(Two chapters in one. Please vote with your double monthly tickets!)
Before Raphael was a natural cave, with some crystals in its corners.
Apart from being a little larger, there was nothing special about it.
"I can only take you this far," Botis, the Saint of Secrets, said.
His expression was grave. "Be careful. Return immediately once you have the Sealed Artifact."
Mr. C acknowledged him and beckoned everyone deeper into the cave.
Thanks to the enhancements they had gained at the Shadow Ascetic Sequence, they could see the path ahead clearly even in a pitch-black cave.
Raphael's night vision was also just about sufficient here, so none of them used torches or anything else for illumination.
Raphael glanced around at the dark recesses of the cave. He felt that Saint Tenebrous, and perhaps even the leader of the Aurora Order, were hiding in the shadows, quietly observing them.
For a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact like this, the Aurora Order could not possibly have dispatched only one Saint.
But Raphael soon withdrew his gaze, because a faint murmur began sounding in his ears. They must have entered the actual ruins.
Mr. C, who was leading the way, warned them, "Try to ignore the murmurs. Although they don't affect us much, listening closely will still make you lose control and turn into a monster."
Everyone acknowledged him and hurried after him.
After roughly ten to twenty minutes, Mr. C raised a hand, and everyone quickly stopped.
Then Mr. C told Raphael, "Send a zombie ahead to scout."
Raphael nodded and sent a zombie about ten meters ahead of the group.
After only a few steps, the zombie suddenly swayed, then melted before their eyes like a candle burning down in an instant.
Raphael thought, *You fucking did that on purpose, didn't