A Special Mystery Relic

Pant, pant, pant.

Rapid, ragged breathing echoed through the dark passage.

Thick fog filled the air. The single, monotonous beam of the lantern diffused in the mist, leaving only a hazy halo around them.

Beyond three meters lay pitch-black darkness. The lantern swayed in vain, unable to cast even a sliver of color into the gloom.

Rustling sounds followed them like shadows in the darkness, interspersed with countless eerie, whispered murmurs. Flitting silhouettes loomed and vanished in the dense mist, sometimes close, sometimes far.

Having followed the courtyard of the Arke Dynasty catacombs and passed through the symmetrical tomb doors, the three ladies had entered the outer layers of the catacombs.

The place was like a palace buried deep underground, with long corridors connecting various tomb chambers. The three ladies had to navigate the cobweb-like chambers as quickly as possible to find the way to the front tomb, pass through it to enter the main part of the catacombs, and meet up with the men's group. Perhaps then they could still save Dr. Jenna's life.

Pant, pant, pant.

The corridors were as complex as a labyrinth, and the bone-deep rustling sounds trailed persistently behind them. The thick fog carried an invisible, eerie pressure. With Lynch carrying the doctor on his back and Judy protecting them from the side, the three of them supported one another as they stumbled through the passages. In the flickering light and shadows, the only sound filling the corridor was their heavy, labored breathing.

“What on earth is chasing us?”

Lynch glanced back. It was pitch-black, making it impossible to see anything, but the unknown was far more terrifying than the known.

“I'm not sure.” The doctor's head hung weakly by Lynch's ear, her frail, panting voice blowing against his skin. “The mistake earlier triggered the tomb's defense mechanisms. Even though it was eventually interrupted, what has already been activated cannot be stopped.”

“They are likely Servants of Glaaki. Third Age humans who worshiped Glaaki always liked to create Servants of Glaaki to protect their tombs.” Judy, who was walking ahead and holding up the lantern to light the way for Lynch, explained without turning her head. “We just don't know the specific type of Servants of Glaaki buried in this tomb, nor their numbers. If there are too many of them, they'll be hard to deal with. It's best if they don't catch up to us.”

“Doctor.” Lynch patted Jenna's arm, bringing the semi-conscious doctor back to reality. “Which way at the next intersection?”

“I can't... My vision is blurred, I can't see anything clearly, and the visibility here is too low.” The doctor struggled to lift her head and look around. However, in the thick fog, the corridors looked completely identical. “Unless we can increase the brightness, we'll have to stop to examine the path carefully. I'm so sorry.”

“Cut the nonsense. This isn't your fault.”

Lynch sighed. Just as he was considering their options, a brilliant light suddenly flared in the corner of his eye, stinging his eyes which had already adjusted to the darkness.

【Authority, Flame, Ability, Summon Servant: Flame Spirit】

Forcing himself to look through his watering, stinging eyes, he saw several fireballs suddenly materialize around Judy.

The fireballs bobbed up and down in midair. Upon closer inspection, they actually had eyes and mouths, wearing comical expressions. Like a bunch of children, the fireballs circled Judy once, letting out eerie, ear-piercing shrieks. Then, six of the fireballs flew toward the rear, leaving only one floating in the corridor. The scorching flames caused the temperature in the passage to spike, the intense heat making it hard for Lynch and the weakened doctor to even breathe.

“I'll hold off the things behind us. Jenna, find the way.”

“Left.”

The doctor wiped away the black energy seeping from the corners of her eyes and struggled to keep them open. Without wasting a single second, Lynch dashed toward the corridor on the left.

But after only two steps, a wave of heat washed over him. The fireball transformed from the Flame Spirit excitedly rushed past him, bobbing and weaving in the dark passage. The rolling heat waves felt hot enough to singe Lynch's hair.

Is your Lady of Fire's servant a little too excited? Besides, we can't handle this high of a temperature.

Lynch's face was flushed red from the heat, and for the first time in his life, he felt a sudden surge of sympathy for crabs in a steamer. Unfortunately, in response to his glare, Judy only wore a dazed expression, as if her clarity and sanity had retreated back into the crevices of her mind.

Seriously, just because you're a believer of an evil god, you can throw all shame out the window? Slipping away just like that.

Lynch secretly gave a friendly middle finger to Judy, who might or might not be playing dumb, but he still endured the scorching heat and closely followed the fireball.

“Everything is getting darker... I might not be able to help anymore.”

The weak voice echoed in his ear again, causing Lynch's heart to sink. This meant Dr. Jenna's life force was fading fast. It wasn't just a matter of a life slipping away; if the doctor lost consciousness, they would lose their direction in the ancient tomb, which would be a fatal outcome.

“Thank you for refusing to give up on a burden like me. If I really manage to survive this, I will definitely show my gratitude when I wake up. But... heh, I don't think there's much hope. Ah, it's a pity I won't get to see Louise one last time. I have some regrets...”

Lynch felt a dampness on his cheek, a sensation coming from Dr. Jenna's face. He could only sigh quietly and quicken his pace as much as possible.

“Don't worry about getting lost. I will guide you.”

Yet the moment those words fell, Lynch felt his body grow heavy. Dr. Jenna's head slumped onto his shoulder, and her body went completely limp, losing all its strength. He could still hear her rapid breathing, but she no longer responded to his calls.

This was trouble.

Lynch cast a helpless look at Judy, but she only shook her head, indicating that she couldn't identify the path either. Their steps grew disorganized as they stared at the maze of intersecting passages, falling into a state of utter bewilderment.

Doctor, fainting just like that makes things very difficult for us. How about we negotiate? Wake up first, fulfill your promise, and then faint?

The doctor seemed to agree. Thus, just as Lynch was at a loss, a beam of colorful light shot out from her body, striking Lynch square in the face and giving him a fright.

Fuck, what is this?

But by the third time, he immediately realized that Ocean Currents in a Dream was acting up again.

Furthermore, he quickly noticed that the mystery relic hadn't shot just one beam of light, but five. Two smacked right onto his and Judy's faces, while the other three shot off in the same direction.

So that was what Dr. Jenna meant. This ghostly thing, which usually only gave people a fright, actually had a practical use under specific conditions.

Lynch's breathing quickened. Exchanging an excited look with Judy, they immediately bolted in the direction the colorful lights had gone.

The colorful lights didn't just fire once. The beams of light shot out repeatedly at a frequency of once per minute. One could only imagine how annoying this thing would be when it went out of control under normal circumstances, but right now, it was more precious to the two of them than a manifestation grade mystery relic. Guided by the beams of light, they moved faster and faster.

This thing didn't travel in a straight line through walls; instead, it took paths that had at least some gap to pass through. Following the direction guided by the light, their journey was remarkably smooth.

Go straight, go straight, turn left, kick open a closed stone door, and simultaneously have the floating Flame Spirit charge inside. After quickly securing the space behind the door and scanning the room to ensure there were no threats, they immediately slipped through the opposite stone door.

The Flame Spirit was like a mischievous child, dashing ahead in pursuit of the colorful lights, only turning back when called after running in the wrong direction. With it scouting ahead with its face, safety was not an issue at all. If not for the fact that this thing's friendly fire was even worse than its damage to enemies, nearly roasting its allies to death, it would have been far more useful.

But although their biggest problem had been resolved and safety was no longer a concern, a shadow loomed over Lynch's heart.

Ocean Currents in a Dream was such a highly specific mystery relic, practically tailor-made for this kind of split-up operation. Why would Dr. Jenna bring it along specifically for this?

Its extreme usefulness—did it mean Dr. Jenna had known about the situation inside beforehand? Or was she simply exceptionally well-prepared?

However, feeling the heavy weight on his back, Lynch found it hard to dwell on it further. Things had already reached this point, and there was no use overthinking.

The Flame Spirit was rushing forward, passing a stone door at a corner, but the next beam of light that shot out turned toward that very stone door.

Squeaking in anger, the Flame Spirit turned back with its comical face. Meanwhile, Lynch and Judy had already reached the stone door ahead of it. Out of the habit formed from their smooth run, they kicked the stone door down.

The standard procedure was to dodge to the sides while kicking down the door to let the Flame Spirit rush in first. This time, however, the Flame Spirit was inadvertently a step too slow, catching Lynch slightly off guard and delaying his dodge to the side. At that exact moment, a fist covered in a searing, brilliant light suddenly swung out from the doorway, slamming heavily onto the ground at the entrance.

A brilliant light erupted, instantly swallowing everything outside the stone door.