Chapter 605: Intruder (1)

Chapter 603

Creak—! Thud—!

The door closed behind Ray with a firm thud, and he frowned.

The atmosphere had changed.

The narrow passage beyond was completely different from the laboratory.

It stretched forward through a network of ancient tunnels carved deep into the mountain, their walls reinforced with enormous stone arches and occasional sections of dark metal.

«Oh dang. Which one do we go with now?» Elyon voiced his uncertainty.

Ray closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling.

[Skill ’Holy Blast Orb’ Activated]

The entire passage lit up with a bright glow as an orb began forming before the Tribrid.

Then another appeared, followed by yet another, while he maintained control over the first.

Another orb formed, and soon, the passage was filled with as many orbs as there were tunnels.

Swinging his hands forward, Ray sent the orbs flying ahead. Guided by his intentions, they travelled through the seemingly never-ending network of tunnels, disappearing into the darkness one after another.

And then, he simply waited.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the orbs he had sent ahead.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

Multiple orbs exploded inside the tunnels the moment they travelled a few metres into them.

With each explosion, Ray turned his head, listening for the next one. Soon, a chain of explosions erupted throughout the passage network, with smoke billowing out of every tunnel except one.

He hadn’t heard anything explode from that particular tunnel, nor had any smoke emerged from its entrance.

"There."

And with that, Ray continued forward.

Leaping into the tunnel with practised ease, he landed on his feet and began moving ahead.

The tunnel stretched as far as his eyes could see, twisting repeatedly in different directions. The further he walked, the narrower it became until only a few people could pass through it at once, before suddenly opening into larger corridors again.

Throughout his journey, Ray didn’t let his guard drop even for a moment.

His eyes remained narrowed, constantly examining his surroundings and ready for anything that might come at him.

Other passages branched away into darkness, disappearing into unexplored sections of the mountain.

But the path beneath Ray’s feet remained unmistakable.

It gradually began to rise.

The deeper darkness of the underground tunnels slowly gave way to faint traces of natural light filtering through cracks above.

Massive stone staircases appeared along the route, winding upward through the mountain in long, gradual stretches.

The further Ray climbed, the larger everything became.

The tunnel eventually transformed into enormous corridors, their ceilings rising dozens of metres overhead. Thick pillars supported the mountain above, while faded carvings and remnants of old banners lined the walls.

Then, after one final ascent, Ray reached the end of the passage.

Two enormous doors stood before him.

They were colossal.

Each door was several metres tall, constructed from thick, dark metal reinforced with massive horizontal bars. Intricate carvings covered their surfaces, worn by the passage of time but still clearly visible.

The doors were so enormous that they made the corridor behind Ray seem insignificant in comparison.

’Hm? Now where is this?’ He mused inwardly as he stared at the colossal doors before him.

"How could something this enormous be b— you know what? Fuck it." He snarled before placing both hands against the door.

He pushed.

"...."

The door didn’t budge.

’Huh?’

He tried again, pushing against it with both hands.

Yet, it didn’t move an inch.

’What is happening?’

«Have you grown weaker in my absence, you fool?» Bruce snickered loudly, but Ray paid him no attention.

Putting all his [150] Strength points to use, he pushed with all his might. However, the door still refused to move a single inch.

"Okay, that does it!" Ray growled as lightning exploded around his legs, propelling him backwards to create some distance between himself and the door.

The lightning crawled upwards, arcing around his arms as he bolted forward like a loosened bolt.

BAM! BANG!

The entire corridor trembled as though a bomb had just gone off inside it.

Even then, the door refused to open, causing a frown to form on his face.

"Seven hells! I can’t come all this way only to be obstructed by a damn door!" Ray screamed as he slammed his palm against a spot on the door.

*Tring!*

His System suddenly chimed.

[Does Host wish to gain access into the place?]

’Huh?’

[Yes/No?]

"Yes."

Even though he had answered, he remained skeptical about what the System could possibly do to grant him access when all his previous attempts had failed.

And then, to his absolute shock, the doors groaned as they slowly began to separate.

WAM! BANG!

A massive blast of wind crashed into his face, carrying a musky smell with it as the double doors slammed against the walls behind them with a resounding crash.

Ray immediately extended his Perception beyond the entrance, searching for any signs of a threat.

Just like the times before, there was none.

Hence, he took a step forward, then another, and soon crossed the threshold.

And beyond them lay a hall so enormous that it seemed less like part of a castle and more like an entire structure contained within one.

The ceiling disappeared into the darkness far above.

Massive pillars stretched upwards like the trunks of ancient trees, supporting the immense architecture overhead.

The floor extended far into the distance, its polished stone reflecting the faint light filtering through the vast chamber.

The sheer scale of the hall was overwhelming.

It was the entrance to something akin to a castle built for beings far larger, and far more powerful, than ordinary men.

Ray was enthralled by the grandeur of the hall.

It was somewhat gloomy, dark even, but it still possessed a certain charm. The materials used throughout the hall appeared exquisite, unlike anything he had ever encountered in the human world.

"Woah! Where’s this pl—?!"

Ray had just taken another step forward when his foot landed on a patterned spot on the floor.

To his surprise, the entire floor suddenly ignited with a bright light that spread throughout the hall, consuming every corner of the enormous chamber.

The Tribrid swiftly jumped backwards, his second dagger appearing in his grasp as he immediately shifted into a stance, preparing for whatever was about to happen.

The light shone with intense energy as lightning arced around his body for a moment. Soon, however, it settled back down, almost as though it had never erupted in the first place.

"...."

A deafening silence consumed the entire hall as Ray refused to lower his guard, remaining prepared for any sudden attack.

Only for a sound resembling his System’s notification chime to ring out, accompanied by a yelp from Bruce within the Mindspace.

The sudden combination confused the Tribrid for a moment.

{Intruder! Intruder! Intruder!}

"Intruder?"

{Deploying Defensive Mechanism.}

{Kill the Intruder!}

The ground trembled once, and soon, the floor began parting like the earth during an earthquake. Within seconds, enormous sections of it had split open.

That was when several figures began rising from beneath the ground, moving like puppets or mannequins.

Ray’s stance faltered.

Bruce grabbed his head in immense pain before forcing one eye open to see what the Tribrid was looking at.

Every hair on their bodies stood on end the moment they laid eyes on what stood before them.

"Thi-this... am I?"

Before he could complete his words, they attacked.