He leapt down from the ledge first, landing with a quiet thud on the loose dirt below.
The others followed one after another. "Many have tried looking for it," he began, voice low, "but all of them failed…"
He glanced over his shoulder, a small harmless smile tugging at his lips. "But I, unlike them, managed to find it."
The tone in his voice didn't carry arrogance, it was composed, confident, like someone who knew the terrain well enough to teach it.
He sounded like an expert.
"But even after finding the place…" he said, trailing off as the group moved deeper into the area.
They came to a halt at the heart of it.
He stepped aside with a subtle motion, giving them space and view, then gestured ahead with his hand. "I have no clue what it is."
Ilya walked forward, brushing past him without a word.
Her gaze stretched across the clearing and landed on the object at its center, and stopped there.
She stared at it, her steps growing slower, breath stilled.
"…This is?"
"…Could it be?"
Her voice was low, almost to herself.
Lucien picked up on it immediately, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Her reaction wasn't normal, it was careful, shaken. That alone was enough to catch his attention.
It was as if she knew what it is... And there was fear.
At the center stood a strange altar, weathered stone, wide platform, and atop it, a statue.
The figure carved into it was holding a rounded object in its hand, posture stiff and almost too deliberate.
The whole structure seemed oddly strange.
Especially the statue, taking the shape of a veiled woman, reaching down to the earth, giving blessings.
"You know what it is?" Lucien asked, glancing at her sideways.
Ilya exhaled slowly, drawing in a breath to steady herself before turning her head toward him.
Her expression was tense, the usual calm nowhere in sight. "Yes… I know. And this is something far beyond the scope of what I can handle."
Lucien blinked. "Beyond what you can handle?" he repeated, taken aback.
For just a moment, the composed look on his face slipped.
His voice grew lower, more serious. "What exactly is this altar?"
What he didn't know, what none of them knew, was that Liam had deliberately left that part vague.
He'd known something wasn't quite right with Lucien from the beginning.
Lucien wasn't ordinary. Liam had seen it firsthand.
He had a strange ability, one that allowed him to find things, treasures, to be exact.
Like a compass for fortune or misfortune.
One time Liam tested his theory out.
As Lucien was making his way back from the marketplace, there were two paths that led to the residential area.
One was safe, and the other one, Liam stationed 3 puppets there to attack him.
As expected, Lucien somehow, took the safe path. And after 3 times, he concluded his theory.
That was why Liam created this place.
He had uprooted the altar from beneath the old Blue Wolf Gang's manor and brought it here, in this hidden part of the forest.
The statue? That was his own design, carved by his hand to look weathered, but not too artificial.
To make it feel real, he went further.
He slammed his fists into the ground over and over, sending shockwaves through the area.
Nearby cultivators panicked, whispers spread, some thought a sacred treasure had been unearthed.
Then came the formation, he bought it from a different chamber of commerce to avoid Ilya's suspicion.
He placed it carefully around the area, letting it stew for weeks.
It blocked off the spiritual sense, shielding the place from being noticed too early.
During that time, he took a few low-level gang members from the outskirts of the city, manipulated them, and made them spread rumors.
Of an ancient treasure hidden somewhere in this forest.
Some had already felt the tremors earlier.
The story caught like wildfire. It spread fast, across this city and into the neighboring ones.
Eventually, it reached Lucien's ears.
And just as planned, Lucien came.
He discovered the place not long after the formation wore off, after Liam had removed it.
Liam had been watching.
Observing.
And what he saw only confirmed what he already suspected.
Lucien walked a straight line into the forest. No stops. No second guesses. Like he knew exactly where it was.
But something unexpected happened, Lucien didn't touch the statue.
Liam had placed something in its hand: the Moon Gazer card.
A special item he crafted before.
The first person who made contact with that card would be instantly transferred, dragged into the dungeon whether they wanted to or not.
Lucien didn't fall for it.
That meant he wasn't just sensitive to fortune, he could sense misfortune too.
That was an incredible ability.
Still, Liam wasn't caught off guard. He had expected something like this.
People like Lucien, protagonist-level figures… their minds worked in strange ways.
As predicted, Lucien didn't move forward. Instead, he called Ilya in.
Now, things were moving just as Liam intended.
It was almost time for the next piece to fall into place.
His puppet would act soon, its job was simple: to create an image in their minds. An impression.
One that would make the Moon Gazer card seem sacred.
To make things clear, Liam had once invited Ilya over to his residence.
Quiet evening, no one else around.
He pulled out an old, timeworn book, pages yellowed at the edges, and flipped it open with careful fingers.
He stopped at a specific page, pointed at an illustration, an ominous-looking card etched in deep ink, and said only one thing: If you ever see this card on the market, bring it to me immediately.
He didn't elaborate.
Just warned her with a tone that didn't allow questioning, said it was dangerous.
But not how, or why, or what the danger even was.
Now, at the scene, Ilya staggered back a few steps, her gaze fixed on the statue's hand where that exact card now rested.
Her breathing turned shallow as the memory rushed back, Liam's voice, that day, the look in his eyes when he mentioned this card.
Lucien had just spoken, but she barely heard him.
She didn't dare tell him the full story.
Instead, she shook her head and muttered, "It's complicated, but we need to take the card and leave this place. Quickly."
Lucien blinked, frowning, still not understanding.
His gaze drifted toward the card clutched in the stone figure's outstretched hand.
His brows pinched slightly, lips parting as if to speak, but no words came.
Ilya didn't wait.
Her expression was tight, so she walked toward the statue.
From her storage bag, she pulled out a refined jade box, gleaming faintly.
She didn't touch the card, not even for a second. Just like Liam had instructed.
Instead, she sliced through the statue's wrist with a swift spiritual blade.
The severed stone hand, still clutching the card, floated midair, wrapped tightly in her spiritual energy.
With a steady motion, she guided it into the jade box, sealing it shut with a silent snap.
Lucien stood to the side.
His eyes never left her movements. Something about the care, he caught onto it, and immediately knew that it was dangerous to touch it.
'My hunch is true'
So… we're not supposed to touch it? That must be the danger then.
And judging by how she acted… this thing is way more than just a rare find.
He kept the thoughts to himself, debating silently whether to keep following or not.
It felt like they had just stepped into something far beyond what he'd signed up for.
Even so, he still moved after her, sticking close to the group as they made a hasty retreat from the site.
But something odd caught his attention.
Even while running through the forest, Ilya never returned the jade box to her storage bag.
She held it in both hands, carefully, her shoulders subtly tense with every step.
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
'What's going on with that card? Can't touch it, can't store it? What kind of cursed thing are we dealing with here?'
He didn't say it out loud. Just kept moving, watching from the corner of his eye.
Eventually, the four of them broke through the forest line.
In front of them sprawled an open expanse of wild green, no signs of civilization, just rolling land and open skies.
The city was still 100 kilometers away.
Instead of running the distance, Ilya came to a stop. The rest of the group slowed beside her.
She pulled out a miniature wooden ship, no longer than her palm, and raised it to the air.
With a light slap of her palm and a small spiritual surge, the ship responded.
The tiny vessel floated up slowly, hovering in place for a second, then, like an illusion unfolding, it began to grow.
Larger and larger, the wood creaked faintly as its body expanded, unfolding like a canvas being stretched.
Within seconds, a full-sized flying ship hovered in the air above them, its polished deck gleaming and sails catching windless sky.
They boarded one by one, and once she was sure everything was in place, Ilya exhaled quietly, her grip still firm on the jade box.
The ship hummed softly and shot forward, slicing through the air at impressive speed.
Lucien stepped closer to her, keeping a respectful distance but no longer hiding his curiosity.
"Miss Ilya," he began, his voice calm, tone polite but pointed, "can we talk now?"
He didn't cross his arms or try to corner her, but his eyes never left the jade box in her hands.
Not even once.
"Just what is it about that card that made you so cautious? You looked genuinely afraid back there. And if it's really that dangerous… why are we even taking it with us?"