Chapter 306: Chapter306:Institutions And Traps
"I think I\'ve found something."
Enzo said these words, and he started to touch the runes according to his discoveries.
As he did, the runes began to glow, pulsing with light.
Soon, the stone door slowly creaked open, revealing a dark passageway.
"Success!" The group cheered.
However, Enzo remained vigilant. He sensed a dangerous aura emanating from the passage.
"Everyone, be careful. There might be more dangerous things inside." He warned.
Cautiously, they entered the passage, weapons and spells at the ready.
A strong, pungent smell filled the air, and the walls flickered with an eerie glow, sending chills down their spines.
As they progressed, they suddenly came upon a three-way fork in the path.
Each route looked identical, making it difficult to choose.
"Which way should we go?" Someone asked.
Enzo closed his eyes, releasing his mental power in an attempt to sense the situation of each path.
However, he found that all three roads were shrouded in a mysterious force that his mental power couldn\'t penetrate.
"Looks like we\'ll have to pick one at random." Enzo said.
"Then let\'s take the left one." Patricia suggested.
Everyone nodded in agreement and headed toward the left path.
After walking for a while, they discovered a large room ahead.
Inside the room were many treasure chests, but they were surrounded by various mechanisms and traps.
"There must be something good in those chests."
Weiss said excitedly, ignoring the others\' warnings as he headed straight for them.
Just as he was about to reach the chests, he triggered a trap.
A powerful energy beam shot up from the ground, sending Weiss flying.
"Weiss!" Leah shouted, rushing over to help him.
Weiss\'s face was pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Damn it, these traps are too strong."
Enzo stepped forward, examining the surrounding mechanisms and traps.
He realized that these traps were ingeniously designed, requiring the right method to disarm them.
"Everyone, don\'t act recklessly. Let me take a look."
Enzo said that.
He carefully observed the operation of each mechanism, gradually forming a plan in his mind.
He picked up a stone and threw it at one of the traps.
The stone triggered a mechanism, causing a bolt to shoot out.
Enzo quickly dodged while watching the arrow\'s trajectory.
After several attempts, he finally discovered the patterns of the traps and mechanisms.
He led the group carefully around the traps until they reached the treasure chests.
"Finally here." Weiss exclaimed, eagerly opening one of the chests.
A dazzling light emanated from inside, revealing a sparkling gem.
"This is an Elemental Gem!" someone gasped.
Elemental Gems are incredibly valuable treasures that help supernatural beings better comprehend Elemental Law and enhance their powers.
Weiss picked up the gem, a triumphant smile on his face. "Haha, this gem is mine!"
"Wait, we all found this together. We should split it." Patricia said.
"Split it? Why should I? I found it first, so it\'s mine." Weiss scoffed.
"You\'re being unreasonable!" the members of Rage Temple accused Weiss.
As the argument escalated, an alarm suddenly blared throughout the room.
Then the walls began to move, and the room started to shrink.
"Oh no, the room is collapsing!" Enzo shouted. "Everyone, get out quickly!"
They rushed toward the exit, but a massive stone had blocked the doorway.
"What should we do? We can\'t get out!" Someone exclaimed in panic.
Enzo calmly assessed the situation and noticed a vent in the wall.
"Follow me. We can escape through the vent." Enzo said.
He led everyone to the vent and cast a spell to enlarge the opening.
Then he had Patricia and her team go in first, with the others following in order.
Finally, Enzo himself squeezed into the vent.
Dust and an unpleasant odor filled the air, but they couldn\'t afford to worry about that.
They crawled desperately forward and eventually emerged from the vent into a safe place.
"Whew, we finally made it out." Everyone sighed in relief.
Weiss looked at the Elemental Gem in his hand, feeling a bit reluctant to part with it.
But he also knew that if it hadn\'t been for Enzo leading them to the vent, they might have been buried inside.
"You got lucky this time, Enzo."
Weiss said, "But next time, I won\'t let you get away with it."
Enzo glanced at Weiss but said nothing.
He knew that the members of Pride Temple wouldn\'t back down easily, but he wasn\'t afraid.
He would prove his strength and show them what he was capable of.
"Let\'s keep moving and see what else we can find."
Enzo said that.
The group gathered their gear and continued deeper into the ruins.
Little did they know, more challenges and dangers awaited them ahead…
As they ventured further into the ruins, the environment grew increasingly bizarre.
Strange murals began to appear on the walls, seemingly depicting an ancient and mysterious story, but Enzo and the others couldn\'t grasp its meaning just yet.
As they walked, they arrived at a massive hall. In the center of the hall stood a stone pedestal, upon which lay a book emanating an ancient aura.
"What is that?" someone asked curiously.
Enzo stepped forward and carefully picked up the book. The cover was inscribed with strange characters he had never seen before, but he could sense the immense power contained within.
"This book seems quite extraordinary." Enzo said.
Just as he was about to open it, a figure suddenly emerged from the darkness, lunging at him.
Enzo reacted quickly, stowing the book away in his pocket dimension while stepping back.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the attacker was a mysterious figure cloaked in black.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking me?" Enzo demanded.
The cloaked figure didn\'t answer but launched another attack. With astonishing speed, he swung a black scythe that radiated a chilling aura.
Enzo didn\'t dare underestimate him. He immediately unleashed Soul Fortress and countered with elemental energy.
The two engaged in a fierce battle, the shockwaves from their clash causing everyone around them to retreat.
"This guy is so strong!"
Weiss exclaimed.
He had thought his own abilities were impressive, but witnessing Enzo\'s battle with the mysterious figure made him realize just how far behind he was.
Leah furrowed her brow, sensing the immense power of the cloaked figure, who might even surpass all of them combined.
As the fight progressed, Enzo began to notice a familiar pattern in the mysterious man\'s attacks, something he felt he had seen before.
Suddenly, it clicked: he had read about a type of mystical guardian in ancient texts, protectors of valuable treasures and ruins, who would not allow anyone to approach.
"Are you the guardian of this ruin?" Enzo shouted.
The figure hesitated for a moment, seemingly surprised that Enzo had guessed the figure\'s identity.
However, instead of halting the assault, the figure intensified the attacks against Enzo.
Enzo knew that he had to find the guardian\'s weakness to end the fight.
Enzo continued to engage while carefully observing the figure\'s movements and attack patterns.
After observing for a while, Enzo noticed that the mysterious figure\'s black robe seemed to possess special powers, capable of resisting part of his attacks. He decided to focus on the robe, looking for a breakthrough.
Concentrating a powerful surge of elemental energy, Enzo launched an attack at the mysterious figure\'s black robe.
Sure enough, after the attack, a slight crack appeared in the robe. Seizing the opportunity, Enzo swiftly charged forward and landed a punch on the mysterious figure\'s chest.
The figure let out a muffled grunt and staggered backward.
Enzo took advantage of the moment and unleashed a series of attacks that cornered the figure against the wall.
"Tell me, why are you guarding this book? What secrets does it hold?" Enzo demanded.
Gasping for breath, the mysterious figure looked at Enzo, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
Finally, he seemed to make a decision and said, "My name is Dolia. This book is a sacred artifact of our ruins, containing the origins and secrets of this world. If it falls into the hands of outsiders, it could trigger a disaster."
"Are you talking about the origins of Planet Alfa?" Enzo said, slightly taken aback. "Is what you\'re saying true?"
"Of course." Dolia replied. "I\'ve been guarding this place for so many years, and no one has ever come here before."
"Since no one has come here, why did the temple send us for this trial?" Patricia asked, puzzled. "Don\'t they fear something might happen to us in this unfamiliar place?"
Hearing Patricia\'s words, Enzo felt the same confusion rise within him.
But at that moment, it seemed that the mysterious guardian Dolia was the key to understanding everything.
"Dolia, even if this book contains important secrets, in today\'s changing times, perhaps those secrets could benefit everyone instead of bringing disaster."
Enzo tried to persuade Dolia.
Dolia shook his head firmly. "You don\'t understand. Once these secrets come to light, they will disrupt the existing balance. Powerful forces will ignite endless conflicts to seize that power, and in the end, countless lives will be lost. Alfa will be thrown into chaos."
Weiss scoffed from the side, "Hmph, maybe you just want to hoard the secrets of the book for yourself, making up these lies to scare us."
Leah chimed in, "Yeah, who knows if what you\'re saying is true? We\'ve worked so hard to get here and faced so many dangers. We can\'t just leave empty-handed."