Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 1049: Echoes of the Ruins

Reign and the team exchanged glances, the tension palpable. The monsters had them surrounded, but Beast's insight provided a glimmer of hope.

"Alright, it's worth a try," Reign said, taking a deep breath. "Laura, give me the amulet."

Laura hesitated for a moment, and Reign knew why.

"It'll be fine, don't worry about it."

"If the amulet is harmful, I'm sure I'll be able to push back and win against it, it won't be able to harm me."

Laura nodded her head and then handed over the glowing amulet to Reign. He studied it briefly before slipping it over his head. The moment the amulet settled against his chest, a strange sensation washed over him. The amulet's glow intensified, casting a brighter light around them.

The monsters halted their advance, their glowing eyes fixed on Reign. The air hummed with an eerie silence as if the entire ruin held its breath.

[ Clue found. ]

"It's working," Mia whispered, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Reign felt a surge of energy coursing through him as if the amulet was attuning itself to his presence. The monsters didn't attack; instead, they seemed to be waiting for something.

"I can feel...something," Reign said, his voice low. "It's like the amulet is trying to communicate with them."

"Can you control them?" Shadow asked, his grip on his daggers relaxing slightly.

Reign concentrated, focusing on the connection he felt through the amulet. He raised his hand, and to his surprise, the monsters responded. They parted, creating a path through their ranks.

"I think I can," Reign said, awe and relief mixing in his voice. "Let's move, stay close, and don't provoke them."

"Do you sense anything else, is the amulet doing anything?" Beast asked Reign who took a deep breath while they were walking through the group of monsters that were doing nothing but looking at them and standing in place.

This was the limit of Reign's control over the monsters, he could command them to stop all movement and to move away from them, nothing else.

Still, that was enough as it eliminated all danger for them. They no longer had to fear being attacked by the monsters and could continue exploring the ruins to find the treasure, which the amulet might lead them to.

As they continued through the ruins, the eerie silence was broken only by the crunch of their footsteps on the sand-covered floor. The path opened by the monsters led deeper into the complex, towards areas they hadn't yet explored. Reign felt the amulet's pulse syncing with his heartbeat, each throb resonating through his entire body. The sensation was both empowering and unsettling.

He was also sensing something else, the pulse from the amulet was guiding him somewhere, and he was following it.

"We need to stay vigilant," Reign said, his voice barely above a whisper. "There's no telling what else we might encounter."

The team nodded, their senses on high alert. They passed through crumbling archways and narrow corridors, the air growing colder the deeper they ventured. The glow from the amulet illuminated ancient murals on the walls, depicting scenes of battles and rituals involving the crystalline beasts they had just encountered.

The murals were previously hidden, invisible to them, even when they had channeled mana to their eyes.

"It's like these creatures were worshipped or controlled by the people who built this place," Laura observed, her eyes scanning the intricate carvings.

"Or maybe they were guardians," Wolf suggested. "Protecting something important."

Reign's grip on the amulet tightened. "Let's hope we find whatever it is before more of them show up."

"I don't think we need to worry about that, even if more appear, the amulet will make sure they don't attack us, it is those we should worry about," Beast said as he glanced at another wall, one depicting a battle between the crystalline monsters and some other monsters.

The other monsters depicted on the wall were terrifying—shadowy figures with elongated limbs and glowing red eyes. Unlike the crystalline beasts, these creatures seemed to radiate malevolence, their twisted forms suggesting a kind of ancient, dark magic.

"These must be the real threat," Shadow said, his voice hushed. "The crystalline beasts were guardians, but these... they're something else entirely."

"Let's hope we don't run into them," Mia added, a shiver running down her spine.

As they moved deeper into the ruins, Reign felt the pull of the amulet grow stronger, guiding them with an almost magnetic force. The path led them to a large chamber, its ceiling vaulted and adorned with more murals. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, and atop it, a large crystal glowed with an otherworldly light.

"This must be it," Reign said, his eyes fixed on the crystal. "The treasure we've been looking for."

The team approached the pedestal cautiously. The air around the crystal hummed with energy, and the closer they got, the more intense the feeling became. Reign reached out, his hand hovering just above the crystal.

"Be careful," Jin warned, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger.

Reign nodded, taking a deep breath before grasping the crystal. The moment his fingers touched its surface, a surge of power coursed through him, and the room was bathed in a blinding light. When the light faded, the chamber had changed. The murals now depicted the same shadowy creatures, but this time, they were being repelled by figures holding glowing amulets similar to the one Reign wore.

"This crystal... it's a source of power," Reign said, his voice filled with awe. "A weapon against those creatures."

"But how do we use it?" Wolf asked, his eyes fixed on the glowing crystal.

"Let me try something," Reign said, closing his eyes and focusing on the energy within the crystal. He felt a connection forming, a link between the amulet and the crystal. The power flowed through him, resonating with the amulet's energy.

Suddenly, the chamber was filled with a soft, melodic hum. The crystal's light grew brighter, casting away the shadows and illuminating the room with a warm, comforting glow.

[ Second clue found ]

"So this is not the treasure," Shadow said as Reign nodded his head.

"I thought as much, a power source that only functions with this amulet is quite useful, but not to the point of being called a treasure."

With the crystal's power now attuned to Reign's amulet, the team knew they had a valuable asset in their possession. However, the mystery of the true treasure still loomed over them.

"We should keep moving," Reign said, his voice echoing in the chamber. "There is more to uncover in these ruins."

As they made their way through the ruins, the amulet continued to guide them, leading them to hidden chambers and corridors that they had not yet explored. They encountered more murals depicting the ancient battles between the crystalline beasts and the shadowy creatures, as well as scenes of the ancient civilization that once thrived in these ruins.

The battles depicted were bloody, with hundreds dying during each one.

Despite the grim scenes on the walls, the team pressed on, their resolve strengthened by the crystal's power. The ruins seemed to stretch endlessly, each turn revealing new paths and hidden chambers. The amulet's glow was their constant guide, illuminating the way forward.

After what felt like hours of navigating the labyrinthine ruins, they came upon a massive, intricately carved door. Unlike the others they had encountered, this one was intact and untouched by time. Symbols and runes covered its surface, glowing faintly with the same light as the amulet.

"This has to be it," Laura said, her voice filled with anticipation. "The final chamber."

Reign stepped forward, holding the amulet up to the door. The runes on the door responded immediately, their glow intensifying until the entire door shone brightly. With a low rumble, the door began to open, revealing a grand hall beyond.

The hall was breathtaking. Tall columns lined the sides, each adorned with more intricate carvings and runes. At the far end of the hall stood a large pedestal, similar to the one that had held the crystal, but this one was surrounded by a series of smaller pedestals, each holding a different artifact.

As the team entered the hall, the amulet's glow grew even brighter, casting a warm light over everything. Reign approached the central pedestal, his heart pounding with excitement. On it rested a beautifully crafted chest, its surface covered in ancient symbols.

As Reign approached the pedestal, however, he felt that something was wrong, that something was just not right about the entire place.

He felt a sense of slight dread wash over him, there was nothing in the hall except the pedestals, at least he thought so until he looked around and saw the crystalline monsters inside the large hall, each of them showing that they were uneasy about something.

He could feel it thanks to the amulet. The monsters had not shown any emotions before, but they were showing it right now, and he knew that it was a bad sign.