Chapter 28: The Impenetrable Barrier

Raine had just finished inventorying the loot in the Kobold's wooden chest when he heard Kaelin calling out to him.

Aside from that Mottled Ring, a few Copper Deer, and a rusted dagger, he hadn't found anything else of value. Carefully stowing the ring away, he stood up and walked toward Kaelin.

The Red-haired Female Swordsman was half-kneeling on the ground, her forehead beaded with fine sweat as her hands forcefully pried at an old stone slab embedded in the dirt. The slab was about a meter square. Its edges fit seamlessly with the surrounding soil, looking in every way like a meticulously designed trapdoor.

"Why would there be a trapdoor deep within a Demon's lair? This is obviously the work of Intelligent Races."

Raine's doubtful gaze eventually landed on the exquisite crest at the center of the stone slab. It depicted a flock of Griffins soaring with spread wings. The texture of their feathers and the sharp points of their beaks and claws were carved so deeply and vividly that they looked as if they might burst forth from the stone and take flight at any moment.

Yet, he had no memory of this crest in his mind, and not even the cave summary in the Exploration Chapter had mentioned it.

"This is probably what she's been searching for all along, or perhaps, this is her true objective," Raine thought to himself, though he didn't voice it immediately.

Suppressing his curiosity, he crouched down, gripped the edge of the stone door with both hands, and exerted force alongside Kaelin.

"One, two, three, lift!" Kaelin let out a low shout. They both engaged their cores simultaneously, the muscles in their arms instantly pulling taut.

The stone door was far heavier than expected, as if its inside had been filled with lead. At first, it wouldn't budge. Raine gritted his teeth, his feet planted firmly against the ground as he used every ounce of his strength.

After a long stalemate, the stone door finally let out a trembling CLACK CLACK sound. It slowly lifted to reveal a crack, as if awakening a long-dormant seal.

"Push harder!" Kaelin forced the words through gritted teeth.

RUMBLE—

Accompanied by a dull scraping sound, the stone door was completely thrown open. It crashed heavily onto the ground on the other side, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust.

What appeared before Raine was not the expected staircase leading underground, but a bizarre device embedded in the earth. It seemed to be some sort of console. Embedded around the edge of the stone surface was a ring of palm-sized, dark blue Crystals. Arranged neatly, the faint glow they emitted flickered rhythmically like breathing.

In the center of the console was a strange pattern. It looked very much like the vertical pupil of a Magical Beast, filled with dense spiral textures, yet it also resembled some ancient, long-unopened keyhole.

"What is this?" A flash of surprise crossed Kaelin's eyes. She reached out tentatively, trying to touch the console.

But before her fingertips could advance even half an inch, they were stopped by an invisible barrier, stirring up a layer of silvery-white ripples. The barrier was like a transparent film of water, completely shrouding the entire console. She pulled her hand back and carefully observed the gently undulating barrier, her brows furrowing deeper.

"It seems to be some kind of Curse Series defensive barrier," Kaelin said, her tone somewhat uncertain. "The Energy structure looks very stable. It doesn't seem aggressive."

With that, she motioned for Raine to step back. Taking a deep breath, she gripped her sword hilt tightly with both hands and thrust at the invisible barrier with all her might.

But the moment the tip of her sword touched the barrier's surface, it was violently deflected with a loud HUM. The shock numbed the webbing between her thumb and forefinger, nearly causing her to drop the hilt. She gritted her teeth, clearly not intending to give up so easily. A powerful surge of Power began to rapidly gather on the blade.

"Curved Slash!"

A dazzling, curved arc of sword light, accompanied by a howling gale, struck viciously at the exact same point on the barrier.

The result remained completely unchanged. The Longsword was once again violently repelled, and the barrier didn't budge an inch. The massive reactive force sent her staggering backward several steps until Raine caught her from behind.

"Thanks." Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Kaelin leaned on her sword, panting heavily without pause as sweat continuously dripped down from her temples.

Although her Swordsmanship was exquisite, she had not yet crossed the threshold to become a Professional. Consecutively using two powerful Combat Techniques in such a short amount of time had clearly placed a significant burden on her body.

"Let's rest for a moment," Raine said, helping her over to the edge of the cave wall to sit down. "Don't forget we just went through a fierce battle. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Sorry, I was too impatient," Kaelin said, gradually calming down. She looked at the console, which was so close yet completely out of reach, and shook her head helplessly. "This barrier simply can't be broken through with brute force. It looks like we can only find a true Caster." She sighed softly and murmured to herself, "But where is it so easy to find a suitable Caster?"

Raine could tell what she was thinking. In the circles of Bottom-level Adventurers, a Caster was exceedingly rare. Out of ten Bottom-level Adventurer parties, nine and a half made their living relying on muscles and swords. The remaining half mostly consisted of Casters who had only reached the level of "Water Bag Fizz"—they would be more than capable of running a public bathhouse, but entirely useless when it came to breaking this barrier. It was likely that only an exceptionally gifted or profoundly knowledgeable Caster could possibly dispel this barrier. However, the vast majority of those individuals were genuine Professionals. With their immense pride, they would disdain partying up with Bottom-level Adventurers, or their hiring fees would simply be an astronomical figure.

"Regardless, today wasn't a total waste." Kaelin quickly adjusted her emotions and returned to her usual crisp efficiency. Standing up, she looked at Raine somewhat sheepishly. "Could you help me put the stone slab back?"

"Of course," Raine said, nodding slightly as he rolled up his sleeves.

The two worked together to pull the stone slab back into place. Accompanied by a muffled THUD, the dust soon settled, and the console was once again hidden away. To prevent anyone from noticing anything amiss, Kaelin carefully rearranged the dirt and moss. Only when the surface was indistinguishable from its surroundings did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"What did you get from the Kobold's collection earlier?" she casually asked Raine, feigning a relaxed tone.

"Just these." Raine laid out the Mottled Ring, the Copper Deer, and the Broken Dagger one by one. Finally pointing at the ring, he said with utmost sincerity, "I didn't dare put this on."

"You don't actually think that's a Magic Item, do you?" Kaelin merely glanced at the ring before looking away. She raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Anyway, we agreed that you get first pick of the loot. If you like it, keep it."

"Then I won't hold back." Raine carefully tucked the ring into his Cotton Armor Inner Pocket and organized the rest of the items. He then said to Kaelin, "Matthew and the others should be just about done out there. Let's go take a look."

Just as he took a step forward, Kaelin's slightly hesitant voice came from behind him. "Are you... really not curious about what I'm looking for?"