Chapter 282: The Three-Way Chain No One Knows About!

Meanwhile, Luke’s expression was no better.

His gaze remained fixed on Selene, and the worry in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Selene was looking at him the same way.

She stepped closer until there was barely any distance between them, then gently raised her hand and caressed his face.

"Make sure you keep yourself safe." Her voice was soft, carrying a concern.

She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against him.

Then, after pulling back just enough to look into his eyes, she whispered,

"I will find you, okay?"

It wasn’t merely a promise. She was asking him to promise her the same.

Luke continued staring at her with those worried eyes for a moment before answering.

"You keep yourself safe, and I will find you."

As soon as those words left his mouth, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Selene was caught slightly off guard by his sudden action.

But after a brief moment, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him as well, silently remaining in his embrace.

A short distance away, Alia watched the entire scene.

Unlike the others, however, there wasn’t even a trace of worry on her face.

Instead—

A bright smile slowly bloomed across her lips.

’Now Luke will be all mine.’ She thought about it excitedly.

For everyone else, being separated was a problem.

For her?

It wasn’t.

The Half-Owl race possessed an innate ability that allowed them to place a mark on another person and locate that individual regardless of the distance between them.

There were, of course, limitations.

The mark could be removed if someone powerful enough interfered with it or cleansed it.

But it wasn’t a death mark, a hostile mark, or even a conventional tracking mark.

Because of that, the person carrying the mark couldn’t even detect its existence.

And Alia had already placed hers on Luke.

She had done so earlier—

When she touched his waist.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Isaria quietly watched Luke and Selene embracing.

For some reason, the sight didn’t make her feel disappointed.

Instead, a strange thought surfaced in her mind.

’Even fate is helping me.’ Her eyes lingered on Luke.

’Luke and I... alone inside the ruins.’

That thought alone made her heart beat a little faster.

Earlier, she had nearly forced herself to abandon such thoughts.

She already knew how deeply Luke loved her.

But that only made things more difficult.

He already had a wife.

How could she bring herself to confess her feelings and come between them?

Yet the misunderstanding from their first encounter had never truly disappeared either.

Luke’s earlier outburst of anticipation...

Isaria had already decided that it had been directed toward her.

Because of that, she had never truly believed his explanation at the canteen.

The claim that it had all been a misunderstanding.

Her Origin Skill was perfectly suited for pathfinding, making her extremely valuable for this expedition.

But there were secrets about that ability that she had never revealed.

Not to anyone.

Not even to Estelle, her best friend.

She could mark someone. And the person she marked wouldn’t even realize it.

But her mark was fundamentally different from an ordinary tracking ability.

It acted almost like a Life Bond Mark.

Once placed, Valtharion itself would allow her to find that person, no matter where he went.

Distance didn’t matter.

As long as the mark remained, she could find him.

If Alia ever learned about this ability, she would be shocked beyond words.

Because it was remarkably similar to an ancient rumor surrounding the Half-Owl clan.

A legend claimed that when a Half-Owl became a complete Owl, they would have the chance to awaken such an ability.

An ability that could not be forcefully canceled.

Because it wasn’t merely their own power supporting it.

Valtharion itself was assisting them.

’Soon.’ With that thought lingering in her mind, Isaria turned and walked toward Estelle, who was calling for her.

She had no idea that someone else had already chosen her as his target.

’Soon, you will be mine.’ A smile of anticipation appeared on Ivar’s face.

He had secretly placed his own mark on Isaria as well.

That way, even if they were separated inside the maze, he would still be able to find her.

And so—

One person had secretly marked another.

That person had secretly marked someone else.

Neither of them knew that they, too, had already been marked.

A strange chain had formed without any of them realizing it.

"Let’s move." Estelle finally gave the order.

Then, she turned toward the Sunborn warriors and gave a slight nod.

Immediately, fifty Early Platinum Knights stepped forward.

Their platinum-colored armor gleamed beneath the dim light of the ruins. On each warrior’s back was the unmistakable emblem of the Sunborn Kingdom, while at the center of their chest armor was a small circular crest, each one glowing with a different elemental color.

Red for fire.

Blue for water.

Green for earth.

White for wind.

Purple for lightning.

And many others.

The fifty warriors reached the colossal gate and placed both hands against its surface.

For a brief moment, everything fell silent.

Then—

"HAAAAAAH!" A thunderous roar erupted from the warriors.

All fifty pushed with every ounce of their strength.

Their muscles bulged beneath their armor. Veins stood out along their arms and necks as their feet dug into the stone floor.

CRACK!

The ground beneath several warriors’ feet fractured under the immense force.

Yet the gate remained completely unmoved.

Not even an inch.

"Push harder!"

"RAAAAAH!"

The warriors gritted their teeth and continued pushing.

Still, nothing happened.

Estelle’s eyes narrowed.

"Forty more."

At her command, another forty Platinum Knights rushed forward.

They joined the others, placing their hands against the enormous gate.

"Ngh!"

"AAAAAH!"

"Push!"

"KEEP PUSHING!"

A chorus of roars echoed throughout the ruins.

Ninty Platinum Knights now strained against the gate.

The stone beneath their feet continued cracking.

Yet the gate...

Still refused to move.

Then—

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

A deep, grinding sound suddenly echoed through the ruins.

The gate had moved.

"It’s opening!"

"Keep pushing!"

"Don’t stop!"

The warriors roared with renewed strength.

Their faces turned red from exertion as they pushed harder than before.

GRRRRRRRRRR—

The colossal gate slowly began sliding inward.

An groan reverberated through the ruins as dust cascaded from its surface.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!

The gate slammed against the wall at the end of the entrance.

Silence descended. Dust slowly drifted through the air.

Everyone stared ahead.

Luke’s eyes widened slightly. "...A hallway?"

Instead of the ancient ruins they had expected, a vast hallway stretched before them.

It was enormous. And at the very end a blue light shimmered.

’A portal.’