novelraw Chapter 114: An Inverted Pyramid
Chapter 114: An Inverted Pyramid
The swamp gradually gave way to firmer ground as I neared the stone platform where the portal was located. Its surface pulsed faintly like a beacon, guiding me forward.
To my surprise, Boris was already there, leaning casually against the edge of the platform with his arms crossed. His broad frame looked as though the battles hadn’t worn him down at all. For him, this leveling session must have been more of a warm-up than anything.
Curious about his growth, I used Inspect Eye on him.
Boris Ivanovich Volkov
HP: 100%
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Iron Bastion
Total Attribute Points: 1,855
Inspect Eye has leveled up.
“Hmm?” I focused again, letting the upgraded skill dig deeper.
Boris Ivanovich Volkov Lv. 32/60 (EXP 1,832/3,680)
HP: 100%
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Iron Bastion
Total Attribute Points: 1,855
“You’re early,” I remarked as I stepped up onto the stone.
He gave a chuckle. “Done what I could. Crushed a whole nest of beasts, but nothing worth bragging about. Just strays here and there.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly. “You didn’t come across anything unusual? A structure, a ruin, anything that might stand out?”
Boris shook his head firmly. “Nope. Just dirt, grass, and monsters. If there’s something hidden out there, I wasn’t the one lucky enough to find it.”
I let out a quiet breath and nodded. “Fair enough.” I hadn’t expected Boris to stumble upon the Forgotten Vault so easily. If it were that simple, Graham would have long since conquered it, and I never would have ended up with the map in the first place.
“What about you, lad?”
“Same.” I gave a shrug. “Though I did come across two warring tribes in the swamp. Thanks to that, I managed to level up quite a bit. Also, I may have found where a Daleth-rank boss could be hiding.”
“Heh, then we’ll hunt that monster soon.” Boris’s eyes lit up, pumped at the idea.
“Sure. But that’s not our priority right now.”
A Daleth-rank monster, especially a boss, would yield rare materials strong enough to upgrade our equipment. Hunting it in the future would be a wise investment.
We lingered on the platform, exchanging small talk to pass the time. Before long, the sound of steady footsteps reached us from the treeline. Michelle soon emerged, twin axes in hand—one gleaming gold, the other silver. Her hair was damp with sweat, and her expression calm but alert, not having let her guard down for a moment.
Just like I had done with Boris, I activated Inspect Eye.
Michelle Lv. 34/60 (EXP 211/3,760)
HP: 100%
Rank: Gimmel [3]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Magic Lumberjack
Total Attribute Points: 1,817
Level thirty-four?!That’s even higher than me! She must have pushed herself to the limit during this leveling session. Otherwise, there was no way her progress would have caught up to and even surpassed mine. And it wasn’t as though I had been slacking off either, though I wasted some of my time infiltrating the frogmen villages to steal the power of faith in their totems.
“Looks like we’re all here,” I said, glancing at her. “Michelle, did you come across anything unusual while you were out?”
“Anything unusual?” She blinked at me, startled for a moment, then gave a slow nod. “Yes, actually. About half an hour from here, past the dry grassland, I spotted something strange. It looked like a great stone monument, wide at the top and tapering down to a point, but upside down and half-buried in the earth. I didn’t go too close since there were too many monsters prowling the area, and it felt too dangerous to approach on my own.”
A great stone monument… wide at the top and tapering down to a point? Does she mean an inverted pyramid? My eyes sharpened. That description matched the possibility of the Forgotten Vault more than anything else I had seen so far.
“You did well not to push further,” I told her. “That might be exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Boris raised a brow, curiosity flashing across his face. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“Well…” I explained to them about the map I’d obtained after defeating Graham in the arena, pulling the scrap of parchment from my inventory so they could see it for themselves. The moment their eyes fell on it, the quest appeared for them as well.
Once the System notification faded, both Boris and Michelle’s expressions turned from curiosity to anticipation.
“So this is what you’ve been keeping under wraps, lad,” Boris said with a widening grin. “A hidden dungeon. Ha! Now this is worth getting excited about.”
Michelle studied the parchment, then gave a firm nod. “It matches what I saw exactly. If that really is the Forgotten Vault, then it’s bound to hold something valuable. But I’m certain it will be dangerous to enter.”
“Exactly,” I replied. “That’s why we’re going together. If we encounter anything we can’t handle, we retreat immediately. This place isn’t like the scenarios, and the difficulty could spike without warning.”
Who knew what kind of danger was hidden in the Forgotten Vault? If it were filled with Daleth-rank monsters, then we wouldn’t be able to get through at all.
With that agreed upon, we set off. The three of us crossed the grassy plains toward the badlands, where the air grew hotter and the earth cracked with dryness. Packs of horned jackals roamed the area, while stone-scaled serpents slithered across sun-baked rocks, but none dared approach once they sensed our combined presence.
At last, after half an hour’s trek, the sight Michelle had described came into view. Rising from the ground like the tip of a buried relic was a massive structure shaped like an inverted pyramid, half-swallowed by dirt and rubble. A faint, unnatural chill clung to the air around it, as though the place itself rejected intruders.
We halted at the edge of a cliff about a hundred meters away, taken aback by the sheer size of the structure. I was certain that it was larger even than the Pyramid of Giza. Just as Michelle had said, monsters prowled the perimeter, and most of them were Gimmel ranks.
[Obsidian Scarab– Lv.68]
A massive black beetle the size of a hound with a black shell that glistens like volcanic glass. It is drawn to vibrations in the earth and prefers to hunt in swarms with its kin. Its mandibles can shear through metal with ease, and when roused, it unleashes a rasping screech that disorients prey before tearing them apart.
[Basilisk – Lv.101]
A huge reptilian predator infused with the ancient magic of the ruins. A direct gaze from a basilisk slowly petrifies living flesh, hardening skin into stone before shattering it with violent cracks. Their dens are often found near ancient ruins.
Threat Level: High
We exchanged quick glances, silently agreeing that the only way forward was to carve a path.
“Guess it’s time for another warm-up.” Boris grinned at the sight of the prowling scarabs, flexing his arms as though itching for a brawl.
Michelle strung her bow, her twin axes hanging at her hips as backup. “Let’s thin them out before they notice us. I’ll take the high ground as usual.”
I nodded, tightening my grip on my sword while fixing my gaze on the basilisks in the distance. “Be careful with those. It can petrify us through their gaze alone. Take them down from afar if possible—don’t give them the chance to lock on.”
The first wave came quickly—a half-dozen obsidian scarabs skittering across the cracked earth, their shells gleaming like shards of glass in the light. A chorus of rasping screeches filled the air as they lunged, mandibles snapping violently, eager to tear us apart.
“Gruaaah!” Boris roared, activating Adamant Flesh as he charged. He threw his hands out before him and crashed into the swarm with a thunderous boom. Obsidian scarabs screeched as they surrounded him—only for steel blades to suddenly jut out from every part of his body, stabbing outward in a deadly bloom of metal that pierced through their shells with brutal force.
Whoa! That’s a sick skill! I couldn’t help but be impressed by what I was seeing. Boris’s signature skill was no longer limited to simply transforming his limbs into weapons; now, steel blades jutted and extended from other parts of his body, turning him into a walking arsenal.
Two basilisks, lured by the commotion, slithered toward us with frightening speed. Before they could close the distance, Michelle loosed three arrows in rapid succession. Each one was covered with a greenish energy, and the moment they struck, thorny vines erupted from the shafts and the earth itself, entangling the reptiles before exploding in bursts of raw force.
“Amazing.” I arched a brow. “That’s your new power, Michelle?”
She smiled faintly at my words of praise and nodded. “That’s right. My class-related skill has evolved into a signature skill called ‘Nature’s Power.’”
Interesting. So, her willpower had not only triumphed over despair but had also pushed her past her limits, elevating her to a whole new level.
Unfortunately, Michelle’s attack wasn’t enough to finish the basilisks. Though grievously wounded, they still managed to continue their trajectory toward us with nearly the same terrifying speed. Now up close, I saw that the basilisks’ eyes burned like molten gold. Wherever their gaze swept, plants withered into stone, and cracks spiderwebbed across the earth. Any closer, and I risked being petrified myself.
Not letting it get any closer, I used Weapon Manifestation, channeling it together with Cryo Magic. I summoned dozens of icy spears that hovered around me, glittering with killing intent. In the next instant, I hurled them all at once toward the charging basilisks. This was still my strongest magic projectile attack to date, and the result was not disappointing.
Upon impact, the spears exploded in a burst of frost, ice crystals spreading across their scales and locking them in place. Within moments, both monsters were encased in glaciers as they were killed, unable to utter a single cry.
You have hunted [Basilisk Lv.101].
You have gained 1,610 EXP.
You have hunted [Basilisk Lv.100].
You have gained 1,600 EXP.
Together, we pressed the assault. Michelle switched to her axes, sprinting in close and hacking apart the scarabs that dared to block her path, while Boris kept the basilisk’s gaze fixed squarely on him, his steel-clad body bearing the brunt of their attacks. Step by step, we carved through the resistance until at last, the inverted pyramid loomed directly before us.
On the way, I personally felled five scarabs and even brought down another basilisk, the effort pushing my level up thrice to thirty-six. Just one more kill, and I would breach thirty-seven. In addition, my Intermediate Swordsmanship leveled up once.
Now standing at the foot of the ruin, we began searching for a way inside. The weathered stone was cracked and half-buried in rubble, its surface etched with strange, faded glyphs. It didn’t take long before we came across what appeared to be a half-buried alcove, a narrow gap yawning between two collapsed slabs of stone.
Relief at finding an entrance was short-lived, however, as what awaited us within sent chills crawling down our spines.