Genetic Ascension

Chapter 861  Temples

Sylasʼ eyes narrowed.

Temples.

The skies were dotted with them, each one wreathed in gold and having a perfect four sides.

No, maybe it would be more accurate to call them Mayan pyramids. Looming in the skies like that, it felt like they could either stay there forever or crash down, leading to a small-scale disaster whenever they so pleased.

At the top of the stairs, a giant warrior sat almost lazily, his legs open wide as though he were a gangster taking a smoke on a high schoolʼs premises.

There was something particularly… odd about these giants. They had come out of nowhere without rhyme or reason, but now they were becoming a permanent fixture of this Dynamic Field Dungeon without an end in sight.

How did you clear this Dungeon? What was its purpose? How were rewards distributed? What was the secret here?

No one knew, but it certainly kept throwing one challenge after another at them, and there didnʼt seem to be any signs that it would end any time soon.

A beam of light descended from the skies, and the entire city was swallowed whole.

Sylasʼ head snapped toward the direction of Darkfell and realized the issue immediately.

ʼ… Dammit.ʼ

There wasnʼt just a single beam of light—there were six of them, all of which were enveloping the territory that was now ”Casstle Main.” Or, in other words, he had screwed them over again.

Now, the system was counting the entire region between the two cities as Casstle Main Territory, and by extension, the challenge was set to encompass the entire region.

Sylas took a breath as the giant slowly stood to his feet.

[Itzam (—)]

[Level: 47]

—

[Physical: 4289]

[Mental: 3344]

[Will: —]

—

ʼWhat is going on here…ʼ

There was something special about these temples. They might mirror the Mountains of Giza as well. He didnʼt think it was a coincidence that they also happened to be pyramids, although of a different form and kind.

The question was, was it an opportunity that so many of them had chosen to target this region? Or did it represent something else entirely?

”Cassarae.”

”Yes?”

”Iʼm the vanguard. From now on, everyone bands together, holds the line, and doesnʼt move a single step from the city. I will clear the temples myself. Understood?”

Cassarae frowned, but when she studied Sylasʼ face, she could see that he was dead serious.

”This isnʼt smart,” she finally said.

She almost never rejected Sylasʼ plans in situations like this. Although she had said that she wanted Sylas to grow as quickly as possible so he could hold the line when the time came, she hadnʼt been 100% serious about that.

”The T-Rexes—how many would you say could fight them?”

Cassarae opened her mouth to respond, but when she really thought about it, her pupils trembled.

Casstle Main had always been ranked at the top of the cities, but their greatest weakness had always been their combat prowess. They were ahead based on things like culture and economy, but when it came to military might, they were severely lacking.

It was practically Sylas alone that bridged that gap, and Cassarae to a much lesser extent—and only when the battle could take place within a certain range of the city.

”… None,” Cassarae finally replied.

Even if they banded together, they actually werenʼt capable of taking down even one of those T-Rexes. They were just lucky that Sylas had not only hurried back, but that they had upgraded the city walls substantially enough.

”Whatever challenge is up there is far worse,” Sylas said calmly.

Cassaraeʼs lip parted as though to respond, but the words she wanted to say wouldnʼt come out.

After a long while, her eyes flashed. Her gaze left Sylas, and she scanned the region.

”We will support you,” Cassarae finally responded.

Sylas gave her a look, not quite understanding what that meant. But then he looked out into the distance as well.

He nodded.

Sylas tapped a foot and shot into the air, blazing a trail through the skies toward the temple above.

Almost immediately, he felt a pressure on him. The weight of his body was rapidly increasing, and his pupils couldnʼt help but constrict.

Could it be that they didnʼt want him to make it to the temple? Were they trying to delay him? Was this a trial for the right to challenge it in the first place?

As Sylas soared through the air, he recalled the reward he received for finding the Lost City of Gold. It was a map, but of exactly what, he wasnʼt sure.

But as he rearranged the tunnels and the shifting pieces in his head, he was almost certain that it was a map of a temple.

He thought he would know it when he saw it. But now…

Sylas struggled to turn his head in another direction as the pressure increased all around him.

The skies were filled with these temples. Unless they all had the exact same layout, it was impossible that the map he received was the one and only correct one.

There was also another question in his mind… and that was a matter of size.

The map didnʼt have a proper legend, so it was hard to tell exactly how large the place he was looking for was. But judging by all the cuts and corners, unless it was some sort of maze for ants, the place in question should be absolutely massive.

In that case, these temples… were too small.

So where was his target hiding?

Sylas suddenly came to a stop. He was already at the point where the gravity had doubled his weight, and though his telekinesis could still keep up, he could also feel that the weight of the gravity was accelerating.

By his calculations, heʼd have to use the Gluttony Seed to make it through the last stretch, and it might not be enough even then.

Was there something that he was missing? How many people could even think to make it to the temples like this?

With a thought, a subtle vine that always wrapped around Sylas unraveled into a peacock flaming with chaotic aura.