Chapter 478: The Upper Realm (V)

The six White Sun Academy students soon moved away from the broken stone gate, following a narrow path that descended toward the center of the Ashen Vale.

Their formation remained organized, with the two combat specialists walking near the front while the student carrying the golden device stayed close to their leader.

The remaining three students watched the surroundings and occasionally checked the marks carved into the old stones scattered along the path.

Gray, Scarlett, and Elira followed at a distance.

They used the broken walls and rocky terrain as cover, moving carefully whenever the path became too open.

Scarlett took the lead whenever they approached an exposed section, while Elira kept track of their position on the map.

After several minutes, the device began to shine more brightly.

The student carrying it stopped beside a fallen pillar and turned it toward a large stretch of seemingly empty ground.

"There’s another reading here."

Their leader approached.

"How strong?"

"Stronger than the last one. The Mana is being drawn beneath the surface, but I can’t determine the exact depth. Something is interfering with the signal."

"Can you identify the source?"

"Not yet. The formation is too old, and there are too many damaged channels. I can tell there’s something beneath us, but the device isn’t designed to examine structures buried this deeply."

The leader frowned.

"Then find another way. We’ve already wasted enough time."

The student looked reluctant, but he knelt beside the pillar and adjusted several small crystals set into the device. The golden light changed direction, spreading into a thin beam that swept across the ground.

When it reached a patch of dead grass, the beam suddenly flickered.

The student froze.

"Wait."

Everyone turned toward him.

He moved the device back over the same spot.

The light flickered again.

"There. The mana is behaving differently here. It’s as though something is preventing the energy from passing through this section of the formation."

Their leader crouched beside him and examined the ground.

"An entrance?"

"Possibly. Or a sealed passage. I can’t confirm it without getting closer."

One of the combat specialists immediately stepped forward, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Then let me check it. If something comes out, I’ll deal with it."

"Don’t be reckless," their leader replied. "We don’t know what’s down there, and I have no intention of losing someone because you wanted to prove how strong you are."

The swordsman clicked his tongue but stepped back.

Instead, the leader ordered two students to clear the dead grass and loose stones.

After several minutes of work, they uncovered a broad stone slab marked with the same faint symbols they had found on the pillars surrounding the ruins.

The golden device began to pulse.

VMMMMM...

Its light spread across the slab, revealing lines of Mana buried beneath the stone’s surface.

The student holding it stared at the results.

"This is definitely connected to the formation. There’s a large structure beneath us, and this slab appears to be one of its access points."

Their leader’s expression brightened.

"Can you open it?"

"I don’t know. The mechanism is damaged, and I can’t identify how the energy is supposed to flow. If I activate the wrong part of the formation, I might trigger something."

"Then don’t activate anything yet. Examine the symbols and look for a way to open it safely."

The student nodded and began studying the markings.

Behind a broken wall some distance away, Gray watched everything with interest.

’An entrance beneath the ruins. So they weren’t merely following a rumor.’

He studied the stone slab through his [Spirit Eyes], trying to trace the Mana currents running beneath it.

The formation was complicated, but its structure was becoming clearer now that he knew where to look.

Several lines converged beneath the slab before extending deeper into the ground.

Their pattern suggested that the entrance was connected to a much larger structure, one that spread beneath the ruined settlement and perhaps beyond it.

Gray’s attention sharpened.

’This is bigger than I thought.’

Scarlett leaned closer and whispered, "Do you think the device will help us identify the formation?"

"Possibly. It’s already revealing things that would take us considerably longer to find ourselves. We should let them continue."

"And if they open the entrance?"

"Then we’ll see what happens."

Elira gave him a sidelong glance.

"You make it sound as though you’re watching a performance."

Gray smiled.

"At the moment, we are. They’re the ones standing directly over an unknown formation, and we’re safely positioned behind a wall. I’d say we’re enjoying a rather comfortable view."

Scarlett shook her head, but she did not disagree.

The golden device was proving more useful than she had expected.

It could not explain the structure, nor could it reveal everything hidden beneath the ground, but it gave the students enough information to avoid activating the formation blindly.

Gray had been right to follow them.

If they had approached the slab on their own, they might have wasted hours trying to identify its purpose.

Worse, they might have triggered the mechanism without understanding its consequences.

Now they had a chance to learn from someone else’s investigation.

And if the formation turned out to protect something valuable, they would already know where to look.

After nearly twenty minutes, the student holding the device finally stood up.

"I’ve found something. The formation isn’t completely inactive. Most of the channels are damaged, but a smaller circuit is still receiving Mana from somewhere beneath the ruins."

Their leader looked at him sharply.

"How much Mana?"

"Not enough to activate the entire structure, but enough to maintain a seal. I think the slab is covering an entrance, and the formation is keeping it locked."

The leader’s eyes brightened.

"Can you break the seal?"

"Not safely. If we force it open, the remaining channels might collapse. We need to redirect the Mana first, but I can’t guarantee the mechanism will respond correctly."

The swordsman stepped forward again.

"Then let me try. We’re wasting time standing around."

The leader considered the proposal before shaking his head.

"No. We’ll mark the location and return with someone who specializes in ancient formations. We aren’t going to destroy a potential discovery because we’re impatient."

Several students looked disappointed, but none openly objected.

Gray’s expression remained calm.

’They’re being more careful than I expected.’

That was useful information in itself.

The group was not made up entirely of reckless fighters who would rush into danger for the sake of a few hunting marks. Their leader understood the value of preserving a discovery until they knew what it contained.

It also meant the group might return with more support.

Gray considered their options.

They could continue following the White Sun Academy students, wait for them to return with a formation specialist, or investigate the surrounding ruins for another entrance.

Scarlett seemed to be thinking along similar lines.

"We shouldn’t let them leave without knowing whether they’ll return," she whispered. "If they bring more students, we’ll need to reconsider our approach."

Elira nodded.

"I can try to find out who they’re contacting. If their academy has already investigated this region, someone might have records about the ruins."

Gray glanced at the stone slab one last time.

"Good. Keep an eye on them, but don’t approach the entrance yet. I want to know what they do next."

The princesses agreed.

For a few moments, Gray remained beside the broken wall, watching the direction in which the White Sun Academy students had disappeared.

Then something occurred to him.

’Wait a moment...’

His expression changed slightly.

’Why am I being so cautious?’

He lowered his gaze toward his hand.

There was a rather convenient ability he had almost forgotten to account for.

Nullification.

Gray had spent a considerable amount of time improving his other abilities, refining his techniques, but Nullification was one of the few abilities whose usefulness had never truly depended on his cultivation rank.

As long as he possessed enough Soul Points, he could nullify things that ordinary cultivators would consider impossible to overcome.

Even certain laws and effects that existed beyond the ordinary manipulation of Mana.

The actual cost depended on what he wanted to nullify and how powerful the target was, but the principle was simple.

If he had enough Soul Points, there was very little reason to fear an obstacle simply because he didn’t understand how it worked.

Gray slowly smiled.

’...Is acting like a different person changing me that much?’

He glanced toward the abandoned ruins.

’Why waste time searching for a key when I can erase the lock?’

His smile gradually disappeared.

’No. I don’t need to follow them anymore.’

He looked toward the distant ruins.

’Those students need to die.’

[...You changed your mind rather quickly.]

Jasmine’s voice sounded inside his mind.

Gray kept his expression calm.

’Did I?’

[You were the one who suggested following them because their detection artifact might help us identify dangers. Now you’re thinking about killing the entire group.]

’Exactly. We obtained the information we needed. There’s no reason to keep unnecessary witnesses around.’

[And what about the two princesses? Do you intend to tell them?]

Gray glanced at Scarlett and Elira.

They were still discussing the next stage of their investigation, apparently unaware of the change in his intentions.

’I’ll handle it...’

[You do realize killing six students from a foreign academy could attract considerable attention?]

’Of course. That’s why I won’t leave any evidence pointing toward us.’

He paused.

’Besides, if something inside those ruins is getting, I’d rather not share it with anyone.’