Chương 75: The Abandoned Church

If I hadn't possessed the Halunar's Eye, that sword would have certainly impaled my stomach. But even though my physical reflexes lagged behind my vision, I managed to twist my body to the side just in time. The blade still sliced into my flank, but it wasn't deep enough to cause a fatal injury. I quickly ducked behind a nearby tree trunk, my right hand drawing my sword while my left hand tightly pressed against the wound on my right side.

Even with my mana replenished, my chances of winning a direct head-on confrontation were low. The enemy's mana core was located in his lower abdomen, and since he was wielding a shortsword, engaging him in close quarters would be incredibly risky. Right then, I heard someone shout:"AAAAA!" Jonas was charging at the swordsman, spear thrust forward. I knew that with his current skill level, he wouldn't be able to land a lethal blow, but his sudden intervention successfully distracted the enemy.

I couldn't afford to waste this opening. I instantly lunged out from behind the tree and swung my blade. The swordsman collapsed after taking a slash to the back. I knelt down, pretending to check if he was still capable of resisting, but in reality, I used the opportunity to drain the last drops of his mana while his mana flow hadn't yet ceased. My mana successfully climbed back up to 94. Once the final adversary was down, Jonas and Nathan hurried over to regroup.

Mantir's left arm was bleeding, it looked like he had been bitten by a ghoul, but the fact that he and Jonas were standing proved they had successfully dispatched the last undead creature. Nathan's face was utterly pale.

"This place was guarded... Does that mean they are the ones who poisoned the water supply?" Clutching my bleeding flank, I muttered, "We'll find out once we get up there." We used rainwater to wash the blood from our faces and wounds, then applied Lealia's stanching herbs. Perhaps due to the adrenaline rush, though the wound throbbed with pain, I found it entirely bearable. We had made quite a racket during the fight just now, yet no additional enemies had shown up.

We pressed on, drawing closer to our original objective. The structure I had spotted turned out to be an abandoned church. It was even larger than the church in the neighboring city, despite being partially collapsed. Judging by the thick moss coating the stone walls, it must have stood here for at least half a century. More surprising still, there was a well-trodden trail leading down the opposite side of the mountain from where we had come.

Looking at the trampled weeds along the path, it was clear this trail was used regularly. I looked at the remaining members of the group and said, "We should split into two teams. One other person and I will go inside to scout. The remaining two will stay outside to keep watch. If I don't come out after a few hours, go look for help. You can either head back to town or try your luck with that trail. So, who's coming with me?" Stolen story; please report.

Nathan stared at the ruined building, which looked exactly like the backdrop of a horror movie, and wrinkled his nose.

"I am not going in there." I had already anticipated that he wouldn't want to risk it. However, since Jonas and Mantir technically only took orders from him and not me, if both of them refused to come along, I would have to go in alone. To my surprise, Jonas spoke up.

"I'll go in with you." He was still covered in foul ghoul blood. Perhaps the recent battle had forced him to admit that my warnings were accurate. I didn't object; two pairs of hands were always better than one. The heavy main doors of the church were left slightly ajar. The hinges appeared to be completely rusted over; I tried to push them further open but failed, so we could only squeeze ourselves through the gap.

The interior was just as ancient and dilapidated as the exterior, looking clearly as though it hadn't been utilized in ages. Yet, the presence of armed guards suggested the exact opposite. The deeper we ventured, the more the light faded. Jonas lowered his voice and whispered, "It's too dark. I can't see a thing." We both carried a small torch in our packs, but those were reserved for spending the night in the wilderness.

I didn't want to increase our chances of being detected inside, so I told him:"Stay close to me, and use your ears to listen carefully for any movement." Just like that, Jonas and I slowly circled the perimeter. There wasn't a soul in sight. Dust and cobwebs blanketed everything, and we occasionally stumbled upon skeletal remains. I even activated the Halunar's Eye to scan for any traces of Miasma, but found nothing. However, after completing a full loop, a strange sense of familiarity washed over me.

The layout of this place was remarkably similar to the Great Cathedral in the capital. It was only slightly smaller and lacked a few auxiliary rooms, but the placement of key areas was identical. They had undoubtedly been designed by the same architect, or at least built during the same era. I was no architect, but I had visited quite a few churches across Averula during my two isekai lifetimes, so I could sense the structural nuances.

The architecture here was more labyrinthine than usual; someone unfamiliar with the style could easily lose their way. If that was the case, it was highly probable that this place was also engineered to conceal the same thing as the Great Cathedral: the entrances to the subterranean basements. Having once been an involuntary guest in the basements beneath the Great Cathedral, I could pin down the location of at least one entrance.

If the basement here was built for a similar purpose as the Cathedral's—a place to confine slaves—it wouldn't be hidden in some treacherous location or heavily obscured by countless decorative ornaments like one might think. On the contrary, it would be situated somewhere convenient for transit, yet designed within a visual blind spot. And just as expected, I found a downward passageway hidden behind a massive pillar at the end of a narrow corridor.

This passage was supposed to have a trigger mechanism to open and close the hatch cover, but when I attempted to push the stone block that should have served as the trigger, nothing happened. Just as I suspected, the mechanism on the outside side was broken. The Halunar's Eye caught a faint, sickly purple glow of Miasma rising from the darkness of the basement. At this density, stepping down there meant we risked mild to moderate Miasma poisoning.

I knew it wouldn't do much, but I still instructed Jonas to tie a cloth over his face, then said:"We are about to head down a flight of stairs. Watch your step." Jonas clearly had a barrage of questions, but we had no time for them. The stairs leading down were incredibly steep; a single misstep could cause both of us to tumble down a ten-meter drop like two sacks of meat. Fortunately, I could see the way, whereas Jonas could only estimate the depth of each step while his foot dangled blindly in the air.

At the bottom of the staircase lay an exit, from which a flickering, dim firelight spilled out. I utilized my left eye's abilities to scout ahead first, confirming that the corridor beyond was completely empty. But empty did not mean safe. Beneath those stone pavers lay concealed pressure plates. Any careless intruder stepping inside would be turned into a pincushion by a volley of arrows fired from the opposite wall. I turned to Jonas and warned, "This place is trapped. Step exactly where I step.

If you accidentally trigger something, do not move your foot. Keep it pinned right there."