Chapter 24: Orb of Guidance - V
My mouth was sewn shut.
I felt a chill course straight up my spine. It spread through my chest, grasped my shoulders, engulfed my jaw, and doused my consciousness in cold water.
It was clear to me that my invisibility mattered not to this being.
A ghost.
Different from the ones on Earth. Instead of one that was born from negative emotions, this was an undead that feasted on life force.
"...Hello?"
My <Power of Death> dissipated, revealing my form to the naked eye. I thought this to be an act of courtesy.
However, the ghost, beautiful with her ankle-long white hair yet terrifying with her abyssal, dark, bleeding eyesockets, didn't seem to hear my voice. She simply gazed into my eyes, peering into my soul as I did to this dungeon's past.
"..."
Ethereal, graceful, and uncanny, I could feel the drop in ambient temperature due to her aura. All I knew at this moment was that she was a <Maiden of Moonlight> whom her aggressors had tormented without rest for years upon years on end.
Any further prying would gift me with a searing cold that pierced into my soul.
"...How intriguing."
I approached the <Maiden of Moonlight> with an unnecessary courage that bordered on insensitivity.
I was curious.
I couldn't help it.
This was a rare occasion where [Absolute Awareness] appeared weak. It seemed as if this ghostly presence was capable of preventing any prying eyes from gazing into the past. However, there were many avenues to unearth hidden truths.
Lila had taught me this, although she had no idea she did. She enlightened me on the nature of her world and allowed me to question my own as well.
I learned much from our short conversation together.
Therefore...
[Absolute Awareness]
This time, my approach was no longer brusque. There was a hint of finesse while I manipulated my mana.
The <Maiden of Moonlight>.
The revered Haveinnisui.
Mistress of <Haven>, the last bastion of humanity.
A powerful priestess with access to divine power.
I gathered information from the present day, deducing the world of the past. Through radiocarbon dating, magnetometry, resistivity surveys, fossilized remains, and the battle scars carved upon each crumbling ancient wall.
The residual mana, the influx of radiant particles, as well as soul corruption in each suffering node... Even the magical aspects this world boasted did not escape my gaze.
My consciousness was a magic archaeologist with a high-tech laboratory. A wizard with all his artifacts and magic circles.
Soon, I was an expert on ghosts and ancient ruins.
"I was being overly dramatic,"
A chuckle left my lips.
Bound to the past, a seal to keep the world from knowing of a mountain of sins, and a being shackled by an eternity of suffering.
Such a being posed no threat to me.
I simply... floated past.
Haveinnisui looked at me, confused. I smiled back.
"You will be freed soon."
***
Once one was fully aware of what lay before oneself, there was little suspense. Of course, this was only if I was strong enough.
The only reason Haveinnisui could not attack me was rather simple. Despite being stored within a sub-dimension, the <Sword of Light> still emitted an aura that kept the undead at bay. The only reason she would attack me was if I continued to force myself into looking into the past.
Or, if I had attacked her first.
After all, this was considered to be tampering with the seal. Whoever used Haveinnisui in the past, didn't want their deeds to ever come to light.
I had a guess, however, I would wait until I destroyed this dungeon and unsealed the secrets that Haveinnisui's soul was used to hide. It had to wait until I took the Orb of Guidance.
The sole reason this dungeon still lived as a dungeon to this day.
***
I descended further and further down, once again enveloped in invisibility. The aura of the Wyrm hiding in the depths below me was growing in magnitude.
A hundred floors down, however, and there was still no sight of the end.
I continued to descend.
And descend.
And descend...
Luckily, I could fly. I discovered a one-way chute that reached into the abyssal depths. All I had to do was jump, skipping through hours of trudging down an endless set of floors.
As I fell, I took a peek.
"Indeed... there are about 600 floors."
It was an immense structure, now that I was actually in it.
***
—Badump!
—Badump!
—Badump!
The heartbeat of a colossal creature drummed in my ears. I found myself standing in awe of a serpentine being, slumbering within the darkness.
"The <Wyrm With No Name>," I muttered, and my gaze drifted to the orb it coiled around.
In this humongous cavern, the Wyrm occupied half of it, snaking around a pearlescent Greco-Roman pillar. With its white scales and topaz irises, it was truly a sight to behold. If it ascended into becoming a dragon, it would be a king.
A holy <Light Dragon>, with Divine Power on par with gods.
However...
I existed.
That orb was going to be mine.
***
Floating up towards the <Orb of Guidance>, I could feel myself wrought with tension. My instincts were screaming at me to stay as far away from this place as possible. However, I could not resist the allure of treasure.
I continued my approach despite the nagging feeling that everything was going to turn out wrong.
What if the wyrm annihilated everything around me the instant it sensed any danger?
What if it thrashed about and trapped me within this underground dungeon?
What if it could see through my invisibility?
I did not have enough mana to look into all of my questions.
I also lacked any instant teleportation methods like I did in Leisha's Royal Treasury.
The nail on the head was that I was on borrowed time. I had to return to the caravan before anyone noticed that I left.
***
Eventually, I arrived before the prize.
With the fist-sized <Orb of Guidance> inches away from my face, I hesitated. Surely, my intelligence wouldn't be so low that I would simply grab it, no?
Perhaps there was a trick to this.
A technique that would allow me to avoid being killed the moment I tried to steal the orb.
"...Should I replace it with a similarly-shaped treasure? Like that trope with the clams and their pearls..?"
I pondered, however, I didn't own anything of that nature.
"Hmmmm,"
I checked back at the caravan. It didn't seem like they would look for me any time soon. Everyone was resting, doing their own thing.
They were all thankful that they had successfully repelled the group of <Skulls> warriors.
I had a little time to spare.
Thus, I wracked my brain.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
chubbyubemantou
chubbyubemantou *shakes the reader*
Give Power Stones and Reviews please :3c
Ugh, I had to rewrite this chapter a few times because I didn't like the way it flowed. After a few tries, I've finally made something half-decent.
Cheers!
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