God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 504 504: The Royal Floor

In the banquet hall, the festivities hadn't died down by much, yet one chair stayed empty for far too long.

Several young aristocrats sitting close to Darius Aston's table started shooting repeated glances its way. Tunes kept flowing from the musicians, waitstaff bustled about with platters, and visitors continued sipping drinks while chatting, but that missing figure began to seem peculiar.

A companion of Darius leaned back into his seat, furrowing his brow.

"Where did Darius go?" he questioned, twirling the liquid in his cup.

Another aristocrat straightened his sleeves and scanned the room. "He was right here moments ago. He appeared irritated, then walked away."

A third, bulkier fellow with a pointed jaw, gestured at the exit.

"I saw him exit following that masked visitor," he murmured. "Likely handling some issue."

The initial aristocrat chuckled briefly. "Handle an issue? Right in the midst of his father's feast?"

The stocky one lifted his shoulders. "You noticed his expression as Her Highness passed by. He wasn't precisely composed."

The second aristocrat placed his cup aside and rose. "I'll fetch him. Should he stir up problems this evening, General Aston would flay us all merely for watching."

Nobody contested that. He smoothed his jacket, cast a quick look at the dancing area, then departed the hall wearing a graver look than earlier.

Meanwhile, Gabriel had ventured further into the royal level.

The silver armor adorning him proved more useful than anticipated. Upon emerging from the shadowed bend into the brighter passage, no sentries or strolling staff challenged him. Several simply stepped aside with deference. A few maids even dipped their heads upon spotting the armor and its house emblem.

A servant bearing stacked linens shifted aside and curtsied lightly.

"Lord Darius," she whispered.

Gabriel offered just a brief nod and pressed on.

His stride remained even, not hurried or sluggish. This corridor shone more vividly than the previous stretch. Though the hanging lights were less grand than those in the banquet area, their glow felt purer. Framed artworks and subtle golden motifs adorned the walls, while the ground underfoot gleamed mirror-like from the fixtures.

He possessed no chart now.

Beyond this point lay no sketched path, no estimated bends, no somewhat trustworthy sketch from Xman. The further in he advanced, the more he relied on his gut feelings and decisions. That didn't trouble him greatly. In certain respects, it improved matters. No more fretting over chasing a forum tale down an incorrect passage.

Navigating the subsequent corridor, twin armored sentries by a lateral door hailed him first.

"Lord Darius," one stated with respect.

Gabriel didn't halt. He merely lifted a hand in salute and proceeded.

Their lack of suspicion smoothed his path, yet heightened his vigilance. Ascending higher in such a location amplified the peril of any misstep. Even the stillness here differed. It wasn't the hush of a dormant structure. Rather, it was the silence reserved for spots where only vital figures could move unhindered.

After another bend, Gabriel eased his pace a touch and extended his senses.

They rippled outward silently, brushing walls, ground, angles, and far-off portals.

Should the monarch skip the banquet, limited options remained.

Perhaps his quarters.

Or a distinct castle wing detached from the gathering.

Gabriel kept a blank visage under the helm, though his attention intensified.

He kept probing with his senses, subtly gauging the ambient force, detecting the currents of auras on this level. Some felt commonplace. Others stronger. Likely watchmen concealed behind panels or at unseen vantage. None aligned with his target.

Suddenly, he sensed it, and his stare wavered.

Ahead, burrowed deeper in the royal zone, loomed an aura surpassing all others.

Gabriel's footfalls persisted, but his gaze tightened faintly.

It had to be that one.

The aura wasn't merely potent; it crushed down.

From afar, it exerted a weight shrinking every other aura nearby. The disparity stood clear without reevaluation. If one spot demanded his approach, this was it.

He shifted course at once and strode toward it.

The more profound his penetration, the more the ambiance shifted.

Attendants vanished initially.

Then sporadic sentries thinned out.

Passages turned stiller, vaster, oddly chillier under the gentle amber illumination from sconces. The lustrous flooring stayed spotless, but the revelry's echoes dwindled until solely his bootfalls echoed.

Eventually, he entered a lengthy windowless aisle.

No attendants visible.

Bereft of ornament, merely an isolated passageway and mounting strain forward, intensifying gradually.

Gabriel breathed steadily, yet tension gripped even him. No ordinary soul could traverse this strain unruffled. It gnawed at nerves, dragged at limbs, constricted the torso step by step.

Were it not for his Undead Heart ability soothing his mind and steadying his condition, he realized most would have retreated long ago. Mere bravery wouldn't suffice. That truth sharpened with each advance.

The illumination appeared fainter, or maybe the forward strain merely burdened the rest of the aisle more.

The air's strain deepened.

It seemed Gabriel had entered a domain where noise itself hesitated to persist.

Step after step, the crushing aura swelled, and for the first instance since arriving in this realm, perspiration beaded on Gabriel's brow.

He wiped the moisture from his temple, mildly startled, his eyes quivering.

"I knew the king would be powerful, but this… we haven't even met yet."

***

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