The sun was slowly going down.
The orange evening light was passing through the massive branches of the forest and creating long and complex shadows on the ground.
But Lian was not paying attention to the beauty around him, all his focus was on finding a trace that could lead him to Kain.
And maybe... to the ruin that had been buried under this land for a long time.
At first, there were only a few small signs, and he had to find the location of the ruin based on them.
A broken pillar, a stone that was carved in an unnatural shape, and geometric lines that were carved on a massive rock.
But the further he went, the more these signs increased, broken pillars were sticking out from the soil.
Some of them were ten meters tall, some had completely collapsed and only a small part of them could be seen.
The carved stones became larger and more regular.
He even found the remains of a stone road a few times, buried under thick layers of soil and tree roots.
A road that was clearly once part of a massive structure.
Lian knelt on one of the old stones, touched its surface with his hand, and traces of carving tools could still be seen on it.
Even though it had been hundreds or maybe thousands of years since it was built.
"It must be nearby..." he whispered quietly.
The further he went, the more sure he became, Seraphina had not been wrong, there really was something in this area.
Finding ruins and all the signs related to them was actually one of the popular lessons in high school, he always got the highest score in every theoretical lesson.
Although in the view of most students they were very boring, it is these boring lessons that can have the most value for awakened ones.
The closer he got to his destination, a strange feeling also grew inside him.
The feeling of being watched.
"Hmm?" At one point, he suddenly felt like someone was standing behind him.
He immediately turned around but saw nothing.
Just the forest, the trees, and the shadows, he thought maybe he was hallucinating, because his senses also did not detect anything strange.
But a few minutes later, the same feeling returned, this time he was even sure that something had moved among the branches.
But when he went toward it... he found no trace.
No footprints, no smell, no mana, practically nothing, as if something had disappeared right at the moment it was about to be seen.
The third time, he even heard quiet footsteps, footsteps that moved alongside him for a few seconds.
But again, when he stopped... everything fell into silence.
This made his hand unconsciously go into a ready position several times.
He had seen many monsters, but this feeling... was more like being watched by something familiar, like being watched by other humans?
"No one should have found this ruin yet, or at least it should be like this." His frown deepened.
It was not unlikely that other awakened ones from other bases had also found this ruin, but no base other than theirs should be nearby.
So the possibility of it being other awakened ones was low.
Could he be mistaken? However, he did not lower his guard, he preferred to trust his intuition.
Finally, after some searching, the forest suddenly changed.
The trees became fewer, the ground became rockier, and a massive wall appeared in front of him.
Lian remained completely still for a few moments, the wall’s height was over fifty meters, part of it was buried under tree roots.
Other parts were covered with moss and plants, but what mattered was the massive crack that was in its center.
A crack that was too regular to be natural, like a gate, like the entrance to something much larger.
He moved forward quietly and placed his hand on the stone, strange symbols were carved on it.
Lines that had no resemblance to human languages, but despite the passage of time, they were still intact.
As if their builders never intended to let them be forgotten.
"It must be it." Lian took a deep breath, he had found the ruin.
When he passed through the crack, the first thing he noticed was the silence.
An unnatural silence, no sound could be heard, nothing, even the forest outside seemed to not dare to enter this place.
Sunlight barely entered the ruin, stone corridors were submerged in darkness, and the air inside was strangely cold, although he did not feel the cold.
[ You have found the ancient ruin (Lost Light) ]
[ Reward: +3 to all stats added ]
He looked at the notification, the reward was not that valuable, but considering he is not the first to discover it, it is normal.
"Lost Light?" Just from the name, no information could be extracted.
Lian slowly activated Night Eyes, his pupils changed, and the surrounding darkness became brighter.
A few minutes later, he found the first real clue.
Footprints, a relatively fresh trail on a layer of dust, he immediately knelt down to examine it closely.
The footprints belonged to a human, and more importantly... they were not old, maybe only a few days had passed since they were made, a little further ahead, he found the remains of a dead fire.
A few pieces of burnt wood, some ash, and then... something that made him immediately pick it up.
A small metal device, it was a compass specifically for the Ruined Realm, Lian recognized it well, this was one of the items that Kain always carried with him.
He stared at it for a few seconds and then clenched his fist firmly.
"So you were really here..." Now he was sure, Kain had reached this ruin.
Fortunately, all his efforts had not been in vain, his friend was really here, but was he still here? And if he was here, where in this place?
He continued on his way.
The deeper he went, the stranger the ruin became, the corridors became larger.
The ceilings became higher, and the walls were covered with dim crystals that had probably once been a source of light.
Massive statues could be seen on both sides of the path, but most of them were broken.
Some had no heads, some were cut in half, and some were so worn that it was hard to recognize their original shape.
But what caught Lian’s attention was that many of them did not look human at all.
Some had four arms, some had unusual heads, and some were creatures that he could not even imagine what race they belonged to.
As if this ruin was built by a civilization that had perished long ago, a civilization that had no connection to today’s world.
"These must be mythical creatures, if my guess is correct, this is a temple of mythical creatures." Every culture and civilization naturally had its own mythology.
Of course, these were only his guesses and could be wrong.
At that same time, the book of treasure began to tremble, Lian immediately took it out, the pages turned quickly, and the map appeared.
Several golden points lit up on the map.
Lian’s eyes narrowed.
One point, two points, five points, their number was large, and all of them were located deep in the ruin.
Some were probably treasures, some were ancient artifacts.
The intensity of the book’s reaction was almost on the same level as the Sunheart Bloom, maybe even a little more, all the treasures here were at least A rank in value.
But for now, these did not matter, and he did not have the chance to look at their types, not until he found Kain, he closed the book and continued on the path.
After a long time, he reached a hall that even made him stop for a moment.
A massive hall, larger than anything he had seen in the ruin so far.
Giant pillars held the ceiling, and in the center of the hall... a massive door stood.
Its height was over twenty meters, its surface was covered with unknown symbols, but what caught Lian’s attention was not the door itself, but what was on it.
Blood, a trail of fresh blood on the old stones.
A few drops, then more drops, and then... a dragged trail on the ground.
As if someone wounded had passed through here and entered that door.
Lian’s heart beat a little faster, he moved forward quietly and looked at the blood, the blood was dry but fresh, at most from the past day.
If this blood belonged to Kain... then he was not far from him.
And if someone else was beyond that door... then he might enter the most dangerous part of this mission at any moment.
He stood in front of the door for a few seconds, silence, darkness, and the faint smell of blood.
Then he took a deep breath, placed his hand on the door, and pushed it gently.
The massive door began to open with a heavy sound.