In the Akasha Continent, the ancient magic civilization was a civilization that had met its destruction 11,000 years ago.
With the passage of such long years, even the ancient city inside the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon had become dilapidated, its original form unrecognizable. Given that, the ancient ruins scattered across the desert were surely already in terrible condition.
Yet when Riezel thought so, he was surprised to find that the ancient ruin before him, though covered in dust, did not appear ruined at all.
Before Riezel, the grand temple's surface was dim and lusterless, but it bore no cracks or missing parts. Its presence was not overwhelming, yet an invisible pressure seemed to seep outward—faint traces of magical energy pulsed from within the temple, captured by his Transparent World.
It was clear that even after 11,000 years, this ancient ruin still had intact protective measures functioning within it, with no sign of damage from time.
"T-This is…"
Lizbeth stood at Riezel's side, gazing at the magnificent temple-like ancient ruin with a complex expression on her face.
Just then, a strange phenomenon occurred.
*Buzz—!*
Moslow, held tightly in Lizbeth's arms, suddenly trembled and shot toward the ancient ruin.
"Kyaaa!!!"
Caught off guard, Lizbeth was yanked forward, her body dragged toward the ancient ruin, forcing a startled cry from her lips.
Seeing this, Riezel quickly reached out and seized Lizbeth, pulling her firmly to his side.
*Buzz!* *Buzz!* *Buzz!*
Moslow shook violently as though displeased, resembling a child throwing a tantrum when prevented from returning home.
"Th-Thank you, Master." Lizbeth clutched Moslow tightly and quickly voiced her gratitude to Riezel.
"No need." Riezel shook his head, gazing at the still-trembling Moslow in Lizbeth's arms. "It seems we really did come to the right place."
Moslow's reaction had already made it clear to Riezel and Lizbeth that the ancient ruin before them was connected to it extraordinarily.
Riezel still remembered that the last time Moslow had shown a similar response was within the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon's ancient city. Back then, it had seemed to sense the presence of the Hero Clan's treasure at the temple in the city's center, which triggered its reaction.
However, this time Moslow's response was even stronger, proving that something far greater than the Hero Clan's treasure was drawing it inside the ancient ruin.
"God's Eye."
Riezel invoked his detection magic, creating an invisible magic eye linked to his vision and guiding it toward the ancient ruin.
In his sight, the great door of the ancient ruin loomed massive and heavy, like the gates of a city—clearly not something ordinary people could ever hope to push open.
He directed the magic eye closer, attempting to slip it through the door, but the moment it touched the gate, it was blocked—unable to penetrate inside.
"As expected..."
Riezel was not surprised.
Since the ancient ruin's protective mechanisms were still active, it was only natural that probing magic would be obstructed. He even walked up to one of the ruin's walls, drew Hermit from his waist, and slashed with full strength—sparks flew, yet not even a crack was left behind.
Apparently, the materials of the ancient ruin were not ordinary stone but rather special matter forged through magic—blessed, reinforced, and hardened.
In the present day, such materials alone would already count as treasures of immense value—not only practical but also worthy of study. If the entire ancient ruin could somehow be transported and sold, the price would be enough to buy the land of a small country.
In other words, the ancient ruin itself was a priceless treasure.
'If even the ancient ruin itself is this valuable, how priceless must the things inside be?'
At this thought, even Riezel felt a faint impulse to rush inside and overturn the entire ancient ruin.
"Master."
Still holding Moslow tightly, Lizbeth called out softly to Riezel.
"Look, there seem to be footprints here."
Upon hearing this, Riezel paused in surprise.
"Footprints?"
Riezel moved beside Lizbeth and looked at the ground she pointed to.
Indeed, there were footprints—many of them.
They were fresh, leading all the way to the ancient ruin's great door before vanishing.
Seeing this, Riezel immediately understood.
"Someone entered the ancient ruin before us?" Riezel's eyes narrowed.
"Did someone really go in, Master?" Lizbeth asked timidly, echoing his thought.
"Most likely." Riezel nodded. "It's no surprise. I mean, that Illusionist captain's little sister said before that plenty of lawless fugitives have their eyes on this ancient ruin, and they sometimes even carry forbidden items back to Sinielle, which means this ruin has been entered many times in the past."
Yes, the traps Sigmund's people had placed here could hinder ordinary people, but not everyone.
Sinielle was, in the end, merely a city, not a country, so the lawless fugitives drawn here were mostly swordsmen, while its lure for magicians was far weaker.
It should be noted that in the Akasha Continent, magicians were rare talents. Even if they could not thrive in Jinas or Reiburg, there were still plenty of small countries eager to welcome them.
For that reason, Sinielle had far fewer magicians than swordsmen.
Back in the Warehouse District, among all those fighting, only Jayden had been a magician, while the rest were swordsmen.
Considering that Sinielle did not even have a single Tactical-Class Magician, how strong could their defense magic really be?
As a result, although not many managed to reach the ancient ruin, it was inevitable that some did, which led to forbidden items being smuggled back into Sinielle.
Even so...
'Why does this feel familiar...?' Riezel thought while frowning.
Carefully observing the path of the footprints, he felt a strange yet faint sense of familiarity.
'It feels unsettling...' Lizbeth, seeming to share the same feeling, thought with worry as she hugged Moslow even tighter.
"Let's go." Riezel decided swiftly. "We're already here. No point in hesitating. Once we go inside, we'll see what awaits."
With that, he moved toward the great door, and Lizbeth quickly followed, not daring to fall behind.
Together, they placed their hands upon the heavy door.
*Rumble—!*
Before long, the door slowly opened under their push, revealing what lay beyond.
Unexpectedly, although the ancient ruin's exterior resembled a temple, its interior was surprisingly like a labyrinth. Beyond the door, there was no grand hall or imposing statue—only a long passage stretching forward before splitting into multiple paths.
Looking at the scene, Riezel felt as though he had returned to the world of Danmachi and stepped into the Dungeon.
In fact, it even felt strangely familiar.
*Rumble!*
As Riezel and Lizbeth entered, the great doors closed behind them, cutting off all light.
"Continual Light."
Riezel summoned a floating orb of light, illuminating their surroundings.
*Buzz!*
Moslow trembled once more in Lizbeth's arms before finally growing calm.
"Eh? I-It stopped?" Lizbeth asked in surprise.
Riezel gave Moslow a meaningful glance.
It seemed that this time, Moslow had not been drawn by something within the ancient ruin, but by the ancient ruin itself.
From Moslow's behavior, it seemed it had merely wanted to bring Lizbeth into this place, though what would happen to her here, only it knew.
Besides...
"Well, there are footprints here, too?"
Riezel noticed rows of footprints stretching deeper inside, splitting apart at the branching paths, a clear signal that those who had entered before them had already divided their forces.
Yet, being able to split up meant they had come in large numbers, enough that dispersing their combat power posed no issue.
Unfortunately, for Riezel and Lizbeth, such an option was impossible.
"Which path should we take?"
Lizbeth looked at Riezel with a troubled expression, as though silently urging him—Hurry and use your all-purpose magic, Master!
Riezel indeed had a solution.
"Extend Magic - Bless of Titania."
"Extend Magic - Lead of Yatagarasu."
As Riezel cast the two magic spells, two summoned beings appeared in the air.
One was a fairy the size of a fingertip, wearing a crown with butterfly-like wings, glowing as it fluttered gently—immediately drawing Lizbeth's attention.
"S-So cute..."
Lizbeth's cheeks flushed red, and she instinctively reached out, wanting to touch the fairy but too shy to actually do it.
Meanwhile, the other was a three-legged crow that radiated an inexplicable sense of majesty, yet Lizbeth completely ignored it.
"If you like it, I can give you one later." Riezel said when he saw Lizbeth's enamored expression. "But for now, let's have them guide us."
In fact, both the fairy and the crow were not ordinary summons but manifestations of magic effects.
Bless of Titania and Lead of Yatagarasu were both 9th-Tier Magic, where the fairy guided along the path of least danger, while the crow would lead its master to the shortest path toward the labyrinth's heart.
Depending on the group's condition, the traps present, and the types of monsters inside, which guide to follow had to be decided at the time.
However, because these two magic spells did not reveal hidden paths, and because traps disrupting guiding magic could make them fail, caution was always required even when using them.
"Go."
At Riezel's command, the fairy and the crow flew forward, while he and Lizbeth immediately followed, disappearing into the depths of the labyrinth.
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