Searching Treasures

"Finally," Heizen thought. After waiting for this long, he even doubted whether the System was dead. 

However, looking at the notification, he needed to go to the depths of the Wailing Vault to get the goods. However, he was with the companion and couldn't just separate randomly. Moreover, considering the risk involved, it was better to have reliable companions at your back.

Just when Bernard and others were getting ready to leave the ruin, Heizen said, "Hey, let's check the depths of ruin before leaving. Maybe we would get some treasures."

 The girls and others look at him like a retard. 

"That place is covered with fog and other adventurers have already explored before. Why would you take the risk for flimsy treasures." Sarah scolded him with a pout. Others also agreed. 

There was no need to face more danger for such a reason. It would be foolish to dive head-on into danger in search of imaginary treasure. 

Heizen was also in a dilemma. He knew there were treasures inside. But he couldn't say it blatantly. After thinking for a while, he plausibly said,

"Well, I have an intuition that there are some good things inside. You know, my intuition had already benefited me greatly." He could only attribute it to his intuition. However, in this fantasy land, it wasn't preposterous to have such skill. 

Moreover, they already knew his gains in the Forbidden Forest before. 

"Besides, aren't you curious why the wraith and spirits keep regenerating in this ruin? We may find the reason, and if it is dangerous we can leave at any time." Heizen tried to persuade them. 

Indeed, the regeneration of the wraiths and spirits in this vault was a mystery. However, his team members weren't optimistic about finding that. 

But looking at the resolute look of Heizen, they had to accompany him even if they didn't want to. 

"Ok, but be extra careful and withdraw if there is any danger." Bernard said after careful consideration. Since they had arrived after the regeneration of monsters, maybe they would get something inside. 

Seeing that they agreed, Heizen was satisfied. He quickly took charge as a scout and walked in the front. The team made their way towards the depth of the vault. 

Contrary to their expectation, there wasn't a single monster or spirit along the way. It seemed all of them were attracted to their fight and killed by them. 

So, they smoothly arrived at the edge of the foggy area. This area was considered the depth of this Wailing Vault and the fog could hinder the mental state of a person. Illusions, hallucinations, etc.

After arriving at the location, Bernard took out a few small bells and asked each of them to take it. 

"Since the fog is dense deeper you go, take this bell. If you get lost, follow the sound and reunite with others. We would immediately leave the area once something goes wrong." 

Though the method seemed primitive, it was a solution regardless. 

Heizen also grabbed the bell and went inside with his colleagues. After entering the area, the mental pollution increased significantly. Bernard and Bowen were already sweating. However, the two girls weren't affected much as they might have treasures. 

Heizen was doing ok as his passive skill "Serene Touch" could mitigate these effects easily.

The path forward wasn't dangerous. Except for corpses, bones, and dark stains on the ground, the area was eerily quiet. Only the heavy fog posed some danger to them. 

Heizen was also simultaneously using his divine sense to quickly find the location. However, his divine sense was heavily affected and he couldn't sense more than a hundred meters. 

Once they were fairly deep, Bernard and Bowen couldn't maintain their state with their mental power. They weren't mages, so coming this far was already due to their strength. 

"Hey, you guys stop here and search around. We will go check a few hundred meters deep. If we didn't find anything new, we would return." Seeing their state, Heizen said. 

He was afraid something would happen if he let them follow. 

"Then, be careful. We would return outside after searching here. You can follow the sound of bells." Bernard said. He wasn't going to play hero as his strength didn't allow it. 

Heizen and the girls nodded and went deeper. After some time, they also separated from each other to widen their search range. Besides fog, they didn't encounter any monsters, so they weren't concerned. 

Heizen was actively using his divine sense to explore his surroundings. After doing this for a while, he finally saw some translucent gem in the corner. 

He quickly walked and picked up a crystal from the pile. 

[Ethereal Crystal: Consumables by-product of spirit crystal.]

[Effect: It can be used to create a defense barrier that can stop certain attacks from the spirit or magical entities.]

Well, though this treasure wasn't the soul treasure he needed, it was useful regardless. Heizen quickly put the pile of crystals into his mana ring and began to search for the second item. 

After rummaging through the pile of bones and skeletons, he finally found an unevenly shaped translucent crystal. 

[Soulstone Shard: A fragment of Soulstone. It is made up of the concentrated spiritual essence.]

[Effect: Soul Enhancement, Spectral Resonance]

[Soul Enhancement: It can temporarily increase the strength of the soul.]

[Spectral Resonance: It can be used to resonate with wraiths or spirits disguising your lifeform.]

Before Heizen could confirm the information, a shrill cry broke the silence around him. Almost instantly when he picked the Soulstone Shard, something seemed to have awakened in depth. 

Without caring, Heizen put away the item and made a beeline outside. He could faintly hear an urgent bell sound in a certain direction. The eerie cry from the depth was getting stronger and the fog was getting thick visibly. 

Just when Heizen arrived at their previous location, the crying sounds stopped abruptly and the silence returned as before. But he paid no attention to the anomaly and ran outside. 

Bernard and Bowen were waiting there along with the girls who were breathing heavily.

"Let's go," Heizen said and ran with his companion without pausing for a second. He was used to running away from danger.