Pride Online

Chapter 604: VS “Anubis” (1) Part II

“I’m studying arts. If I don’t know about this stuff, why would I waste my time on that?”

The quiet man did not reply. He put his hands on the gate and glanced back at his friend before tilting his head as a sign that he was ready to go down. Wisana beamed at him and walked to his side.

They helped each other open the gate.

Screech~~~

A large plate of stone was dragged open. They were startled when the cool breeze hit them.

“Hey, why is it so cold?” Wisana complained and crossed his arms.

“....”

Shin did not say anything. His lavender eyes swept around and saw the cool mist covering the ground. It was obvious that the temperature here was negative.

“Let’s explore inside,” Shin said. “And don’t touch anything.”

“Say that to yourself.”

Wisana led the way while he was still rubbing his arms.

This Nasen dungeon was totally inclusive. There was rainforest, a big mountain, and this super freezing place. He could see his breath when he exhaled.

Once he stepped into the area, the torches on the wall lit up altogether, making the room so bright. It was not that spacious here. They just looked around and that was everything here.

The walls were carved with ancient Egyptian patterns. Next to the walls was a slow stream that flowed around. There were also small patterned pillars. The most eye-catching one was a big coffin that was at the back of the room with ancient soldier statues holding a spear guarding in front of it.

The boys looked at each other.

This was the fiftieth floor...

And...

“Where’s aunty Baron?” Wisana raised and looked around.

“I’m here with you,” Shin said with a straight face. “Just be careful. I don’t like this silence at all.”

“Agreed.” Wisana let out a long sigh, still rubbing his arms. “Damn it. Our clothes are torn to shreds and now the freezing cold place? What’s next, space?”

Shin sighed at the sarcasm and moved forward.

“Let’s look around first. It’s better than standing still.”

Hearing that, Wisana shook his head. “Okay, fine.”

They split. Wisana walked to the center of the room and explored each pillar just in case there was any hidden button for a secret path. Shin searched the patterns on the walls, but so far, nothing caught his eye.

According to the map, this was the fiftieth floor. What about Baron? What about the final test that she told us about? The more Shin thought about it, the more confused he was. It was only a room with no monsters or traps. Or was there a puzzle to solve?

“Shin, I found something!”

Wisana yelled out. Shin looked back at the center of the room. Seeing Wisana holding something, he dashed towards him.

“I told you not to touch anything.”

Shin scolded him. Wisana only raised that thing in his hand up.

“Don’t get too excited. It’s just a CD with messages.”

Shin narrowed his eyes. Wisana let him see the mini disk in his hand. Shin sighed with relief.

“A CD with messages?” He asked. “Whose is it?”

“Who else?”

Wisana scoffed annoyingly. He squeezed the disk in his hand and a screen popped up in front of him. The disk slowly disintegrated.

“Congratulations on getting here, you little boys.”

Suddenly, the screen showed Baron’s smiling face. The boys looked at each other and shook their heads wearily.

“How are you doing? Has your journey been great fun?”

“Yes, very. So much that I want to bite my tongue and die!”

Wisana shouted. Shin had to put his finger on his lips as a sign for Wisana to be quiet.

“If you can reach here, I have to admit that you deserve a compliment on your strong mental state. That means you’re not normal little boys anymore....”

The boys were surprised by the first compliment they just got from Baron. Wisana beamed so widely that all of his teeth could be seen.

“However!” Baron shouted so loudly that the boys were startled. “The training isn’t complete just yet. You’re stronger now, yes, but you haven’t received my final test. If you want to go home safely, you need to pass.”

The boys looked at each other.

“I don’t feel good about this.” Wisana sighed.

“Agreed.”

“With that being said, take this!”

Baron smiled so cheerfully and threw something out of the screen. Shin grabbed it with his reflex.

The quiet boy looked at what was in his hand and saw that it was a crimson crystal. He looked at Wisana, confused.

“You’re wondering what it is, aren’t you? That’s the “Death Crystal”, a special item that you probably haven’t heard of since no one sells it anymore.”

Hearing that, the boys looked at the item and back at Baron.

“And this is your final test.”

“...What test?”

Wisana accidentally said what he thought. He did not understand why they needed this crystal. What to do with it, craft it? Or is it something for a quest here?

Wisana tried to find the reason for it. However, Shin had heard of the “Death Crystal” and he remembered that it was super ‘dangerous’.

“And let me tell you that your final test is truly horrifying. I give you ten seconds to give up instead of dying worthlessly here.”

Hearing that, Wisana raised his fists.

“Who’d do that?!” He beamed. “We’ve been through so much and now you’re telling us to back off? I’m sorry, but that isn’t in my dictionary!”

“....”

Shin did not say a thing. His lavender eyes were still staring at the crystal. He could not seem to recall what it was. He was wondering why it made him feel so terrible, having it in his hands.

“Your ten seconds is up. If you’re still watching this video, then I must say that you guys are pretty bold.”

Baron smiled. Wisana screamed at her. “Of course, aunty!”

“If you want to die that much, this aunty is going to give you just that.” Her rosy lips started to cast a spell.

Shindanai’s lips parted. The spell sounded so familiar to him. It was like the one used to summon beasts. The only difference was the accent. Waree should know what it was if she were here.

“Why are you mumbling to yourself?”

Wisana asked Shin. The quiet man did not answer. The more he listened to the spell, the more he felt the familiarity. He just knew that this spell was bad.

“..D... Don’t tell me...” He muttered. “Be careful, Vincent. It’s a monster summoning spell!”

“What?!”

Clank!!

Suddenly, the crystal in Shin’s hand broke into pieces. Where it was was now a crimson glow. It dashed out of his hand. Its target was the most eye-catching thing in this room.

Yes...

The coffin at the back of the dungeon!

The flash of light was so blinding they had to cover their eyes. Once adjusted, they stared at the coffin, confused.

“What do you mean, the monster summoning spell?”

Wisana asked while starting to step backwards.

“Do you really need me to explain? It’s just like when we fought Ouroboros.”

Wisana understood it immediately. If it was like when Ouroboros was summoned using ‘The Key of Alchemy’, this one should be the same but through ‘The Death Crystal’.

Of course, it would not have been summoned for a tea break!

They swallowed their saliva.

“Okay, did my summoning ritual work?”

Baron asked as if she knew that it would trigger the boys. She was right, though. Wisana wanted to find something hard to hit Baron’s happy face so much right now.

If it was not for the shaky coffin!

Clack Clack Clack Clack!

“Do you know what’s inside that?” Wisana asked.

“If I do, I’d definitely tell you to close the screen down in the first place,” Shin said.

The coffin let out a cracky sound, which meant that the coffin itself was breaking apart. The immense pressure shook the whole floor. Some sand fell from the ceiling because of the vibration.

The boys gritted their teeth tightly and tried to keep their footing.

Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking!

“...It stopped?” Wisana muttered. “Did the summoning fail?”