Chapter 165
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The stairs continued down for quite a way before they tapered off, leaving them in a large underground space.
Artificial lights lit up their path, granting them access to the darkness below. The lights lit up in the same manner as the eerie blue lights had back in the other crack, but the lights here felt harsher. Colder, as compared to the gentle warmth that was felt from the blue lights.
The temperature was regulated, and felt like the grounds above, unlike back in the other crack between realms, where the temperature was almost chilly.
To the group of them, the place appeared barren and desolate. There was nothing growing down here, even less than in the other crack between realms.
At least there, there had been grass and whatnot, as well as the Vampiric Willows. But here, it was completely empty and barren.
However, to Alec's sight, it was another story altogether. Far from being empty, it almost overwhelmed him with the vast number that were crammed into the place.
Where the others saw nothing, Alec saw an overflowing number of runes that painted the entire place. They overlapped together, buzzing incessantly around the room.
It dazzled him briefly when he stared around the room. Blinking hard, Alec tried to clear some of them away.
When the rest of them continued walking forward, with Dominique in the front 'braving dangers', Alec's footsteps slowed as he looked around almost absentmindedly.
The place was so heavily enclosed in runes forming the most complex barrier he had ever seen.
Alec almost just wanted to stay here forever – or rather stay here in this place, until he had finished deciphering and absorbing everything from this place.
Just how had someone managed to create something of such elegance and complexity when even the sect's barrier couldn't match up to it?
Where would someone with this sort of magnitude hide? Were these here because they were hiding?
There were many questions that welled up in his mind as he looked about the place with the gentle but numerous runes.
Alec felt, not for the first time, that there was still so much more he could improve on regarding the vast world of arrays.
The delight that there was still so much to learn made his smile brighten his face. He felt like he was drunk off the runes that were vibrating in the air.
Compared to the cold lights that lit up the way for them, the runes that filled the place felt warm.
They felt kind and gentle, as if they sparkled in the dusty place. There was something archaic about it – like it had been here for a long, long time.
Not for the first time, Alec wondered just how old this place was, and what secrets it was hiding.
How was a crack in between realms formed in the first place?
While the lethal part of the barrier that had previously been keeping them out had been disabled by him, the other functions of the barrier were still in place. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
The first layer of the barrier – one that kept people out on fear of death – had been ridiculously easy. So easy that he felt like something was going to go wrong.
At this thought, Alec snapped out of his drunken, dazed state, checking Dominique's [Plot Route].
Alec's face changed when he felt the danger sense blare loudly in his mind, warning him about something.
He ran after them, realizing that he'd been unintentionally left behind.
They shouldn't have moved too far yet, so they were still safe for now. Hopefully.
Every second that passed felt almost agonizing, and with the way the runes sometimes blocked his view, Alec tripped a few times. But they eventually came into view.
The barren place before had been replaced with tiled stone flooring, and strangely, there were numerous doors littered throughout the place.
The doors all appeared different, with numerous designs and handles.
Just as they came into view, Alec's sight zeroed in on Rosabel.
Rosabel had a hand outstretched, reaching for the first doorknob.
"Stop!" Alec called out, right before her hand made contact with the doorknob.
Rosabel's fingers stuttered a little, but she stopped herself from moving altogether.
His heart thundered within his chest at the close call.
Any later and it would have been too late to avert disaster.
The group turned, only catching sight of Alec's strained smile. It was only then that they realized they left him behind earlier on.
Rosabel was still, quickly retracting her hand from where it had been just about to touch the knob.
"What's wrong?"
The smile one Alec's face widened, and even gentled as he walked up to his idiotic subordinate.
Alec gestured for her to bend down a bit, which Rosabel complied to with a question in her eyes.
Immediately, the gentle feeling that came along with Alec's saccharine smile became more intense.
Alec pulled both sides of Rosabel's cheeks, causing her to yelp.
"Owowow, ow!"
"What do you think you're doing?! Were you just going to open whatever random door without knowing whether it's safe or not?! Where are your survival instincts?!" Alec growled, his tone cool and cutting. It didn't match the smile that was still on his face.
Alec grudgingly let go of her cheeks after he felt she'd suffered enough. He hadn't pinched very hard, but Rosabel rubbed her face with a pout on her face.
"But the door is so pretty," she muttered petulantly.
Alec made to pinch her cheeks again, causing Rosabel to yelp and hide herself behind Yuki to avoid her boss' fingers. They hurt!
Vivian turned to look at her kit's reaction, and he looked a little jealous.
"That goes for the rest of you as well," Alec scolded, his smile still on his face when he turned to them.
They felt a shiver go down their spine at the vaguely threatening smile. They didn't know why it felt that way since it *was* supposed to appear gentle, but for some reason, they felt like they wouldn't like it if they didn't heed his words.
Alec huffed, seeing that they looked apologetic. Seriously. If they weren't his subordinates, he wouldn't be so gentle with them.
What had they been thinking? Just randomly going around and opening doors? Seriously! Hmph.
Not to mention, Vivian.
Vivian!
She should've known better, right?! Even if she was a fifth ranked magical beast currently, that didn't mean that she could just ignore the dangers! They were in a place that they didn't know anything about, and there were so many suspicious looking doors!
They just entered a place with a barrier that'd caused a branch to disintegrate upon coming into contact with the barrier, for goodness' sake!
Like, there were over a hundred doors of different shapes and sizes, and none of them felt that there was anything wrong with that?
This wasn't their family mansion!
This was a place underground they just so happened to find in a crack between realms. A crack between realms, where no one even knew how they formed in the first place! And there was what appeared to be an underground palace here.
And Rosabel was just going to open. a. door.
Just like that!
Alec was pissed.
Seriously. If he hadn't made it in time, he wouldn't *have* subordinates anymore.
"Don't touch anything," Alec warned them seriously, his smile giving off such a threatening feeling. "There are barriers everywhere, so make sure you don't touch anything."
He had to repeat it just to get it into their thick skulls.
Even with the temperature regulator in the place, they felt a violent shiver go down their spines.
"Yes, boss!"
When in doubt, just do whatever the boss said.
Anyhow, Rosabel really hadn't been thinking much earlier as her curiosity got the better of her, and the rest of them hadn't stopped her either because they figured it would be fine.
But if something could make their normally calm and mellow boss react so violently, then it had to be something dangerous.
The strangest thing was, not once had Hayden's instincts warned him of any danger, and neither did Vivian.
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The stairs continued down for quite a way before they tapered off, leaving them in a large underground space.
Artificial lights lit up their path, granting them access to the darkness below. The lights lit up in the same manner as the eerie blue lights had back in the other crack, but the lights here felt harsher. Colder, as compared to the gentle warmth that was felt from the blue lights.
The temperature was regulated, and felt like the grounds above, unlike back in the other crack between realms, where the temperature was almost chilly.
To the group of them, the place appeared barren and desolate. There was nothing growing down here, even less than in the other crack between realms.
At least there, there had been grass and whatnot, as well as the Vampiric Willows. But here, it was completely empty and barren.
However, to Alec's sight, it was another story altogether. Far from being empty, it almost overwhelmed him with the vast number that were crammed into the place.
Where the others saw nothing, Alec saw an overflowing number of runes that painted the entire place. They overlapped together, buzzing incessantly around the room.
It dazzled him briefly when he stared around the room. Blinking hard, Alec tried to clear some of them away.
When the rest of them continued walking forward, with Dominique in the front 'braving dangers', Alec's footsteps slowed as he looked around almost absentmindedly.
The place was so heavily enclosed in runes forming the most complex barrier he had ever seen.
Alec almost just wanted to stay here forever – or rather stay here in this place, until he had finished deciphering and absorbing everything from this place.
Just how had someone managed to create something of such elegance and complexity when even the sect's barrier couldn't match up to it?
Where would someone with this sort of magnitude hide? Were these here because they were hiding?
There were many questions that welled up in his mind as he looked about the place with the gentle but numerous runes.
Alec felt, not for the first time, that there was still so much more he could improve on regarding the vast world of arrays.
The delight that there was still so much to learn made his smile brighten his face. He felt like he was drunk off the runes that were vibrating in the air.
Compared to the cold lights that lit up the way for them, the runes that filled the place felt warm.
They felt kind and gentle, as if they sparkled in the dusty place. There was something archaic about it – like it had been here for a long, long time.
Not for the first time, Alec wondered just how old this place was, and what secrets it was hiding.
How was a crack in between realms formed in the first place?
While the lethal part of the barrier that had previously been keeping them out had been disabled by him, the other functions of the barrier were still in place. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
The first layer of the barrier – one that kept people out on fear of death – had been ridiculously easy. So easy that he felt like something was going to go wrong.
At this thought, Alec snapped out of his drunken, dazed state, checking Dominique's [Plot Route].
Alec's face changed when he felt the danger sense blare loudly in his mind, warning him about something.
He ran after them, realizing that he'd been unintentionally left behind.
They shouldn't have moved too far yet, so they were still safe for now. Hopefully.
Every second that passed felt almost agonizing, and with the way the runes sometimes blocked his view, Alec tripped a few times. But they eventually came into view.
The barren place before had been replaced with tiled stone flooring, and strangely, there were numerous doors littered throughout the place.
The doors all appeared different, with numerous designs and handles.
Just as they came into view, Alec's sight zeroed in on Rosabel.
Rosabel had a hand outstretched, reaching for the first doorknob.
"Stop!" Alec called out, right before her hand made contact with the doorknob.
Rosabel's fingers stuttered a little, but she stopped herself from moving altogether.
His heart thundered within his chest at the close call.
Any later and it would have been too late to avert disaster.
The group turned, only catching sight of Alec's strained smile. It was only then that they realized they left him behind earlier on.
Rosabel was still, quickly retracting her hand from where it had been just about to touch the knob.
"What's wrong?"
The smile one Alec's face widened, and even gentled as he walked up to his idiotic subordinate.
Alec gestured for her to bend down a bit, which Rosabel complied to with a question in her eyes.
Immediately, the gentle feeling that came along with Alec's saccharine smile became more intense.
Alec pulled both sides of Rosabel's cheeks, causing her to yelp.
"Owowow, ow!"
"What do you think you're doing?! Were you just going to open whatever random door without knowing whether it's safe or not?! Where are your survival instincts?!" Alec growled, his tone cool and cutting. It didn't match the smile that was still on his face.
Alec grudgingly let go of her cheeks after he felt she'd suffered enough. He hadn't pinched very hard, but Rosabel rubbed her face with a pout on her face.
"But the door is so pretty," she muttered petulantly.
Alec made to pinch her cheeks again, causing Rosabel to yelp and hide herself behind Yuki to avoid her boss' fingers. They hurt!
Vivian turned to look at her kit's reaction, and he looked a little jealous.
"That goes for the rest of you as well," Alec scolded, his smile still on his face when he turned to them.
They felt a shiver go down their spine at the vaguely threatening smile. They didn't know why it felt that way since it *was* supposed to appear gentle, but for some reason, they felt like they wouldn't like it if they didn't heed his words.
Alec huffed, seeing that they looked apologetic. Seriously. If they weren't his subordinates, he wouldn't be so gentle with them.
What had they been thinking? Just randomly going around and opening doors? Seriously! Hmph.
Not to mention, Vivian.
Vivian!
She should've known better, right?! Even if she was a fifth ranked magical beast currently, that didn't mean that she could just ignore the dangers! They were in a place that they didn't know anything about, and there were so many suspicious looking doors!
They just entered a place with a barrier that'd caused a branch to disintegrate upon coming into contact with the barrier, for goodness' sake!
Like, there were over a hundred doors of different shapes and sizes, and none of them felt that there was anything wrong with that?
This wasn't their family mansion!
This was a place underground they just so happened to find in a crack between realms. A crack between realms, where no one even knew how they formed in the first place! And there was what appeared to be an underground palace here.
And Rosabel was just going to open. a. door.
Just like that!
Alec was pissed.
Seriously. If he hadn't made it in time, he wouldn't *have* subordinates anymore.
"Don't touch anything," Alec warned them seriously, his smile giving off such a threatening feeling. "There are barriers everywhere, so make sure you don't touch anything."
He had to repeat it just to get it into their thick skulls.
Even with the temperature regulator in the place, they felt a violent shiver go down their spines.
"Yes, boss!"
When in doubt, just do whatever the boss said.
Anyhow, Rosabel really hadn't been thinking much earlier as her curiosity got the better of her, and the rest of them hadn't stopped her either because they figured it would be fine.
But if something could make their normally calm and mellow boss react so violently, then it had to be something dangerous.
The strangest thing was, not once had Hayden's instincts warned him of any danger, and neither did Vivian.
The stairs continued down for quite a way before they tapered off, leaving them in a large underground space. Artificial lights lit up their path, granting them access to the darkness below. The lights lit up in the same manner as the eerie blue lights had back in the other crack, but the lights here felt harsher. Colder, as compared to the gentle warmth that was felt from the blue lights. The temperature was regulated, and felt like the grounds above, unlike back in the other crack between realms, where the temperature was almost chilly. To the group of them, the place appeared barren and desolate. There was nothing growing down here, even less than in the other crack between realms. At least there, there had been grass and whatnot, as well as the Vampiric Willows. But here, it was completely empty and barren. However, to Alec's sight, it was another story altogether. Far from being empty, it almost overwhelmed him with the vast number that were crammed into the place. Where the others saw nothing, Alec saw an overflowing number of runes that painted the entire place. They overlapped together, buzzing incessantly around the room. It dazzled him briefly when he stared around the room. Blinking hard, Alec tried to clear some of them away. When the rest of them continued walking forward, with Dominique in the front 'braving dangers', Alec's footsteps slowed as he looked around almost absentmindedly. The place was so heavily enclosed in runes forming the most complex barrier he had ever seen. Alec almost just wanted to stay here forever or rather stay here in this place, until he had finished deciphering and absorbing everything from this place. Just how had someone managed to create something of such elegance and complexity when even the sect's barrier couldn't match up to it? Where would someone with this sort of magnitude hide? Were these here because they were hiding? There were many questions that welled up in his mind as he looked about the place with the gentle but numerous runes. Alec felt, not for the first time, that there was still so much more he could improve on regarding the vast world of arrays. The delight that there was still so much to learn made his smile brighten his face. He felt like he was drunk off the runes that were vibrating in the air. Compared to the cold lights that lit up the way for them, the runes that filled the place felt warm. They felt kind and gentle, as if they sparkled in the dusty place. There was something archaic about it like it had been here for a long, long time. Not for the first time, Alec wondered just how old this place was, and what secrets it was hiding. How was a crack in between realms formed in the first place? While the lethal part of the barrier that had previously been keeping them out had been disabled by him, the other functions of the barrier were still in place. Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. The first layer of the barrier one that kept people out on fear of death had been ridiculously easy. So easy that he felt like something was going to go wrong. At this thought, Alec snapped out of his drunken, dazed state, checking Dominique's Plot Route. Alec's face changed when he felt the danger sense blare loudly in his mind, warning him about something. He ran after them, realizing that he'd been unintentionally left behind. They shouldn't have moved too far yet, so they were still safe for now. Hopefully. Every second that passed felt almost agonizing, and with the way the runes sometimes blocked his view, Alec tripped a few times. But they eventually came into view. The barren place before had been replaced with tiled stone flooring, and strangely, there were numerous doors littered throughout the place. The doors all appeared different, with numerous designs and handles. Just as they came into view, Alec's sight zeroed in on Rosabel. Rosabel had a hand outstretched, reaching for the first doorknob. "Stop!" Alec called out, right before her hand made contact with the doorknob. Rosabel's fingers stuttered a little, but she stopped herself from moving altogether. His heart thundered within his chest at the close call. Any later and it would have been too late to avert disaster. The group turned, only catching sight of Alec's strained smile. It was only then that they realized they left him behind earlier on. Rosabel was still, quickly retracting her hand from where it had been just about to touch the knob. "What's wrong?" The smile one Alec's face widened, and even gentled as he walked up to his idiotic subordinate. Alec gestured for her to bend down a bit, which Rosabel complied to with a question in her eyes. Immediately, the gentle feeling that came along with Alec's saccharine smile became more intense. Alec pulled both sides of Rosabel's cheeks, causing her to yelp. "Owowow, ow!" "What do you think you're doing?! Were you just going to open whatever random door without knowing whether it's safe or not?! Where are your survival instincts?!" Alec growled, his tone cool and cutting. It didn't match the smile that was still on his face. Alec grudgingly let go of her cheeks after he felt she'd suffered enough. He hadn't pinched very hard, but Rosabel rubbed her face with a pout on her face. "But the door is so pretty," she muttered petulantly. Alec made to pinch her cheeks again, causing Rosabel to yelp and hide herself behind Yuki to avoid her boss' fingers. They hurt! Vivian turned to look at her kit's reaction, and he looked a little jealous. "That goes for the rest of you as well," Alec scolded, his smile still on his face when he turned to them. They felt a shiver go down their spine at the vaguely threatening smile. They didn't know why it felt that way since it *was* supposed to appear gentle, but for some reason, they felt like they wouldn't like it if they didn't heed his words. Alec huffed, seeing that they looked apologetic. Seriously. If they weren't his subordinates, he wouldn't be so gentle with them. What had they been thinking? Just randomly going around and opening doors? Seriously! Hmph. Not to mention, Vivian. Vivian! She should've known better, right?! Even if she was a fifth ranked magical beast currently, that didn't mean that she could just ignore the dangers! They were in a place that they didn't know anything about, and there were so many suspicious looking doors! They just entered a place with a barrier that'd caused a branch to disintegrate upon coming into contact with the barrier, for goodness' sake! Like, there were over a hundred doors of different shapes and sizes, and none of them felt that there was anything wrong with that? This wasn't their family mansion! This was a place underground they just so happened to find in a crack between realms. A crack between realms, where no one even knew how they formed in the first place! And there was what appeared to be an underground palace here. And Rosabel was just going to open. a. door. Just like that! Alec was pissed. Seriously. If he hadn't made it in time, he wouldn't *have* subordinates anymore. "Don't touch anything," Alec warned them seriously, his smile giving off such a threatening feeling. "There are barriers everywhere, so make sure you don't touch anything." He had to repeat it just to get it into their thick skulls. Even with the temperature regulator in the place, they felt a violent shiver go down their spines. "Yes, boss!" When in doubt, just do whatever the boss said. Anyhow, Rosabel really hadn't been thinking much earlier as her curiosity got the better of her, and the rest of them hadn't stopped her either because they figured it would be fine. But if something could make their normally calm and mellow boss react so violently, then it had to be something dangerous. The strangest thing was, not once had Hayden's instincts warned him of any danger, and neither did Vivian.
