Arvin pointed his left palm forward. A magic ball of light was instantly created and floated calmly above his palm. The light radiated strongly, immediately driving away and eliminating the pitch-black darkness that had been enveloping the surrounding area.
Even though the large room was now illuminated by light, the atmosphere inside the ruins felt very dead. There was no gust of wind, no signs of life. Only the echo of his own footsteps could be heard breaking the pure silence there.
Upon reaching the end of the main room, he stopped his steps. Arvin stared intently at a mysterious black door that was now right in front of his eyes. Slowly, his feet stepped closer to the door, then his hand reached out to grasp its doorknob which felt as cold as ice.
Alright! What is actually behind this black door? I am so very curious about what is inside there!
Creaaaakk...
The sound of creaking old metal hinges broke the silence as he opened the black door slowly. And what he saw behind it turned out to be just a dark room, which likely had quite a large size.
However, just as he walked in a few steps past the doorway...
Slam!
The black iron door behind him suddenly closed very hard on its own. Arvin was startled for a moment. The loud sound of the door slamming echoed bouncing off the walls of the room.
I don't know why the entity of mana density in here feels so thick. What is actually hidden behind this 'Game Over' door?
Without wasting time, Arvin continued his steps carefully in combat-ready mode. With the condition of the room illuminated by the magic ball of light floating beside him, his eyes continued to move in focus, watching every corner of his surrounding area very vigilantly.
What he saw as far as the eye could see was only a spacious room enveloped by a very thick darkness on the side in the distance.
The deeper he walked along the room, the density of mana energy in the air he felt slowly became stronger and more oppressive. The pressure felt like it was burdening his lungs.
If I were just an ordinary human without tolerance for this high of a mana density, I would have definitely fainted or even died a silly death here because my blood vessels burst.
Arvin let out a sigh of relief while continuing to walk. It is a good thing I didn't bring my three spouses into this place. I was very worried that they wouldn't be able to survive the thick and dangerous mana here.
Arvin's focus was suddenly broken by his fighting instinct screaming. Instantly, Arvin jumped backward to avoid a fatal attack that came suddenly.
Clang!
The sound of a loud clash echoed piercingly in the hallway. Arvin successfully parried an invisible attack using a magic sword that he instantly created from the ice element in his right hand.
So, there is a guard here, huh? No wonder this place is a 'Game Over' spot for players. If it is a character controlled by a player, no wonder they die instantly because they cannot move freely. But now, I am in the real world!
Sensing the danger was not over, Arvin turned his body around very quickly.
Clang!
His ice sword again parried a very strong follow-up attack.
Another attack? Who is actually attacking me from this empty space?
Whiz!
Arvin moved agilely again tilting his body, dodging a sharp invisible attack that whizzed and came from his left side.
"Who are you?" asked Arvin in a challenging tone, his voice echoing bouncing inside the room. "Can you only hide like a coward?"
No answer was heard. Instead, Arvin stared sharply to his right after sensing a deadly attack coming from there.
Clang!
He successfully parried the attack again with his ice sword. However, his invisible opponent this time was very clever. When his defense was focused on the sword, another attack came from an unexpected spot.
Thud!
A very hard kick landed solidly on his back. The strength of the impact was enough to make the blue-haired youth drag forward for several steps on the stone floor.
What kind of creature is he? His movements are very fast and deadly! Even my detection magic cannot detect his presence at all.
Arvin healed his aching waist with his healing magic. Then, he closed his eyes and immediately focused his mind. He released and spread a fine wind magic to all corners of the room.
Found you!
Thanks to the wind magic particles he spread very thinly, which were so fine they couldn't even blow his hair, Arvin could detect the pattern and direction of his opponent's movements very clearly. The parting air became his main clue.
Thanks to the air parted, Arvin felt a hard, fast kick coming back toward him.
Tap!
Arvin swiftly raised his left hand and blocked the kick. Now, one leg of the mysterious attacker was caught tightly in his grip.
Crack!
Without giving his opponent a chance to pull away, Arvin immediately channeled his mana.
Slowly but surely, the form of the invisible attacker's leg began to freeze and was coated in solid ice. The freezing effect continued to spread up quickly to the waist area, creeping to the stomach, locking the chest part, and finally stopped locking up to the limit of his neck.
Now, the silhouette of the opponent's form was visible from the ice mold encasing his body, even though his head remained transparent blending with the air.
"Show your face!" Arvin commanded, staring sharply at the head area of the invisible figure frozen in front of him. "Do not make me destroy your whole body here!"
"Just destroy it!" the figure answered in a challenging tone without the slightest bit of fear, and strangely still without showing his face. His voice sounded very clear, and it was the distinct voice of a youth.
"Before I destroy you, tell me, who and what are you?" Arvin replied coldly, demanding honesty from his captive.
"I don't have a name, and I am a Morpher, a high-level magic entity created directly by my creator. And my duty is to guard this place from intruders like you!" the figure answered with a firm voice.
The honest answer given by the figure claiming to be a Morpher instantly made Arvin quite surprised.
I never expected that the guardian figure in front of me turned out to be a very strong magic entity! Can I recruit him, huh? If I can, I really want to make him my spouse. Hehehe.
"Hey, aren't you bored being always alone trapped in here?" Arvin suddenly changed his tone of voice to be casual and conversational, really wanting to know the answer from the figure.
"I have been here for thousands of years! And my duty is to guard this place! It is certain—"
Arvin didn't let Morpher finish his sentence at all.
"For what?" Arvin cut in with a logical tone. "Isn't your creator who gave you that order long gone? Besides, what exactly are you desperately guarding in this empty room with nothing in it?"
"That is none of your business!" Morpher snapped stubbornly. "My duty as a creation is only to carry out orders!"
"Ah... whatever!" Arvin replied while shrugging one shoulder in resignation. He slowly released his hand's grip from the ice leg. "I am actually just curious about the inside of this black door. That's why I bothered coming in here."
"I will release you!" Arvin continued calmly, stepping back. "I hope you understand the situation and do not attack me again."
Without needing to wait for an answer or approval from the magic entity named Morpher, Arvin immediately canceled his ice magic. The layer of ice locking Morpher's body shattered into mana particles, then disappeared.
The figure was already completely free, but Arvin sensed that he was just standing frozen silently in his spot without moving in the slightest.
"Why did you release me just like that? Aren't you afraid that I might attack you again?" Morpher asked in a voice that sounded very confused.
"It's impossible for you to defeat me!" Arvin answered in a very casual and confident tone. "Besides, I am also no longer interested in fighting with you. Forgive me for being presumptuous by infiltrating your place."
"Did you come here to steal my creator's legacy?" Morpher asked again, his tone still full of suspicion. "Didn't you and your friend already take all the treasures and magic crystals outside this room that time?"
"I told you, I was just curious about what secrets are behind this door!" Arvin answered, defending himself casually.
And then, he recast the light magic that had previously died out from blocking the invisible kick to illuminate the surrounding area.
Now the room was illuminated again by the blinding light. However, Morpher's figure remained invisible despite the reflection of the very bright light. He truly blended in with the emptiness of the air.
"Is being completely invisible like that your magic?" Arvin asked curiously.
"Yes, you're right!" Morpher answered firmly. "I was indeed specially created with the unique 'invisible' magic inside of me."
Arvin nodded slowly, beginning to understand the characteristics of the creature in front of him. A faint smile was carved on his lips.
"Do you really not want to leave here and start a new life with me outside this place?" Arvin offered bluntly.
"Why are you suddenly forcing me to come with you instead?" Morpher replied, his voice sounding wary.
"Because I am interested in you!" Arvin answered quickly and straightforwardly, his eyes staring straight toward the source of Morpher's voice. "Listen to me! I'm not like your creator who can die! I'm an immortal human. If you decide to live with me, I promise, until forever I will never leave you all alone in loneliness in a dark and stuffy place like this."