Chapter 327

Chapter 327: Chapter 327


Aaron moved forward, slowly, one foot at a time. He didn’t want to fall into any trap by moving too fast. Though he wanted to exit this place as soon as possible, he didn’t want to end up dead by falling into some trap that could be avoided.


It would be embarrassing if he were found dead in a ditch that could have been easily avoided. He might be dead to care about such things at that time, but now his living mind couldn’t help but shiver thinking about such things.


The reason he had to be careful was that he couldn’t see much in front of him. Only a meter or so from his position was visible to him. For some reason, everything around him was dark. So, he could only move with caution.


It was also one of the reasons he thought he was inside the ruins, rather than in some other place.


Not every place has restrictions such as these.


With his rank and attributes so high, he should have been capable of watching things happening even kilometres away. However, he didn’t usually do that, as that could put strain on his eyes, maybe even on his mind, as he might watch some things that others shouldn’t see.


During the battles, though, he makes use of his strength without any issue. He was trying to do that now, but was restricted.


Even so, he had to move, the only way he could ever find a way out of this place, as he couldn’t see anything remotely useful to get out of this place near his position.


---


Aaron moved slowly. First, it was just dirt, but soon, he came upon some ruined blocks pasted into the walls on either side. There were writings on them, but he had no idea what those writings meant. They are in a language that he has never seen before.


"Well, it is a ruin from another world. So, thinking that they have the same language as us, that would be ridiculous", Aaron muttered as he moved, but not before recording what he saw.


Though he has no idea what they are, as long as he submits them to the alliance, they could reward him for the effort, if he could escape, that is.


A few hours later, he reached what appeared to be the end of the tunnel.


At the end of the tunnel, or what appeared to be the end, there was a portal. It was not a temporary portal, but a gateway —a permanent one.


There was an actual gateway, and within its borders, the portal opened.


"A portal? Well, it seems this is the end of the tunnel, but if the objective was to take me wherever this portal would take me, then why was I sent to the tunnel in the first place?" Aaron wondered.


What Aaron didn’t know was that on the other side, there was no portal, but death. Anyone who moved in that direction would have faced death. No escape.


Even a Rank-5, and with ridiculous attributes like him, would have ended up dead, something that he has no idea about. This was something Aaron would never learn about due to his luck.


At the moment, he was gazing at the portal that had come into existence with his presence, pondering what to do or maybe what not to do.


Though he has no idea where it would lead him, he has no other choice but to enter. So, Aaron pulled himself together and entered the portal, hoping it wasn’t a mistake that would end his life.


---


At the same time...



"Are you sure that the boy disappeared after touching this stone?" a burly man asked the young girl who was standing in front of him.


The girl was none other than Mary, who called for help as soon as Aaron disappeared into the portal.


Mary sighed with frustration, "How many times should I say that? I was only a feet away as always. We are both looking for anything that would be out of place. It was then he called out for me as he saw something odd".


"He was crouching near it, and before I came near, he touched it, when a portal opened, and swallowed him before closing".


Mary was frustrated with the constant questioning from the so-called superiors.


When they were sent out to search for any unusual objects that could be either the key or provide clues to its location, they were divided into groups to cover a large area.


Large groups are then divided into smaller groups, which are further divided into teams of two. Mary and Aaron belonged to the same team. This was done based on how familiar you are with each other. Known members make the work of a team easier.


Five teams answer to a leader, who is considered the small group leader, who in turn answers to a large group leader, who answers to the one who oversaw the exploration of the ruins as a whole.


When the incident occurred, she informed her immediate leader, who asked her three times about that to confirm what she had said. Then came the one above, and that one, too, has asked the same question multiple times. It went on till now, where the burly man, who was the overseer of the entire ruins exploration, was standing in front of her and asking the same damn question, which frustrated her to no end.


Since she became a student of the Human God, no one ever dared to be so frustrating. Once she spoke, her words were automatically considered the truth, although they would be checked in secret. It was the same with the five human gods as well.


Although the alliance trusts them greatly, they still verify, as no matter how powerful and wealthy one is, they can still be corrupted by something or another. There is no guarantee.


She wanted to beat the man, but she knew he was stronger than her. To defeat him, she must reveal her true self, which could attract unwanted attention, something she wants to avoid.


So, she calmed down and repeated what she said before. The man nodded and then turned to the object lying before him on the ground.


As they heard that the boy had touched it, which might have triggered the opening of a portal that swallowed him, no one wanted to touch it, for fear of setting it off and suffering the consequences.


The people even cordoned it off, and posted guards around it. Until they find a way to transport it, no one is going to touch it.