Chapter 348: We Found Your Grandfather! (2/2)

“This is the Faint Crystal Stratum. Without my consent, not even supernatural individuals could enter-let alone ordinary beings.” The old man said, shaking his head.

“But hadn’t you handed the clearance to the young lady?” The automaton asked.

The old man did a double take, only remembering then that the was no longer the one who held clearance over the Faint Crystal Stratum.

Now, anyone could be allowed in to here as the clearance holder pleased.

“Oh no. I forgot to tell her that this place is too dangerous. She shouldn’t have entered so simply!” The old man looked very worried right then.

“The sounds are getting louder. They may be coming in this direction.” The automaton added then.

The old man shook his head again. “Impossible. It took me a hundred years to barely clear a safe trail… how could anyone fight their way here so quickly? And don’t forget about the automatons wandering in the crystal forests!”

Although the automaton beside the old man was human-shaped, the rampaging automatons would devour their own kind, turning into massive spiderlike creatures!

Their bodies were as hard as they could move rapidly, able to fire powerful death rays from their single eyes that would detonate anything with devastation even with the slightest brush!

It was worth mentioning that it didn’t detect foes with its eyes, but by sensing vibrations

—the single eye on its head was just a decoration.

“And that’s not all. The maze of the crystal formations becomes more complicated the closer you come to the center.” The old man summed up then. “That is why most groups would never make it here.”

And soon enough, the old man himself could hear human voices nearby, followed by the death rays and ensuing explosions unleashed by the rampaging automatons.

After all, there were more rampaging automatons in the center reaches of the elven ruins.

It seemed that the people who came in for an adventure were not going to survive this wave.

But just as the old man showed a look of regret, he heard more shouts from the same direction.

And for some reason, he had the feeling that the shouting was an effort to hold in laughter instead of panic and terror.

“Where’s Marni?”

“He was vaporized by a beam!”“Mister Marni died so fast this time! And there’s even nothing left of him! This stratum is as good as cleared!”

“Don’t panic, those beam monsters move very slowly! Slip behind them and stab them in the neck… What, no neck? Then hit it in the ass!”

“Oi, Mufasa! What the hell are you doing!? Why are you just watching over there! Quick, unleash your Kengyoku power and deflect the beam!”

“You can’t deflect a beam with a sword, damn it! Why not try it with your shield!?”

The noises died down another moment later.

Nonetheless, when the old man assumed that the intruders were wiped out, several figures appeared within sight.

The youth in the lead was holding a long, blazing stick that could have been a torch or a magic staff. The helm he was wearing was ablaze for some reason too, making it appear slightly funny.

His eyes brightened when he saw the old man and turned behind to shout. “Eleena, we found your grandfather!”