392 - Ancient Site Exploration

"I'll go first." Jack said. "Be vigilant! Get ready to act anytime inside."

He stepped through the shimmering portal. Followed immediately by the rest of the expedition team members.

The sensation of spatial transit lasted only a second. When the dizzying colors faded, the team found themselves standing inside a vast stone hall.

The scale of the building was absurd. The ceiling stretched at least a hundred meters overhead. Supported by massive square columns made of polished black stone.

The air here was dry, cold, suffocating, and quiet. It looked like an ancient subterranean temple. Long forgotten by the upper world.

"This place is massive." Bell muttered.

"And it's full of danger." Jack said in grim tone. His [Eyes of Judgement] had already been activated. Scanning the surrounding carefully. "Don't move around.

He raised his hand and summoned two of his spellcards which, due to his evolved class, were now able to be kept in his system inventory.

They materialized between his fingers as glowing, translucent cards. As he activated them, they dissolved consecutively into specks of light.

First was... the [Trap Detection] spellcard.

A faint crimson pulse swept out from Jack's body. Expanding down the length of the grand hall. Instantly, the environment changed in not just his vision, but also all of his team members' vision.

Red geometric grids appeared on the floor. Glowing and highlighting dozens of pressure plates, hidden dart slots in the walls, swinging pendulum blade grooves, and floor drop traps that led to spiked pits.

Following right afterward, the [Revelation Light] spellcard was activated.

A bright light burst forth from Jack's body like a camera blitz. Shattering the optical and spatial illusions that lined the corridor. Walls that appeared solid melted away into wide side passages. Empty air revealed hidden, lethal arc traps.

Jack himself was completely immune to illusions due to one of the characteristics of his supernatural traits. But, activating the light was necessary for the crew. To keep them from walking off invisible ledges or falling for spatial tricks.

"Good grief!" Barnaby muttered. Adjusting the strap of his lute nervously. "The floor is practically built out of tripwires."

"Leon!" Jack called out. "Clear the mechanism."

"On it." Leon quickly said.

He stepped forward. His dark eyes seemed to glow as he raised his right hand. Summoning a small, intricate metal stamp into the air. The [Arch-thief Seal].

With a flick of his wrist, the metal stamp expanded and shot forward like a projected skipping stones. Sweeping down the corridor.

Wherever the seal touched, the mechanical traps groaned. Hidden gears got snapped backward. Pressure plates locked themselves into their place permanently. Spring mechanisms were uncoiled safely inside the walls. And, hidden dart launchers were welded shut by pure magical force.

Within seconds, the glowing red danger grids illuminated by Jack's spellcard turned into a docile green glow.

"Path is cleared," Leon said calmly, lowering his hand. "At least for this hall."

They explored the hall and found nothing of value. No treasure. No useful objects. Not even historical inscription that could give clue about the location's name.

Jack wasn't that disappointed. After all, this world wasn't an RPG game where each chamber in a dungeon would supply a treasure chest.

Soon, they reached a massive, double-leaf stone door at one side of the hall. The door had no handle. Only a complex, interlocking circular puzzle lock.

They could slowly solve the puzzle lock. But, they had a better and faster way. Leon's [Arch-thief Seal]. The artifact couldn't just deactivated traps. It could also be used to bypass most locks, including this one.

This reproduction was taken from NovelPhoenix without the author's permission, not supplied here by the author.

Leon placed his small stamp-like artifact on the center of the puzzle. The stone rings began to spin rapidly. Clicking into place one by one under the influence of the [Arch-thief Seal].

With a heavy, grinding groan, the massive stone doors slowly slid open into the walls.

They walked through the door and advanced into an even larger chamber. It was similar to the previous hall. However, this one didn't have stone-tiled floor. The ground was purely made of dark soil.

"Don't get too comfortable." Jack said. His gaze shifted toward the ground. "We have company."

The earth beneath their feet began to vibrate. Then, it cracked. And, from the cracks, a dozen of oversized creatures burst upward.

Jack's [Eyes of Judgement] automatically appraised them. Dire Moles. Each of these creatures was the size of a large dog. Covered in thick, slate-gray fur... with razor-sharp, shovel-like claws that gleamed in the light.

They shrieked. Emitting a high-pitched, grating sound. And then, they lunged toward the intruders... Jack's crew.

Before the Dire Moles could reach them, Don stepped up to the front. The chef slammed his massive wok onto the stone floor with a deafening, explosive sound. A shockwave of boiling, magical steam erupted from the wok.

The cook swung the steaming wok toward the charging moles. Scalding the front line of the beasts and knocking them off balance.

Aella also reacted quickly. The little girl disappeared in a fiery spark, and reappeared instantly behind the Dire Moles. She quickly opened fire without a word. Black-and-purple flames spat from the barrel of her handgun in rapid succession.

BANG! BANG! BANG! Every voidfire projectile hit a Dire Mole. Exploding into violent blasts of spatial fire. One that punched smoky holes on their bodies.

Bell and Leon stepped forward and clashed with the beasts directly.

Bell used his [Shield of Retribution] to deflect their attacks. And then, he activated his [Fire Charge] spell on the shield. Turning it into a blazing shield that devastated his opponents.

Leon, clad completely in full-plate draconic armor, simply charged forward. Coating his whole body with [Lightning Armor] magic and crushed any beast on his path.

The entire fight took less than a minute. The entire pack of Dire Moles was entirely wiped out within that minute.

"Alright! Take the useful parts of these moles and keep moving." Jack commanded.

They harvested the monsters of their cores, flesh, and bones. And then, they traversed deeper into the stone temple. Clearing three more halls filled with identical mechanical traps.

Jack reactivated [Trap Detection] spellcards every time they entered a new hall to ensure no catastrophic triggers were overlooked.

Once they were revealed, Leon disarmed every single lock and pressure plate with his [Arch-thief Seal] without missing a step.

As they reached the entrance of a massive domed atrium, a shadow fell over the team.

From the high vaulted ceiling, a gargantuan creature detached itself and slammed onto the stone floor. Causing the entire temple structure to quake.

It was a Thorny Worm... over thirty meters long, thick as a carriage, and covered in poisonous, stone-hard spikes. Ones that dripped with green digestive acid.

It reared back. Opening a circular mouth lined with thousands of rotating teeth. Preparing to spit a volley of acid spikes at the group.

"Not on my watch." Ned said coldly.

The phantom battlemage lifted his steamrune rifle. One of the magical beads floating around him melded and fused into the rifle. Turning it into a much thicker, bazooka like gun. Completely covered with icy blue runes.

He pulled the trigger and the ammunition inside exploded into streaks of silver-blue shrapnel. These bullet shards pierced through the Thorny Worm's thick hide like hot knives through butter. Pinning the massive creature to the rear stone wall.

Before the worm could thrash, Leon stepped forward. Lightning surged all over his armored mage's body. He opened his mouth. Spiting torrents of lightning breath toward the pinned creature.

A massive number of lightning bolts struck the Thorny Worm directly in its maw. The raw electrical energy cooked the beast from the inside out. The creature shivered violently for two seconds before its internal organs burst. And, it collapsed into a lifeless, smoking heap of leather and spikes.

"Those thorns can be useful." Jack commented as he led his team to loot the fallen monster of its valuable possessions... its core and thorns.

Afterward, they pushed further into the eastern wing of the massive temple...

In a vast gallery decorated with ancient stone statues, two oversized figures suddenly moved. A pair of Stone Gargoyles. Each was four meters tall and was carved from solid, enchanted basalt.

They broke free from their pedestals. Red glow flared in their hollow eye sockets as they spread their heavy stone wings and charged the group with heavy, crushing fists.

"I'll handle the left one." Bell said. The mystic guardian charged forward. Raising his round magical shield.

The left gargoyle brought its stone fist down hard. But Bell's [Shield of Retribution] absorbed the impact effortlessly. Dispersing most of the force. And, in a visible wave of blue protective aura, reflecting some of it back.

Bell didn't stop at that. He aimed his shield and cast [Blazing Fireball] through it. Crimson ball of fire was unleashed from the center of the shield. Smashing the gargoyle's torso into rubble with sheer kinetic force.

The right gargoyle didn't fare any better. Moby, completely clad in [Rock Armor] spell, appeared and blocked its path. Mystic tattoos all over his body glowed as he activated his [Wind Blast] spell. Throwing the stone monster backward with violent pushing force.

Barnaby didn't miss the chance. He plucked the strings on his lute. Playing a complex melody that created and guided a serpent-shaped hell fire to attack. Like a deadly snake, the fire shot forward. Swallowing the gargoyle whole.

The intense purgatory flames melted the enchanted basalt within seconds. Reducing the gargoyle to a puddle of molten slag on the hall floor.

"These defenders are ancient. And their offensive matrix seems very primitive." Baroness Artheim observed. "Focused mainly on power rather than transcendent techniques."

"Don't get complacent." Jack said. "There might be more powerful threat later.