Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Abandoned Mine (1)
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The moment he spotted the question mark in the status window that had popped up out of nowhere, Galen recalled an event from a few months back.
The time when the ghost of the magic soldier had mingled with the spirits off the coast of the Dawn Archipelago.
A question mark had appeared in the Spirit Creation status window then, too.
'...But aside from that, there's no real common thread, is there?'
The twisted sensation of his spirit-handling instincts being uprooted at the core.
It had been such an intense experience that it still lingered vividly in his memory.
By contrast, this time the feeling was so faint.
If the status window hadn't appeared, he probably would've just brushed it off as an odd, nagging discomfort.
'Was that faint sense of déjà vu just my imagination?'
It could have been.
Even as he carefully retraced his sensations, nothing unusual stood out in Water Flow Manipulation, Spirit Creation, Illusory Inferno, or Earth Bind.
While Galen was reflecting on himself like this, Lilia was chatting with Akanksha.
"I can feel something! It's a bit unsettling, but maybe not?"
"That's the hallmark of ancient ruins, they say. Some unidentified power lingers there. There's even a theory that this force is what keeps the ruins from collapsing over the long years."
"I see. But this feels kinda... familiar somehow."
Lilia trailed off, lost in thought for a moment, then extended her hand.
Flash!
Her slender finger, wrapped in the light of the Miracle of Purification, waved through the air.
"What are you doing?"
"Just checking, you know."
"Huh?"
"I went to the Devil's Cradle once before. It feels a tiny bit similar, so I wondered if there might be a connection!"
"Nah, if it was devil-related, they wouldn't let us leisurely hunt for treasure. They wouldn't even call it ruins."
"True. The church wouldn't have left it alone, right?"
If it involved devils, the archbishop would've given them a heads-up.
No, before that, Galen and Lilia wouldn't have been coming here at all.
Devils were absolute grounds for action. Even if the archbishop moved personally, the Steelwall family would have to stay silent.
Lilia nodded, setting aside her doubts, and Galen followed up.
"What do the earth fairies make of that power?"
"We don't know much either. Feels like ancient magic... some forgotten technique, probably."
Akanksha shrugged it off casually.
"Never heard it harms you after prolonged exposure. So, what's the problem? We can't investigate it anyway, and even if we could, what would we find?"
I asked because it came up, Galen grumbled inwardly.
The status window only reacted to mana, ignoring aura or holy power.
The earth fairies' guess that it was some kind of magic seemed plausible at first glance.
But a question mark in the spot for the spell's official name.
Every magic he'd encountered so far had shown "Progress to First Acquisition," but here it was just "Progress" with the percentage as a question mark.
Maybe ancient magic didn't mesh with the status window?
In this broken state, acquisition seemed impossible.
"Is this leaking from that gap in the entrance?"
"Probably? We found the ruins because part of the hillside collapsed, creating that crack."
Akanksha answered Lilia's question.
The entrance had been completely buried under soil, rock, and tree roots, but a landslide had created a slight gap.
One sensitive earth fairy passing by had coincidentally sensed the strange power leaking from it.
"That was early winter. Before we could even start proper excavation, we got into a fight with humans, so it sat for nearly a month... This winter brought extra snow. No need to push the dig. We took it easy until word came of the inspectors, then rushed to finish."
They hadn't dug too deep, so without winter, they might've wrapped up excavation and started exploring ages ago.
Then Jiaba would've had no choice but to escort the inspectors.
Thanks to the heavy snow giving them breathing room, the chance reached Galen, who was far away. The ways of the world were truly unpredictable.
"We haven't even pried off the lid, so the interior is a complete unknown."
"What's there to worry about? With this much manpower, we can always retreat if needed."
"Not saying it's dangerous. Just curious."
Having already secured the earth fairies' magic—the top priority of this commission—before even starting, Galen's mind was at ease.
He just hoped nothing went wrong inside the ruins.
But after the status window appeared, curiosity piqued.
If this wasn't just some oddity but magic-related, it warranted close attention.
"Looking forward to tomorrow."
"You too. Be fair in your oversight."
*
Early to bed, early to rise—and by dawn, work was in full swing.
While the exploration team ate and prepped, the outer guards cleared the remaining blockage.
"Entrance secured!"
The fully revealed entrance resembled a mine shaft.
Not some cramped burrow, but tall and wide like a modern Earth highway tunnel.
The others shared similar impressions.
"An ancient mine, maybe?"
"Mountains where veins still turn up today. Not weird if there was a mine like this."
"Abandoned mine as shelter, or deliberately styled like one. Heard of both."
"Man, not moles or anything. Can't figure ancient folks' tastes."
Galen and Lilia quietly listened to the others. Just eavesdropping yielded plenty of info.
At least outwardly, it didn't look like some bizarre ruin.
"Alright, enough gawking. Let's head in."
Sachet clapped his hands.
Forty-eight in total here, all Silver-rank or higher.
Twenty-eight entering the ruins: twelve from Steelwall, twelve from Red Rock Alliance, four inspectors.
Outside: ten humans, ten earth fairies. Guarding the entrance and serving as relief.
"Keep strict watch. No incidents."
"Yes, sir!"
Both leaders gave similar orders to their subordinates.
As underground dwellers, they double-checked portable oil lamps and torches above all.
Finally, the exploration team stepped into the ruins.
Underground, it felt noticeably more stable than outside.
His body felt it, but his mind was chilled.
"The weirdness is really visible now."
Lilia whispered in Galen's ear.
They were at the rear of the team.
Ahead, the group split perfectly left and right.
Humans on the left, earth fairies on the right. As if a thick transparent wall divided the passage center.
No surprise—these snarling groups wouldn't suddenly bond from breathing ruin air.
Good thing the passage was spacious; narrow, and who knows what would've happened.
Galen chuckled softly, covering his mouth as he whispered back.
"Better this way. No need to force friendships when we won't meet again post-exploration."
"Fair point."
"Personally, I'd love if they stay like this till the end, find treasure safely, and head home."
"Same. Wonder what's lurking in these ruins, though?"
"Who knows."
Rumor had it ruins held three elements: mystery, monsters, treasure.
Didn't Daimus confirm all three?
Thanks to the persistent status window, the "unidentified power" was real.
Valuables? Galen didn't care.
But strange entities prowling about? That worried him a bit.
Daimus said whatever emerged was unknown but definitely aggressive.
Seemed to view explorers as intruders to eliminate.
"Still a straight path so far?"
"Yeah. Only been in a few minutes."
"Floor's no joke either."
Galen stomped the ground with his shoe.
Felt like soil, but packed so tight it rivaled rock.
Hearing that, Lilia sidestepped and pressed the wall.
"Walls are sturdy too!"
"Solid passage means just watch the path. They'll hit whatever first up ahead; judge then."
"That wasn't my point!"
"Can't help my poor imagination. No intel anyway."
They weren't fully off-guard, but had leisure for whispers.
Monsters or traps? Front would handle first.
About twenty minutes of leisurely progress.
Not far distance-wise; no rush without knowing the end or threats.
At least the four Gold-ranks leading thought so. Silvers in mid, inspectors in rear followed suit.
Galen welcomed it. Passage gently curved but mostly flat—like a stroll, effortless.
"Halt!"
Alon's shout echoed from ahead.
Something finally? Galen and Lilia peered forward.
Dark passage, uneven lamplight; Galen's eyes struggled.
Lilia, sharper vision, saw a bit.
"Huh?"
"What? What's up?"
"Uh... what is that?"
"Rock monster!"
Alon's voice helpfully boomed as Lilia hesitated.
"Threat level unknown! Emerged from floor—brace!"
"From the floor?"
Galen muttered, glancing down again.
Buried in this hard floor? Why bother—just stand it in the passage.
Games had stone statues suddenly glowing alive. Better flair.
"...?"
Amid stray thoughts, Galen's senses tingled.
Water Flow Manipulation detected nearby moisture.
Applied like radar: movement displaced moisture.
It signaled now.
Anomaly in the passage behind, post-team passage.
"Lilia."
"Yes?"
Her eyes widened turning. Trailing priests startled looking back.
Something sprouting from the floor a ways back.
"Curious what they'd look like, and they show right away."
Galen gave a hollow laugh.
Bulky upper body, long arms, scrawny lower, short legs... crudely carved human-ish form.
Golem material in a game.
Felt more soil than rock to Galen, but rock crumbles to soil, soil compacts to rock—no real difference.
Anyway, they sprouted like bamboo shoots in rain. Over ten visible at a glance.
Bam!
In the tense moment, Lilia charged and kicked a golem mid-formation.
It snapped in two before fully formed.
"No need to wait for transformation, right?"
"Spot on."
Galen smirked at Lilia's no-romance pragmatism, extending his left hand.
Spirit uncoiled from his wrist, flowing downward softly.
"Not just one or two anyway."
This time, different form.
Spirit grew into exact soil golem shape.
But massively larger. Filled the passage solidly.
"Let's thin 'em out first."
The water golem roared.