Biological Laboratory

Once he was certain all traps had been fully triggered, Ryan carefully inspected the area around the steel gate. Only after ensuring there was no risk did he signal for Jelona and the others to approach.

Ryan looked up to examine the thick, metallic-lustered steel gate. This massive, three-man-tall door stood at the end of the corridor, cast entirely from a reddish-purple metal. Its blood-red surface was etched with intricate reliefs depicting a wizard tower and various legendary creatures.

To Ryan's eyes, the gate already displayed the luxury and grandeur of the ancient magical empire in its minute details: the heavy, ancient door was forged from a special crimson iron-steel. Despite being buried deep beneath the mountains for thousands of years after a complex enchantment process, it remained as smooth as new, without a single speck of rust, showcasing both the allure of steel and the wonders of magic.

Deep beneath layers of mountain rock and soil, the blood-red vermilion gate felt as cold and eerie as a gateway to a bottomless, sanguine abyss, sending shivers down one's spine.

Ryan tapped the gate a few times with the base of his staff. The sound of metal striking metal was low and clear. Ryan silently estimated that, based on magical detection and the resonance of the sound, the steel gate was at least three feet thick. Relying on brute force, it was unlikely anyone present could force it open.

Ryan stared at a recessed notch in the center of the sealed vermilion gate, pondering for a moment before turning to his companions, who were busy examining the metallic structure. "Since this is a trial, it's impossible for it to be a dead end. Everyone, search the surroundings and see if there are any clues."

The other three responded in turn, scattering to carefully observe and search the area around the gate. Ryan glanced at the sealed steel gate before him and began to inspect the surroundings with his staff in hand.

Only now did Ryan feel like he was truly adventuring in ruins. In an ancient, gloomy dungeon, adventurers and their companions would carry torches and blades through corridors, disarm traps, clear obstacles, and finally face a boss to slay monsters, only to return home amidst intense battles to claim rewards and honor, and marry a noble, beautiful princess.

However, those were merely the wishful fantasies of the corporate slaves from his past life who lived in peace and tranquility. The real otherworld was far more cruel and dark than those people, who didn't know how lucky they were, could ever imagine.

Unlike the plots in the anime and games of Ryan's past life, adventurers in Faerûn rarely looked forward to encountering living beings or bosses while exploring ruins. Deep, dark underground ruins were usually home only to dangerous monsters and cold, undead creatures, which meant a harrowing, brutal battle and a pale, gray, eternal slumber.

Suddenly, Arata let out a cry of surprise, shouting, "You guys come over here, I found something!"

Hearing this, Ryan and Jelona immediately moved toward the barbarian. They saw the large, burly man squatting in a corner to the left of the gate, seemingly digging at something on the ground with his hands.

Seeing this, Ryan curiously asked Arata, "Arata, what are you looking at?"

Arata pulled with all his might, and losing his balance, he nearly sat flat on the floor. The barbarian stood up, held the object high in the air, and a simple, joyful smile appeared on his face as he said, "Look, I found a treasure!"

Ryan carefully examined the item in the barbarian's hand. It was a pure, flawless white crystal, shaped like a water droplet, which was now shimmering brightly under the illumination of the Light Spell at the tip of Ryan's staff.

Ryan looked at the item, then back at the recessed notch on the steel gate. There was no doubt this was the key needed to open the door. Ryan asked Arata, "Arata, where did you find this?"

"I was just about to go to the side to relieve myself—no, I mean, while I was searching, I tripped over this thing. I thought it was just a protruding rock, but after looking closely, I realized it was something strange."

The barbarian chuckled foolishly, which made the dwarf shield-warrior, who prided himself on being an exploration expert and a tunnel-delving pro, feel incredibly frustrated, feeling depressed at the sheer dumb luck of this simpleton.

Ryan, however, was quite pleased. He took the droplet-shaped crystal from the barbarian and examined it closely in his hand, only to be surprised to find that, with his own knowledge base, he couldn't immediately determine the material of the crystal.

The droplet in his hand looked like a crystal-clear, colorless crystal, but it lacked the sharp hardness of a gemstone. Instead, it had a soft texture, feeling as if he were stroking the finest, thin, and supple silk.

However, the priority now was not to investigate the material of this strange crystal. Amidst the expectant and curious gazes of his companions, Ryan placed the crystal into the notch on the gate. The shape fit perfectly, just as Ryan had anticipated; the notch on the gate held the crystal snugly, leaving no gaps.

As the crystal was embedded into the notch, it seemed to be injected with energy and immediately activated. A beam of light shone from the flawless crystal onto the door, and the complex patterns on the vermilion gate began to light up one by one, with wisps of radiance flowing across the reliefs.

Seeing this strange phenomenon, the group picked up their weapons and stood ready, fearing some new disaster might occur.

Unexpectedly, no magic or traps were triggered this time. A screen of light manifested in the air, appearing directly before them.

At the same time, the cold, mechanical voice Ryan had heard at the entrance of the ruins sounded once more: "You are about to enter Biological Laboratory Sector One. Access list verification in progress. No corresponding subject found. Connecting to main hub archives. Inheritance mode activated. Entry permitted. Please solve the Level 3 security lock to obtain qualifications."

Ryan listened quietly to the mechanical voice. When he heard "no corresponding subject," he gripped his staff tightly, but he let out a sigh of relief when he heard that entry was permitted.

Ryan looked at the magical security lock on the light screen and exhaled. He handed his staff to Jelona, who looked at the puzzle with a helpless expression, and began the decryption work with practiced ease.

Thanks to Yefalin's twisted sense of humor, every time Ryan had to go see her, he had to endure all sorts of magical trials—sometimes complex magical locks, other times teleportation traps. The elder sister-figure and master mage, who was proficient in the school of divination, always took great pleasure in watching Ryan struggle.

Yefalin would watch the young man before her door go from clumsy to familiar, from being tricked repeatedly to handling things with ease. Feeling the growth of her proud disciple, the unreliable, free-spirited teacher—who was not exactly a model mentor—always found joy and amusement in it.

As the one being tricked—having been sent by a teleportation portal to the freezing, bone-chilling ocean to swim for two days to get back to shore (at a time when Ryan hadn't yet learned the Fly spell), being insulted by a harmless but face-blackening small fireball after failing to unlock a magical lock, and having been turned into an orange cat for a day and a night by a malicious Polymorph spell only to be forced to endure being petted—Ryan could say that any normal person would have made rapid progress in the application of magic after such experiences.

However, even for Ryan, who had come through such unspeakable tempering, the security lock on the light screen was somewhat tricky. The work of ancient arcanists always differed from the magic of the current Faerûn. It wasn't that the older it was, the more powerful it was; magic was always advancing, driven by various spell-crazed masters. Ryan never fell for the heresy that ancient magic was inherently superior.

It was just that compared to the current magical system, ancient magic had some differences in structure and design, with its own merits and flaws in conceptual design. After observing and attempting a few times, Ryan finally found the path to success through the "system's" induction and comparison.

Jelona held Ryan's sapphire staff, watching the handsome side profile of the blonde youth as he focused intently on the light screen. There was a unique charm to someone who poured their heart into a task.

Time drifted away like yellow sand slipping through fingertips. As Ryan drew the final stroke, the light screen before him flickered and vanished.

"Beep. Security lock disengaged. Welcome to Biological Laboratory Sector One. Friendly reminder: please read the laboratory management regulations and precautions before entering. The use of precious specimens requires the submission of an application!"

As the words fell, a series of creaking mechanical sounds echoed from the gate and the depths of the rock walls on both sides. Ryan felt the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly. With this vibration, the steel gate slowly pulled open to both sides.

Ryan listened to the familiar prompt with a sense of nostalgia, as if he had returned to those carefree days in the ivory tower where he could even have fun in the laboratory. However, upon recalling the insane deeds of that predecessor, he couldn't help but think, What the hell.

"Everyone, stay alert! Be careful!" Ryan took back his staff, ready to cast spells at any moment, and stared solemnly at the opened vermilion steel gate.

This time, it was the dwarf shield-warrior's turn to take the lead, moving cautiously at the very front with his tower shield raised. The four of them scanned their surroundings vigilantly and stepped into the laboratory behind the gate.

However, there were no "door-opening ambushes" or insidious traps as Ryan had guessed. As the four stepped into the spacious room, accompanied by a "buzzing" sound, the indoor light sources were fully activated, and the vast room instantly became as bright as day.

Yet, the presence and the scene within the laboratory left Ryan and his group feeling as if they had fallen into an abyss, their hands and feet turning cold. The four stood dumbfounded in the room, as if they had witnessed something terrifying, dark, and deep that had existed since the dawn of time.

The thick-skinned dwarf looked at the hellish scene before him, his mouth agape in a daze, and he muttered, "By Moradin's beard, what in the world is all this?"