บท 45: 45. The Four Guardian Dog Symbols and the Lord of the Territory

At the center of the pool, the nameless young man prepared to act as soon as everyone reached the far edge. With a calm but alert expression, he removed the hairpin carved with a symbol of water waves.

His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, even tracking the birds soaring in the sky. His ears honed in on every detail—the whisper of wind, the gentle rush of water trickling into the pool, and the ripples forming on the surface.

Ten seconds... twenty seconds passed with no sign of trouble. Some people began to smile, thinking they had narrowly avoided disaster.

"Did we actually pull it off?!" Rio blurted out, delighted.

"But where's the door?" Kairav asked, frowning as a sense of unease crept over him.

Meanwhile, the nameless young man also seemed to feel that something was off. His intense, dark eyes stayed fixed on the water streaming from the jug, noting an oddity he couldn't yet identify.

Seconds ticked by until he noticed a strange color rushing through the stream flowing from the jug into the pool. It hit him—disaster was imminent.

"Look out!"

His warning barely left his lips before the entire shrine shook violently.

"What's going on?!" Some people cried in shock and fear.

There was no time for questions as the tremors grew stronger, cracking the stone walls that encased the pool. One by one, people lost their footing and fell, struggling to stay balanced.

The red liquid gushing from the jug in the statue's grasp began to pour more rapidly, gradually turning the clear pool water a deep crimson.

Realizing what was happening, the nameless young man leapt to the pool's edge—just as someone slipped and fell into the blood-red waters.

Splash!

"Rio!"

"Arghhh!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed from the tall man's mouth as he plunged into the pool, fully submerged in the mix of water and dragon serpent blood that had started pouring from the statue's jug. The agony began immediately as his skin and flesh began to wither, as if something barbaric was draining his blood from within.

Desperately, Rio thrashed his arms through the air, hoping someone might reach out to save him. Trisha, barely able to keep herself upright against the violent tremors, stretched her hand out toward her struggling comrade.

But her attempt was cut short when the nameless young man kicked her hand aside, his tone icy. "Stop."

"Isn't there anything we can do to help him?" Kairav asked, panicking as he clung to the arm of someone nearby.

The nameless young man shook his head. "It's no use. In the end, he'll die. No human has ever survived contact with dragon serpent blood," he said flatly, casting a neutral gaze at Rio.

Gradually, Rio's flailing hands slowed, and he went still—a wrinkled, blistered body, hollow eye sockets with bulging eyeballs, floating like a dry mummy on the pool's surface.

"We need to get out of this cursed place now!" Zacky shrieked, his panic intensifying as he fought to stand against the unrelenting tremors.

Trisha, gripping the cracked stone wall to steady herself, snapped back, "Stay put, fool! The tremors are too strong. If you move recklessly, you'll fall in!"

Casildo, unfazed, grinned as he took in the pale faces around him. "What now? Should we escape and leave this trash behind?" He sneered, his grin widening as Trisha's men began to fear for their lives.

"Think beyond yourself! Consider the nameless young man, who went to all this trouble to bring that reckless girl here!" Prince Arkana chided him sharply.

"Then what? We won't find the entrance if these tremors don't stop," Casildo retorted bluntly.

"This is wrong!" Kairav exclaimed abruptly.

Casildo shot a fierce look at the young man with curly hair, who was scowling in concentration. "Failed Product, are you about to start babbling animal nonsense again?" he scoffed.

Realizing the error, Kairav turned to the nameless young man, his face serious. "The symbols you chose earlier represented objects that serve as guardians here," he said. "The blood pool, arrows, sword, and dancing woman—they're only watchdogs meant to protect this place from intruders."

"If we want to enter, we need permission from the territory's lord. That means choosing the hairpin bearing the lord's symbol," he explained.

"Say you're right. Then who is this 'lord' of the territory?" Trisha asked skeptically.

Kairav pointed to the crowned dragon serpent statue in the wall's central alcove. "That crowned dragon serpent statue! The relief on the wall clearly shows humans and two other dragon serpent statues bowing to it," he stated.

"It's the most prominent figure here, the only one wearing a golden crown typically worn by rulers. It's clearly the depiction of a king."

Without waiting for further discussion, the nameless young man immediately stomped the ground and leapt toward the royal-dressed female statue. He landed on the statue's shoulders and, with a swift motion, removed the hairpin bearing the dragon serpent symbol.

Instantly, the tremors ceased, and everyone thought, for a brief moment, that their ordeal had ended.

"Did... did it work?" Casildo muttered in disbelief.

"You're incredible, sir!" Zacky cheered with delight.

Hearing the praise, Kairav put his hands on his hips, smiling proudly.

"How did you think of that?" Prince Arkana asked, intrigued.

The young man with almond-shaped eyes turned to his two friends, flashing them a look of disdain. "Because I have two friends who constantly barge into my house uninvited, only to get bitten by my guard dog as a result."

Baron and Gavin, catching the clear jab directed at them, could only sigh in frustration, each wearing a scowl.

"But... why can't we see the entrance yet?" Trisha wondered aloud, gazing into the blood-filled pool, now calm and still. Others, noticing this detail, also stared in confusion.

The nameless young man, who noticed it first, leapt to the pool's edge. But as he landed, another tremor suddenly struck, causing a fresh wave of panic.

"Failed Product, I was just about to compliment your intelligence!" Casildo grumbled.

"He's right. He succeeded in opening the entrance," the nameless young man confirmed, his eyes fixed on the pool.

At that moment, the tremors ceased, allowing everyone to see what was happening next.

Grind... Grind... Grind...

A mechanical noise rumbled as massive stones shifted, resonating through the air. The once-placid pool began to ripple.