Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree

Chapter 850: Chapter 767: Second Layer_2

After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the staircase finally came to an end.

In front of them was a wide passage.

The passage was taller and wider than the corridor on the first level, with walls on either side built from enormous green stones, the gaps between them as thin as a hair, not even a blade could fit through.

The domed ceiling was arched, with complex runes engraved on each stone slab, glowing faintly in the darkness like countless eyes watching the newcomers.

On each side of the passage stood a stone statue.

The statues were tall, over twice the height of a person, sculpted entirely from gray-white rock.

Their forms were of warriors, clad in heavy armor, wearing war helmets, and holding giant axes.

The axe blades were broad, longer than a human body, with handles as thick as an arm, wrapped in vine-like patterns.

The statue’s faces were indistinct, only the eye sockets carved deep and empty, like two black holes.

They stood motionless, like inanimate objects.

But the moment Duke’s Spiritual Power touched the statue’s surface, he sensed a dormant energy.

The energy flowed slowly within the statues, like a hibernating snake, like a sleeping volcano.

It wasn’t the statues’ own power, but something older attached to them.

"Guardians," Vera said softly, her voice echoing in the empty passageway.

As soon as she spoke, light flared in the statues’ eye sockets.

It wasn’t the white of a Crystal Stone, nor the yellow of a flame, but a cold, ghostly blue light, like a cold flame deep in the ice.

The light spilled from the recesses, flowing across the statue’s face, outlining blurred facial features.

The statues moved.

Their movements were slow, as if they had been asleep for too long, their joints still stiff.

The giant axe was lifted from the ground, the blade grazing the stone wall, sparking a spray of sparks.

The statue turned, facing the center of the passage, ghostly blue eyes fixed on Duke and Vera.

The ancient energy within them began to whirl faster, from a sluggish stream to a rushing river.

Level 2, both are Level 2.

Duke did not move, nor did Vera.

They stood at the entrance to the passage, confronting the two statues.

The statues did not attack immediately; they just stood there, like two walls, blocking the way forward.

"One for each of us," Vera’s voice remained calm.

Duke nodded.

He chose the one on the left, and Vera moved towards the right.

As Duke stepped forward, the statue on the left sprang into action.

It raised its giant axe, bringing it down towards Duke.

The axe blade whistled through the air, moving with a speed unbefitting of a statue.

Duke sidestepped, the blade grazing past his shoulder, striking the ground and splitting the green stone floor, scattering debris everywhere.

A stream of sand burst from his sleeve, coalescing into a sand shield in front of him.

The statue’s second axe struck the sand shield, which stood firm, while the statue was pushed back by the rebound.

Duke raised his hand, and the sand stream transformed into several sand spears, stabbing at the statue’s joints from various angles.

The sand spears pierced the gaps between the stones, momentarily halting the statue’s movements, but it soon resumed.

It wasn’t vulnerable to physical attacks; the sand spears only left shallow marks on its body.

Its energy source was a core within, which needed to be destroyed to stop it.

Duke changed his strategy.

The sand stream no longer attacked the statue’s exterior but seeped through the stone cracks into its interior, like water infiltrating rock layers, noiselessly.

The statue seemed to sense the danger, wildly swinging its giant axe to try and repel Duke.

But Duke had already retreated to a safe distance, standing still, controlling the grains of sand that infiltrated the statue’s interior.

The sand moved within the statue, following those ancient energy channels toward the core’s location.

The statue’s struggles grew increasingly violent, and its giant axe flailed wildly in the air, unable to even touch Duke’s clothing.

Its joints began to stiffen, its movements slowing, as if something inside was jamming them.

Duke clenched his fingers tightly, and the sand stream within the statue suddenly constricted, crushing the fist-sized energy core.

The ghostly blue light in the statue’s eye sockets flickered violently a few times, then went out completely.

The statue’s body froze in place, the giant axe still raised in mid-air, but it would never fall again.

A breeze swept through, and the statue’s surface began to crack, fissures spreading from shoulder to chest, chest to abdomen, until the entire statue collapsed with a crash, turning into a pile of rubble.

Duke withdrew the sand stream and turned to look at Vera.

Vera’s battle had already ended as well.

Thorns had pierced the statue’s joints, extracting the core entirely.

The statue, deprived of energy, fell like a puppet with severed strings.

Vera released the core, which, still glowing, rolled a few times on the ground before the light gradually dimmed.

She dusted off her hands and looked at Duke.

"Let’s go."

The two stepped over the rubble and continued deeper into the passageway.

The layout of the second level was vastly different from the first, no longer the narrow, winding corridors and cramped rooms, but a massive underground palace.

The ceiling was so high it was impossible to see the top, inlaid with countless glowing Crystal Stones, like an inverted starry sky.

The floor was neatly paved with green stone slabs, each polished to a mirror-like smoothness that could reflect a person’s image.

The palace was divided into numerous areas, some filled with wooden crates and ceramic jars, some with towering bookshelves, some with rows of weapon racks.

Duke and Vera walked along the main passageway, stopping at the first room.

The stone door was ajar, a faint golden light seeping through the gap.

He pushed the door open, revealing rows of wooden shelves filled with bottles and jars.

Some were earthenware pots sealed with wax; others were Crystal bottles with glowing liquid; others were iron boxes, rusty but still radiating strong energy through the seams.

Vera entered, picked up a Crystal bottle, and held it up to the light.

"Magic Potion." She set down the bottle and picked up another, "This too is Magic Potion; most are Level 2, but a few might be Level 3." She didn’t look too closely, instead loading the Magic Potions into her Space Ring one by one.

Duke did the same, and the two worked quickly and efficiently, each taking a side.

Within the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the room was emptied of all its Magic Potions.

The second room was an armory, with various weapons — knives, swords, spears, axes, bows, hammers — hanging on the walls, on racks, and piled in corners.

Some weapons were rusted, crumbling to dust at a touch; others remained sharp, their blades still glinting with a cold glow.

Duke picked up a short sword, its blade thin and sharp, its hilt set with a dark red Gemstone.

His Spiritual Power probed into the blade, sensing a Wind Element Magic sealed within, which could unleash a Wind Blade when wielded.

Good quality, though not extraordinary.

He placed the short sword into his Space Ring and continued browsing.

Vera selected a Rapier and a dagger, both lightweight and agile weapons suited to her fighting style.

Duke chose a Heavy Sword and a War Axe, sturdy weapons suited for situations requiring brute strength.

They quickly divided up the weapons, knowing that even if they wouldn’t use them themselves, they could keep them as collectibles.

For these were Witchcraft Artifacts made by a different civilization and had certain research value.

The third room was a material storeroom, piled high with all sorts of ores, beast bones, hides, Scale Armor, feathers, and teeth.

Some materials Duke recognized; others were completely unfamiliar.

Lacking the time to identify them individually, he used the sand stream to gather all the materials and sweep them into his Space Ring.

Vera did the same, with thorns unfurling from behind and wrapping up the materials for collection.

They began a grand looting spree on the second level, emptying every room they passed along the way.

Duke glanced at his badge.

On the rankings, his name had jumped to first place, with eight thousand nine hundred points.

Vera was second, with eight thousand six hundred points.

Audric had been pushed to third, with seven thousand nine hundred points.