The deeper the teams ventured into the ancient temple—
The more the structure revealed its terrifying nature.
This was not merely a ruin.
It was a labyrinth built by something ancient enough that human logic no longer fully applied to its architecture.
Corridors twisted unnaturally beneath the earth while black stone walls pulsed faintly with ancient blue inscriptions resembling flowing veins beneath the surface. Massive roots pierced through ceilings and floors alike, intertwining with forgotten pillars and statues in ways that made the temple appear alive.
And everywhere—
Mana.
Ancient mana so dense it pressed constantly against the skin.
The four exploration teams moved through separate sections of the ruins carefully while maintaining communication through synchronized mana devices connected across short-range frequencies.
Kel's team—
Team A—
Advanced through the deepest central pathways beneath the temple itself.
Meanwhile—
Team B explored the western chambers.
Team C navigated lower archive sectors.
And Team D entered the eastern combat halls buried beneath collapsed ruins.
At first—
Progress remained steady.
Slow.
Controlled.
But eventually—
The temple began testing them.
The first trap activated against Team C.
A narrow corridor lined with ancient black statues suddenly illuminated with crimson symbols the moment one explorer stepped across a faded silver line carved into the floor.
The walls moved instantly.
Stone spikes erupted outward with horrifying speed.
"MOVE!"
Edwin Hale roared while unleashing compressed wind magic toward the corridor.
The explosion diverted several spikes barely enough for the team to survive.
But not completely.
One mage screamed as a stone spike pierced directly through his shoulder, pinning him violently against the wall while blood splattered across ancient inscriptions glowing beneath crimson light.
Another explorer barely escaped decapitation after rolling beneath collapsing blades emerging from the ceiling.
The mana device crackled violently afterward.
"Team C reporting injuries!"
Edwin's tense voice echoed through the communication crystal.
"Two critical but stable!"
Kel's calm voice answered immediately from deeper within the temple.
"Do not proceed recklessly."
A brief pause followed.
"Observe the floor patterns carefully before movement."
"Understood."
The communication ended.
Elsewhere—
Team D faced something worse.
A guardian construct.
The eastern combat halls had once apparently served as training grounds or military chambers. Ancient weapons lined the walls beneath towering statues of armored warriors carrying enormous black spears.
And the moment Team D entered the chamber—
One of the statues moved.
Its eyes ignited with pale blue light while ancient armor screeched against stone.
The construct attacked immediately.
A colossal spear shattered the ground violently where two mercenaries stood moments earlier.
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
The team leader shouted instantly.
The battle became chaos.
The construct moved with terrifying speed despite its size, ancient runes glowing across cracked armor while every attack carried enough force to pulverize stone pillars entirely.
One mercenary lost an arm barely surviving a direct strike.
Another nearly died after being thrown across the chamber hard enough to fracture ribs.
Yet eventually—
Through coordinated magic bombardment and concentrated aura strikes—
The construct collapsed.
The entire eastern chamber trembled afterward.
Dust filled the air while broken pieces of ancient armor scattered across the floor beneath flickering blue light.
Heavy breathing echoed through the chamber.
Blood stained the stone.
Several members collapsed from exhaustion.
Yet despite the injuries—
They survived.
Barely.
Meanwhile—
Kel's team advanced deeper still.
The central pathways beneath the temple felt colder than other sections somehow.
More ancient.
The walls here were smoother, less damaged by time, while massive glowing symbols covered entire corridors like forgotten scriptures.
One member quietly whispered—
"…It feels like something is watching us."
No one mocked him.
Because everyone felt it now.
The temple possessed presence.
Sairen's voice echoed softly through the soul-link.
"…This structure wasn't built by humans."
Kel silently agreed.
The proportions alone proved it.
Doors too large.
Hallways too wide.
Statues shaped strangely.
And the mana resonance here…
Felt almost alien.
Then—
The communication crystals activated again.
Team B.
"Leader Heral…"
The scout leader's voice carried visible excitement.
"…we found treasure."
Several members within Kel's team exchanged glances instantly.
"Explain."
Kel answered calmly.
"Western treasury chamber."
The voice replied quickly.
"…Gold."
A slight pause followed.
"…A massive amount of gold."
Meanwhile—
Almost simultaneously—
Another communication activated.
Team D.
"We found something too."
Their leader's breathing sounded heavier.
"…Weapons."
Kel immediately stopped walking.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"Describe."
"Ancient artifacts."
The Team D leader answered.
"Swords. Spears. Armor."
A brief pause followed.
"…High-grade."
Silence settled briefly within the communication channels.
Several members near Kel visibly became excited hearing that.
Treasure.
Artifacts.
Gold.
But Kel's expression remained unchanged.
Instead—
His thoughts sharpened immediately.
Gold within temples was normal.
Offerings.
Storage.
Religious wealth.
But weapons?
High-grade combat artifacts stored alongside temple structures—
That was suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Because ancient temples existed for worship.
Not warfare.
Unless—
Kel's eyes darkened faintly.
The temple itself once served another purpose entirely.
Sairen softly murmured through the soul-link.
"…You think it's dangerous."
Kel answered internally immediately.
"Ancient ruins never reward greed freely."
Then—
He activated the mana device calmly.
"Team B."
"Team D."
The communication crystals hummed softly.
"Did anyone touch anything?"
A brief silence followed.
Then both team leaders answered almost simultaneously.
"No."
Kel's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Good."
Several members within his own team immediately understood his tone.
The atmosphere tightened subtly.
Kel continued calmly through the mana communication.
"Gold being stored inside temples is understandable."
A slight pause followed.
"But weapons…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…are suspicious."
Silence echoed briefly afterward.
Even through communication—
The tension became noticeable.
"Why would a temple require weapons of that caliber?"
Kel asked quietly.
No one answered.
Because no one had an answer.
Kel immediately began issuing instructions.
Calm.
Precise.
"Team B."
"Team D."
"Gather closely."
"Everyone maintain physical contact."
"Hands on shoulders or wrists."
Several confused voices acknowledged immediately.
"Your mages will cast Mist Detection spells first."
The teams obeyed without argument now.
Because after surviving multiple traps—
Everyone trusted Kel's instincts.
Within the western treasury chamber—
Silver mist magic spread slowly across enormous piles of ancient gold coins, jewelry, and ceremonial relics stacked beneath towering statues covered in moss.
Nothing reacted.
Meanwhile—
Inside the eastern weapon hall—
Pale mana mist drifted carefully around ancient black weapons resting upon stone platforms.
Still—
Nothing happened.
The communication crystal remained active while both teams waited nervously.
Then Kel finally spoke again.
"Now…"
A brief pause followed.
"…take only one item."
Several explorers swallowed nervously.
"If anything reacts…"
Kel's voice remained calm.
"…or if you notice even the slightest abnormality…"
A faint pause.
"…place the item back immediately and leave."
The teams obeyed carefully.
Team B lifted a single gold coin.
Nothing happened.
Team D carefully removed one ancient dagger from a weapon rack.
Silence.
No traps.
No mana surge.
No awakening constructs.
Nothing.
Several tense moments passed afterward.
Still nothing happened.
And slowly—
Relief spread across both teams.
The Team D leader laughed quietly through the mana crystal.
"…Looks safe."
Kel remained silent several moments longer before finally answering—
"Then collect them."
The atmosphere exploded immediately afterward.
Excitement spread rapidly across both teams.
Gold.
Ancient weapons.
Artifacts.
Treasure from ruins older than civilization itself.
And while the explorers began carefully gathering their rewards beneath glowing blue temple light—
Kel stood silently deep within the central pathways.
Expression calm.
Eyes distant.
Because despite everything remaining quiet so far—
One thought continued lingering within his mind.
The temple was ancient.
Too ancient.
Too intelligent.
And ancient places rarely allowed intruders to steal from them…
Without eventually demanding payment in return.