Ansu slept heavily for an unknown amount of time.
When he peeled his heavy eyelids open and regained consciousness, he found his surroundings dark and cramped. The light from torches barely illuminated an ancient stone road stretching forward, while further ahead lay an endless, profound darkness...
He quickly sat up.
Is this... inside the ancient ruins?
Hearing the movement of him getting up, Celia's concerned gaze shifted over.
"You're awake?"
She curled her lips and asked with a smile, "How was it? Was that sleep comfortable?"
Ansu glanced around. The team had stopped to rest, and everyone was looking at him teasingly.
He gave a helpless smile. "Didn't I say... wake me up once the team sets off? Why did you just bring me down here..."
Celia gave him a sharp look. "It wasn't easy for you to get some rest, how could I have the heart to wake you? Now you've had a good sleep and no time was wasted. Isn't this great?"
Though Ansu was helpless, he knew the Miss Witch meant well.
Recalling the breeze on the wasteland before he fell asleep and Miss Witch's soft, comfortable lap pillow, Ansu returned a grateful smile. After such a sleep, his mental state had indeed improved significantly.
"I slept very comfortably just now, thank you, Miss Witch."
Celia paused, her gaze shifting away for a moment.
"Mm, you're welcome..."
Hm? Ansu blinked in confusion.
Why was she reacting so shiftily? Did something happen while he was asleep?
"Celia..." Ansu narrowed his eyes slightly. "Did you just..."
Celia put on a nonchalant expression and calmly asked, "Aren't you concerned about your studies anymore? How is your progress with that sacrificial magic?"
"Oh, right..." Ansu checked his skill progress bar.
【Ancient Enus (Mastered) (Learning Progress: 500/500)】
【Ritual Magic Knowledge (Mastered) (Learning Progress: 500/500)】
【Sacrificial Art (Unmastered) (Learning Progress: 423/500)】
After two days of grinding tirelessly, the three prerequisite skills were only missing the last bit. By the time they reached the next level of the spiral tower, he should be able to finish learning them.
Ansu's confidence instantly surged.
"Give me a bit more time once we find a safer spot later."
He stood up, stretched his stiff body, and looked toward Professor Duncan.
"Professor, where are we now?"
"This should be the top level of the temple." Professor Duncan looked at the relatively simple topographical map in his hand.
"Once we find the correct route through this maze, we should be able to find a passage leading further down... My detector picked up a very massive space below..."
Ansu nodded and then learned about the team's experiences on the road just now.
After coming down through the grave robber's hole under the well, everyone had stumbled directly into a narrow passage filled with flame traps. They had nearly become the same kind of grilled meat Ansu had just eaten, and then they had made their way here through a series of thrilling challenges.
"The mechanisms of this ruin are still so functional after a thousand years... I'm truly curious about the internal structure and the principles of the magic runes."
Professor Duncan wasn't scared by the traps at all; instead, he was excitedly recording things along the wall.
"If I can just figure out these exquisite rune structures from a thousand years ago, it would be enough to make me a magitech master in the industry..."
Seeing Professor Duncan holding a lamp and wearing thick glasses to record things everywhere, Ansu quickly warned, "Professor, watch out for traps."
He remembered that the design of the first floor of these ancient ruins was quite 'malicious'.
"We've been resting safely here for over ten minutes, what traps could there be..." Professor Duncan looked up and gave a dismissive laugh.
"Just rest assu—"
Before he could finish, Ansu felt a clattering mechanical sound coming from both sides.
Professor Duncan retreated in panic as he saw the wall in front of him suddenly move downward, revealing dense metal spikes hidden behind it.
"Holy crap! How was this triggered?" Professor Duncan stared at the cold, gleaming spikes, shivering. "It even has a delay? That's way too underhanded!"
The entire passage began to vibrate slightly, and the wall lined with spikes was closing in on him at an unstoppable speed.
"Get out of this passage, fast!" Ansu grabbed Professor Duncan and ran, while glancing at Celia.
As if sharing a telepathic bond, Celia immediately cast a group wind magic to boost their speed.
Everyone in the passage felt as if they were being pushed by the wind, their steps becoming light and swift.
As the team burst out of the passage, a loud crash echoed behind them. The walls on both sides, filled with spikes, coupled together like guillotine blades.
Professor Duncan was drenched in cold sweat. "Good thing Ansu reacted fast, I was almost turned into a kabob..."
The two students were also shaken by the narrow escape. "The professor is right, that was way too underhanded! We thought it was completely safe here at first..."
Ansu muttered to himself, the even more underhanded stuff is yet to come...
The team resumed their journey, and before long, everyone's attention was drawn to a large chest with metal trim on an empty platform.
"Oh? A treasure chest!" Eddie pointed ahead for Duncan.
"Don't open it!" Ansu and Celia said almost in unison.
The professor and the two students looked at them, and Ansu silently controlled the 【Mage's Hand】 to open the heavy chest.
The next second, a massive maw filled with sharp teeth and slime, emitting a foul stench, lunged out from inside the box, biting directly at the space in front of the chest.
The two students gaped, looking at each other.
If someone had really been tempted by the treasure chest, their head would have certainly been bitten off by that monster...
"Dammit, who on earth set up these traps? Is there something wrong with them!!" Professor Duncan was so angry his beard was fluttering.
"Who knows..." Ansu shrugged.
"In short, don't underestimate the malice here. Since this is a place the demons didn't want outsiders to set foot in, how could they possibly let us pass through comfortably?"
After dealing with the mimic, the team continued forward.
Soon, a fork in the road appeared before them.
"Wait, let me see which way to go..." Professor Duncan pulled out his hand-drawn underground structural map and began studying it by the firelight.
Ansu was focused on something else. He stepped forward and tapped Professor Duncan, telling him to back up quickly.
"There's something around the right corner. Clear it out before we move."
"Huh?" Professor Duncan quickly stared at the right side of the fork.
Ansu channeled his mana, picked up a pebble, and tossed it into the darkness ahead in the passage.
Suddenly, a dull roar rang out.
From the corner where no one could see, a demon living corpse, its body rotting and exposing white bone, rushed out at high speed.
Ansu blasted the living corpse into fragments with a single fireball. Though the resolution was incredibly easy, the expression on Professor Duncan's face had reached the peak of wordlessness.
"Seriously??"
Ansu gave a laugh. "Professor, you need to learn to adapt. There's plenty more coming."
Professor Duncan muttered speechlessly, "Before I die, I'm going to design my tomb like this too. Say what you will... the anti-theft capability is truly reliable."
"Who would even steal stuff from your grave!" Celia burst out laughing. "You're not rich, and you're not a noble. Your only funerary goods would probably be magitech equipment."
"My magitech devices are very valuable, okay!" Professor Duncan said indignantly.
"To experts like us, they are indeed useful." Celia shook her head with a smile. "But to grave robbers, the only value in those things would be the bit of precious metal left after melting them down."
"Who are you looking down on!" Professor Duncan snorted. "Once I get back this time, I'll definitely become a legendary master! A person like me will leave a name in history!"
"Then I wish you success, Professor!" Ansu patted his shoulder and encouraged him, "I believe with the professor's future fame, there will surely be many grave robbers visiting your tomb."
"Of course!" Professor Duncan nodded proudly at first, then felt those words were a bit strange...
"Wait, hold on..."
"Ansu..." Celia interrupted Professor Duncan. She looked at Ansu, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"What is it?" Ansu asked immediately upon seeing her serious expression.
"There's a surge of mana on the surface." Celia's brow furrowed. "Is it the remnants of the demon army?"
"It could also be pursuers from the cult." Ansu thought for a moment. He felt it would take time for the demons to gather, and in the last simulation, the ones who caught up at this time were the people from the Echoes of Truth.
"Are they close?" Ansu asked again.
"They're far away. They're using magic on the wasteland to probe the underground, but..." Celia closed her eyes to feel. "They will find this place sooner or later."
"We need to hurry." Ansu urged repeatedly, because Radish was still tied up in the abandoned village above.
In his speedrun plan, Radish was a very important link. As long as they opened up a distance through speed, they could simply wait for these two factions to fall into his trap...
Rate on N.U.
