Eight days.
Spark and his women had been in the Palace Ruins of Gluttony for eight days. They had explored the majority of its complex corridors of both interior and exterior parts.
Only the innermost areas remained untouched. They were the most dangerous zones at the ruins' core.
Their progress was methodical. Guided not entirely by maps. But mostly by the doll artifacts in Melody's and Serenade's hands.
The button eyes of Melody's [Witch Doll of Fortune] would glow faintly in golden hues. Its tiny arms pointing towards paths of greatest opportunity. Ensuring real promises of treasure.
Serenade's [Witch Doll of Misfortune], on the other hand, would point toward the routes with the greatest potential of danger. Its button eyes would glow in stronger red hues at the scent of imminent threat.
It was an uncanny combination of foresight. Allowing Spark and his team to navigate the treacherous expanse with minimal wasted effort.
They had gained much. The legendary [Garden Globe Set] they ere collecting was almost complete. It now sat in Spark's Spatial Belt. Glowing faintly. A fusion of four powerful fragments awaiting its final piece.
[Object: Garden Globe Set]
[Type: Artifact Fragments (4/5)]
[Quality: Legendary (incomplete)]
[Characteristics: Super Tough]
[Characteristics: Expanded Space]
[Characteristics: Life Support]
[Characteristics: Environmental Adjustment]
[Characteristics: Temporal Adjustment (sealed)]
Its potential was immense. A portable, self-sustaining world in the making. Spark felt the attraction of power each time he considered it. When complete, it would be an invaluable asset for long voyages. A secure haven against any and all external threats.
The ruins were saturated with toxins. Spark and his women had come prepared. With anti-poison masks and plenty of antidotes. However, they were extremely lucky.
They had unearthed seven more [Orbs of Poison Immunity] within the first few days. Four had been consumed immediately. Now, every member of Spark's team possessed the Poison Immunity Talent.
The threatening poisonous miasma used to be a slow drain on their antidotes and purification tools. It now held no sway over them. It was a significant shift. Freeing up their resources. And allowing more aggressive exploration.
Other discoveries added to their growing wealth. They acquired another [Orb of Enhanced Reflex]. Scarlett had consumed it. Making her defensive reflex much higher. Ensuring better safety for the support team she was tasked to protect.
Ivy, on the other hand, consumed an [Orb of Enhanced Vitality]. Her frail constitution had become stronger now.
They found caches of enchanted weapons. Swords, axes, and daggers. Mostly dripping with potent, highly specialized poisons. None of the team had a use for them. Their current armaments were superior and more suitable for them. So these were just simply cataloged and stored.
Amber coins were accumulated in Spark's Spatial Belt. Those seemed to be the past currency of the ancient inhabitants of the ruins. Back when they were still flourishing.
They also gained a lot of gemstones. Mostly rough-cut and gleaming.
Outside the treasure chest, they collected rare herbs and useful materials. Almost all were with toxic properties.
Despite the abundance of loot, the ruins were far from empty. There were plenty of monsters and wild beasts.
They hadn't encountered any other human beings after Jack's stealthy encounter with the team from Zero Library. However, from the fourth to the sixth day, the distant core was loud.
The areas had resonated with the sounds of battle. Sounds of explosions. Faint clash of steel. And the occasional, distant scream.
Spark deducted that they must be related to the Zero Laboratory. Very likely, the members of that organization were clashing with the the people from Vault Guardians.
One faction sought to claim the 'Gluttony System'. The other tried to take it away. Spark had no interest in their ideological conflict. Only in what they might leave behind.
He and his women had been careful. Following the direction shown by the dolls. Avoiding direct contact. Their objective was acquisition. Not confrontation. Why fight for scraps they don't know how to eat? When the other treasures of the entire feast was there for the taking?
But then, two days ago... The sounds from the core zones had stopped. Completely. The sudden silence was more unsettling. No explosions. No shouts. No screams. Just unnatural silence.
Spark had considered their options. The silence could mean anything. One side had been annihilated. Or both had retreated. Or both were destroyed by the boss monster in the core area. Or they were simply biding their time.
Regardless, they needed to investigate to know what had happened. It was time to check. But not as a group. Too big and impractical for scouting mission.
"We're done here for the night." Spark's low voice in the basecamp they had built. The air inside was scrubbed clean by various arrays. Warm and breathable. "The core is quiet. I'm going in to check."
No one argued. They didn't question his judgment. They simply rose, ready for his command.
He took out the heavy, leather-bound book. His [Slave Grimoire]. It pulsed faintly with mystical power.
"I'll take you all there. But inside this." He didn't elaborate. They knew the drill.
One by one, they stepped forward. Their forms were shimmering before dissolving into motes of light that flowed into the Grimoire's pages.
The Grimoire pulsed once more. Then settled into its inert state. Spark tucked it back within his Spatial Belt. They were safe. Contained. And ready to be summoned at his whim.
He took a deep breath. The clean air of the hideout filling his lungs. Then, he let it go. Focusing. The air around him shimmered.
In moments, the towering, muscled man was gone. Replaced by his monstrous form. The Draconic Werelion. His height increased. His frame became even more immense. A blend of reptilian power and leonine savagery.
He paused, testing the transformation. The raw power surged through him. Every sense was amplified. The faintest scent of lingering poison. The distant scuttling of a burrowing creature. The subtle shift in the air currents... All were acutely perceived.
This form was not for overwhelming force in direct combat. But it also possessed another characteristics. For stealthy scouting.
He activated [Supernatural Stealth].
The shadows in the small hideout seemed to deepen around him. Clinging to his massive form. The glow in his eyes dimmed. And his overwhelming draconic aura was pulled inward. Becoming imperceptible to outside senses.
It wasn't invisibility. But a profound suppression of presence. Sound. Scent. Energy signature. Even the subtle vibrations of his footsteps. All were masked, muted, absorbed. He was still a behemoth. But one that moved like a ghost.
Spark, in his monstrous yet silent form, slipped out from their base camp.
The night air of the ruins was different from the day. Colder, heavier. The poisonous mist clung closer to the ground. A thick, swirling fog that gleamed sickly in the faint moonlight.
The usual, distant chirps of nocturnal creatures were absent here. Replaced by an oppressive silence. Broken only by the occasional, unsettling drip of venomous water from the crumbling architecture.
Spark moved. Not running. But a swift stride that covered immense distances silently. His powerful legs navigated the broken terrain easily. Soundlessly.
He navigated collapsed corridors. Scaled rubble piles. And slipped through narrow openings that seemed impossible for his size.
His enhanced senses scanned constantly. Heat signatures. Even those from residual magical energy. They were casually picked up by his draconic vision.
The faint, metallic scent of dried blood. The acrid smell of burnt magic. The faint, lingering electrostatic charge of runic objects. All were processed, analyzed.
He was not just looking for treasures. he was also looking for answers. What actually happened in the core areas? Was it really Zero Laboratory versus Vault Guardians? If it was, who won then? What exactly was this Gluttony System? And, how could he leverage the aftermath of their conflict to his maximum benefit?
The deeper he went, the more pronounced the signs of battle became. Scorch marks turned into craters. Collapsed sections were now complete, impassable chasms.
There were also strange, crystalline growths pulsed with unstable energy. Likely the byproducts of extreme magical output.
He kept moving stealthily. Like a shadow. Like a massive, invisible beast in a realm of devastation.
Finally, he reached what appeared to be the heart of the core. It was a vast, circular chamber. Its domed ceiling was partially collapsed. Allowing slivers of the moonlight sky to filter in.
The air here was even thicker. Charged with more potent, lingering aura of power. Poisonous one. And the devastation was absolute.
The floor was full of shattered stones, twisted metal, and mangled corpses. The bodies were from both factions. Observable from their outfits.
The sleek, futuristic-style combat suits of Zero Laboratory operatives. Black and Red. Mingled with the more traditional mix of steel and synthetic leather armors of the Vault Guardians. Grey and Dark blue.
None were complete. None were recognizable. Their forms had been warped and consumed by whatever things that did it. Perhaps the thing they were searching for. The Gluttony System.
The one who did all of these, Spark surmised, was not something to be trifled with. Was not something he could handle.
Suddenly, Spark's attention shifted...
In the very center of the chamber, something pulsed. It was an object. Large and irregular. Iridescent and crystalline. But containing a dangerously, hungry energy.
It was beautiful. It was deceptively attractive. Like an abstract artwork full with colors and patterns. Was it the Gluttony System?