Chapter 149 - Taming the Ancient Ruins

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 07:37

’If you only knew, Klein,’ Harold thought while pretending to admire another poorly executed strike. ’That your "new assigned companion" is a double tamer, sent not to watch you, but to uncover secrets your traitorous family wants to share with Yino...’ The mole was perfect for detecting physical structures, excavating the tunnels and chambers. Its sensitivity to underground formations provided a living map of what lay beneath. The abyssal long-antennaed centipede, Yino’s latest experiment in detector beasts, could perceive mana patterns in ways other normal beasts couldn’t even dream of. Its ethereal antennae could trace the faintest energy signatures through solid rock. Together, they formed the perfect exploration team. And while Klein obsessed over his wounded pride, Harold could continue his true mission without raising suspicion. "Stronger!" Klein roared, his lion’s fur manifesting erratically across his skin. "I have to be stronger!" Harold nodded with false admiration, while his beasts silently mapped the secrets buried beneath the academy. Each vibration through the ground revealed more of the complex network below. ’Keep at it, Goldcrest heir,’ he thought. ’Keep distracting everyone with your drama while I discover what really matters.’ Harold watched Klein strike the training post once more before deciding it was time to move. "You’re progressing very well," he lied with a practiced smile. "You should maintain this rhythm all day and I’ll tell Kassian you are doing good." Klein barely grunted in response, too absorbed in his "intensive training" to notice his supposed guardian’s departure. The mole beneath Harold’s skin vibrated slightly as he walked away, detecting another student’s movements several corridors ahead. His abyssal centipede confirmed the mana signature… undoubtedly his companion. ♢♢♢♢ Minutes later, Harold walked side by side with one the others, Yino spies… another student from his same class. To the casual observer, they were just two classmates chatting casually. "Did you find an entrance?" Harold asked quietly, his beasts constantly scanning the area for witnesses. The other spy nodded, guiding him toward a rarely frequented section of the academy. The air grew colder as they descended toward what appeared to be an underground storage area. "This section has a ton of food stored for iron rank students," his companion explained as they went down. "Mainly old grains and cheap preserves." Harold noticed the dust accumulated in the corners. "Doesn’t seem very used… Or cleaned." "That’s the point," a smile formed on the other spy’s lips. "Who would steal low-rank food in an academy full of rich people and nobles? This food is a ’punishment’ to make them want to rank up. Most of the time they don’t even watch this place." The centipede’s ethereal antennae extended, detecting increasingly strong mana patterns as they descended. The mole vibrated with anticipation, sensing ancient structures below the basement. They stopped in front of a particularly dark section of the storage room. An old barrel container rested against the wall, covered by a thick layer of undisturbed dust. "I’ve been observing this place for almost five months," the other spy moved the container slightly, revealing a narrow space. "Nobody has touched these barrels. Not even the cleaning staff comes here if that isn’t obvious..." Harold slipped through the space, his mole guiding him in the darkness. Behind the container, partially hidden by old boxes, a hole had been carefully excavated in the wall. "The ruins are about 200 meters down," Harold whispered, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "I can feel them." "How long will you need?" "My mole can make a single-person tunnel in a few minutes," Harold calculated. "The real challenge will be preventing the mana from leaking and alerting the academy’s sensor tamers." "That’s what I’m here for," the other spy smiled. "Just focus on digging. I’ll handle covering the hole to hide the presence." Harold nodded, feeling the ruins pulsing weakly beyond the wall. "The Goldcrests betrayed Yano for a reason," Harold murmured while his beasts analyzed the excavation. "Whatever’s down there must be more valuable than Yino imagines." Soon they would discover exactly what was important enough to risk everything. ♢♢♢♢ "There are ancient ruins under the school!" Ren explained while running, still dragging Taro like a kite in his wake. "Ruins?" Min had to raise his voice to be heard while trying to keep pace. "How do you know?" "I can feel them!" Ren turned a corner without slowing. "From the caves to the academy there’s an impenetrable crystallized mana wall surrounding them… that… everyone probably thinks as part of the natural cave’s structure!" "Slow down!" Liu almost collided with another student. "What does that have to do with wanting to escape training?" "There are leaks!" Ren grinned while his mushrooms pulsed briefly. "From the school I feel strange sensations in the mana!" "Please tell me we’re not going to try to break through an impenetrable mana wall!" Taro pleaded while bouncing behind Ren. "No! There must be some entrances!" Ren jumped over a bench with surprising agility, dragging Taro with him. "With my new level I can feel them better than before, though still not with total precision!" "What about the director?" Taro managed to ask between bounces. "The staff? Don’t they know about these ruins?" "They probably do!" Ren dodged a group of sleepy students. "Maybe they’ve already explored them! But there’s something strange, a powerful sensation down there and I need to know what it is!" "I bet you’re thinking: We’ll find out if they’re explored when we get there!" Min guessed the thought, already knowing how his friend’s mind worked. Liu finally stopped, leaning against a wall while catching his breath. "Ok, that’s too much, I actually have the first class!" he raised his hands in surrender. "I’ll miss this suicide mission, sorry!" "Don’t forget to absorb your crystal today!" Ren shouted over his shoulder without stopping. The mine entrance appeared before them. The guard nodded at his post, fighting against early morning drowsiness. "Good morning," Ren greeted casually while dragging a disheveled Taro toward registration. The guard barely managed to keep his eyes open while scribbling their names. "So early today?" "The early worm catches the crystal!" Ren grinned, causing Min to roll his eyes at the made-up saying. They had barely finished registering when Ren accelerated again, practically flying toward the lower tunnels. Stay tuned to freewebnovel

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