Chapter 193: Ruby doesn’t want to explore with me.

For someone in my position, any object left behind by a Level 2 Official Mage could be considered a priceless treasure. It could not be easily purchased, after all, Level 1 Official Mages of the Light element would certainly kill me to get their hands on such an item.

After roughly determining the location of the ancient ruined city, I immediately began planning how I could get there and discover the true situation.

The region was located in the innermost areas of the superficial layers of the Subterranean Cave.

In a straight line, the distance between that location and the surface was approximately twenty miles.

However, that information did not mean much.

In the Subterranean World, a straight-line distance was merely a convenient illusion.

Between me and my destination were hundreds of tunnels.

And, above all, countless creatures that probably would not hesitate to turn me into food.

If I really intended to explore that region without adequate preparation, it would be no different from placing my own body on a food tray and handing it directly to the predators of the Subterranean World.

Therefore, I spent the following days preparing.

In the meantime, Ruby was particularly busy. I saw her less and less.

She spent most of the day working to improve her overall strength and, whenever I asked what she was doing, I received only vague answers.

When I finally found an opportunity to tell her about my plan, I expected her reaction to be predictable.

Ruby was usually impulsive.

If I told her that I had found a dangerous region filled with unknown creatures, my expectation was that she would smile and immediately respond.

"When are we leaving?"

But, this time, she simply listened to me.

When I finished explaining everything, Ruby remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she calmly replied.

—I’ve found a way to improve my combat strength.

—That’s not a problem, after all, you’ll also become stronger there by going with me on this exploration.

—George, now is not the time.

—So, you’re refusing an expedition to the ruins of a Level 2 Official Mage?

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After insisting for a long time.

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—George, stop!!!!

—I said I’m busy!!!

I remained silent.

Then I smiled slightly.

If Ruby didn’t want to come, I couldn’t force her, after all, I still didn’t have enough power to slap her in the face and force her to obey me, but in the future this would be different, because she was my woman.

And every woman should be obedient to her man.

Before leaving, I temporarily handed control of Raticati over to Ruby.

—Keep an eye on him.

Ruby looked at the little rat, and found him particularly cute.

After that, I focused all my attention on the preparations.

When I finally considered everything ready, I went to visit Rustil.

Naturally, I did not reveal my true objective.

—I’m going to the Subterranean World to mine some Obscurus crystals.

It was a reasonable excuse.

Mining magical materials in that region was relatively common.

Rustil did not show much interest.

He simply wished me good luck.

That was exactly what I wanted.

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Some time later...

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Honestly speaking, the Subterranean Cave was not a suitable place for traveling.

Much less for sightseeing.

The first sensation that any surface creature experienced upon entering that world was oppression.

A constant psychological pressure.

No matter how many times I looked at the ceiling of the tunnel, I could not forget a single thing.

Above my head were thousands of tons of earth and rock. All it would take was a bit of bad luck and, before I could react, I would be crushed. Fortunately, the chances of that happening were small.

Besides, three Black Rock Basilisks were stored in my belt.

If I really encountered an enemy that I could not avoid, I did not intend to hold back and would release all three Basilisks at the same time.

If that still wasn’t enough...

Well, in that case, I would probably already be facing a much bigger problem than I had planned for, and I certainly would not have time to react and would die before even releasing the Basilisks.

As for the two Water-element Spiritual Cores and the two Wind-element Spiritual Cores, their designs were still not complete.

The biochip continued refining the magical matrices.

I estimated that, by the time I returned from that expedition, I would have enough results to begin constructing a new golem.

For now, I would have to rely on what I already possessed.

Upon entering the boundaries of the Subterranean Cave, I ordered the Giant Shark King to start moving.

The golem soon plunged into the ground.

Even though I had already traveled that way before, it was still difficult to completely get used to it.

Everything was slowly displaced as we followed the direction indicated by the map.

Every certain distance, however, I ordered the creature to emerge into some random tunnel.

I confirmed our location.

Checked the map.

And then we returned underground.

It was the safest method I had found.

After a little more than three hours, we had already reached approximately ten miles in depth.

But there was a problem.

The deeper we descended, the slower our journey became.

Large ore deposits appeared along the way.

Some rock formations were too dense, while others possessed magical properties that interfered with movement.

Within that absolute darkness, my magical sense also had limitations.

Even while using the biochip, my effective detection range did not exceed approximately twenty meters.

Trying to find a direct route to the destination under these circumstances was extremely difficult.

After colliding with rock walls a few times and being forced to change direction, I finally made a decision.

I ordered the Giant Shark King to emerge.

We entered a tunnel.

Traveling through paths that had already been excavated by subterranean creatures was much more efficient than trying to randomly carve a path through an ocean of stone.

I was sitting on the back of the Giant Shark King, protected by a thick and sturdy cloak.

My eyes were hidden behind a pair of protective goggles.

Through them, the biochip completely altered my perception.

The dark world became green.

Even in regions where an ordinary human would be unable to see their own hand in front of their face, I could clearly distinguish the terrain.

And there was something even more important.

The auras.

Within my field of vision, any creature that possessed energy or a life aura left behind a signature.

The elemental particles glowed in different colors.

Even when a creature was hidden behind a large stalagmite...

Or trapped inside a crevice...

Its presence could still be perceived.

Physically, it could possess perfect camouflage.

But hiding its energy signature was another matter.

The weaker enemies were simple.

An earth spear appeared in the Hunter Knight’s hand.

SCHAAK!

The hidden creature was pierced before it even understood what was happening.

Its body trembled.

Hot blood exploded against the wall.

And its life signature disappeared.

The slightly stronger enemies received different treatment.

I released a Black Rock Basilisk.

And used its gigantic and resilient body to crush the enemy.

During that journey, the region’s solitary predators had a rather unpleasant experience.

However, the solitary predators were not the real problem.

The colonies were.

On several occasions, my map and the biochip’s readings revealed enormous groups of creatures.

Even though I possessed enough Golems to fight, I had no intention of starting an unnecessary battle.

If those creatures attacked with all their strength, I could still win, but I would expend energy and certainly alert all the other tunnels around us.

Therefore, whenever I encountered a large colony, I would detour around it and continue heading toward my destination.

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POV Leader of the Satyrs of the Subterranean World.

A thin body slowly rose.

It was an old Satyr.

His body was thin.

Apparently too old to fight.

Few muscles remained in his arms.

An old black dagger hung from his waist.

And his horse-like legs seemed barely capable of supporting his own weight.

But his eyes...

His eyes were different.

When he narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction where George had disappeared, a cold presence began to emanate from his body.

The air around him seemed to freeze.

From the shadows, a figure appeared.

—Leader.

—That human is heading toward the ruins.

For a few seconds, there was only silence.

Then two small flames began to burn in the old Satyr’s eyes.

—Let him pass.

The figure was surprised.

—Leader?

—He is only a Level 3 acolyte.

—There isn’t much he can do down there.

—Further below is the territory of the Chameleon Demi-Humans.

—Those bastards use their numerical advantage to prevent us from approaching the ruins.

—Let the little acolyte enter.

—Perhaps he will cause them some trouble.

The shadow bowed its head.

—Understood.

—Keep the sentinels away.

—Yes, Leader.

The next instant, the figure dissolved back into the darkness.

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POV George Gill - MC

I continued moving forward.

Deeper and deeper.

But, for some reason, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

I could not shake off an unpleasant feeling.

I looked behind me.

—Where did this bad omen come from?

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