Ali sat down as he waited for his air serpent to move through the duct. Tian for some reason took his time, as though the ducts formed a labyrinth and the air serpent needed time to navigate through it. The teenager questioned his companion but the air serpent said that he was just familiarizing himself with the air duct passages. Ali didn’t question further as he sat down with his eyes closed. His brief meditation didn’t yield anything useful but he felt more refreshed.

If I get out of this alive, I need to thank Kamis for his meditation technique. It’s actually really useful in this stressful situations.

Tian then let Ali know that he was ready. Through the air serpent, the teenager was able to look down on a being sitting on a throne. A cloak concealed all of the being’s features but one look was enough to convince Ali that he was facing a giant who was about three times the size of a normal adult. Once he confirmed Tian was safe within the duct, Ali began setting traps around the throne. As soon as the preparation was ready, he set a trap directly below the being which immediately triggered. When the steel spikes came in contact with the being, a large roar could be heard even where he stood.

“Come out, you coward! Fight me like a man!”

It’s not like I have a say in this.

The teenager resumed with his traps. He wasn’t even sure if he merely annoyed the being but he kept going, focusing on chaining multiple traps together. Bit by bit, the being’s legs were wounded until they couldn’t support the individual. Once he collapsed on the ground, the being was at the mercy of Ali until the killing blow was dealt. The entire process took an hour as the teenager had to, on more than one occasion, wait for his MP to recover.

That’s a lot of XP…

“Ah!” screamed Ali as pain coursed through his body.

The teenager turned to see a decrepit old man with a horrifying smile walking towards him. From his gaunt and pale face, the old man looked like he should be in the grave already as he hunched over. Ali recognized the man’s voice as the one claiming responsibility for his kidnapping, now certain that the metallic box covering his mouth was the source of the voice. He didn’t need many clues to know what his fate would be.

“You were useful for a bit,” said the old man, “but your usefulness has come to an end. Time to die!”

Ali couldn’t gather the strength to stand so he crawled until his back was against the wall. He didn’t know why Tian asked him to do so but his options were nonexistent otherwise. As he leaned against the wall, he felt something wrapping around him. He looked down to see vine-like magic wrapped around him before pulling him against the wall. The teenager was terrified as he couldn’t see where he was headed. One moment, he was staring at the old man and an ability prepared as the killing blow. The next moment, he was in utter darkness.

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Are you responsible for this?

Before he got the air serpent’s response, Ali found himself staring at a new wall and there was light in the room. He looked around, sensing familiarity with the room. It wasn’t until he turned and noticed the dead being that he realized where he was. Unlike when the being was alive, the corpse was closer to the size of a normal adult.

How did I get to this room, Tian?

There was a spell imprinted into the duct. Once I understood what it was, I prepared it so you can get teleported to the room. I didn’t think it would work…

One day, you’ll be the death of me…

Ali then looked around the room, noting that only one set of doors was present, opposite the throne. Seeing how fortunate he was, the teenager casted his trap ability at the entrance. Yet, his repeated attempts yielded nothing. He checked his prompt for answers.

<

Alert! Trap Setup ability has been sealed away. Until the seal is broken, ability cannot be used.

>

Damn! That old man must be responsible!

He then heard a loud thud at the door followed by some shouting. He could make out that those outside wanted to get in. The teenager looked around but, except for the air ducts, there were no other way out.

Ali, you should take a look at the relic here.

Relic?

Ali knelt down beside the corpse and grabbed the relic by the being’s hand. He held it up and asked the prompt for more information.

<

Analyzing relic….

Still analyzing….

Loading results…

Relic: Inheritance

Type: Support

Subtype: Special

Tier: S

Level: N/A

Cost: None

Description:

One becomes the relic owner by killing the previous relic owner. The owner of the relic can inherit the three most powerful abilities absorbed by the relic. Abilities are absorbed upon the death of the owner and are ranked based on unknown metrics. Because the abilities retain their levels when inherited, the owner level must match ability level to use them. Once abilities are unlocked, the owner can use the abilities freely as though they were born with the abilities.

Checking abilities….

All abilities are locked. Please level up more to access them…

>

If I get out of here and become stronger, then this relic might be useful. Otherwise, it just paints a target on me.

I just found more spells imprinted on the walls. Do you want to take a chance with them?

With what sounded like a battering ram beating at the door, Ali doubted he had much time to work with. Lacking the confidence to defeat those outside, he chose to take the gamble. Ali ran towards Tian and touched the wall behind the throne as instructed. More vine-like magic appeared around him, pulling him into the wall.

Let’s see where this takes me! Either I get to safety or I get captured and killed.