If the wall before them was filled with creepy, sword-wielding skulls, then the wall behind the door Quirin had managed to open was filled with armored figures positioned similarly to the skulls. The line of armored figures made Elijah and the others begin to frown. Although they could not feel any trace of life from the armored figures, they still could not help but think that the armored figures were alive and watching their every move.
"This is strange. Don't ancient ruins like this usually have traps or a guardian that will always guard this place?"
Amidst the silence, Damian, who had been observing more, began to express what was on his mind. They had come mentally prepared to fight any danger that approached them. But since they entered the Latham Ruins until now, there had not been any danger that they had to face in these ancient ruins.
"You're right. This place is too quiet and peaceful for the size of a ruin. Those skulls and armored figures we passed by earlier ... could they possibly be alive if we activate something wrong?"
Elijah listened to Henrik's words, then looked at the armored figures lined up neatly to his right and left. If the skeletons and armored figures were really going to live, if they kept going deeper and deeper, Elijah was sure they wouldn't be able to survive with just their strength.
"Don't be silly. We're fine so far. As long as none of you act stupidly in this place, we should be able to get through this mission safely."
Gazel said so, but Elijah could feel that his voice trembled slightly as he spoke. The overly quiet state within the ruins seemed to be starting to make some people feel uneasy. Elijah couldn't help but frown either, especially when he didn't see the task table making any progress, even though they had gone so deep.
They continued walking until at one point, Gazel, who could no longer stand the eerie silence, began to shout out his frustration.
"Damn it! How much longer do we have to walk in this shitty place?!"
Gazel's shout echoed down the hallway, adding to the eerie effect of the deserted place. Quirin looked back to stare at Gazel, who was visibly upset. He smiled gently, then pointed at the dark street ahead of them.
"It should be a while before we find another door. Your Highness's voice stopped echoing a few tens of meters from our current position. Looking at the structure of this building, it shouldn't be long before we reach another room."
"You better be right."
Quirin nodded, then walked back to lead their team. Fortunately, what Quirin said was indeed true. After they walked for a few minutes, they finally found a large door with rune carvings that were more complicated than before.
"I think this place will connect us to another room."
"Watch out!"
Quirin walked without hesitation and was pulled back by Damian when the elf sensed something different about the door this time. A bright light came out of the door and formed a giant armored figure that stood holding a sword almost equal in size to Elijah's body. The armored figure looked more like a giant than a human. From the shape of the armor and the sword alone, they could already tell that the figure that had just appeared was different from the line of armored figures they had passed earlier.
[Begone!]
The voice that the armored figure issued seemed to be directly inserted into everyone's brain, so Elijah almost thought that the one who spoke was the system that always spoke to him in the same way. Everyone was transfixed by the sudden presence of the figure. They all braced themselves vigilantly, especially when the figure raised his sword and lowered it again with such force that it caused tremors like an earthquake.
[No matter what you seek in this place, all that awaits you behind this door is terror and despair. Leave before we finish you off.]
"He, he ...."
Gazel was too afraid to speak, while Damian frowned as he listened to what the armored figure was telling them. Henrik was silent with a pale face. Meanwhile, Quirin narrowed his eyes as he felt something strange about the armored figure's presence.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
Henrik cried out in panic as Quirin approached the armored figure without hesitation, then reached out to touch it. Everyone was shocked as they saw Quirin's hand pierce through the armored figure. Quirin withdrew his hand again, then looked at his team members with a small smile.
"It looks like this figure was created from the runes carved into this door. Don't worry, everyone. This figure is nothing more than an illusion created to scare us."
This time, even the usually grumbling Gazel didn't say anything as he was still too scared after seeing the armored figure that he thought was real. Gazel couldn't imagine what would happen if he got to fight the figure. This time, his fear was clear. He looked at the rest of his team, then turned to stare at Quirin, who had bypassed the illusion to begin removing the remaining runes on the door in front of them.
"Hey, aren't you listening to what the illusion is saying!? There's only terror and despair if we open that door!"
"Your Highness, those are just empty words from something that is nothing more than an illusion. Our mission is to explore these ruins to completion. If we return now, this mission could be considered a failure, and we could all be in danger of being expelled from the special class."
For the first time, Quirin ignored Gazel's words and seriously continued with his activities.
"I think what the humans are saying is right. Didn't you hear that we will all be eliminated if we insist on entering? Although what's threatening us is just an illusion, I don't think what he's saying is a lie."
Damian began to chime in as he saw that Quirin had no desire to end their exploration. His Six Sense magic had given him a hint that something bad would happen if they continued on this journey. Damian was not a cowardly man. But he definitely didn't want to die silly by ignoring someone's clear warning.
"In that case, are you willing to risk failing the mission assigned to you? Before entering the special class, I'm sure you already know that special class students will often face danger during their studies at the academy. The dangers to be faced are also not just simple like getting injured or losing some limbs. Risking your life is what you must do if you want to study in the special class."
Unlike Quirin, who always spoke politely with a smile, this time, the man did not smile at all while speaking in a stern tone. The other's stance began to waver at Quirin's words. It was true. Ever since they had agreed to enter the special class, they had known that there would be a time when they would have to risk their lives just to survive in that class.
"I agree that we should continue this journey. We have come this far. I don't want to fail just because of an illusory speech."
"Elijah!?"
Elijah finally opened his voice, and Damian looked at him in surprise. The others might not know. But not only did Elijah not want to be considered a failure to complete the mission of the academy, but he also still had to complete the mission given by the system. Until now, his mission to discover the secrets in the Latham Ruins had not made the slightest progress. Elijah believed that the mission would only progress if he kept going, so retreating was simply not an option for Elijah.
"I also agreed to continue our mission. As Elijah said ... it would all be a waste if we turned back after coming this far."
Henrik spoke up, though there was still a slight note of hesitation in his words. Imagining that there was a possibility that they would die in the Latham Ruins was scary. But Henrik also did not want to be expelled from the special class, not when he had fought so hard just to be accepted in the first place.
"Hey, you think anyone would listen to what you two have to say? I'm royalty! I don't want to die silly in this shitty place!"
Gazel berated irritably but no longer had much influence as he was outnumbered by those who agreed to continue the journey. Gazel's final choice finally fell on Damian. Aside from Damian being an elven prince, Gazel remembered that Damian was the only person who had agreed with him to back out before this.
"Prince Damian, you agree that we should retreat, right?"
Gazel hoped Damian wouldn't change his mind. But unexpectedly, this time, Damian shook his head like the others.
"If Elijah wants to keep going, there is no reason for me to come back. Elijah is my idol and my rival. It would be a shame if I went back when he decided to stay."
"Your Highness!"
Gazel wanted to protest, but everyone's mind was already made up. Quirin smiled and resumed his work. "In that case, it has been decided that we will continue this mission," he said in a satisfied tone.