Chapter 195: An Ominous Presence

Forest of Death was formed from both small and large terrains. The roots of the trees, jutting out from the uneven land, were commonly visible throughout the party’s exploration.

The area where the team currently was also contained similar terrain. Some trees stood on higher ground while others grew on lower ground.

From the moment they arrived there, Vlad had been sensing a dense presence of the Umbra element emanating from the wall of one such terrain. It was completely covered in ice like every other part of the area, blending seamlessly with the surroundings.

"Could you melt the ice on that wall?" Vlad asked Seraphina, pointing towards the wall of the terrain.

She released multiple head-sized fireballs from her palm, sending them towards the wall. They began melting the ice, turning it into droplets of water.

After a few seconds, several cracks spread across the glassy ice, and shards began falling to the ground, revealing even more ice beneath.

Nearly five metres of ice had been melted when the dirt and rock surface of the twelve-metre-wide terrain finally became visible.

Around the middle of the terrain, a cave was revealed, immediately drawing the attention of the party.

Vlad and Seraphina dismounted their beasts and headed towards the cave, with Raphael following close behind. Hugo and Alisha immediately put an end to their bickering and hurried after them.

Upon reaching the entrance to the cave, Seraphina’s pink eyes began glowing as she spread her visionary senses into the cave. She felt resistance preventing her from probing anything beyond the entrance. The farther she tried to extend her senses, the greater the resistance became. It was as if the same poles of magnets were repelling each other.

Her eyes shifted towards the scattered stones around the inner walls of the dark cave.

"An array is blocking the presence of whatever is inside the cave," she revealed in a calm tone. "And judging by the random positions of these stones around the cave, it seems like this is a naturally formed array."

The other team members had also reached them by now.

"A naturally formed array is an exceedingly rare phenomenon," Raphael explained, his voice laced with both shock and excitement. "It occurs when the terrain, mana currents, or other natural forces align in a specific manner, creating an effect similar to that of a deliberately constructed magic array. This must be the place where the Genesis Artifact is hidden."

Vlad’s brows rose in surprise. Something like this really existed? This trip was making him realise just how mysterious the world truly was.

"So, how are we going to break through it?" Vlad asked, looking into the cave that disappeared into darkness.

Seraphina answered his question. "We cannot break it. Or more accurately, we must not. If we try to brute-force our way inside, it might activate some hidden mechanism and cause the entire cave to collapse."

"So we are going directly inside?" This method seemed even more reckless to Vlad. Who knew what would happen if they directly entered this array?

"Yes, but first, we will learn its functionality."

Seraphina, Raphael, and Alisha, the mages of the party, stepped forward. They began carefully examining the formation created by the rocks.

Vlad sat on one side of the cave, his mind drifting into thought.

’I have completely recovered my mana on Shadow’s back using Art of Dragon Breathing. I’m prepared to fight whatever monster we face inside. Still, I can’t shake off this uneasy feeling. Is it because of this ominous darkness I’m sensing from the cave, or something else?’

A few moments later, Seraphina called Hugo and Vlad back.

"From what we found out, the only purpose of this array is to conceal the presence of whatever is inside," Seraphina explained in a serious tone. "There doesn’t seem to be any offensive formations. We can move inside safely."

The group was about to step in when Vlad spoke up.

"Guys, I need to tell you something."

Once he had everyone’s attention, he revealed, "I can feel a dense presence of the Umbra element coming from the cave. It isn’t just regular darkness. There is something extremely ominous mixed within it."

"Extremely ominous as in?" Raphael asked, tapping his monocle.

"I don’t know," Vlad replied, shaking his head. "If I have to define the feeling, think of it like visiting a graveyard at midnight. It is similar to the negative energy you would feel there, just several times worse."

"Ugh... that’s creepy," Alisha shuddered, feeling goosebumps.

"So that was how you found this cave," Hugo added, a sense of satisfaction in his voice. He had been wondering how Vlad had pinpointed the exact location. Now that the unsaid mystery was solved, he felt quite satisfied.

Seraphina looked at Vlad with a serious gaze and asked, "What do you recommend? Should we enter the cave or not?"

The question made Vlad think for a while.

’I’m sure that the Genesis Artifact is inside. The mission is almost within our grasp. The system wanted me to eliminate the cause of the monster surge, and it is also tied to the Main Quest. But this feeling... I have rarely felt such restlessness before.’

After a full two minutes, Vlad replied, "Let’s go. We have already come so far to back down now."

"Haha, talk like a true knight," Hugo chuckled, tapping Vlad on the back. "Don’t worry, we will face that ominous presence together."

"Let’s head in then," Seraphina ordered, turning her face towards the cave.

As the squad stepped inside the cave, Vlad muttered inwardly while walking behind them, ’If I want to grow stronger, I must take risks. The reward from this quest is the only way I have to surpass the limits of my talent.’

His gaze shifted to Seraphina’s back as she walked in front of him.

’Whatever is waiting for us inside, I will make sure that everyone returns safely to the academy.’

Suddenly, he halted mid-step, his head snapping back. His crimson eyes narrowed as they fixed on a distant tree on the opposite side of the cave.

He stared at it for several seconds, but nothing stirred among the leaves.

’Strange... I felt as if someone was spying on us. Have I been too much on edge because of this restless feeling?’

He turned his head forward and continued walking, reaching the squad.

---

"That kid is quite perceptive," an amused voice spoke to itself from behind the tree where Vlad had just been staring. "Now that all the cast members are on the stage. Let the show begin. Hahahaha."