The Genius Evolution Store

Chapter 82: Arriving at the Mall

"We can see it from here." Ellia pointed into the distance.

Although his view was partially covered by some trees, Auric could see the top parts of the building from his position.

The building’s white paint had been ruined, but the building itself was still intact. Trees had covered the building like other buildings he had seen.

However, this was what people saw, not Auric.

Auric widened his eyes in astonishment.

Auric could see particles rising to the top of the building, making it look like a dome. These particles contained nine colors, each symbolizing the color of one element.

The amount of particles was so great that it was blinding to his eyes.

However, he didn’t feel that overwhelmed, like when he had seen powerful people using their energy.

The movement of these particles was far more coherent, resembling a disciplined army. It reminded him of the strands on the support test in the Training Hall.

They were mingling with each other, but they weren’t fusing or entangling with each other.

Hence, he could clearly see what had actually happened.

"This is amazing," Auric muttered.

Lindwurm was confused. He didn’t know about Auric’s eyes. He only knew about his extra sensitivity, so the only thing that came to his mind was that his sensitivity might have noticed the energy surrounding the building.

On the other hand, Ellia and Arina thought differently. They didn’t appreciate the ruins much, but they were thrilled when Auric showed his astonishment. It was clear that Auric could see what was going on even from this distance.

So, when they arrived, Auric could most likely find the entrance.

In other words, their trip this time would be successful.

"Are you done?" Ellia asked.

"One sec." Auric raised his finger while observing the ruins a bit further. Although the particles were amazing, there was something else he noticed. If he took a closer look, he would be able to see particles coating the buildings.

It looked like the building itself was an artifact, but he had never seen an artifact before, so he couldn’t make a proper judgment.

However, he determined that these particles were the ones reinforcing the building.

’How could the particles stick to the building?’ Auric was wondering about this question.

For most people, if they understood the principles, they could probably build a structure that was unimaginable before.

At the same time, Auric thought it might be able to supplement his knowledge to create that artificial heart to increase one’s affinity.

Auric couldn’t help but ask, "How do you create an artifact? How does the energy even stick to them?"

"If you know the answer, don’t forget to publish your answer in the international forum. But the current theory is that after being exposed for a long time, it just sticks."

Auric shook his head helplessly.

The ruins were formed naturally. No one had been able to understand their creation process.

Auric paused to think. "Now that I think about it, how much energy do you get from a material? If it’s a material that has about 10% element, how much do you get?"

"Hmm?" Ellia tilted her head in confusion, not knowing why Auric asked such a question. "7 or 8%? I don’t know the exact number since I’m not a master like you."

Auric nodded before turning to Arina.

"Me too? Well, I have never really cared about it. But since I have a Grade B affinity, I probably get 4%?"

There was no one who had an affinity grade above S. That was also why they only put them in S, believing that someday, a person would come with an affinity beyond grade S.

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. I’m just curious." Auric waved his hand.

Ellia was rather suspicious. Auric might ask a random question, but she definitely knew there was an intention hidden behind it.

Auric simply pointed forward. "All right. I’m done. Let’s head to the entrance."

Ellia wasn’t entirely convinced, but it wasn’t like she was close enough to Auric to demand every answer. So, she could only let him go.

The group encountered another group of beasts, but they were able to swiftly defeat them. At this point, Auric had gained enough experience to avoid making mistakes inside the ruins.

And he could finally take a closer look at the mall.

The mall was quite large, as Ellia had explained before. The shape looked like an ’L,’ but due to its size, it should also have more than enough area to create a small maze within it.

The parking lots were empty, making him wonder where the beasts were. After all, Ellia mentioned that there should be hundreds of beasts inside the ruins.

Auric looked left and right to see if there was anything else noticeable.

"What do you think? This is the mall, so do you think you can find the entrance?" Ellia asked.

"Well, if you want the entrances, then yes." Auric pointed at the car entry zones. There were four gates. "Those gates are the entrances."

"I’m serious." Ellia frowned.

"What makes you think I am not?"

Ellia turned to the gate. "So, there are four entrances? Any other entrances? Can we hop over the wall?"

"I don’t think so. The energy is concentrated over there, all the way up to twenty meters above the mall. It looks like a dome. No, now that I take a closer look at it, it’s like a birdcage. There are small gaps on top of the wall, but they’re not big enough for humans to enter."

Ellia crossed her arms. "If you can sense all that, you can lead us inside, right?"

"It shouldn’t be a problem. However, these entrances are really like a labyrinth. The energy is creating walls. I assume there will be dead ends inside, so we may have to turn back if that happens."

"Can you determine which one is the real entrance?"

"I’m not a god, you know? Also, I will need to take a look around the mall to see if any other entrance exists."

"That’s what we’re going to do." Ellia nodded.

Once they came to an agreement, they started moving in a clockwise direction. Auric kept observing the mall, trying to find another entrance.

Meanwhile, Ellia and Arina ensured Auric’s safety.

A few beasts were not that hard to kill, but they had to stop when they encountered a bigger problem.

"Stop." Ellia raised her hand while narrowing her eyes.

"It’s just a beast..." Arina didn’t understand her actions this time.

"What is going on?"

"The beast came from underground."

"Underground?" Arina widened her eyes in surprise. "Do you mean the underground parking lot?"

Auric recalled the blueprint. There was indeed an underground parking lot. And if he looked at the dome, it didn’t include this side of the parking lot.

However, this side of the underground parking lot would also be connected to the mall, so they had to enter to check whether this was another possible entrance.

"We have to check this area." Auric’s expression turned solemn.

"Yeah. And it’s not easy. Such a place is usually filled with beasts. In other words, it will feel like we are entering their nest. The lighting is also a problem." Ellia contemplated.

On the one hand, going down would definitely be helpful to figure out the entrance. On the other hand, it was quite risky to enter without any preparation.

Ellia exhaled deeply before taking out a drone and handing it over to Arina. "Arina, you handle the drone. We will scout this area with it. Auric and I will cover for you."

"Got it." Arina nodded with a serious expression.

Then, Ellia leaped toward the beast that had just come out.

The beast opened its mouth, wanting to let out a roar to inform other beasts.

However, Ellia activated her Void Step, teleporting directly to the top of the beast. She drew her sword, slicing the beast’s neck.

Her movement was smooth and swift, leaving no chance for the beast to react.

The opening came from the crumbling rooftop. The rubble had made it high enough for a beast to enter and exit the parking lot.

This was the first time Auric was looking at the ruined building, especially an underground one.

He finally understood what Ellia meant by darkness.

This was an underground parking lot, meaning that there were no other light sources within it.

Even though the sun was still up, the underground was still a sealed system. As a result, it created perfect absorption, resulting in complete darkness.

In a place where he couldn’t even see anything, he wondered how they were going to fight those beasts.

"Too dark, isn’t it? There are three ways of fighting inside. The first is by relying on your instinct, but only after you develop that instinct by fighting in the darkness for a long time. Well, you can also develop night vision like those beasts."

"The second method?" Auric narrowed his eyes.

"The second method is much simpler. Create a light source, but that requires your reaction speed to be high unless you have a very strong light source that can illuminate the entire area."

Auric thought for a moment. He definitely had a light source. Depending on how he used it, he could create a powerful enough light source to illuminate the entire area.

But it would create another problem. He wouldn’t be able to maintain it for a whole day, let alone a few days.

"It looks like you are coming here under the assumption that the third method is the only way to deal with this darkness."

"Yes." Ellia took out goggles that seemed to have a few things attached to them. "Take a look at the darkness with this."

Auric put on the goggles, and Ellia turned them on. The goggles showed no change at first, but they soon scanned the area in front of him, creating an image.

He could see the underground parking lot and several cars from the opening. The area was still very dark and hard to see, but he could definitely see almost everything. "So, we’re going with this?"

"Yeah. I have brought spares in case they’re destroyed during a fight."

Auric nodded. "It will be quite uncomfortable to fight with these goggles, but I can see the beasts’ movements clearly."

He saw the heat signatures from Ellia, so he recognized this was the only way to fight those beasts.

"Yes, but you have to adjust accordingly. If there is magical energy, it will be quite hard for you to discern the beasts. That’s why even though there are only low-ranking beasts here, it will still be quite dangerous."

Auric could imagine what would happen during the fight. He might be overwhelmed by the heat signatures made by the beasts, which would confuse the beasts’ positions.

"I got it. Until I get used to it, I will mainly act as support at the back."

Ellia was satisfied with the answer. At least Auric wasn’t arrogant enough to claim he could do everything on his first try.

"Arina?!" Ellia then turned to Arina.

"Give me a few more seconds." Arina was doing her best to control the drone. After a bit more time, Arina brought the drone back to the surface.

"The situation doesn’t look good. There are about thirty beasts inside, and one of them looks like the leader. We may have just encountered the first rank 2 beast in this expedition."

Ellia’s expression turned serious. "Their positions?"

Arina drew a square and started pointing at the area. "This is the entrance. There are four beasts here, ten beasts there, and the last group is here, including the leader. Should we lure them out or fight inside?"

"We will fight inside. Auric, you must remember. If the situation gets dangerous, use the Void Step to get back to the surface. But for now, I want you to take care of the four beasts here. If you are done, help Arina first."

"Are you going to be all right?" Auric asked, concerned. "After all, you have to fight fourteen rank 1 beasts and one rank 2 beast."

Ellia looked up as if she were thinking about it before smiling.