Indra stared at the mural's final words, his Rinnegan's glow faded. The cave was silent again, the mural and the letters now turned back into the Ancient Language.
"Basilisk… A Native One."
His jaw tightened. This changed everything. Native Ones weren't just extinct… they were slaughtered by Jahad according to this Mural. Also, he isn't an ignorant one to not know what a Native One is. It was all recorded in the book Hansung Yu gave him on the Test Floor.
In that Book, it's described that Each of the Native One is so powerful that it will at least need an entire Squadron from Jahad Army at minimum to have a chance to fight it .. Not to mention killing it.
For one to still exist, sealed away by someone in such a high position …
Ehra watched him, her expression unreadable. She already knew. Of course she did.
In fact, the Ancient within her has a slight connection to the sealed Basilisk here. Nevertheless it isn't the sole reason she came to this place.
The little girl at the entrance shifted on her feet, her bare toes curling into the dirt. She said nothing, but if Indra were to observe her right now, He will find that she's been looking at the Snake in the Mural for a very long time.
Indra finally stepped back from the wall. "This place should be a Research facility of the Workshop based on the clues …. and maybe that's why they didn't kill that thing and just sealed it. Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if they built this entire setup just to experiment on it." His voice was low, more to himself than the others.
"From Jahad, one of his Lords, F.U.G to Workshop…"
"You really dragged me into this pit of hell, haven't you?"
Indra looked at the lady in front of him, suspecting if he was seeing things.
What made him think of accepting this mission?
'Ugh …'
What? Ehra tilted her head slightly, acknowledging, but she refused to admit.
"Hahaha"
A dry laugh echoed from deeper inside the cave.
Indra flinched slightly, but didn't react. He already sensed an unknown presence somewhere in the cave.
An old man walked out from the shadows.
He wore cracked armor that looked older than the mountain itself. Chains dangled from his arms, dragging quietly behind him. His medium White hair and beard along with his appearance really made him look like a majestic old general from ancient times.
For a second, Indra thought he was seeing an old guy cosplaying as a Spartan.
The old man looked straight at him,
"Smart boy," He said with a smirk.
Indra frowned.
The man turned to face the mural, his gaze lingering on the serpent etched into the wall. His smirk faded. The chains on his arms clinked softly as he moved, the sound echoing faintly in the silent cavern.
"You've stumbled into something far beyond you, boy," the old man said, "There have been visitors before, but none of them managed to read that. This place… isn't kind to its guests i guess."
Indra was stunned for a second before he smiled sincerely, "You bet, oldman! These guys really hate 'Outsiders. Talk about discrimination." Maybe only he and Ehra here know he isn't really talking about the island rather the entire Tower.
Indra exchanged a glance with Ehra, whose expression remained unreadable. The little girl at the entrance continued to stare at the mural, her small frame oddly still, as if she were frozen in time.
'What's with her?'
Indra felt slightly puzzled but he ignored her for now. He turned his attention back to the oldman and studied him with the Rinnegan faintly.
The old man chuckled softly, though he didn't find any humor in it. "What matters is that you understand it unlike the kids before. Nevertheless, You'll have no choice but to stay here."
He gestured toward the mural with a slow, deliberate motion. "The Mural isn't written there for you to read but to remind myself of my job Jahad and his servant entrusted."
The old man turned back to him, his eyes now having a murderous intent in them, "To tell you the truth, I was a bit surprised you were able to read that. Unfortunately, now I have another reason to kill you."
'… He really talks a lot. Looks like all these years living alone did a lot to his mental health.' Indra forced a smile.
He gave Ehra an odd look before saying, "You seem awfully silent. What do you think we should do? Fight him?"
Ehra answered him warmly, "What do you think? I think you already know the answer. You saw that with your eyes right … His Soul has the Spell to open the Seal i mentioned. Only he can open it."
Miss. Guide, Thanks for saying the obvious. You're very cooperative ... The corners of Indra's mouth curled up.
The old man chuckled again, this time with a hint of amusement. "What an interesting bunch of kids. So you came here knowing what's here."
"Let's just say I've been around long enough to see the aftermath of what happens when people meddle with things they don't understand." He turned back to Indra, his expression serious once more. "And you, boy … "
The old man studied him for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Just remember, There are some things you shouldn't meddle with."
"You talk a lot …"
'How lonely this poor guy must've been!' Indra suddenly felt some sympathy for the oldman.
"Don't talk back to elders."
Boom!
The Oldman gathered a large amount of Shinsu behind him, forming a large sphere. In an instant, it transformed into a projectile and shot towards Indra.
'Alright' Indra no longer sympathized with the man.
BOOM!
Indra sidestepped the Blue Shinsu spear casually. The projectile slammed into the cave wall behind him, sending dust and loose rock flying everywhere.
Whoos!
"What a savage … attacking without any warning."
A small shockwave came from the smoke, like a snap of the finger, clearing the clouds and dust everywhere..
Ehra moved slightly, just enough to reposition herself near the cave entrance. Her arms were still crossed, watching the exchange like it was a circus show.
'Whatever'
Just as he turned his focus back to the Oldman...
A blinding blue light flashed across his face. He instinctively covered his face but it wasn't an attack.
The old man reached into his Reel Inventory and drew a long, gleaming white spear. Its shaft was smooth like polished bone with wave-like patterns, and its tip shimmered with a faint blue glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. As he raised it, the temperature in the cave dropped a few degrees. The area surrounding him turned into an ice field.
"This," the old man looked at the spear same way a servant look at his master, "is 'Seohae, the Ignition Weapon"
"It was given to me by the Workshop… a gift, they called it. But it's more like a curse."
He stepped forward, the spear in hand
"I am Goh, a servant of Lord Basilisk. Till this spear and I draw our last breath, I wouldn't let you past me."
His eyes fixed on Indra
"You shouldn't be here."
'That Weapon… it has a powerful Soul inside it' Indra thought, noticing something unusual about the Weapon.
"Huh. This might actually get interesting."
Ehra, by the entrance, raised an eyebrow and muttered under her breath.
"Seohae Isn't just an Ignition weapon," she said. "There's a fragment of the Basilisk's Soul inside it." Ehra said casually with her arms still crossed. As if stating an everyday fact.
She glanced at Indra, then back at Goh.
"It also has a counterpart, a sword called 'Donghae'. They were made as a pair. A Sword that can purify anything and a Spear that can corrupt everything. Even though currently the Sword is in the hands of Wolhaiksong…"
Indra blinked once, then let out a quiet sigh, brushing a few strands of hair from his face.
"I see,"
"Fine. Let's see if you still remember how to fight."
Goh didn't reply. He simply raised Seohae and spun it once in his hand.
He lowered it then, pointing its tip toward Indra.
"Ignite"