: Exploration

As soon as Vincent stepped through the entrance of the dungeon, he felt the familiar distortion in space before his vision blurred for a brief moment. When everything settled down, the scenery before him had already changed.

They had arrived inside a vast underground world illuminated by countless blue crystals embedded in the rocky ceiling.

The crystals emitted a gentle radiance that brightened the surroundings, allowing everyone to see several hundred meters ahead without any difficulty.

Vincent immediately activated his Mystic Eye as he carefully observed the surroundings.

However, after a while, his brows couldn't help but knit together.

"This is strange…" he muttered.

"Hmm? Did you find something?" Duri asked after hearing him.

Vincent gently nodded.

"There's no sign of any Magic Beast. Normally, the entrance of a dungeon would already have several creatures wandering around. Yet we've already entered quite deeply and there isn't even a single trace of life."

After hearing this, the Manipulators also became vigilant. Even though they were confident in the strength of their Automatons, an abnormal dungeon was far more dangerous than one filled with ordinary monsters.

Duri immediately released his Platinum Snake Automaton once again. The silver snake slithered across the rocky ground before the Virtue Crystal within its head began emitting faint ripples.

"It can still detect spatial disturbances..." Duri explained after noticing Vincent's curious gaze. "If someone opened a hidden passage or entered another section of the dungeon recently, it should be able to detect the remaining fluctuations."

Vincent nodded in understanding before allowing the snake to guide the group.

The journey continued peacefully for almost half an hour.

Along the way, they encountered several dried skeletons scattered beside the walls, but judging from their condition, they had probably been there for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Some were human while others possessed horns, wings, or unusually long limbs that Vincent had never seen before.

"It seems this dungeon has existed for an incredibly long time..." Faviona commented as she examined one of the skeletons from a distance.

Vincent agreed with her observation. However, what bothered him wasn't the ancient remains but the complete absence of recent battle marks.

Sir Turhan wasn't someone who would quietly disappear without leaving behind any clues.

"Wait..."

Vincent suddenly stopped walking.

Everyone immediately halted and looked in his direction.

"What happened?" Agatha asked.

Instead of answering, Vincent bent down and picked up a broken longsword lying beside a large boulder.

The sword had been snapped cleanly in half.

Although the blade itself wasn't particularly remarkable, Vincent recognized the emblem engraved near its hilt.

"This belongs to one of Sir Turhan's guards."

Everyone's expressions immediately changed.

Dianne quickly approached before inspecting the broken weapon.

"The fracture is still clean... There isn't much corrosion either. This shouldn't have happened too long ago."

Duri crouched beside the ground and gently touched the scattered fragments.

"There are still traces of mana."

He then looked toward his Platinum Snake Automaton.

"It seems we're getting closer."

The group immediately became more alert as they continued moving forward.

Not long afterward, the narrow tunnel gradually widened until it opened into an enormous cavern.

Even Vincent couldn't help but pause after seeing the scene before him.

Thousands of crystal pillars stood silently throughout the cavern like an endless forest. Every pillar was over twenty meters tall and completely transparent, allowing everyone to clearly see what was sealed inside them.

"There are people inside..." Agatha whispered.

"No... Not just humans."

Faviona narrowed her eyes.

Inside the nearest crystal pillar was an elderly man wearing unfamiliar robes embroidered with countless golden runes.

The second pillar contained a being, possibly like an angel with six white wings folded behind his back.

The third contained a humanoid creature whose skin appeared to be made entirely of black metal.

As everyone slowly surveyed the surroundings, they realized that every crystal pillar contained a different race.

Humans...

Angels...

Mechanical lifeforms...

Beastmen...

Even races that Vincent had never encountered before.

All of them remained motionless with their eyes tightly shut, as though they had fallen into an endless slumber.

"What kind of dungeon is this?" Dianne asked softly.

Even Duri couldn't answer her question. Although he had explored countless dungeons throughout his life, this was the first time he had seen such a bizarre place.

Just as Vincent was about to step closer to inspect one of the crystal pillars, his Mystic Eye suddenly detected a faint fluctuation of energy coming from somewhere deep within the cavern.

Before he could warn everyone...

A sharp cracking sound echoed throughout the silent cavern.

Crack...

Vincent's eyes immediately shifted toward the nearest crystal pillar.

A thin crack had appeared across its surface.

Then another.

And another.

Within only a few seconds, the crack spread across the entire pillar like a spider web.

Duri's expression changed drastically.

"Everyone! Stay away from those crystals!"

Unfortunately...

His warning came a moment too late.

Boom!

The crystal fragments scattered across the ground as a cold gust of wind swept through the cavern.

Everyone instinctively took a step back while the Manipulators ordered their Automatons to form a defensive line in front of the group.

Suddenly, a pale hand emerged from the shattered crystal and slowly grabbed the edge of the remaining fragments before a man climbed out.

He appeared to be in his early thirties with shoulder-length silver hair and unusually pale skin. His attire was unlike anything Vincent had seen before. It wasn't a robe nor an armor but a tight-fitting black outfit woven with countless silver threads…

The man's eyes remained closed.

He stood there quietly without making a single movement.

"...Is he alive?" Agatha asked in a low voice.

"I don't know..." Vincent answered honestly.

Even with his Mystic Eye, he couldn't feel any life force coming from the man. However, neither could he sense the aura of an undead creature.

It was as though the figure before them didn't belong to either category.

Duri raised his right hand, signaling everyone to remain still.

"No one attacks without my order."

The Platinum Snake Automaton silently slithered closer toward the silver-haired man. Its crystalline eyes emitted several scanning rays before quickly returning to Duri's side.

"It detected no hostility."

"Can it determine his cultivation?" Vincent asked as he held his weapon tightly.