Chapter 1036: Abandoned town

Soon, the group discovered a door set into the wall. Although their curiosity was piqued, they remained vigilant. They opened the door and found no traps; in fact, the room inside was

empty.

However, the room had a notable feature. Despite its unusually large size, it was imbued with earth-element mana, which was denser than in the passage. They concluded that this was likely a training room.

"A training room for those with an earth affinity," commented the Sixth Head.

This type of training room was something they had only heard about. Such facilities were typically found only in large factions like the Holy Lands or major countries, which had the resources to construct them.

After examining the training room, the group resumed their journey forward.

Time passed quickly.

The group moved through various rooms, each imbued with different elemental energies such as fire, wind, lightning, space, and water. They finally reached a strange barrier that seemed to be the last section of the passage.

"What's beyond this?" the Fourth Head murmured.

They could see that a vast area lay beyond the barrier, appearing several times larger than the passage they had traversed.

The Eighth Head stepped forward, intrigued by the barrier. He raised his hand to touch it, only to find his hand pass through without resistance.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, he felt a strong pulling force, dragging his hand toward the ground. Surprised, he quickly regained his composure, clenched his fist, and resisted the force before pulling his hand back.

The Third Head watched curiously, wondering what had caused Eight Head to exert such effort.

The Fourth Head glanced at Eight Head and asked, "What's beyond this?"

Eight Head looked up and replied slowly, "The environment beyond is harsh. Gravity is likely fifty times stronger, and the mana density is chaotic. It would tear apart low-rank experts."

Everyone was taken aback by Eight Head's assessment. This meant that only a few people could safely cross to the other side.

Souta found it intriguing that such a place existed within this ancient ruin. He checked his progress and saw that he had reached fifty-seven percent by merely traversing the passage. Eilish walked up to Souta and said, "I'm going to stay here with Eilan. I don't think we can manage the area beyond this."

Souta nodded in agreement.

Elder Hanmi and the others also decided to stay behind. Only the Nine Heads and Erkigal, who were strong enough to withstand the intense conditions, would cross the barrier.

Soon, the group moved past the barrier.

Souta sensed a distinct change in the atmosphere. It felt as though they had entered a

separate spatial structure, and an ominous vibe pervaded the air.

Glancing at his progress, Souta saw that he had reached fifty-one percent simply by passing through the barrier. The progress was increasing faster than before.

"I sense some malignant force here," Erkigal said, her eyes narrowing.

Alexander glanced at her and replied, "This ruin has been here for thousands of years, so anything could happen. It's best to prepare for any situation."

The group nodded in agreement and continued forward.

After a few minutes of walking, they emerged from the mouth of the passage, blinking as they adjusted to the sudden brightness of the open air. The ceiling hung approximately one kilometer above the floor, adorned with numerous crystals that emitted a light akin to that of the sun.

They found themselves at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast valley. Below them sprawled a silent town, surrounded by trees, bathed in the soft light from above.

"A small town?" Souta raised his eyebrows. He quickly spread his energy and confirmed that there were no living beings in the town.

He jumped down from the cliff, and the rest followed.

Upon reaching the town, they found it eerily quiet, with buildings in various states of decay. Roofs had caved in, windows were shattered, and thick vines and ivy crept up the walls. This was a stark contrast to the pristine city they had seen earlier.

"The ominous aura is everywhere," the Fourth Head muttered.

The pervasive aura sent shivers down their spines. They were certain that if they had brought their subordinates here, they would have lost their minds.

There was no sign of life in the town. The silence was palpable, as though time itself had abandoned this place.

At the center of the town stood a massive statue, towering over the ruins like a silent sentinel. The statue depicted a woman with noble and playful features, though she was worn and weathered by the harsh environment. Clad in a flowing dress, she wrapped her arms around her knees, looking down with a faint smile on her face.

The Third Head, usually reserved, finally spoke, her voice edged with unease. "The statue... It feels like it's watching us."

Everyone shared the same feeling.

Alexander gazed at the statue, his eyes filled with deep emotion.

This ancient ruin had once been his home. After his reincarnation, he was unsure of what had transpired, but he suspected that the disappearance of the God who had protected the land had led to the chaos enveloping the territory.

He reached out, his finger brushing the cool stone of her hand. In that instant, memories surged back with vivid clarity.

Alexander remembered the first time he met her, in a small, lifeless cave. He had sought refuge from the rain and was unaware that she lived there.

At that time, he had been lost, both figuratively and literally, wandering without purpose. Her eyes had conveyed a deep wisdom, and her smile-a small, knowing curve of her lips-had offered him a semblance of comfort.

She had spoken with her hand covering her mouth. "None? What a peculiar name, but it suits you. Don't you think?"

Alexander had stared at her blankly, feeling as though her gaze could see right through him.

She had continued, "You don't have a home. You don't have a family. You don't have any friends. You have nothing. See? There's no place for you in this world."

"That's why... I..." He looked at her with determined eyes.

Alexander came back to his senses and slowly withdrew his hand from the statue. From that small cave, he had built everything from scratch, eventually transforming it into this ancient

ruin.

With the God's absence, the territory had become vulnerable. It had been plunged into chaos, and the citizens were powerless to change their fate.

'I need to find out...' Alexander thought inwardly.

The group continued to explore the town and eventually stopped in front of a larger house, which seemed to belong to the village chief.

The house appeared simple from the outside, but when they opened the door, they discovered

a large magic circle carved into the floor. Various symbols of a bird enveloped in raging flames

were etched on the walls.

"It suddenly gets hot," Eight Head remarked.

The atmosphere inside the house was starkly different from the ominous environment outside. It felt as though they were standing directly under the sun, with a temperature so high it could instantly burn lower-level experts.

Souta examined the symbols of the red bird and thought, The Great Vermillion Bird...

"It's here..." Erkigal said with a smile as she stepped forward. She then turned to the group and said, "I'm going to stay here. If you plan to continue exploring, you can go without me." Souta observed her closely, wondering if what she sought was in this house. He sensed that Erkigal was on the verge of a breakthrough, given that she had been at the peak of the Sixth Shackle for a long time.

The others nodded in agreement. They had no objections to Erkigal staying behind.

After thoroughly checking every corner of the abandoned town and finding nothing of value,

the group bade farewell to Erkigal and left.

"Be careful... The ominous energy is growing stronger," Alexander warned.

The others nodded; they could sense it too. The pressure intensified after they left the

abandoned house.

"Dead mana..." the Third Head muttered.

"Dead mana?! Don't tell me..." Eight Head's eyes widened.

"It's to be expected," Souta said. "This ruin has been buried for thousands of years. It's not

surprising that undead might appear."

At this moment, Souta sensed something unusual in the dead mana, though he couldn't quite

pinpoint what it was.

The group continued forward, and soon the surroundings changed drastically. The once lush trees were now withered, contrasting sharply with the vibrant foliage of the abandoned town. The soil was dry, and strange whispers filled the air.

"Given the environment, the undead here shouldn't be weak," Souta remarked.

Alexander and the others nodded in agreement. They understood that a higher concentration

of dead mana typically meant stronger undead.

Souta glanced at the exploration progress. [Exploration Progress: 72%]

The progress was significant, and it seemed likely that he would complete the exploration

soon.

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