NOVEL NEXT Chapter 124: The Turning Point of History and Determination
Chapter 124: The Turning Point of History and Determination
“Let’s keep exploring.”
Colin withdrew his gaze and led the team into the inner area of the “High Court Ruins”…
According to the information Colin had, this place was also safe.
However, the closer they got to the light, the darker it seemed…
Colin and his team gradually set up various explosives, inching forward bit by bit. After crossing an open-air plaza, they saw a massive ancient castle in the distance.
Colin also noticed large footprints on the ground…
They were each about a meter long, half a meter wide, resembling human footprints, leading outward.
“These familiar footprints…”
Colin couldn’t help but sigh, exhaling slowly as he led the team in the opposite direction of the footprints.
Eventually, they reached a hall lined with numerous stone pillars…
The hall was part of the castle.
However, the front half had completely collapsed, while the rear half remained intact. Inside the hall, Colin saw layers upon layers of overlapping footprints…
“Is this where the ‘Twisted Soul’ guards?”
After surveying the surroundings, Colin shone his lantern inside and saw many shattered bones…
Some were humans, but most belonged to unidentified creatures…
At the far end of the structure was a thick, iron double door, covered in rust, with carvings that had long turned into flakes of iron oxide.
Colin shook his head and sighed, thinking about how these carvings often held important information.
[You realize that pushing this door open will reveal the “light.”]
Colin squinted and led his team inside, instructing Li Chou to collect all the broken bones as they advanced toward the rusty iron door without incident.
“Pushing the door open could at least complete a task…”
Colin remembered he still had a “High Court Guard” quest, which included important items such as three recovery cards and a random blueprint.
Suppressing his slightly excited feelings, Colin carefully inspected for ten minutes, ensuring there were no issues…
The door was pushed open…
The next second, blinding light burst out from behind the door, and once their eyes adjusted to the intense glare, the scene before them left them deeply shocked.
A grand hall unfolded before them.
The dome of the hall had collapsed, flanked by thick stone pillars. As they gazed forward, they saw a cracked, gray stone throne atop several gray stone steps.
On the throne sat a blurred, humanoid figure of light, as if overlooking the visitors of the High Court…
Colin and his team’s pupils contracted, instinctively assuming defensive positions, but… Nothing unexpected happened.
Amidst their astonishment, they looked down and froze again.
In the hall beneath the High Court, they noticed numerous mutated creatures, olive trees, wild beasts, humans, and even human-faced rats…
Judging by their attire, they came from different eras, but they all shared one thing…
They were all dead, leaving behind hollow corpses draped in gossamer light.
These corpses were posed in some incomprehensible “devout” manner, kneeling towards the light in the hall, expressing their fanaticism. And within this blinding light, all the gloom and fear within the hearts of those present dissipated…
[You realize that when you choose to sit on the gray throne, the turning point of history will have arrived…]
[Perhaps this will be your most crucial means to survive the terrifying countdown.]
The turning point of history… For the first time, Colin saw the “hint” use such words.
It was also the first time he realized that the usually vague “hint” would explicitly mention the “countdown.”
Normally, it would beat around the bush. But just then, a new hint appeared again…
[But you think you should return during the first hour of daylight tomorrow. You know you only have one chance.]
“Tomorrow morning…”
Colin squinted slightly, feeling something indescribable, as though the “prompt” had been guiding him here all along?
At this moment, many things seemed terrifying upon reflection…
If he truly sat on it… What would happen?
At that moment, Colin hesitated, clenching his fists…
“We’ll come back tomorrow.”
Colin’s voice was hoarse as he spoke, leading the group to turn and leave. Minutes later, the team silently emerged outside…
He barely used the “hint” along the way.
But nothing happened.
The “prompt” was correct…
But…
What if he sat on that “gray throne”?
The light figure…
Colin felt a tightness in his chest.
“What happened?” Sanna asked softly. “You seem under a lot of pressure.”
The light radiating from her eased Colin’s discomfort…
Colin hesitated before finally shaking his head. “It’s nothing.”
He didn’t know what to say. Should he sit on that gray throne or not?
And then, after a long silence, a voice from the system echoed in everyone’s minds.
[Detected that “Fog Explorer” progress has reached 10%. The first-phase reward will now be settled.]
“Congratulations, You’ve received the ‘Explorer’s Badge’, nine hardened black bread, 30 fogpoints, and one all-attributes enhancement potion (permanent).”
The heavy mood was interrupted by the sudden rewards, and Colin exhaled, ready to shift his thoughts…
He opened his inventoryto check the new items.
[All-Attributes Enhancement Potion: Increases all personal base stats by 0.5 upon use.]
[‘Explorer’s Badge’: While worn on the arm, grants the wearer one immunity to a fatal hit. It can be used three times; each use requires 100 fog points to repair (can only be used once every 24 hours).]
“This is a significant boost…”
Colin’s eyes brightened. Immunity to death meant they couldn’t die on the first strike… Paired with recovery cards, they could be instantly healed to full health.
Seeing these items, Colin felt there might be a chance…
[You realize that this isn’t enough to change anything…]
Colin’s mood suddenly worsened. As the countdown approached, he wondered—what would happen when it ended?
Suddenly, a heavy pressure descended…
Night had fallen again.
Under the indescribable weight, several hours passed. After sorting through his chaotic thoughts, Colin exhaled deeply. He spent some time communicating with the base and then took out a parchment scroll, releasing a broadcast message.
“All survivors, do not leave your territory within three hours before dawn tomorrow.”
“In addition, all higher-tier territory upgrade methods are being made public…”
“Materials required for Level 4 territories…”
“Level 2 war chariots…”
The blood-red message instantly appeared in everyone’s view.
During the first few hours of the night, the chat channel was usually the most active; Colin’s timing ensured almost everyone saw the message.
“Don’t go out for the first three hours? Why? Isn’t that just wasting time?”
“If the big shot says so, then that’s it. I’m staying put…”
“+1 to the comment above…”
“Hey, I think I can upgrade to a Level 4 territory now—thanks, Colin!”
The chat channel flooded with messages, and soon, “Congratulations on upgrading to a Level 4 territory” appeared in everyone’s minds.
But this time, aside from the material information being related to Colin, the rest had nothing to do with him…
And going forward… It might not involve him at all.
Colin knew that something significant was bound to happen tomorrow—something that could be called a “turning point in history.”
The night passed with unspoken tension, and the following morning, Colin led the group into the inner area of the High Court, just before the blinding light began to spread.
Once they were prepared, they stepped into the light.
It was then that the mutation occurred.