"Huh?"

Soren’s eyes darted left and right, but the staggering scale of the architecture remained vacant. There was no source for the voice, no visible threat, and no sign of life in the entire golden expanse.

’Did I... imagine it?’

The thought flickered through his mind as he stared into the oppressive emptiness. The golden hall was so vast and the silence so absolute that it felt like his own senses might be playing tricks on him. Maybe the stress of the portal closing had finally snapped a thread in his brain.

"Is there anyone here?" However, Soren still called out, his voice cracking slightly. "Who spoke? Show yourself!"

He then waited, his pulse thudding in his ears like a heavy drum. He scanned every reflective surface and every shadow tucked behind the gargantuan pillars.

Silence.

The air didn’t even ripple. There was no rustle of fabric, no click of boots on marble, and no breath other than Ryan’s and his own. The void in front of him remained stubbornly, terrifyingly vacant.

’Could it be...?’

Soren’s alarm spiked. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he tightened his grip on the spear.

Could it be that the enemy was invisible? Or a ghost?

Was he standing inches away from a blade he couldn’t see, or a monster that left no footprint?

’Gulp...’

The idea of an unseen predator in this open space made the hair on his neck stand on end.

Just then, the voice spoke again, sounding closer than before.

"So you cannot see me either, huh."

"!"

Soren spun around, the tip of his spear whistling through the air as he swept a deadly arc behind him, but the blade met only empty space.

"Sigh..."

A long, weary sigh echoed through the hall, the sound seemingly originating from the very pillars surrounding him.

"Sigh... Are all the people of your world this rude? Striking at someone before a single word has even been exchanged," the voice remarked. It sounded like a disgruntled old man.

Soren stayed silent, his boots grounded firmly on the polished marble. He didn’t lower his spear or shift his gaze. His knuckles remained white against the shaft of his weapon, his mind racing to locate the source of the sound in the vast, open expanse. Every instinct told him that despite the empty view, he was being watched from every angle.

"However, I understand why you are reacting like this, so I will pardon you this time," the voice continued, the sound growing clearer as if the speaker were finally stepping closer through an invisible veil. "But this should be the last. I have little patience for those who lack the discipline to wait and listen."

"..." Soren squinted, his eyes scanning the empty air with a sharp, calculating intensity. He didn’t care about the old man’s lecture on discipline; he was trying to gauge if this voice was a prelude to an attack or a genuine attempt at conversation.

’If only I could see him,’ he thought, his jaw tightening. ’If he was visible, I could use my ability to see what I’m actually dealing with.’

’...Let’s check just in case.’

’[Investor’s Insight!]’

However, nothing happened. The empty space remained empty. There was no blue interface, no flickering text, and no data streams.

’As expected,’ he gritted his teeth, his grip on the spear shaft shifting slightly. ’I have to see the target for it to—!’

He stopped mid-thought. His eyes widened a fraction as a window abruptly popped up in the center of his vision. It wasn’t hovering over a ’person’, but seemed to be anchored to the very hall itself.

════════════════════════════════════

[The Sunless Reliquary]

Classification: Wandering Secret Realm

Origin: The Last Remains of a Dead World

Status: Deteriorating / Succession Protocol Active

Atmospheric Mana: Ancient/Foreign (Unfiltered)

Description: A sanctuary forged from the debris of a fallen civilization.

Estimated Value: Incalculable (Unique/Extinct Grade)

════════════════════════════════════

’!’

’W-What is this?!’

Soren stood frozen, his eyes glued to the flickering interface.

A wandering secret realm? The last remains of a dead world? Fallen civilization?

The words felt heavy, far too massive for his mind to fully grasp in the heat of the moment. He had entered or heard of plenty of Gates before, but they were always documented anomalies or predictable distortions. This was something else entirely. The "Origin" tag alone made his blood run cold.

’Just where did this Golden Gate put us?’

He then recalled the old man’s words from moments ago: "the people of your world". He hadn’t thought much of it in his panic, but seeing all these info and the "Foreign" mana classification on the screen made the realization hit him like a physical blow.

This wasn’t a dungeon or a pocket dimension tied to Etenia. This was a piece of a literal corpse, a fragment of a civilization that had been wiped out, drifting through the void until they stumbled into it. It was-

’Unbelievable...’

The sheer value listed, [Incalculable], suggested that even a single loose stone from this hall might be worth more than a top-tier guild’s entire treasury.

"..."

His breath came in shallow hitches as he continued to to stare at the window, his mind reeling from the sheer scale of the discovery.

"Why have you gone suddenly quiet?"

The voice spoke again, slicing through his spiraling thoughts. It was closer now, vibrating with a dry, knowing rasp.

"You were so eager to swing that stick a moment ago," the voice remarked, the tone shifting into a slow, mocking drawl. "You aren’t scared now, are you?"

Soren forced his eyes away from the translucent interface and stared directly into the empty air where the sound seemed to crystallize. He took a slow, deep breath, finally loosening the white-knuckled grip on his spear, though he didn’t lower the point.

"It would be a lie if I said I’m not scared," Soren replied, his voice steadier than he expected.

A dry, raspy chuckle rippled through the hall, echoing off the high vaulted ceiling.

"Ho... at least you are an honest one," the voice said, the mockery softening into a spark of genuine amusement. "But alas, you were a bit late. I’ve already chosen that boy."

Soren’s eyes flickered toward Ryan’s unconscious form. The boy was still twitching, trapped in the grip of that internal struggle.

"Well, even if you were to come early, you still would not have been chosen as our fates do not align," the voice continued, the tone turning contemplative. "In fact, you should be happy you got to arrive after this kid. Or else..." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The voice trailed off ominously, the silence that followed feeling heavier than any threat. Soren felt a chill crawl down his spine. He didn’t need the voice to finish the sentence to understand the implication.

’Or else I would be the one being measured right now,’ Soren thought. ’Or possibly perish...’

He then recalled the text from his interface: [Succession Protocol Active].

Was that what the voice meant by "choosing" Ryan?

If the protocol was active, it likely meant the realm was in the process of transferring its entire existence: its power, its history, its very soul, or whatever it had left to offer into a new host. To Ryan.

’...Let’s give it a shot.’

Gathering his courage, Soren finally lowered his spear. He didn’t sheath it, but he let the tip rest against the marble floor before bowing his head slightly in a gesture of respect.

"I apologize if I have disturbed you, senior," Soren said, choosing his words with professional care. "And if you can... can you tell me what is happening? Where exactly are we? And what did you mean by choosing Ryan?"

Although he had his guesses thanks to the information provided by [Investor’s Insight], he knew he had to play the part of the confused interloper. Revealing that he could see the "Status" of a dead world’s remains would only complicate an already lethal situation.

"..."

The silence stretched for a moment, as if the owner of the voice was weighing the sincerity of his apology.

"Hmm..." The voice sounded contemplating. "Alright. Although you weren’t fated to be my successor, it is still fate that you appeared here at this time. No... in fact, I might know why you are here. My senses are dull, but I can feel a strange pull from you. You... are somehow connected to the boy."

Soren kept his head bowed, but his grip on the spear tightened.

’Can he sense my authority?’

The thought was jarring. While it sounded ridiculous, nothing was impossible. Besides, he didn’t know the limits of his own authority, let alone the power of a being who resided in the remains of a dead world. If the voice could sense the invisible tether connecting him to Ryan, then every move he made was being scrutinized under a lens he didn’t understand.

"I will answer your questions," the voice continued. "However, are you willing to hear them? Some truths are a burden that the mind was never meant to carry."

Soren didn’t hesitate. He needed information to survive this place, and more importantly, he needed to know what exactly was happening.

"Yes," Soren replied firmly.

"Good, but..." the voice said, though the amusement had returned, "...what will you offer in return?"

Soren blinked, his professional composure slipping for a split second.

"W-What?"