I Am A Wizard Who Can Travel Between Earth And The Other World-Chapter 61 - 63 Ruin Expedition (3)

Armed guards in military uniforms stood strategically around the area, their expressions tense and alert.

Judging by the heightened security, Gin concluded that the ruins must lie beneath the towering building ahead.

"You'd think they would've found it when they built this skyscraper," Gin thought, puzzled by the situation.

Stepping off the bus, he noted that the summer heat was becoming more oppressive. People in short sleeves wandered through the streets, adding a strange sense of normalcy to the surreal scene.

As he descended, Gin extended his domain magic once more.

He had withdrawn it earlier when Owen deflected his probing magic, not wanting to provoke the noble mage from the Five Great Houses.

There was no need to stir trouble with someone of such influence and authority.

This time, however, Gin's focus shifted to the soldiers. Most were ordinary humans, with only a few exceptions—likely commanding officers—exhibiting any magical capability. Yet, despite their lack of innate power, Gin could sense a faint magical presence emanating from their firearms.

His domain quietly expanded over the soldiers, unraveling the truth behind their equipment. The rifles were magical artifacts—though rudimentary and poorly secured.

The enchantments were simple but practical, designed to enhance combat effectiveness. One enchantment reinforced the weapon's structure to prevent damage from recoil, while another amplified the kinetic energy of bullets upon firing, increasing both velocity and impact.

The most intriguing discovery, however, was the magazine.

Unlike the basic charms on the rifles, the magazine's magic was sophisticated, reinforced by a layered security spell.

Recognizing the pattern, Gin quickly bypassed it—it was a variation of the protective magic he had encountered on Lorien Vareth's enchanted equipment in the past.

The magazine continuously infused the stored bullets with mana, specifically imbuing them with a penetrating attribute.

Though the enchantment's power was limited, over time it allowed the bullets to maintain a thin but potent magical coating.

Against ordinary targets, this would be overkill; against enhanced beings or monsters, it could prove deadly.

"No wonder they can stand against ability users," Gin thought. A coordinated barrage from these soldiers could likely overwhelm even a seasoned opponent.

Even someone as formidable as Alaric, with his shock absorption ability, would struggle to withstand sustained fire.

As Gin quietly observed the soldiers, Marcus approached him. "The preparations are nearly complete. We'll need to wait just a little longer."

Marcus followed Gin's gaze toward the soldiers and raised an eyebrow.

"Interested in the military?"

"How many soldiers does the city have?" Gin asked casually.

"Approximately fifty thousand, last I heard," Marcus replied.

"That's quite a number."

"It's necessary. The biggest threat to a city like this would be a large-scale monster incursion. We need to be ready for that."

Gin nodded.

With equipment like this, fifty thousand soldiers would be more than capable of repelling most threats. Still, a strange feeling lingered in his mind.

Despite analyzing the magic on their weapons and gear, something felt… off.

"Are the ruins located beneath that building?" Gin asked, shifting the topic.

"Yes. A structural crack formed in the underground parking lot, revealing a magical disturbance," Marcus explained. "That's how we discovered the ruins about twenty meters below."

The building had been shut down immediately afterward, with the parking lot partially excavated to create a pathway leading to the ruins. Gin now understood why the ruins hadn't been discovered during the building's construction.

They had been buried too deep to be detected at the time.

"The procedures should be wrapping up soon," Marcus said, nodding toward the building's entrance. Barricades and security measures that had blocked the way were gradually being dismantled. Soldiers quickly removed the obstacles and resumed their defensive positions, their faces set with unyielding resolve.

Despite the feeling that something was still amiss, Gin pushed the thought aside.

It would have to wait. "Let's go," Marcus ordered, taking the lead. Owen followed closely behind him, with Vogel keeping pace at Owen's side. Gin maintained a few paces of distance, observing the group's formation.

"Shouldn't they be more cautious about formation?" Gin wondered.

In most expeditions, mages were positioned in the center, protected by the rest of the group. Here, however, the team moved swiftly without concern for such tactics.

With the elevators disabled, they descended the emergency stairwell.

Their destination lay ten floors underground. The descent was long and arduous, but the team eventually reached the final level—a vast, empty parking lot.

In the center of the lot, the ground had caved in, revealing a wide, gaping hole. From within, a faint, otherworldly glow emanated, casting eerie reflections across the concrete walls.

Marcus stepped forward, gesturing toward the opening.

"We scouted the entrance with drones.

There's a creature roughly thirty meters inside. We'll deal with it first and decide afterward whether to send more drones ahead."

With that, Marcus led the way into the cavernous passage.

The tunnel sloped sharply downward, nearly vertical in its descent. At the end of the passage, a large arched entrance came into view, radiating the soft, ethereal light they had seen earlier.

As they approached the entrance, Gin found himself walking alongside Marcus.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

"This entrance is the reason the ruins were exposed," Marcus explained. "If it had been located elsewhere, it would still be buried deep underground."

The magical disturbance at the entrance had caused fractures in the surrounding earth.

If not for the parking lot's proximity, the ruins might have remained hidden indefinitely. Gin silently agreed, noting that the magical activity here, though strong, wasn't powerful enough to reach the surface without the existing infrastructure.

The group finally arrived at the entrance.

It was wide and arched, with ancient symbols carved meticulously along the edges.

They were unmistakably ancient runes.

Gin's eyes narrowed in recognition as he studied the inscriptions.

Owen stepped forward, his voice cutting through the still air. "It's common for ruin entrances to have carvings like this.

Usually, they're inscriptions praising an ancient emperor or ruler."

He pulled out his smartphone and showed Gin a photograph. "Here's an example from a different ruin."

The image depicted another archway adorned with similar runes.

At first glance, they appeared nearly identical—but Gin knew better. Subtle differences in structure and flow told a different story.

"Could you zoom in on that section?" Gin asked.

"Of course," Owen said with a smile.

He expanded the image, highlighting each rune for comparison with the symbols before them. As Gin examined the details, a new puzzle began to form in his mind.

The ruins were speaking, and he intended to uncover their secrets.