NOVEL NEXT Chapter 473: The Mark in the Box
Julian's shout cut through the air, drawing every head his way. In moments, the group had gathered around.
"Disciple, what did you find? Something sneaky?" someone called.
Ethan glanced at the Black Qilin, who had been strutting and showing off ever since Red Snow arrived. Typical—male beasts seemed wired to put on a display whenever a female was around.
Julian didn't bother answering him. He was already looking irritated. Instead, he pointed to a spot high on the side of the massive wooden slab. "Ethan, look here."
Ethan followed his finger and saw it: an indentation, no bigger than a pebble. His eyes narrowed, and in a flicker he was airborne, gliding over to inspect it more closely. He'd scanned the entire thing earlier with his Soul Sense, but with its sheer size, a detail this small had been easy to miss.
Up close, the mark was oval-shaped, perfectly smooth inside, as if worn down by something deliberate. He brushed his fingertips along it, the polished surface almost out of place on the weathered wood. Could this be part of a locking mechanism? That seemed the only reasonable explanation. The slab was incredibly tough—tough enough that the razor-sharp edge of his Twilight War Spear hadn't even left a scratch. Whatever had made this indentation hadn't done so by accident.
The shape felt oddly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. He turned the thought over in his mind, but nothing clicked. Gradually, the others lost interest and drifted away; even Ethan eventually stepped back. This thing wasn't opening any time soon.
Only Blackie remained, hammering it with a full cycle of fire, water, wind, and lightning. He even borrowed Red Snow's Blazing Rainbow Sword and hacked at it with wild enthusiasm, to no effect. Ethan shook his head, while Red Snow lingered close by, watching Blackie with a softness in her eyes. Ethan found the whole thing baffling. If they'd been back on Earth, any guy pulling stunts like that in front of a girl would be committing social suicide—and would almost certainly earn himself the nickname "total idiot."
"KH3106, what's Shatterstar doing?" Ethan asked, noticing the mech with both massive arms plunged deep into the ground, standing perfectly still.
"Shatterstar is absorbing geothermal heat to replenish its reserves," KH3106 replied. He tapped a control panel, and Shatterstar's status filled a small display.
Ethan blinked. "Energy level… eight percent?"
"Yes," KH3106 confirmed. "Not Shatterstar's personal reserves—the reading is for the orb you entrusted to me. It appears the energy orb suffered damage, causing a major drain. Shatterstar has repaired it and is now recharging it by transferring heat from the surrounding terrain. Ethan… this orb is extraordinary. It's the most powerful artifact I've ever seen—second only to the super-energy core that powers the ΩA001 Universe's central AI."
Ethan hadn't expected the Infernal Core, classified as Divine-tier, to be so depleted—down to a mere three percent when he'd first obtained it. If fully charged, what would it be capable of?
"How long until it's full?" he asked. "We still need to get to the ninth level. There's nothing worth taking from this wasteland of an eighth level, and all the real treasure will be on the next floor."
The trial's purpose was still on his mind. So far, his gains had been meager. The second level's Hidden Territory had been blown to rubble by his own hand, and several Ascension Staircases had been destroyed before he even set foot on them. Blackie had told him that each Staircase's summit held ten reward items, but each person could only pick one—and luck decided its value.
Blackie himself had once reached the fifth Staircase alongside Red Snow. She had drawn a pill from her chosen orb—its effect never revealed—while Blackie had somehow managed to pull out a pink, suspiciously stained bellyband, which had clearly been worn by someone before. Red Snow had been mortified; Ethan, imagining the scene, still wasn't sure whether to laugh or cringe.
KH3106 broke his thoughts. "A full charge is impossible here. The geothermal activity is too weak—it would take the heat of a star to top it off. But if it ever reached capacity, it could function as an infinite power source. For now, Shatterstar only needs to reach twenty percent to open the ninth level's entrance."
That caught Ethan's attention. He'd grown to appreciate KH3106's concise, no-nonsense manner. If the mech said it could open the ninth level, then it could. No need to question it.
"Alright," Ethan said, patting KH3106's shoulder. "We wait until twenty percent."
The comfort of certainty lasted only seconds before alarms blared.
[Beep, beep, beep… Anomaly detected… Unknown biological entity or object attempting to breach high-particle stealth shield!]
Shatterstar lifted its head, and twin beams projected a huge three-dimensional display. A semi-transparent dome shimmered into view—the shield itself—with a bright red blotch crawling along its surface. It moved like something probing for a weakness.
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
KH3106 shook his head. "Shatterstar, initiate analysis."
"Analysis complete," the mech replied. "Classification: unknown biological entity… or unknown object."
The vagueness made the group exchange uneasy glances. Even KH3106 frowned. In all the time they'd worked together, this was the first time Shatterstar had given such an ambiguous report.
[Beep, beep… Target attempting breach. Countdown: thirty seconds. Enhance shield?]
"Enhance—" KH3106 began, but Ethan cut him off.
"Let it in. Then reinforce the shield so it can't get back out."
The order had barely left his mouth when Shatterstar interrupted.
[Beep… Attempted breach failed. Target vanished.]
On the display, the red blotch dissolved into nothing.
"Did it get in or not?" Ethan pressed.
[Beep… Breach unsuccessful. Target disappeared from all scans.]
Whatever it was, it had appeared and vanished without crossing the barrier.
"What the hell was that?" Blackie asked.
"No idea," Micah muttered. "I looked right at the spot on the map just now—nothing out there."
Julian said nothing, watching Ethan instead.
Ethan frowned, nodding once before shaking his head. He had a suspicion, but nothing solid enough to confirm. "Do any of you still have your tokens?"
"Mine's long gone," Blackie said immediately. Julian and Micah shook their heads as well.
"This one?" Red Snow asked, drawing a jade-green card from the fold of her clothes.
Ethan took it and passed it to KH3106. "Run a full analysis. Compare its material to whatever we just saw. See if there's any connection."