A Bug In Fate

The next morning, the three of them were eating breakfast.

Alden grilled monster meat over a fire lit by Mina’s spell. She was the only one in the group with a fire affinity.

"So, how far are we from our destination?"

Alden asked while chewing on a piece of meat.

Liam let out a helpless sigh.

"At the pace we’re moving, another two hours."

He couldn’t help recalling how he had estimated the journey would take at least three days because of Alden’s cultivation. Somehow, they had cut nearly two days off that estimate.

"Don’t you get tired?"

Mina asked, still unable to understand how someone an entire realm below them could not only keep up but even outperform them.

"Well..."

"I guess I’m just built different."

Alden replied with a smile, knowing it would only annoy her.

"I regret asking."

Mina muttered before returning to her food.

Liam ignored their usual banter and continued eating in silence.

After finishing breakfast, the three resumed their journey.

About an hour later, the landscape around them began to change. The dense forest gradually gave way to a vast stretch of dry land where not a single tall tree remained.

At the center of the barren field stood rows of weathered stone houses arranged in a great circle. Their walls were scarred with deep cracks, and many had already crumbled into piles of rubble.

An eerie silence hung over the place, as if it had been abandoned for countless years.

It was the Noctis Ruins.

"Huh... finally we’re here."

Mina let out a long breath, her gaze fixed on the ruins in the distance. The three stood there for a moment before making their way toward the ancient settlement.

"These are the moments I became an adventurer for."

Alden’s eyes wandered from one ruined building to another, filled with the excitement of a child visiting an amusement park for the first time.

Liam chuckled.

"Haha... that’s actually a nice reason."

"I honestly didn’t expect that answer from you."

Even Mina gave him a brief glance. Most people became adventurers for money or to grow stronger. Alden’s answer was... unexpectedly simple.

"So, what’s the story behind this place?" Alden asked. "It looks like people used to live here."

Liam nodded.

"That’s what everyone believes. But no one knows who those people were."

His eyes drifted across the endless dry plains surrounding the ruins.

"According to historians, this entire area used to be covered in water. They believe people farmed here and built a settlement around it."

"But one day, for reasons no one understands, the water disappeared. All that remained was this wasteland."

"Oh..."

Alden looked across the ruins again.

"So it really was an ancient city."

"Who knows?" he said with a grin. "Maybe we’ll find some forgotten treasure."

Liam felt a chill crawl down his spine.

"Keep dreaming."

Mina didn’t even bother looking at him.

"If there really was treasure here, the people who explored these ruins before us would’ve taken it long ago."

She spoke with such certainty that it almost sounded like she pitied his imagination.

Alden sighed.

"Can’t you be a little more positive?"

This woman really seemed determined to crush every exciting thought that crossed his mind.

He couldn’t remember doing anything to deserve it...

Or maybe he could.

He just preferred not to think about it.

A few minutes later, they reached the entrance.

The gate itself had long since disappeared. Only two broken stone pillars remained, each missing nearly half its height, standing like silent guardians of a forgotten age.

"Let’s go."

Liam stepped through first, with Alden and Mina following behind.

The moment Alden entered the ruins, he instinctively slowed his pace.

Cracks ran across nearly every building. Some had already collapsed, while others looked as though they could crumble with the slightest touch. Not even the sound of birds could be heard.

The silence felt... unnatural.

Alden couldn’t explain why, but something about this place unsettled him. It was as if the ruins were quietly hiding a secret that had remained buried for centuries.

"So, what’s the plan?" he asked, glancing around. "I don’t see any monsters besides a few Nyx Rabbits."

After spending so much time reading in the library, he had memorized the names and traits of many monsters—especially after his first mission, where a Pokémon-like creature had nearly blinded him.

"Mistfeathers rarely appear during the day," Liam explained. "They sleep until sunset and hunt small monsters at night."

He glanced at the surrounding houses before continuing.

"We’ll split up and search the buildings, but don’t wander too far. If anyone finds one, call the others. We’ll capture it together."

"Got it."

Alden pointed toward a half-collapsed house.

"I’ll check that one."

"I’m going this way."

Without another word, Mina headed toward a different building, and the three split up to search the ruins.

The houses were almost completely empty. Every now and then, a Nyx Rabbit darted out from the shadows before disappearing again, but they found nothing else.

Nearly an hour later, they regrouped in front of the largest building in the ruins.

"Only this one’s left," Alden said, looking up at the weathered structure. "Let’s hope we finally find something."

The three entered together.

Unlike the other buildings, this one was supported by several stone pillars covered in ancient carvings. Curiosity got the better of Alden, and he stepped closer to inspect them.

One carving depicted dozens of people gathered before a lone figure standing with both hands raised. Time had worn away most of the details, leaving its meaning impossible to decipher.

"Alden."

He turned to see Mina standing nearby.

"Liam found something."

She led him downstairs, where Liam was already waiting. Without a word, he guided them through a small room to an opening behind the building.

"There."

He pointed ahead.

A flight of worn stone steps disappeared into the darkness beneath the ruins.

"I think this is where the Mistfeathers hide during the day."

Alden studied the entrance before grinning.

"Then let’s catch them while they’re asleep."

Mina tightened her grip on her sword.

Liam gave a small nod.

"Stay quiet. If they notice us, they’ll either overwhelm us with numbers or escape."

"Well..." Alden smiled. "It’ll be my first time seeing a Mistfeather."

With that, he quietly made his way down the stairs.

Liam and Mina exchanged helpless glances before following after him.

The passage grew colder as they descended deeper underground. Their footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor until, several minutes later, it suddenly opened into a vast underground chamber.

Several stone tunnels branched out before them, each disappearing into darkness.

"Whoa..."

Alden couldn’t hide his surprise.

"We stay together from here."

Neither Liam nor Mina objected.

Alden activated Mana Sense. Almost immediately, he caught a faint sound coming from one of the tunnels.

"This way."

He pointed ahead, and the three quietly made their way deeper into the cavern.

As they walked, the air gradually grew warmer. Before long, a faint glow appeared at the end of the tunnel.

The moment they stepped outside...

...they froze.

A crystal-clear pond stretched before them, its surface shrouded in gentle steam as hot water continuously bubbled up from the ground. High above, a massive opening in the ceiling allowed sunlight to pour into the cavern, bathing everything in a warm golden light.

"What the hell..."

Mina whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

None of them had expected to find a hot spring hidden beneath a dry wasteland.

Ancient stone pillars and crumbling walls surrounded the pond, giving the place an almost sacred atmosphere, as though it had once been a sanctuary forgotten by time.

"Let’s search."

Alden could barely hide the excitement in his voice.

Without another word, they spread out. Liam searched the left side of the chamber while Mina headed right. Alden wandered toward one of the ancient stone walls, where its surface was almost completely concealed beneath a mass of thick, decaying roots.

Curiosity got the better of him.

He reached out and began tearing the roots away. Dust drifted into the air as the brittle vines loosened, revealing more of the weathered stone beneath.

Then...

He noticed something.

There were words carved into the wall.

His heartbeat quickened as he hurriedly cleared away the remaining roots.

The moment the entire sentence came into view...

His breathing stopped.

His pupils contracted.

The language carved into the stone...

...wasn’t from this world.

"...English?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!