Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

They went to another wooden house that was in the corner of the village.

"How do these houses stay standing to this day?" asked William.

"Probably with the use of magical formations. It's amazing how much can be preserved using magic."

Jinra had created a false sky with stars, the moon, and even the sun during the day, all underground. Being able to keep a wooden house preserved for years was quite easy for him.

They entered the house, the sound of their footsteps making the wooden floor creak. It was dark inside the house. The only lighting belonged to a few candles that were burning with magic, lasting for years and years.

The interior of the house was like any house in a village of the time: simple but tidy furniture.

"Let's look and look for anything useful here," said the man who was with William.

Until that moment, neither of them had asked each other's name. They were there for a common goal, and there was no reason to know too much about each other's lives.

William knew exactly what he was looking for in that house: the secret passage inside the wooden closet.

But despite knowing, he couldn't just ignore everything and go straight to this closet. That would make things suspicious, and the man with him was already quite suspicious of him for managing to get past that statue.

William was looking at other parts of the house, just like his partner was doing.

"I don't think we'll find anything here," the man said.

"Keep looking, and let's look calmly."

Little by little, William moved around the house and arrived where the closet was. He opened the closet, and there was nothing inside. It was completely empty.

"See? I told you there was nothing," the man said again.

William then touched the back of the closet, and feigned a surprised face. "Are you sure there's nothing? Touch this here."

The man moved to William's side and touched the back of the closet. That's when he felt with his hand that there was something on the other side.

"I think this is a secret passage," he said. "Good job!"

The way he reacted, it seems that William didn't act so suspiciously, which was good. The two worked together to remove the false panel from the wall, taking the utmost care not to trigger any kind of trap.

William knew very well that there were no traps there, but he couldn't say that, obviously. After removing the panel, they saw a tunnel leading further down.

"Should we go this way?" the man asked. "You said that you believe the right way is through the main house."

"Yes, but a secret passage here must mean something, right? I think it's worth exploring," William said.

In the end, the man agreed and the two followed the tunnel.

The tunnel was narrow, and the two of them barely fit inside. They had to walk in single file as side by side didn't work.

"I'm a little nervous in here," the man said.

William then said, "I should be the nervous one. I'm the one going in front."

"That's true, that's true..."

When the two realized that one would have to go in front in the tunnel, William decided to volunteer, and of course the man accepted. The person who was going in front was much more likely to step on a trap.

And that's exactly what William wanted! He went to that place to trick the man, and step on a trap that would take him to another place, that is, he would be separated from that man!

William wanted to get to the treasure first than everyone else, and more importantly, he wanted the treasure just for himself. And for that, he needed to do some things and act smart.

Anyway, they continued to follow the narrow tunnel, until they finally reached another part. It was a small room that had only a pedestal in the middle, and it looked very suspicious.

"Let me go first to see if the room is safe," William said. "Can I?"

The man agreed. "Yes, but be careful."

William walked to the middle of the room. Besides the pedestal, there was also a door, which would lead to another place. He touched the pedestal, and the door opened.

His partner who was inside the tunnel looked at that and was excited. "Easy, right? We managed to open the door to continue."

But it was at that moment that the floor beneath William disappeared out of nowhere, and he fell. After that the floor returned, and the door was still open.

The man stood there not understanding anything. He was completely confused...

*

William tumbled into the abyss. Darkness swallowed him whole, leaving him blind and disoriented. The only sensations were the rush of wind against his face and the sickening speed of his descent.

Anyone else would have been paralyzed by terror, certain that a gruesome death awaited them at the bottom. But William knew better. Jinra's message had warned him about this trap. Though years had passed and things might have changed, William held onto the belief that the trap remained the same.

He landed with a soft thud, as if the ground were a bed of feathers. No pain, no injury, just a gentle stop to his plummet. He found himself in a deep fissure, water lapping at his feet. Plants clung to the damp walls, and insects skittered across the uneven floor. Time had clearly altered this place.

'This is a little different than I expected, but alright...' William thought, a flicker of unease in his mind.

He pressed on, senses heightened, every nerve alert. Jinra's message had promised safety, but years had twisted the tomb. The possibility of dangerous magical creatures lurking in the shadows couldn't be ignored. William would be ready.

With each step, the sound of his boots splashing through the shallow water echoed through the fissure. It was a lonely, rhythmic sound, like walking through a rainy Friday night, heading to the market with only an umbrella for company.

But he wasn't going to the supermarket. He was going to where his old master's treasure was. As much as William wanted some normalcy in his life, things would never be normal again.

After a while walking in that fissure, William noticed some strange things down there. Well, not at the bottom of the fissure where he was, but on the walls of the fissure above his head.

He looked up, his eyes already more adjusted to the darkness, amplified by the strange lineage he received from that snake, and that's when he saw something disturbing.

On the walls of the fissure, from up there, creatures were coming towards him. They were huge spiders, climbing the walls and going down. Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire

William's fall had alerted some creatures that lived in that place. Everyone was going to him.

A sense of urgency washed over William. He needed to get out of there as quickly as possible, or he would suffer the consequences.

There was only one path in that fissure, which was to go straight, and that's what he did. But this time he ran as fast as he could. He had to get out of that place.

His heart raced, as did his steps. William tried his best not to look up, as that would affect his running, but he did it unconsciously.

'Damn, they're getting close...' he thought, fear creeping into his mind.

The fear of not reaching safety in time gnawed at William. His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles screamed for rest, but the relentless scuttling of the spiders spurred him onward.

Then, through the dim light, he saw it – a stone door, choked with moss and the grime of ages. Salvation.

A surge of adrenaline propelled him forward. It was as if the very sight of that door ignited a hidden fire within him, pushing him beyond his limits. But the spiders were fast too, their monstrous forms growing ever closer.

Just as William reached the door, one of the spiders lunged. Unsure of its strength, and unwilling to risk a confrontation, William poured every ounce of power into his legs and leaped.

His body slammed against the ancient door, the force of the impact shattering the weakened seals. He tumbled through, landing hard on the cold stone floor of a corridor. This was more like it – the familiar confines of the tomb, not the terrifying openness of the fissure.

'I made it...' he thought, relief flooding through him.

The spiders battered against the stone door, their enraged screeches echoing through the corridor. But the ancient magic held firm, the portal sealed shut. How long it would last, William didn't know, but escaping the fissure was a victory in itself.

He scrambled to his feet, eager to press on towards the treasure. But then, voices drifted down the passage – the gruff voices of the fish-men and the rough accents of the pirates.

'They're close! Coming this way!'

Panic flared in William's chest. Trapped in a narrow corridor, with enemies approaching from behind, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He had no choice but to push forward, hoping against hope that he could outrun them, outsmart them, and somehow disappear into the labyrinthine depths of the tomb.