Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 1047: A Side Quest in the Underground

After several intense battles, Reign and his team took a moment to rest and assess their progress. The underground desert was proving to be a harsh and unforgiving environment, but it was also a valuable training ground.

The heat was currently the one thing that made it difficult to battle. Even though they had Mia who could keep them nice and cool with her frost ability, she couldn't do that while they were fighting, and because of the heat, they were expending more energy than usual.

"This place is brutal," Beast said, wiping sweat from his brow. "But it's definitely helping us improve."

"Agreed," Mia added, her frost swirling around her as she caught her breath. "The monsters here are tough, but we're getting stronger with each fight."

Wolf was standing near them, the heat barely able to do anything to him as his fire manipulation allowed his body to withstand immense heat, which meant that it was much more difficult for him to feel fatigued from the temperature.

Reign nodded, his mind focused on their next steps. "Let's keep pushing forward, we need to gather as much experience and resources as we can."

"But remember, stay alert, we don't know what else is lurking in these sands."

The others all nodded at Reign before they continued marching forward. The next place they came across was the same sandy area as before, but … there was something different about it.

The difference came from the many buildings that were present in the area, all of them submerged in the sand.

"Ruins?" Tank asked as Reign nodded at his words.

"I doubt there is anything interesting we can learn from these ruins, after all, we have come across plenty in the past, some are real ruins that had been lost deep inside the planet, but others are merely decorations that the system had put in place."

"I have no idea what these are exactly, but it won't hurt to check them out, do be careful of monsters, they could be hiding around the area." Reign said as he stared at the sand and did his best to sense mana signatures, as well as soul signatures, but was unable to find anything nearby.

The party went forward and marveled at the ruins as the architecture was unlike anything they had seen before, with intricate carvings and strange symbols adorning the stone walls.

The carvings would show scenes, but they were mostly random scenes of monsters charging, of people fighting against one another, people fighting monsters, each scene different people and different monsters, and none of them connected, at least not from what Reign and the others could see.

As Reign and his team carefully explored the ruins, they couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The intricate carvings and strange symbols were fascinating, but they seemed to serve no discernible purpose beyond decoration. It was as if the ruins were designed to confuse and mislead rather than inform.

"These carvings are peculiar," Mia said, running her fingers over the stone. "It's almost like they're trying to tell a story, but it's more like multiple short stories of some kind."

"Could be a trap," Shadow muttered, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of movement. "We should stay alert, there might be something hidden here."

Reign nodded in agreement. "Let's spread out and search the area, stay within sight of each other, and be ready for anything."

The team fanned out, cautiously moving through the ruins. They checked every nook and cranny, searching for anything that might give them a clue about the purpose of this place. Despite their efforts, they found nothing but more carvings and symbols.

"Looks like this place is just a dead end," Beast said, his voice tinged with frustration. "There's nothing here but sand and stone."

"Maybe not," Jin replied, his eyes narrowing as he examined one of the carvings more closely. "These symbols... they might be some kind of code or puzzle."

"I think we need to think outside the box."

Reign joined Jin, studying the carvings intently. "You might be right, let's try to decipher them."

"Everyone, look for patterns or anything that stands out."

"I don't know if there really is anything of the sort, but maybe the system didn't really just put this place here for decoration."

The team spent the next hour meticulously examining the carvings, cross-referencing symbols, and searching for any patterns that might reveal their meaning. Finally, Laura noticed something peculiar about the arrangement of certain symbols.

"Look here," she said, pointing to a series of carvings. "These symbols repeat in a specific sequence, it's almost like they're marking a path."

Beast's eyes lit up with realization. "Of course!"

"They're not just random carvings—they're a map."

Ding!

[ Side Quest initiated ]

[ Follow the map, find the hidden treasure of the ruins ]

Reign and the others glanced at one another, their eyes lighting up as they all heard the notification.

They were right, the system didn't just place the ruins here for decoration, it was actually a side quest, something they had heard about from the players in the territory, some of them had even completed them during their challenges as well.

The team followed the sequence of symbols, which led them deeper into the ruins. As they progressed, the carvings became more detailed and the symbols more frequent. It was clear that they were on the right track.

After a short while, they reached a large stone door, partially buried in the sand. The door was adorned with more carvings and symbols, forming a complex pattern that seemed to pulse with faint energy.

"This must be the entrance to something significant," Wolf said, stepping forward to examine the door. "But how do we open it?"

Reign studied the symbols on the door, matching them to the ones they had seen earlier. "It's a puzzle, we need to arrange the symbols in the correct order to unlock the door."

Working together, the team carefully rearranged the symbols, using their combined knowledge to decipher the correct sequence. After several tense minutes, the symbols clicked into place, and the door slowly began to open, revealing a hidden chamber beyond.

The sand moved and entered the chamber, covering the entrance by a bit, but getting in was not an issue as the sand was thankfully not present in a high amount.

The chamber was dimly lit, with bioluminescent moss covering the walls and casting an eerie glow. In the center of the room stood a large, ancient altar, covered in dust and cobwebs. The air was thick with the scent of age and decay.

"Looks like we've found something interesting," Reign said, stepping into the chamber. "Let's see what secrets this place holds."

As they approached the altar, they noticed several old, weathered scrolls and artifacts scattered around it. The artifacts were made of materials they didn't recognize, and the scrolls were written in a language they couldn't read.

"These items are ancient," Mia said, carefully picking up one of the scrolls. "But we need to be careful, there might be traps or curses."

"We'll have to take our time and examine everything thoroughly," Jin added. "There might be valuable information here, but we can't rush."

The team spent the next few hours meticulously cataloging the artifacts and scrolls, taking care not to disturb anything unnecessarily. As they worked, they couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, but there was no sign of any immediate danger.

"This place gives me the creeps," Beast muttered, glancing around nervously. "It's too quiet."

"Stay focused," Reign said, his eyes scanning the room. "We need to gather as much information as we can."

"These artifacts might be connected to the entire underground, or they could be quite valuable and rare."

"The scrolls present here might also give us a lot of info that can be usable in the future as well."

Suddenly, Laura's voice broke the silence. "I found something!"

The team gathered around her as she held up a small, intricately carved amulet. The amulet glowed faintly with a soft, blue light, and the carvings on it matched the symbols they had seen earlier.

"This amulet might be important," Laura said, her eyes wide with excitement. "It matches the symbols on the door and the carvings in the ruins."

"That's true, but what is it for though?" Reign asked with a slightly confused expression before Shadow suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

"Umm … bro … you should probably look at this."

Reign turned his head, only to see all the scrolls and artifacts turn into sand. They had spent hours looking at them and observing them, and they were now all gone, in a mere instant.

"What the hell?!" Reign shouted in disbelief as the others all stared as well before they all turned their heads at the door.

They could sense something.

They were not alone in the ruins anymore.

There was something outside, and it was quite close to them.