Chapter  185: Seafloor Ruins (3)

The entrance to the ruins was a massive wall.

It had the form of a structure where the rock surface was smoothly carved to intentionally block the way, with no visible handles or opening mechanisms.

“How do we get in?”

As Maximilian closely examined the entrance, Gale lightly tapped his friend’s shoulder.

“You won’t figure anything out by staring. Step back.”

“Why? I can try looking. Look here. There’s something written in tiny letters.”

“Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes followed the tip of Maximilian’s finger.

Then, they saw characters of an unrecognizable form written on the wall.

“……What does it say?”

“Now seriously, step back.”

“Let me take a look.”

Queen stepped forward to inspect the letters Maximilian had found.

Of course, she couldn’t recognize them either.

After all, her field wasn’t archaeology or ancient texts.

Still, since she had come all the way forward, she pretended to examine them a bit more—until a voice transmission reached her ear.

—Thunder, rain, wind.

“It says ‘Thunder, rain, wind’. I can interpret the meaning, but I’m not sure what it implies.”

“Thunder, rain, wind.”

“Is it referring to weather?”

“Hm.”

At Queen’s words, everyone fell into thought.

Then Laysis turned her gaze to Carl.

“What do you think?”

“Thunder, rain, wind. I think we just need to find a connection.”

“Then, could it be a storm?”

“That sounds right. In that case, perhaps we should strike the wall like a storm.”

“……What?”

Laysis was taken aback by Carl’s sudden remark.

She had expected a more intellectual interpretation of the letters on the entrance—not to be told to strike it like a storm.

“Everyone, please step back.”

“……You’re really going to hit it?”

Laysis widened her eyes in disbelief, and the cadets and NOX agents, who had no idea what was going on, stepped back behind Carl as instructed.

Shuaaah!

Powerful mana surged over Carl’s hand.

He clenched his fist—and then struck the wall with all his might.

KWAANG!

The shockwave was strong enough to sweep through the interior of the ruins.

The once smooth wall was deeply dented, and clear cracks spread out from the impact point.

“No way……”

Realizing what had happened, Maximilian clicked his tongue.

As if something like that would actually open the door.

Crack.

But what followed left everyone in utter shock.

Craack—.

The firmly shut wall began to split in half and slowly retreat to both sides.

Even the cadets, as well as Queen and the NOX agents, were speechless at the sight of the interior beyond.

“Wait, seriously? The answer was to strike it like a storm?”

“We were lucky.”

Carl gave a faint smile.

Of course, the actual answer wasn’t simply to beat on the wall like a storm.

Even Carl didn’t know the meaning of the characters written there, but the moment he saw the wall, he instinctively understood how to open it.

‘So, it just needs Kylos’ divinity infused into it.’

Others hadn’t noticed, but Carl could feel the faint divine aura flowing across the surface.

It must have been a barrier designed to react to the same divine energy and grant passage.

Striking the wall had simply been a way to conceal his use of divinity.

Only a very few knew he had absorbed Kylos’ divinity.

“Anyway, since it’s open, let’s head in.”

At Queen’s nodding words, the NOX agents moved forward to secure the safety of the passage.

As they crossed inside, Yuria examined the now wide-open walls on either side.

‘It’s solid.’

She pushed the memory of what had happened underwater with Carl to the back of her mind for now.

Investigating this seafloor ruin was more important.

‘What’s it made of?’

Scratch.

Yuria lightly brushed her hand across the surface.

Though it was cracked thanks to Carl’s strike, the material was extremely sturdy.

She could feel a faint resistance to magic, suggesting it was designed to resist damage. Yet Carl had managed to break it.

“…….”

She quietly followed behind Carl, who was walking ahead.

This was still only the entrance to the ruins.

“So this is where it starts.”

Queen, having passed through the entrance, bent down and brushed the floor.

A red carpet was laid out along the path, indicating that from this point onward, the real temple began.

Snap.

When Queen flicked her fingers lightly, a bright light flared up nearby, illuminating the dark interior.

“It’s the temple entrance. The decorations… I’ve never seen this style before. Does anyone recognize it?”

A structure resembling a fortress wall surrounded the area in front of the red carpet.

The difference from the outer wall was that this entrance was completely open.

Still, they did not enter right away and continued investigating their surroundings.

“Hmmm.”

Amy let out a sound of admiration as she looked at the intricate carvings atop the wall.

This level of craftsmanship for an ancient ruin?

It seemed the claim that ancient technology was far more advanced than modern times might not be entirely false.

“Do you know which god it is?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Me neither. It only says it’s a god that was worshipped in ancient times.”

At Yuria’s question, Carl and Laysis both shook their heads.

Of course, both of them knew it was a temple dedicated to Kylos, but for the same reasons as before, they saw no need to reveal that to the others.

Yuria had never seen a temple of Kylos either, so she simply looked around with a neutral expression.

“Then let’s head in further.”

They secured the area and marked it before proceeding inside.

At the temple’s entrance, there were thirty-two steps—something that clearly held religious significance.

“Why thirty-two and not thirty-three? Isn’t thirty-three a more perfect number?”

“There could be one more buried underneath.”

The cadets, who had some basic knowledge of religion, expressed their curiosity.

But Carl knew the meaning behind it.

‘Because it’s a demigod.’

Thirty-three symbolized a god.

Since it hadn’t reached complete divinity yet, they used thirty-two steps, leaving room for one more.

In fact, there was a notable distance between the thirty-second step and the interior space of the temple.

Presumably, an additional step would be added once complete godhood was attained.

As they moved further in, the cadets came to an abrupt halt.

“……Wow!”

“What is all this?!”

Inside was an enormous pile of treasures.

Gold coins, jewels, armor, and dazzling weapons.

Familiar with the sight, Laysis turned her gaze to Carl.

“……”

Carl nodded.

It was the same as the temple of Kylos in the Territory of Tohochu.

Before entering the space where Kylos resided, heaps of treasures had been piled up just the same.

“Don’t touch anything!”

Just as the cadets instinctively reached out toward the treasure, Queen sharply shouted.

Her voice, far more commanding than the gentle tone she had used earlier, startled the cadets into freezing.

Seeing them overwhelmed, Queen looked at them with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry for yelling. These kinds of treasures are usually rigged with spells or mechanisms. You might get cursed or trigger a trap.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Maximilian scratched his cheek awkwardly.

He had been the most excited about the treasure found here.

Though the loot would be divided between the Madeira Trading House and the cadets, according to regulations, the largest share would go to Althausen.

That was why he had been a little thrilled, reaching for the sword nestled among the gold coins—only to stop thanks to Queen’s warning.

“So what do we do now?”

“We’ll need to inspect it. Could you wait a moment?”

Soon, NOX agents scattered in all directions to investigate any anomalies.

Carl also stayed in place with the cadets, scanning the area before sending a voice transmission to Queen.

—The crystal above the left ceiling. And the ruby at the far end—destroy both.

“This is it. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Shiak.

Queen lightly flicked her hand, throwing two daggers.

One shattered the crystal on the left ceiling, the other destroyed the ruby at the edge.

At the same time, the strange energy that had surrounded the area vanished, and the treasure on the floor appeared more vividly.

“Ah!”

Noticing the difference, the cadets nodded in amazement.

Queen smiled warmly at them.

“You may collect them now.”

“Wow, check out this sword.”

“These look like high-grade mana stones at the very least—how are these in a temple……”

The cadets were ecstatic.

They had expected at most to find some artifacts, but to discover jewels like these?

Meanwhile, Carl subtly signaled to Queen and quietly moved away.

‘Where’s he going?’

Yuria, who had been stealing glances at him, noticed Carl’s movements.

Just as she was about to call out to him, a voice transmission reached her.

—This place is dangerous, so I believe I must go alone. Yuria, please watch over the cadets.

“……”

At the sound of Carl’s voice, like a whisper in her ear, Yuria froze in place.

It was only after Carl’s figure disappeared behind the mountain of treasure that she let out a short sigh and lowered her hand.

“Sigh.”

Only a soft sigh slipped out between the piles of treasure.

Having left the others behind, Carl walked deeper into the interior alone, as if he knew it well.

He stopped in front of a shabby door at the far end, past all the jewels.

‘Exactly like the other side.’

Carl let out a soft chuckle and opened the door with a gentle push.

Though the door looked utterly worn, it was sealed with an even more powerful barrier than the one outside.

Without holding Kylos’ divinity, no amount of force would have budged it.

At this moment, Carl was the only one in the world who could enter.

Clack.

He stepped inside, closed the door, and raised his head to look ahead.

“……”

The interior was a vast hollow chamber.

Unlike the altar-like form on the Tohochu side, this place had nothing at all.

Except for the central structure illuminated by a single shaft of light.

Clink.

A man seated there was pouring black tea into a cup.

The divinity of the demigod Kylos, that unbelievably relaxed presence, drew Carl’s attention as he slowly approached.

“Quite at ease, aren’t you.”

“The fact that you made it here means you hold my divinity. Would you like a cup?”

As Carl nodded, Kylos greeted him with a faint smile.

He was entirely different from the Kylos they had met on the other side.

This one seemed almost… courteous.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“Because your personality is completely different from the other you.”

“Which one did you meet first?”

“Tohochu.”

“Tohochu—ah, that’d be the Tosan region. That one is a bit eccentric. You must’ve had a tough time.”

Kylos let out a small laugh and handed Carl the filled teacup.

Then he looked at Carl with a meaningful expression and asked,

“So, did you come here to absorb this divinity as well?”

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