Chapter 89 - True Identity
"Someone's missing…"
During the commotion caused by the chamber's discovery, the fifth member of the group had strangely disappeared. Even though Leo's eyes didn't leave him for a second, the darkness caused by the torches' concentration on the wall allowed him to quickly disappear from Leo's sight.
'As expected, something is wrong with him.'
Not every single event in a novel's world was necessarily described in the novel itself. The only reason Leo came to learn about this expedition as a reader, was because something like Jared's death was important in relation to Ray through the second heroine.
Confusingly enough, Jade's brother had met his death during the exploration of a Sword Anomaly which collapsed as a whole in the middle of the expedition.
When Leo read this part of the novel, he was similarly confused by it. Not to mention being the most normal, the guy who was the weakest of the group reported that he was the closest to the exit, allowing him to escape with the only 'gain' in the place!
Even if everything he said was true, did it really make sense for him to be the one holding to that 'gain'?
Unfortunately, even as the furious grand duke intervened, the investigation only revealed the true nature of the structure, and how it was possibly 'unstable', clearing the man of suspicion as he quickly joined a famous guild using his 'gain' to shield off the pressure.
"Hm? Where did he go?"
The stern-faced man who was rejoicing at his close acquisition of their discovery finally noticed that something was wrong, the place was just empty, why did someone disappear as soon as they found something.
"This place couldn't have… ghosts, right?"
Jared looked around with a doubtful smile as he exchanged looks with the rest, he seemed to have more to see but he swallowed back his words when saw Leo's grim face.
"I don't care about what's on the wall, but we need to move quickly and finish this exploration first before something else happens."
Leo turned his back to the rest as he directly left the rock chamber. If that guy knew something about this place then he needed to get what he came here for before someone else gets it, otherwise, he didn't know when the ceiling would come falling down on him.
"Agreed."
Even as excited as he was, the stern-faced man simply left a mark outside the rock chamber before he followed behind Leo. After all, this expedition was still his responsibility, he couldn't lower his guard just because he obtained his target.
"Just… What is this place?"
As the group that had been reduced to four made their forward, the number of empty chambers seemed to be decreasing as they would find random livelihood items lying around.
From books to clothes or even stale food, nothing seemed to point to the identity of a Sword Anomaly in the very least, the group's findings only added to their confusion.
"Ugh. Another box…"
Entering another chamber to find another wooden chest, the guild member held his nose in preparation for the smell of rot. If not for his obligation to explore the place, he would rather leave it unopened. However…
What he expected didn't come to his sight, rather, the brightness blew his eyes wide open!
"Are these Gold Swords?"
Jared stared alongside the rest in confusion, the chest had over 100 gold coins, but that wasn't the shocking part. The group felt like they were going on a treasure hunt instead of a Sword Anomaly expedition!
"Just put them in something and let's move on. I have an uneasy feeling about this place."
However, Leo was far from interested in the gold or the identity of the place as he already knew. According to the succeeding investigation initiated by the grand duke even after the case was closed, this place wasn't just a normal underground structure.
His identity wasn't confirmed, but the investigator deduced that it was actually an underground hideout of a Swordsman from the turbulent age of conflict. As such, this 'dungeon loot' that they kept picking up as they advanced forward made sense to Leo.
Most importantly, with the appearance of something valuable like a chest of gold coins, Leo felt that they were getting closer to his 'target'. While that seemed like a reason to celebrate, Leo was anxious about not being the only one that's getting closer.
In a situation where death could come 'falling' at you at any moment, Leo refused to waste any additional moment of time before he left this place.
"Right, we should split them up after we leave."
Naturally, even if he didn't know as much as Leo, the strange vibe of this place coupled with the first disappearance got to everyone including the guild member. So, he quickly transferred the coins into a sack and tied it to his back before they went forward.
With the chambers growing smaller and fewer in number, the group finally made their way to what seemed to be the 'end' of the road. Only one rock chamber stood before them with no more space to advance.
"Was someone living here?"
The stern-faced man appeared to have finally caught up when he observed the insides of the rock chamber. He had some doubts that were confused by the randomness, but this spot almost made him sure!
There were all kinds of broken swords on the ground while the walls were covered by sword marks as if someone was training here. Moreover, there were even some specific items in two of the chamber's corners.
One corner had some light armor with all kinds of scratches on it, but the group's eyes were concentrated on the other corner. For the first time since entering this place, they have finally found something that one would expect to find within a 'Sword Anomaly'!
The corner had a wooden container that looked like a weapon rack, but something on it finally triggered the group's Sword Breath senses!
"An Ascended Sword!"
The guild member's eyes glowed as he announced his guess with a face full of smiles, coming here wasn't a waste after all!
However, amid the elation, grim words were suddenly spoken out in a heavy tone.
"I suggest you come out of hiding now."