Dustin looked at the stone steps leading down. He took a deep breath and slowly descended.
The hidden passage was long, but it was. dimly illuminated. After walking for a while, the path leveled out and grew wider the farther he went.
The path ahead was quiet. There were no new traps, and nothing else seemed out of place.
Dustin followed the passage into the secret chamber. The place was spacious, and every inch was filled with rare finds-divine weapons, cultivation manuscripts, valuable herbs, and priceless artifacts.
He scanned the displays carefully but didn’t see the ornate box that was said to contain the Dracan essence. His gaze drifted to the far end of the room, and he saw a solid steel door engraved with intricate runes.
Dustin took out his compass and looked at it. The needle pointed straight at the door and didn’t move at all.
“It must be hidden inside this vault,” he muttered.
He put away the compass and examined the heavy door. His eyes scanned the dense, cryptic runes etched across its surface.
Dustin knew these runes had to be the key to unlocking the vault. After studying it for a moment, he noticed something unusual.
Though the door was engraved with dozens of runes, only six showed faint fingerprint smudges. He could tell those six runes formed the password. If he could figure out the correct sequence, he could unlock it.
Dustin fell into deep thought and carefully tried several possible patterns. As the sixth rune clicked into place, a sharp crack rang out. Suddenly, a barrage of poisoned needles shot from hidden holes in the door.
With a swift push, he jumped and pressed himself flat against the ceiling.
The needles flew through the air and embedded themselves deep in the opposite wall. It left behind a dense cluster of holes. Their sharpness.was unmistakable.
“Just as I thought. Something’s not right.”
Dustin landed lightly. After focusing for a moment, he tried entering the password again.
The second attempt failed too. This time, the vault door didn’t fire poisonous needles. Instead, it sprayed a burst of acrid green liquid.
However, Dustin had expected it and managed to dodge.
The spot where he had stood earlier was already pitted with corrosive holes, and they were still spreading. The corrosion didn’t stop until it hit the steel reinforcement over three feet down.
If that stuff could melt solid rock, it would’ve stripped a man to the bone in seconds.
There was no denying that Nathaniel’s hidden traps were deadly. Even a grandmaster wouldn’t risk meeting these traps head-on. One wrong move and they’d be dead before they hit the floor.
Dustin didn’t waste time and continued to try different combinations.
Each failed attempt triggered a new attack sometimes poisoned needles, a cloud of toxic gas, venomous insects, or bizarre and unpredictable traps.
Once, the floor lit up with a restriction formation seal. Another time, a steel cage dropped from above. Each trap was designed to kill without mercy. If he weren’t as skilled and quick on his feet, he’d have been dead long ago.
He entered the code again, only to see that his attempt had failed. His impatience began to simmer.
While the hidden weapons posed no immediate threat, each mistake pushed him closer to disaster.
The guards outside, knocked out by the smoke, would be awake in less than two hours. If he didn’t crack the vault open by then, the mission would be a total failure.
Dustin had briefly considered smashing the door open, but that would inevitably alert Nathaniel. By the time he found the Dracan essence, Nathaniel could have his men surrounding the area.
Even if he managed to escape, his identity would be exposed, and it would lead to an unavoidable confrontation with Nathaniel.
That was a worst-case scenario that Dustin had no intention of letting play out. For now, he had no choice but to keep trying and hope for the best.
Sweat began to bead on Dustin’s forehead as the pressure mounted with each failed attempt. Finally, after countless tries, the vault door emitted a low hum and slowly creaked open.
“Finally,” Dustin muttered, as a sense of relief flooded through him.
The series of failed codes had pushed him to his limits. He’d nearly lost control and almost resorted to forcing the door open.
But in the end, he’d cracked it. And now, all the hidden weapons in the vault had been exhausted. He stepped inside and quickly scanned the shelves of treasures.
His eyes soon landed on two ornate boxes inside a bulletproof glass. He quickly stepped forward and lifted the protective cover. As he opened the boxes, he saw the familiar Dracan essences inside.
“Just as I thought,” Dustin muttered.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed his face as he slipped the two ornate boxes into his pocket. The mission had been a hassle, but it was finally over.
Just as Dustin turned to leave, a loud thud echoed as the vault door slammed shut.
Red poison smoke began to pour from hidden vents.
Then, an ear-piercing alarm blared throughout the mansion.
His frown deepened, and his expression turned grim. He had taken every precaution, yet he still failed to anticipate Nathaniel’s hidden trap.
This was going to be a problem.
In a room at the opposite end of the mansion, Nathaniel slept soundly until the shrill alarm shattered his dreams like a thunderclap.
He bolted upright, leaping out of bed and rushing toward the door without even bothering to throw on any clothes.
“Guard! Someone’s broken in. Follow me,” Nathaniel shouted.
He quickly assembled a group of guards and sprinted toward the vault.
The alarm had been set only for the vault. If it had been the secret chamber, he wouldn’t have woken up. The treasures inside were valuable, but they weren’t essential to him.
The vault, however, was another matter. Every single item inside was irreplaceable, and if even one thing went missing, the loss would be catastrophic.
At that moment, Nathaniel didn’t care why a thief had infiltrated his mansion. He just had to get there, capture the thief, and prevent further damage before it was too late.
