Chapter 330 - 302: Ruins Floor 1

Chapter 330: Chapter 302: Ruins Floor 1

The morning air was exceptionally fresh.

Zelir descended the spiral wooden staircase winding around the tree trunk.

In the main hall, he could already see the other members of his team.

They were all in high spirits and fully armed.

When Zelir appeared, the others stopped what they were doing.

"Did you all rest well?"

"Of course."

Gray gave a confident smile. "I can’t wait."

After counting the arrows in his quiver, Valles slung it over his shoulder.

Marcus heaved the thick Shield from the floor onto his back and slid his Battle Saber into its sheath.

Hill drained the black tea in her cup, pulled her hood lower, and stood up.

Zelir pushed open the inn’s main door.

"Let’s head out."

...

The Lost Ruins were located in the East Suburb, not too far from Sengu Town.

When the hired carriage stopped at their destination, the group jumped out.

This place should have been a quiet, peaceful patch of woodland on the outskirts of town.

But now, it had transformed into a massive, bustling market, electric with restless energy.

Countless tents were pitched across the grounds, and just as many Adventurers in all kinds of Armor, blades in hand, swarmed the area like ants.

"Looking for a Vanguard! Preferably Middle Level! We’re clearing the first floor this time!"

"Need a Swordsman!"

"No Assassins! Assassins, get lost!"

"Fucking... Assassins are a bunch of lily-livered cowards. Last time we ran into a tough Demon, ours just bailed on us."

"Any Mages out there? We’ll pay top price for a Mage!"

The team ignored the cacophony, pushed through the crowd, and headed for the entrance.

The freelance Adventurers, who couldn’t find a steady party and were scrambling around like headless chickens, all shot looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred when they saw the composition of Zelir’s team.

Out here, having a reliable team was the deciding factor between walking out with treasure and becoming fertilizer for the ruins.

The team followed the surging crowd to the ruins’ entrance.

A full squad of well-equipped guards stood at the entrance, with several Middle Level Professionals among them.

They meticulously checked every Adventurer’s permit, only allowing them to pass once everything was confirmed to be in order.

Once past the checkpoint, the light abruptly dimmed.

The Lost Ruins were underground. The entrance was a massive, unadorned natural cavern.

Fluorite was embedded in the rock walls on both sides, illuminating the stone steps that extended downwards.

After walking for some time, a cacophony of sound began to drift up from below, and the view suddenly opened up before them.

Before them was an incredibly spacious underground hall, over a hundred meters in both length and width. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Various areas were set up in the hall, including a supply area, a Trading Area, and a dedicated medical area.

Adventurers bustled to and fro in the underground hall, creating a lively scene.

Zelir noticed that some people looked utterly miserable.

Such expressions were often accompanied by severe injuries.

"Move! Make way! We’ve got someone seriously wounded here!"

Several blood-soaked Adventurers roughly shoved people aside.

They rushed toward the tents in the medical area, carrying a makeshift stretcher.

The person on the stretcher was a gruesome sight. Their thick Chain Armor was ripped apart, and a shocking patch of festering, purplish-black flesh was visible on their abdomen. They had clearly been hit with a potent poison.

In the medical area, besides mostly traditional Physicians, there were also Empowerment Mages!

Zelir’s eyes lit up.

Since the structures were temporary, the medical area wasn’t fully enclosed, allowing Zelir to see the treatment process.

It was much like his own method: the tip of a Magic Wand would glow green before being touched to the mangled flesh.

"WHUMMM..."

As Magic Power flowed in, the Adventurer’s wound quickly staunched and began to heal.

For Adventurers suffering from status ailments, the Empowerment Mages used different Magic.

As he witnessed their treatment process, no new notifications popped up from his Technique Celestial Calculation.

’Just as I thought,’ Zelir mused. ’It seems they’re only using the Healing Skill and Dispel Skill, which I’ve already mastered...’

There were a total of four Empowerment Mages in the medical area.

A quick glance told Zelir that three of them were clearly Junior Mages. Their healing techniques weren’t very refined—not as good as his, in fact.

The final one hadn’t done much, but the ripples of their Magic Power seemed quite strong.

But the crucial part was that even for those three unimpressive Junior Empowerment Mages, every time they finished a treatment, a pile of Gold Coins would change hands with a CLINK.

’This is daylight robbery,’ Zelir thought, shaking his head.

’Then again, it makes sense. The Healing Skill drastically speeds up recovery.’

’Recover a day sooner, and you can get back to exploring the ruins a day sooner.’

’Time is money.’

He turned, his gaze falling to the other side of the hall, where the atmosphere was completely different.

That was the Trading Area, and the air buzzed with a fervent energy.

"Buying! Buying! Paying top price for all corrupted creature carapaces! Three Silver Coins for a complete one! We’ll buy as many as you have!"

"Check this out! I found an Enchanted Weapon! Can someone appraise its quality for me?"

Countless Adventurers, returning laden with spoils, were squatting before stalls, haggling animatedly with the merchants.

They stuffed pouch after pouch of Gold Coins into their pockets, already looking forward to earning even more on their next expedition.

Nothing ignited an Adventurer’s passion like the straightforward exchange of goods for cold, hard cash!

Immersed in such an environment, Zelir felt his own excitement begin to build.

"Let’s move out!"

At the far end of the hall stood a rock wall. Spaced a few meters apart along its surface were five oval curtains of light.

The surfaces of these curtains shimmered, and within them, vortexes of blue Magic Power slowly swirled and flowed.