As Azrael, Luo Bingqing, and Elyara looked into the distance from the high cliff, a chill ran down their spines and their bodies tensed instinctively.
On the horizon, in every direction, they could clearly see the boundary of the ruins, and beyond that boundary lay nothing but pitch-black space filled with violent spatial turbulence.
The size of Ancient Ruins depended on their rank. An Epic-level ruin could span approximately one million square kilometers. This one, however, was smaller, covering only about forty thousand square kilometers of area.
Beyond that area, there was nothing but violent spatial turbulence strong enough to tear apart even the bodies of Epic-level monsters.
But it wasn't the turbulence that made them uneasy— it was what they saw beyond the cliffs surrounding them. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelꞁire.net
"Just what kind of place is this?" Elyara asked in a grim voice, her eyes fixed on a mountain about ten kilometers away from their location.
Unlike a normal mountains, this one was made entirely of skeletons belonging to countless different creatures. The skeletal mountain rose nearly one hundred meters high, and the bones it was composed of belonged to humans, monsters, and various other beings.
What chilled their hearts even more was that it wasn't the only one. Though they couldn't see the entirety of the ruins, from their vantage point alone, they could already make out nearly ten such skeletal mountains, all massive in scale, giving a very eerie vibe.
"Just from these mountains of skeletons, we can assume that tens of thousands of creatures have died here," Luo Bingqing muttered, his voice low and tense.
Azrael was also stunned at such a sight, but he quickly composed himself and shifted his focus to other observations.
Because he had studied the Ancient Ruins during his time at the academy, he wasn't surprised when he saw the boundaries of the ruins and the spatial turbulence beyond as he knew that the size of ruins depended entirely on their rank.
Activating True Focus to heighten his vision, he noticed many monsters scattered across the land, some moving alone, others in groups.
Though the sight excited him, since monsters were key to increasing his level with the help of rule stone while inside the ruins, his attention remained on something else.
'I can't see anything special.' He muttered inwardly.
He wanted to locate the source of the strange pull he had felt before entering.
Yet, ever since he had stepped inside the ruins through the portal, the sound of chains rattling in his mind had vanished, leaving him without any clue of where to go next.
"This place is very dangerous…" Elyara said after a long silence, her tone serious.
Luo Bingqing nodded in agreement.
Azrael did not deny their words, but he had no intention of turning back.
"We should head toward the core area of the ruins," Azrael said after failing to identify any key location from the cliff.
From what he had read in books, he knew that most Ancient Ruins always contained a key area.
All of the most valuable treasures and secrets were usually hidden there, and in nearly every case, this area was located in the very center of the ruins.
Since he couldn't locate the source of the strange attraction, Azrael reasoned that it might be in the core area.
"You still want to explore this place?" Luo Bingqing asked, his expression visibly stunned.
Elyara didn't speak, but the frown on her face made it clear she was also having second thoughts after seeing the skeletal mountains.
The land already felt eerie, with its crimson soil and the heavy stench of blood hanging in the air. Now, faced with thousands of skeletons forming mountains, it was only natural for them to feel hesitant about exploring further.
"You two are afraid?" Azrael asked in a tone of mild surprise. "I don't know what you were expecting, but from what I know, Ancient Ruins have always been dangerous places. If you came here thinking it would be like a casual walk in the park, then you should probably turn back now."
Luo Bingqing and Elyara's eyes twitched at his words. Even though they knew he was deliberately provoking them, they couldn't hold back their reactions.
"Who said anything about going back? But I think heading straight to the core would be very dangerous for us," Elyara countered, pointing toward the central direction of the ruins.
"You might not be able to see it, but there are a lot of Epic-level monsters over there."
Azrael raised an eyebrow at her words. With True Focus, he could see the monsters, but he couldn't gauge their exact levels, but from Elyara's statement, however, it seemed that not only could she see them from here, but she could even identify their levels.
"I know going directly to the core is dangerous," Azrael admitted. "But it's only dangerous because we aren't strong enough. What if we increase our levels before heading there?"
Both Luo Bingqing and Elyara froze, recalling what Azrael had told them earlier.
"I want to test your method first before making a decision," Luo Bingqing said after some thought. "If it's true that you have a way to raise our levels without harming our source cores, I don't mind going to the core area with you. But if your method isn't as effective as you claim, then I'd rather stick to exploring the outer areas. The center will be the most dangerous place."
Elyara nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same thoughts.
"Alright," Azrael said, unfazed by their cautiousness.
"Let's go down. I will sho—"
His words were cut short when a piercing bird cry echoed through the air. All three of them turned and saw a massive yellow bird with a wingspan of nearly ten meters flying toward them from the distance.
Azrael's eyes narrowed as he sensed that the creature was a level 27 Epic-level monster.
"Well," He muttered, tightening his grip on Fallen Star, "it seems like we don't need to go anywhere."