Chapter 135: Whisper of Forgotten Ruin

Zayne walked deeper into the pitch-black corridor, his footsteps echoing softly against the cold stone floor. The air was heavy, ancient—filled with dust and the faint metallic scent of old magic.

With a casual snap of his fingers, a glowing white orb of mana flickered into existence above his palm, illuminating the darkness with a soft radiance. Shadows danced along the cracked walls, revealing faint carvings and murals etched into the stone.

He slowed his pace, eyes glinting with mild curiosity.

“Computer,” he said calmly, raising his wrist slightly, “use the surveillance bee-bot to capture these drawings and murals.”

A faint beep came from his watch before a mechanical voice replied,

[“Command accepted.”]

A small metallic drone quietly detached from his wrist device, its wings humming faintly as it began scanning the walls, projecting light and recording every detail.

Zayne continued walking, his expression calm as ever.

“Let’s see what secrets you’re hiding,” he murmured, his voice echoing faintly through the empty hall.

He walked further, the faint hum of the bee-bots echoing around him as they swiftly scanned every inch of the ancient murals. Their tiny lights moved rapidly across the walls, capturing the faintest inscriptions even in absolute darkness.

Soon, the narrow corridor opened into a vast chamber—its ceiling half-collapsed, letting in slivers of sunlight from the two red suns above. The dim rays streamed through the cracks, illuminating patches of dust swirling in the air.

Zayne stopped at the center, glancing around once before saying, “Computer, give me a holographic image of all in order.”

[“Command accepted,”] came the crisp reply.

The upper dial of his technowatch detached from his wrist and began to float, emitting a soft blue glow. In an instant, numerous holographic projections appeared around him—each one a perfect replica of the murals, arranged line by line in chronological order.

The floating images flickered slightly before stabilizing, forming a visual story in midair. Zayne folded his arms, his light purple eyes scanning them with quiet focus.

The holographic murals shimmered faintly in the dim chamber, their glowing outlines painting eerie reflections across the stone walls.

Zayne’s eyes narrowed as he studied the first sequence—grotesque, demonic figures devouring humans while others knelt before them, offering prayers in despair. The colors, dark reds and deep blacks, pulsed faintly with residual mana.

“These look like the Abyssals that guy Caelum talked about…” Zayne murmured. “And that monster I fought—they resemble it too. So these ruins must be connected to the Abyssals.”

He flicked his hand slightly, shifting the hologram to the next set of murals.

Now, the images depicted radiant figures descending from the skies, cloaked in light. The Abyssals below seemed startled, some even retreating.

“People coming from the sky, huh?” Zayne mused, his tone dry but thoughtful. “Must be like that lady—Eirenyssa. The one I beat up who’s now an AI.”

He smirked faintly before turning to the next projection.

The next sequence displayed a brutal war—Abyssals and sky beings clashing, light against darkness. The scenes were chaotic, divine weapons and demonic claws locked in endless struggle.

Then, from beneath the ground, a colossal dark figure emerged—a towering shadow that seemed to eclipse everything around it.

Zayne’s eyes followed the next mural, where the dark being crushed forces of sky people, scattering some of them like dust. But then, another figure appeared—hooded, faceless—radiating an aura of absolute calm. The hooded one shielded the sky beings and sealed the Abyssals, dragging the dark entity with them into the depths of the seal.

Zayne tilted his head slightly. “So much drama happened in the past…” he muttered. “A war, a seal, a mystery hero… sounds straight out of a play.”

He glanced at the hovering device. “Computer, can you tell me the approximate age of when these murals were carved?”

[“Command acknowledged,” ]the mechanical voice replied.

After a few seconds, it spoke again. [“Estimated age: sixty-five thousand years.”]

Zayne exhaled lightly. “Hmm… quite old,” he said, a faint glint of curiosity sparking in his eyes.

Zayne’s eyes scanned the chamber, his footsteps echoing faintly across the ancient floor. The air was still—thick with the scent of dust and time.

The chamber itself was circular, its curved walls covered with more murals—some intact, others shattered beyond recognition. Cracks ran across the stone, spiderwebbing into the ground where faint traces of runes pulsed weakly beneath the dust.

“This place…” he muttered, glancing around, “this ruin isn’t big at all.”

His gaze settled forward—and there it was.

A massive stone golem stood motionless at the far end of the room, easily thrice his height. Its single eye socket was dark, lifeless, though deep within its chest a faint, dark-blue mana stone pulsed slowly, like a heart barely clinging to life.

Zayne raised an eyebrow. “A guardian, huh?”

He then tilted his head upward. Two narrow, bridge-like stone beams intersected high above the chamber, and upon them rested a golden-copper device, intricate and ancient. Above that device floated a bluish-white mana crystal, flickering weakly—its glow faint, almost gone.

Zayne’s eyes sharpened as he analyzed it. “That crystal’s acting as a power source… a battery for the illusion magic cloaking this ruin,” he said quietly. “Makes sense why people couldn’t find this place—though the stone’s almost out of juice.”

He glanced back at the motionless golem. “And that thing’s probably a defense unit. Though judging by its mana fluctuations…” —he tapped his chin— “it’s been asleep for centuries.”

Then his gaze lowered to the floor. He crouched, brushing away some sand to reveal faint etchings beneath—the remnants of a teleportation array, its pattern vast yet dormant.

“Hmm…” he murmured, tracing the runes with his finger. “So this ground’s got a teleportation spell embedded in it—but inactive. Maybe that’s why the ruin’s this small… it’s not a full complex, it’s just a teleportation station.”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “Now that’s interesting.”

Zayne suddenly halted mid-step, his head turning slightly as his eyes narrowed.

A faint smirk formed on his lips.

“Hmm… looks like those people finally made it here.”

He could hear faint echoes—muffled voices, metal clinking, the distinct rhythm of footsteps reverberating through the corridor behind him. Adventurers, no doubt.

But he didn’t even bother to look back.

“Let them come,” he murmured casually.

He turned toward the silent golem towering over him, its faint blue mana stone pulsing in its chest. Zayne placed a hand against the cold surface, feeling the intricate flow of ancient magic humming weakly within.

“The craftsmanship’s not bad,” he mused. “The magic system’s… decent. But it’s full of inefficiencies.”

A playful grin curved his lips. “Still, it’ll do nicely for some entertainment.”

He tapped the center of the golem’s chest—his finger touching the dark-blue mana stone—and let a thin strand of his own mana seep inside.

The instant his mana entered, the stone pulsed violently, its color deepening as faint cracks of light spread across the golem’s body. Zayne stepped back calmly, hands sliding into his pockets.

From the distant hallway came the sound of voices drawing nearer, the echoes of chatter growing louder as a group approached.

Zayne’s gaze shifted toward his technowatch, its holographic interface flickering to life.

“Hey, Computer,” he said with a faint grin, “did Boss give you the same battle power system in this model?”

The soft, mechanical voice responded,

[“Affirmative. Battle Power System is present within this unit.”]

“Good,” Zayne said, eyes gleaming slightly. “Just like him, I also enjoy seeing those numbers pop up. Even if I already know how weak they’ll be…” —he chuckled under his breath— “there’s just something oddly satisfying about watching the readings.”

He leaned back slightly, eyes on the awakening golem as faint tremors began to hum through the chamber.

“Now then,” he said with a grin, “let’s give them a warm welcome.”

Inside the circular chamber, faint sunlight filtered in through the cracks above, mixing with the dim blue glow from the dying mana stone. Dust floated lazily in the beams of light, giving the whole place an ancient, almost sacred atmosphere.

Zayne turned his gaze lazily toward them, his expression unreadable.

The group consisted of one man and two women. Both girls stayed close to the man’s side, their postures wary yet dependent.

One of the girls whispered, “Hey, someone’s already here…”

Zayne’s lips twitched slightly. Typical harem guy, he thought.

The man — brown-haired, brown-eyed — wore a flashy blue cloak draped over battered leather armor. A gleaming sword hung at his hip, reflecting the flicker of blue mana in the air.

The girl on his left had jet-black hair braided to one side, eyes like frozen lakes. Her dark leather outfit clung close to her form, with the faint outlines of hidden daggers tucked at her waist and thighs.

The girl on his right had wild, shoulder-length dark red hair and sharp, mischievous black eyes that gleamed under her russet-red mage’s cloak. Golden earrings swung slightly as she moved.

The man frowned and stepped forward. “You were at the guild earlier, taking quests, right? What are you doing here?”

Zayne’s tone was calm, almost bored. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Before the man — Daxon — could reply, the red-haired girl tugged on his sleeve, her excitement clear. “Hey, Daxon! Look, in the golem’s chest — that’s a huge mana stone! If we get it, we’ll be rich!”

But before any of them could respond, Zayne cut in smoothly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

“Let’s check your strength first.”

He lifted his wrist slightly, pointing the technowatch toward them.

“Computer, scan them.”

[Command Acknowledged ]

A soft mechanical hum filled the air as blue light pulsed from his watch. In the next moment, three holographic windows appeared side by side in midair — glowing faintly under the streaks of sunlight cutting through the cracks above.

The trio flinched back, startled.

The sudden appearance of the glowing blue projections made the red-haired mage’s eyes widen. An artifact? she thought, unable to hide her curiosity.

Each window flickered before displaying detailed readings:

Name: Daxon Rell

Species: Human (Male)

Battle Power: 1650

Full Battle Power: 2525

The next window shifted, revealing the red-haired girl’s data.

Name: Lyria

Species: Human (Female)

Battle Power: 1352

Full Battle Power: 2340

Then came the last one — the black-haired rogue.

Name: Cassynne

Species: Human (Female)

Battle Power: 1167

Full Battle Power: 2001

Zayne looked at the hovering screens for a moment, then smirked faintly.

“So… your names are Daxon, Lyria, and Cassynne.”

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