Chapter 52:

Chapter 52:

Not too far from a small door, a boy and girl stood and exchanged glances.

Shall we go now?

Yeah.

May nodded in response to Abels question, and it had already been ten minutes since they first spotted the door. Initially, they would go in right away, but since they didnt know what was beyond the door, they decided it was best to rest a little, even if it was dangerous. Regardless, it was time to move again.

Whoa.

Abel let out a short breath and grabbed the doorknob. Abel didnt know what was beyond this door. It was a ruin that he had been to dozens of times in the game, but now he had no clue what to expect.

The entrance we followed was a passageway I had never seen in the game.

Because of that, he couldnt tell exactly where he was in the ruins and didnt see anything to pinpoint his location as he moved on. And at the very end, he ran like. Even if they brought in someone else who was a better gamer than Abel, he would have no clue what was behind the door.

I hope there is nothing dangerous in there.

Abel thought and gathered his thoughts as he slowly pulled the door open.

Crrrrek-. nove(l)bi(n.)com

The door was slightly firm, so it took quite a bit of force to open. Abel heard the door scrape against the floor, and he peered through it with a nervous look. The first thing that caught his eye was the long pathway. Then he spotted a strange painting drawn on one side of the walls.

Thats it!

Abel had to control his expression as soon as he saw it, this was because May was right next to him, and she might find it strange. Abel pointed to the open door with a grim face before speaking.

Lets go. It doesnt look like there are any traps.

Okay.

May nodded and followed Abel through the door. At first glance, the drawing on the wall looked like a child had done it. But Abel knew precisely what it was.

Its actually a message.

It was a message with a deep connection to the ruins, meaning they had reached a specific section of the ruins.

The Trial Zone.

Here, the ruins were divided into three zones. Zone 1 is where they had just left, and it is commonly referred to as the Labyrinth. Right now, they were in the second zone, the Trial Zone.

So, for Abel, this was not a bad thing, and it was actually a very good thing. Thanks to his unintended detour, hed made it through the Labyrinth Zone faster than expected. However, he couldnt be too happy about it:

In terms of difficulty, this zone is harder than Zone 1.

Zone 2 was not a place you could pass simply by luck. If you dont meet the various conditions, you might continue to wander around, no matter how quickly you cleared Zone 1. However, thats the case for an average person, not Abel.

Firstly, the difficulty of this zone plummets when one condition has been met: the ability to interpret the text. Initially, youd have to bring a character with special abilities to the area, but Abel found that inefficient, so he deciphered the in-game messages and memorized them.

These are texts.

Huh?

Looking at the text engraved on the wall, May looked puzzled by Abels words. Abel continued shamelessly without changing his expression.

The ruins I visited before had the same thing; I can do some simple interpretation.

You can interpret?

I learned it while looking over my shoulder.

Is that even possible?

It was because at that time if I knew one more thing, I had a better chance of surviving.

When Abel used his history as an orphan to prevent him from getting caught there, May fell silent, although he had learned it by staying up all night for several nights to make the game easier

Abel slowly deciphered the text.

He who embraces the fire sees on high. Worship sincerely, and the path will be opened.

.What does that mean?

I dont know the hidden meaning. Is it a riddle?

Abel feigned ignorance, but in reality, he already knew the answer.

Its open! May, come in like I did!

May, who had been watching nervously, looked determined at Abels words. May Crawled forward, flat on her stomach. Luckily, the statue didnt react until she reached Abels side.

Whoa.

May breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she arrived. Although she always had a calm personality, she was really nervous this time around.

Looks like Ive seen more of you today than I have in the months weve spent at the Academy.

Abel thought and pointed toward the door.

Do you want me to go first this time?

No. You dont look well.

May shook her head firmly, and Abel smiled awkwardly at her. In reality, his physical condition was still down, to put it mildly. It was better than it had been when hed meditated, but the pain was slowly creeping back up because he had to move again, pushing himself hard just after a little rest.

Okay. Ill be right behind you, then.

Alright .

Beneath the open door was a ladder. May glanced at the statue and carefully placed her foot on the ladder. Abel waited a moment, then did the same and climbed down the ladder. The ladder was long, and they were halfway down when something occurred in the surroundings.

Pah, pah, pah

Their surrounding area suddenly lit up. Abel looked down and saw that May had already reached the bottom, and he eagerly climbed down and soon found himself on the ground as well, looking around.

Its wider here. Too wide to be just an east road for pedestrians.

The old pathway wasnt exactly narrow either. He could pick up a Tito-class gigant and still operate it, but this place was more than that.

Theres only one direction to go.

May said, quietly looking around.

Thats right. Its good because we dont have to worry about which way to go.

Were probably heading deeper.

Abel paused for a moment at Mays words before answering.

I guess so.

It must be too late to.turn back now. The passage in the middle also collapsed.

May said, looking up at the ladder and then lowering her head again,

Theres a way out at the end of the ruins. Do you know that?

Yes.

Do you think we can get there?

Abel suddenly realized that May was shaking slightly. May always looked dazed, and in reality, this image of her was surreal.

May is the kind of person who doesnt freak out much, no matter what. But that wasnt because she was inherently a strong person; it was just a defense mechanism to protect herself from the memories of her past, and the current situation was a reminder of those memories. So Abel spoke with conviction.

Im sure we can.

Really?

Of course, Im sure well come back with some great artifacts.

At his deliberate exaggeration, May looked puzzled for a moment and then smiled softly.

Yeah. I hope so.

Alright, then lets go.

Ill lead the way.

You dont have to.

Its easier that way. If you get hurt, Ill have to help you again.

Okay .

The two walked forward, making small conversations.

[To be continued.]