Chapter 170: The Prisoner Behind the Door

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: The Prisoner Behind the Door

The metallic door trembled.

Another powerful impact came from the other side, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

Ronan stood several meters away, observing the inscriptions.

Something was sealed behind the door.

And judging by the energy signature he could sense, it wasn’t weak.

He activated Predator’s Perception, carefully examining the energy leaking through the gaps.

King Realm.

The fluctuations were unstable, occasionally rising before suddenly weakening.

It was difficult to determine the creature’s exact strength, but Ronan was certain it wasn’t an ordinary King Realm monster.

"Open..."

The distorted voice sounded again.

Ronan remained silent.

He had no intention of obeying an unknown creature simply because it asked him to.

Instead, he examined the three empty slots surrounding the central inscription.

They were arranged in a triangular pattern, with energy channels connecting them to the door’s main formation.

The structure was incomplete.

Without the missing components, the seal couldn’t function properly.

However, something was keeping the creature trapped inside.

Ronan activated Formation Sense.

The energy channels became visible.

Most were damaged, but several remained active. They extended from the door into the surrounding walls, drawing energy from a deeper source.

He followed the channels with his perception.

Then he discovered something interesting.

The formation wasn’t simply sealing the creature.

It was also extracting energy from it.

Every time the creature struck the door, a portion of its energy flowed through the inscriptions and disappeared into the walls.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

"So that’s how you’re still trapped."

The creature had been imprisoned for a long time, and its strength was gradually being drained.

That explained the unstable energy signature.

But there was another problem.

The formation was deteriorating.

Several energy channels had already been damaged, and the repeated impacts were making them weaker.

Eventually, the door would open.

Whether the creature escaped because the seal collapsed or because someone deliberately released it didn’t particularly matter.

Ronan wasn’t going to remain nearby when that happened.

He stepped towards one of the damaged pillars.

The moment he approached, the mark on his palm reacted.

The inscriptions illuminated.

Then the voice behind the door became clearer.

"You..."

A pause followed.

"Finally..."

Ronan stopped.

Finally?

Had the creature been waiting for someone with his mark?

He examined the door again.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

Then another impact shook the chamber.

"Open... the anchor..."

Ronan frowned.

That wasn’t an answer.

He released a small amount of energy through his palm.

The inscriptions reacted immediately, revealing another layer of markings.

For a brief moment, an image appeared above the door.

It showed a massive creature surrounded by chains.

Its body was covered in dark scales, and several enormous horns extended from its head.

However, the image disappeared before Ronan could examine its features properly.

He withdrew his hand.

The mark’s glow faded.

Whatever the structure was designed to do, it recognized him.

But that didn’t mean he should trust it.

---

Ronan examined the chamber more carefully.

The three empty slots weren’t the only missing components.

Several small crystals had been embedded along the surrounding walls. Most had cracked, while others had disappeared entirely.

He approached the nearest one.

A faint amount of gray energy remained inside.

He activated Energy Devouring.

The trait responded.

Ronan cautiously absorbed a small amount.

Pain immediately spread through his fingertips, but it was considerably weaker than during his first attempt against the Hollow’s energy.

He stopped after a few seconds.

The gray energy was still incompatible with his body, but the ancient structure had somehow stabilized its flow.

That was useful information.

He looked towards the damaged crystals.

Perhaps they had once regulated the energy passing through the seal.

If he could understand how they worked, he might be able to reproduce the process using the refining equipment at the Eastern Sanctuary.

But first, he needed to know what was behind the door.

Ronan examined the energy channels again.

There was a central connection extending beneath the chamber.

He followed it with Subterranean Perception.

The underground structure became clearer.

Several tunnels extended beneath the chamber, connecting to a much larger underground space.

And at the centre of that space was an enormous energy source.

Ronan’s expression changed slightly.

The seal wasn’t drawing energy directly from the surrounding environment.

It was connected to something buried much deeper.

He continued examining the structure.

Then his perception detected movement.

Something was approaching through one of the underground tunnels.

It wasn’t coming from behind the door.

It was approaching from another direction.

Ronan immediately turned.

A low rumble echoed through the chamber.

Several seconds later, the ground cracked.

A black creature emerged from the tunnel.

It resembled a large four-legged beast, with a thick armored body and a pair of curved horns.

Its eyes glowed crimson.

The moment it appeared, Ronan recognized its energy signature.

Five-Star King Realm.

The creature roared.

Then it charged.

Ronan moved sideways.

The beast’s claws struck the ground, creating several cracks.

He activated Gravity Affinity.

The creature’s body became heavier.

Its movement slowed.

Ronan accelerated forward and struck its head.

Boom!

The beast staggered.

However, it recovered quickly and swung its tail.

Ronan ducked beneath the attack.

He gathered Annihilation Force around his fist and struck its exposed side.

Crack!

Several armor plates shattered.

The creature roared and released a burst of dark energy.

Ronan retreated.

His eyes narrowed.

It wasn’t particularly powerful compared to the Abyssal Burrower, but its body was surprisingly durable.

He examined it.

[System Analysis Initiated.]

[Target: Sealbound Ravager]

[Realm: Five-Star King Realm]

[Available Traits Detected.]

[Trait: Seal Resistance]

[Trait: Reinforced Musculature]

[Trait: Energy Tracking]

Ronan’s eyes brightened.

Seal Resistance?

That was interesting.

Considering how much time he had spent around ancient structures, it could prove useful.

Energy Tracking was also valuable, especially if it allowed him to follow the mysterious energy signatures connected to the anchors.

He needed to kill it.

The creature charged again.

Ronan activated Burst Acceleration.

He moved forward, then abruptly changed direction using Gravity Affinity.

The beast’s attack missed.

Ronan appeared beside its head.

His fist struck the damaged armor.

Annihilation Force erupted.

Boom!

The beast collapsed onto its side.

Before it could recover, Ronan grabbed one of its horns and twisted.

Crack!

Its neck broke.

The creature struggled for several seconds before finally becoming motionless.

[Target eliminated.]

Ronan released its horn.

He examined the corpse.

"Seal Resistance and Energy Tracking..."

Both traits were useful.

He decided to acquire Seal Resistance first.

[Trait Acquisition Successful.]

[Trait Acquired: Seal Resistance.]

A warm sensation spread through his body.

His resistance to energy-based sealing effects increased.

It wasn’t complete immunity, nor would it allow him to ignore formations far beyond his strength.

But it was a valuable improvement.

He then acquired Energy Tracking.

[Trait Acquisition Successful.]

[Trait Acquired: Energy Tracking.]

A different sensation spread through his perception.

Ronan closed his eyes.

The surrounding energy signatures became easier to distinguish.

He could now identify lingering traces of energy and follow their direction with greater accuracy.

He focused on the gray energy surrounding the chamber.

Immediately, several faint trails appeared in his perception.

They extended through the walls, connecting the door to the deeper underground structure.

Ronan opened his eyes.

"That’s useful."

---

The creature’s arrival had revealed something else.

It hadn’t been wandering randomly.

Its energy signature was connected to the same underground network as the seal.

Ronan examined the corpse before extracting its valuable materials.

Then he turned towards the door.

The creature behind it had gone quiet.

That was suspicious.

He approached cautiously.

"Still there?"

No response.

Ronan examined the inscriptions.

The formation was still active, but its energy flow had weakened slightly after the recent disturbance.

He extended his hand.

The mark on his palm reacted again.

This time, the door responded with a stronger pulse.

A faint voice emerged.

"Don’t..."

Ronan paused.

The voice sounded different.

"Don’t let... them..."

The energy fluctuated.

Then the creature spoke again.

"Reach... the core..."

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

"Who are they?"

Silence.

The door trembled.

"Those... who consume..."

The voice faded.

Then the formation released a sudden burst of energy.

Ronan immediately stepped backwards.

The inscriptions illuminated before returning to their previous state.

He stared at the door.

Those who consume.

The description was vague, but it reminded him of the Hollow.

They gathered energy from fallen warriors, manipulated the gray energy, and had been interfering with the ancient structures.

Could the creature be warning him about them?

Or was it simply trying to manipulate him into opening the seal?

Ronan wasn’t going to make that decision based on a few words.

He needed more information.

He activated Energy Tracking.

The energy trails extending from the door became clearer.

One of them led deeper underground.

Another connected to the central structure.

And a third extended towards the surface, disappearing in the direction of the northern mountains.

That was interesting.

The seal was connected to the same network as the other ancient anchors.

And the Hollow appeared to be interfering with that network.

Ronan looked towards the deeper passage.

He wanted to investigate the source of the energy before making any decisions about the prisoner.

---

The underground tunnel was narrow at first.

Ronan followed the energy trail, using Subterranean Perception to identify hidden passages and potential dangers.

After several minutes, the tunnel opened into a massive cavern.

The ceiling was covered in black crystals, and several enormous pillars extended from the ground.

At the centre stood a circular platform.

A large crystal floated above it.

Unlike the smaller fragments he had collected, this crystal was enormous.

Its surface contained countless inscriptions, and faint gray energy flowed through its interior.

Ronan immediately recognized its importance.

This was the energy source sustaining the Western Anchor.

He approached cautiously.

Energy Tracking revealed several trails extending from the crystal.

Some connected to the prison chamber.

Others extended towards distant underground passages.

But one trail caught his attention.

It was different.

The gray energy along that route had been disturbed recently.

Someone had tampered with the network.

Ronan examined the platform.

There were several damaged inscriptions around its base.

Some had been deliberately destroyed.

This wasn’t simply deterioration.

Someone had attacked the structure.

He crouched and examined the nearest inscription.

Formation Sense activated.

The damage became clearer.

The original energy channel had been severed, and a foreign energy source had been inserted into its place.

Ronan recognized the energy.

The Hollow.

His expression became serious.

They hadn’t merely discovered the Western Anchor.

They had already begun modifying it.

And judging by the amount of gray energy spreading through the structure, their work was far from complete.

A faint vibration passed through the cavern.

Ronan looked towards the floating crystal.

The central energy source flickered.

Then a notification appeared.

[Ancient Energy Source Detected.]

[Analysis Incomplete.]

[Foreign Energy Contamination Detected.]

[Warning: Structural Instability Increasing.]

Ronan stared at the notification.

He had found the heart of the Western Anchor.

But the structure was deteriorating faster than he had expected.

And if the central crystal collapsed, the prison chamber might lose the energy sustaining its seal.

He looked towards the tunnel behind him.

The creature was still trapped.

For now.

Ronan slowly smiled.

"Looks like I have more work than I expected."