PERFECT REINCARNATION : Being Invincible in Another World-Chapter 80: Ruins Beneath the Hollow

The body of the Stonejaw Basilisk still layed across the narrow cavern passage. Its enormous form blocked half the tunnel, stone-like scales dull in the faint purple glow of the moss growing along the walls. The severed head was there several meters away, its glowing yellow eyes slowly dimming as the last traces of life left the creature.

For a few moments, none of them spoke. Rowan simply stared. "...I still don’t understand how that just happened." Aurelion wiped a faint trace of dust from his sleeve as if he had merely brushed past a minor inconvenience rather than slain a monster capable of tearing through rock. "...You will," he said calmly.

Rowan looked back at the basilisk’s corpse. "...Damn, You cut through stone scales like paper." He added. "That thing looked like it could eat a horse." Sally hopped lightly over the creature’s tail and crouched near the body, poking one of its thick scales curiously. "...It’s hard." Rowan raised an eyebrow. "You’re just figuring that out now?"

Sally ignored him and tapped the scale again. "...But not hard enough." She looked at Aurelion. "Clown, You cut it very easily." Aurelion glanced briefly at the corpse. "...The scales are thick, but the neck joints remain vulnerable." Rowan reacted. "You analyzed that in the middle of the fight?"

The cavern grew quiet again. Water dripped slowly somewhere deeper within the tunnel, echoing faintly through the underground passage. Aurelion stepped past the basilisk’s body and continued forward. Rowan hesitated. "...You want to keep going?" Rowan gestured behind them. "We just killed a giant rock lizard."

Aurelion continued walking. "That is not the end of the dungeon." Rowan sighed and followed him reluctantly. Sally skipped ahead beside Aurelion with clear excitement. "...That monster was fun." Rowan muttered under his breath. "You didn’t even fight it."

The tunnel beyond the basilisk’s resting place continued descending deeper beneath the earth. The air grew colder with every step. The purple moss became more frequent along the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced across the jagged stone surfaces.

Rowan lifted the lantern attached to his backpack. "...This place feels older." Aurelion glanced around. "Yes." Rowan frowned. "What do you mean?" Before Aurelion could answer, the tunnel suddenly widened. The narrow passage opened into a vast underground chamber. Rowan stepped forward and stopped. "...What."

The cavern was enormous. The ceiling stretched far above them, disappearing into darkness beyond the reach of the dim moss light. But what caught Rowan’s attention wasn’t the size. It was the structures. There were stone pillars, broken archways. Fragments of walls half-buried beneath layers of rock and mineral growth.

"...Are those... buildings?" Sally tilted her head. Aurelion walked slowly into the chamber, examining the ruins carefully. "...Interesting." Rowan followed him cautiously. The ground here was uneven, scattered with broken stones and debris. Massive pillars carved from ancient stone stood at irregular angles throughout the chamber, many of them cracked or collapsed entirely.

Some still stood upright, though their surfaces were worn and chipped by time. Rowan brushed dust off one of the nearest pillars. His lantern light revealed something unusual. "...There are symbols here."

Aurelion stepped closer. The carvings were faint but clearly deliberate. Lines of ancient script ran along the pillar’s surface, interwoven with decorative patterns and strange geometric designs. "...This was not created by the dungeon," Aurelion said quietly.

Rowan looked around again. "...You’re saying this place existed before the dungeon?" Aurelion replied "Yes." Sally jumped onto a broken stone slab nearby. "...So this used to be something else." Rowan walked slowly through the ruins, examining the fallen structures. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Stone blocks that once formed walls now lay scattered across the cavern floor. Fragments of statues rested half-buried beneath layers of dust and mineral deposits. "...An underground city?" Aurelion replied. "Unlikely," He approached another pillar and studied its carvings carefully. "These structures are too few."

Rowan looked around. "...Then what was it?" Aurelion traced one of the ancient runes with his finger. "...A sanctuary, perhaps." Rowan raised an eyebrow. "A temple?" Sally crouched beside one of the fallen statues. The sculpture was heavily damaged, but the faint outline of a humanoid figure could still be seen. "...This place looks very old." Aurelion nodded.

Rowan felt a strange sensation creeping along his spine. "...How old?" Aurelion stepped back from the pillar. "Older than the kingdom above us." Rowan blinked. "...That’s not reassuring."

They continued moving deeper into the ruined chamber. As Rowan’s lantern illuminated more of the area, additional structures became visible. Fragments of stairways carved into stone. There were collapsed walls. Broken archways that once formed passageways between sections of the structure.

"...So the dungeon formed around these ruins," Rowan said slowly. "Yes." Aurelion replied. "The mana core likely appeared beneath this location long after the original structure collapsed." Rowan nodded."...And the dungeon absorbed it."

Sally hopped from one piece of rubble to another as if exploring a playground. "...It’s pretty." Rowan stared at her. "This place looks like it collapsed a thousand years ago." Aurelion said. "Yes." Rowan asked"...How is that pretty?" Sally said. "...I like old things."

Rowan opened his mouth to respond. Then he froze. "...Wait." Aurelion noticed immediately. "What is it?" Rowan slowly raised the lantern. "...Did you see that?" Rowan pointed toward the far side of the chamber.

For a moment, nothing moved. Two faint lights appeared within the darkness. They vanished almost immediately. Rowan’s grip tightened around his sword. Sally smiled. "...Something is watching us." Aurelion answered calmly. "Yes." Rowan slowly turned in place, scanning the surrounding ruins and asked how many were there and Aurelion answered several.

A low scraping sound echoed through the chamber. Some Stones shifted. Something moved behind one of the broken pillars. Another shadow passed between two collapsed walls. Rowan swallowed. "...This place suddenly feels very crowded." Sally stepped forward eagerly."...Finally." Aurelion drew his sword slowly.

The blade reflected the faint purple glow of the cavern moss. "...Be careful." Rowan raised his weapon as well. The ruins around them grew silent again. A pair of glowing eyes appeared atop one of the ancient pillars. Dozens of them. Shapes began emerging from the shadows of the ruined sanctuary. Creatures that had been hiding within the ancient structures now revealed themselves. Rowan asked. "...What are those?"

The creatures resembled thin humanoid figures. Their bodies were covered in rough stone-like skin, and their limbs were long and twisted. Their glowing eyes burned faintly with pale blue light. Aurelion recognized them immediately. "...Stone Wraiths." Rowan’s voice dropped. "...That sounds bad."

The first of the creatures leaped down from the pillar. The ruins of the forgotten sanctuary had awakened. And the deeper secrets of Gloomfang Hollow were finally beginning to reveal themselves.

[To be Continued]