Chapter 381: Arrival at the Deepest Gate of the Ruins
After a brief rest, the group set out once more.
It was the same five-to-one ratio as before.
But this time, Eber was clearly a lot more laid-back, casually leading the way ahead.
With their squad’s strength, even without Yuliya, they would face no real pressure as long as they avoided provoking those boss-level monsters lurking in the Eighth Layer.
True, Eber might seem like a minor player in Yuliya’s eyes, but among Gold Level adventurers, he was definitely top-notch.
Plus, the cooperation among the five of them was excellent; even if they bumped into a boss, they might not necessarily lose.
However, they had goals deeper down and weren’t going to bother picking fights for no reason.
As for the lower layers, once they hit the Emerald Level, their squad’s strength would look a little… lacking.
Let’s see how this BYD (Big Yellow Dinosaur) operates.
Eber took them on a long detour, going around quite a bit, while Yuliya silently memorized every step, mentally constructing a map.
Finally, they reached their destination.
In a corner, there was a deep pit.
“This leads directly to the next layer,” Eber stated dramatically.
The five of them peered in; it was pitch black—nothing was visible.
But from Yuliya’s senses, it was about fifty meters deep.
After fifty meters, there was indeed solid ground, which, considering the structure of the ruins, should correspond to the Ninth Layer.
This left Yuliya speechless.
She was hoping to see how they would reach the next layer, only to find out the simplest method—digging a hole.
A hole nearly fifty meters deep!
“Is this a hole left by earlier explorers?”
Eber replied mysteriously, “Yes, it’s a path provided by my information channel.”
“How on earth do you dig a hole like this? It must be quite the challenge.”
This was a ruin, not outside.
Digging a hole thirty or even a hundred meters outside might be troublesome, but it could be done with enough manpower.
Yet, inside the ruins, there were rules. Some terrains could regenerate, others were indestructible, and some, if damaged, could trigger massive collapses.
Under such circumstances, digging a fifty-meter hole was no small feat.
You had to find the right spot, prevent terrain regeneration, and break through the barriers between layers.
Not something just anyone could accomplish.
Yuliya could do it, but it would be labor-intensive—she’d be better off taking the normal route.
Others capable of doing this would find taking the regular route much easier too.
In other words, someone went through a lot of trouble to dig this hole.
It wouldn’t be done out of boredom or because they were well-fed and looking for trouble—there had to be some ulterior motive.
“Don’t tell me the way from the Ninth Layer to the Tenth Layer is also like this?”
“Exactly!” Eber replied with a bright smile, “Isn’t this safer and more convenient for us?”
“Well, that makes sense. No wonder you were so confident about finding the hidden layer in the Tenth Layer.” Yuliya nodded in agreement.
“Then let’s all go down!”
With that, Eber leaped down first.
Rowlin and Dora followed closely behind.
Then the three backliners jumped down, with Yuliya leading the pack.
Controlling their speed during the few seconds of falling, they quickly caught sight of some light.
But Yuliya immediately noticed that the BYD below was ready to catch them.
As Eber lifted his head to adjust his position, Yuliya flicked her foot and tripped him hard, sending him tumbling!
Rowlin was surprised and rushed forward to catch the falling Yuliya.
“Thanks, Sister Rowlin. They’re coming too!”
Eber quickly got back up, preparing to catch again, only to trip once more…
In the end, it was girl catching girl, and they all landed safely.
This was excellent.
Yuliya sincerely reminded, “It’s too dark; be careful where you step, Captain.”
“I… Stange. I didn’t even notice what tripped me.”
Of course he wouldn’t notice! It was simply fixed space, and since Yuliya was using her magic, anyone without spatial magic talent—even a legendary figure—wouldn’t notice when they were distracted.
Eber shook his head, sighed, “Let’s go; we need to move quickly.”
They trotted through the Ninth Layer, easily avoiding an Emerald Level monster, and soon spotted another hole leading downward.
The hole was well hidden; generally, no one would notice it unless they knew what they were looking for.
This one was shallower, about twenty meters deep, and they quickly made their way through.
At last, they reached the Tenth Layer.
They had arrived at the deepest level where even Emerald Level adventurers needed to be extra cautious.
Eber became serious. “Stay close to me, and don’t fall behind.”
Yuliya wasn’t pretentious; she didn’t force him to stay five meters away.
This time, as they moved, it became evident that Eber was very familiar with this terrain.
Not just the terrain, but the distribution of monsters and their behaviors as well.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to walk straight ahead without encountering any monsters.
Several times, Yuliya sensed monsters not far around a bend ahead, but Eber simply chose to take a detour and successfully avoided them.
What kind of magnificent information channel was this? Even down to the Tenth Layer of the ruins, it seemed to provide clear instructions on how to navigate every step?
This BYD had definitely been here before, and not just once.
Since he had been here multiple times, why take others along now, pretending it was his first visit?
Yuliya kept her guard up.
Following Eber, they walked for nearly half an hour without encountering a single monster.
At last, they arrived at a door.
It was a door about two meters high.
“Here we are. Open this brass door, and after that, it’s the hidden layer.”
Yuliya stepped forward, frowning as she observed.
Just as she was about to reach out, Eber called out, “Don’t touch! We need to follow the rules; otherwise, we might trigger a barrier and all end up dead here!”
Yuliya quickly withdrew her hand but tilted her head in confusion.
A barrier? Is there a barrier here?
How did I not notice?
Alright, if you say so, I’ll believe you.
Yuliya usually wouldn’t recklessly act, but she glanced at the door and thought it looked… off.
Brass door? Is it really brass? Because it feels a bit like… gold?
If it’s gold, I’ll know the moment I touch it.
Forget it, let’s see what this guy is up to.
Eber started working his magic, pulling out six crystals he’d gotten from monster hunting in the Eighth Layer and distributing one to each person.
“This door needs us all to work together to open it, but everyone only gets one chance. If we can’t open it this time, it means the hidden layer isn’t accessible to us.”
“This crystal can counter the barrier’s response. Opening the door is simple; we just need to inject our power into it, and if the door responds to our strength, we’ll know we succeeded.”
Yuliya tilted her head and asked, “Do we all need to be together?”
“At least five people. Since we have six, let’s all do it together.”
Yuliya nodded.
At Eber’s command, everyone poured their energy into the door.
The next moment, the door swung open.
Yuliya: …
That’s it?
But her expression quickly shifted.
In her perception, the energies of the four beside her suddenly weakened significantly.
Meanwhile, Eber appeared to be unaffected at all.
In the blink of an eye, Yuliya suppressed her own energy, her face pale, mimicking the weakened expressions of the others.
(Bad news—I slacked off on my studying and now I’m in big trouble. I could use some free gifts, please!)
