Transcendent Gene
Chapter 225: Ruin Exploration [3]

Chapter 225: Ruin Exploration [3]

Whoosh!

Only air slammed into the ground below when Gio landed. He righted himself and used virtual energy to gradually slow his momentum until he touched the ground with nothing more than a light tap.

The man named 46 was the same. There weren’t any obvious signs of power coming from his body. He didn’t seem to break his fall in any way, yet he landed just as gently as Gio did.

Without a word to each other, they moved through the forest and reached the clearing where the rest had gathered.

Gio looked around the crowd, trying to get a sense of the average level of his competitors.

’It’s a race to the finish. Nobody has more information than anyone else. I also only know what was mentioned in the report I glanced at back then, which wasn’t much aside from the fact that this ruin was a facility related to the birth of Gehenna.’

Human-made products from within were guaranteed to fetch a high price, but the true treasures were those things left in the wake of the Forthcoming.

’There were so many types of energy flowing through the world that it had never seen before. It was bound to cause some sort of reaction other than the obvious ones.’

The aftermath of the Forthcoming was a topic for a different time.

’The important thing is that its energy could be anywhere. There’s a rock in the NEXUS’ possession that contains more energy than some smaller power plants. It was incredibly stable, but they hypothesized that the blast caused when it released the energy stored inside would be enough to take down a small town.’

It was discovered almost a hundred years ago and was infused with energy during the Forthcoming itself, yet it still contained that much energy.

’It’s not as if I expect to find something of that level, but if I can find any larger traces of that essence, it’ll be more than just helpful for my growth.’

The rest of the people in the clearing were already looking at Gio and 46 when they walked in. It was too obvious of a location for anyone to reasonably hide.

Most of the rest wore masks or used other methods to cover their faces, making it obvious that the exploration of this ruin wasn’t entirely legal. They flared their auras, filling the air with power as if to scare away the newcomers.

Gio and 46 offered them no response, walking through the tense atmosphere without any issues.

They kept their auras reserved, choosing not to return the display of power. However, their ability to walk uninhibited was enough to tell the rest that they were a threat.

Gio frowned beneath his mask.

’It’s not manageable on my own. Most of these people are in the Adapted State. There’s a possibility that their bodies are already too strong for my power to affect.’

He never expected to get ahead of the competition with his strength alone, anyway. This was a situation he expected. What he did not expect was to be immediately tested.

He glanced over at the man walking beside him.

’He’s subtly using his energy to help me, but I can’t sense it in the air at all. If I couldn’t feel it in my body, I wouldn’t know it existed.’

It was incredibly strange. Someone who could manipulate energy to such a precise extent...

A person like that was more than just dangerous. Gio felt a little bit of relief that they were on the same side.

’There are three primary goals that everyone is chasing,’ he thought as they reached the crowd and stood in its midst.

’Some of them will be chasing the essence with me. Some of them will be chasing material goods that’ll sell well, and the last group is looking for something even rarer.’

The original Gene Alteration technology that humanity was working on before they gained Sequences without the help of science.

’Whether there’ll be traces of it here or not is 50/50. It’s half and half on whether they’ll actually work or not, too.’

That kind of ancient technology was a gamble amongst gambles. No normal person would be willing to take it, but those who succeeded were always blessed in a way unique to humanity’s current growth system.

’Regardless, we’re all entering the same way. I’ll have to be careful.’

They were all gathered in this clearing for a reason. If it was possible, the rest of the people present would have long been inside the ruin, taking everything it had to offer.

Only, this ruin was found by someone. The information was spread by someone.

And the location that person provided was this one.

Gio and 46 were standing in the clearing for almost ten minutes, watching as the crowd responded to the three people who appeared after them before they sensed a noticeable change.

Everything went silent. The hushed conversations around them came to a halt, and all eyes went to a specific part of the forest.

An ominous aura was coming from that direction, practically oozing out of the brush like a wave of black and red fog.

’This...’

Gio’s brows furrowed. He looked at 46 only to see no movement or response from the mysterious man.

’He probably senses it, but if he’s the kind of agent I think he is, then he won’t react to anything.’

There was no way the others present didn’t know either.

"Welcome."

He stepped out of the woods, revealing himself. He wore a black trenchcoat and pants that hid the majority of his skin, leaving only a bit of his pale chest visible. His hands were covered in gloves that matched the rest of his aesthetic. He looked somewhere around forty years old and wore a fedora with a pair of black-tinted shades that made him look like a pimp.

The smile on his face and the cane he held didn’t do him any favors either.

"I’m sure all of you haven’t been waiting long?" He asked, extending his hand with some flair.

"Some of us just got here. Others have been waiting a while. None of it matters now that you’re here, though," someone in the crowd said. The response was met by many others that were similarly filled with respect.

The man responded with a nod.

"Indeed. I will not keep the lot of you waiting for much longer."

He spread both of his arms wide, raising his cane into the sky.

"Let the hunt begin."

With a large, sweeping bow, he released a huge wave of power that rushed forward and swallowed the clearing along with everyone inside.

Gio was certain.

That energy wasn’t ominous just because the nature of that man’s power was something strange.

No, it was not about the nature of the power, but its "source" instead.

’He...’

Gio’s thought was cut off.

RUMBLE!

The ground below him was filled with cracks in a single second, and in the next, it all collapsed, dropping the group of Sequencers into the abyss below.

It was dark only because sunlight couldn’t reach the bottom. Gio’s eyes could.

There, he saw the shadows of structures that could only be manmade.

It seemed their entrance to the ruin had yet to be created all along.

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