God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 564: Suspicious Guide

Gabriel stood at the entrance for a prolonged period, his gaze fixed on the precise spot where the formation concentrated its power.

The center of the chamber depressed by a hand’s width, and without any prior indication, the black nails all simultaneously snapped towards the doorway.

A surge of power gathered at the entrance, and Gabriel felt its presence.

BOOM!!!

The explosive force shattered the ice wall, sending fragments cascading down the corridor. VV absorbed the brunt of the impact with their sword, and two shallow gashes appeared on their armor where dark shards managed to bypass the blade.

FWOOOSH!

Before the dust could even settle, Gabriel moved through the fractured ice. His sword a blur, he sliced three fragments from the air before they could reach the injured members positioned behind VV.

IceQueen intercepted another projectile with a delicate ice shield. The fragment penetrated five centimeters deep before halting, causing her wrist to buckle slightly under the force.

"Maintain focus," Gabriel instructed. "There's a delay after each activation of the trap. We must cross during this interval, or we risk being trapped here until it amasses enough power to obliterate us in this hallway."

IceQueen surveyed the chamber once more. "Which path do we take?"

Without hesitation, Gabriel indicated the right side. "Only tread upon the gray stones. Steer clear of the blood lines, discarded weapons, and the grasp of the deceased."

He cast a glance at the nearest corpse before adding the final crucial detail. "The formation draws qi from the bodies through contact."

Several members of ChaosKnight averted their eyes from the corpses, evident discomfort on their faces. One wounded individual lowered his gaze to his own boots, his breathing growing ragged.

Gabriel allowed no time for overthinking. Hesitation breeds slowness, so he took the lead, stepping forward.

"I will go first. IceQueen will follow after five steps. VV will secure the rear, and ChaosCleric, keep your staff down unless someone loses a limb."

ChaosCleric opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again. He offered a faint nod, which was likely the most prudent action he could take.

Gabriel entered the chamber, and all eyes tracked his initial movement. The instant his boot landed on the first gray stone, the black lines beneath the corpses subtly shifted towards him. He kept his qi concealed close to his body, moving to the next stone before the formation could establish a lock.

A corpse positioned near his left foot twitched abruptly. Its hand shot out towards his ankle, fingers bent at an unnatural angle.

Gabriel severed the wrist before it could make contact. A thin stream of black fluid issued from the stump, and the floor line beneath it momentarily lost its luminescence.

"Damaging the anchors slightly weakens them," IceQueen commented as she moved into position behind him. Her eyes had instantly registered the alteration.

"Only temporarily," Gabriel concurred. "Do not pause to destroy them unless they obstruct the way forward."

The group advanced in a state of tense silence, with IceQueen maintaining her position five steps behind Gabriel. Each step demanded meticulous placement. The gray stones were irregular, some barely wider than a foot, while the crimson-black lines separating them pulsed with each living breath that passed overhead.

A ChaosKnight member positioned near the center lost his footing when a stone shifted beneath his heel. His hand instinctively reached for a broken spear to regain balance, and Gabriel observed the blood line beneath the weapon intensify.

"Do not touch it," Gabriel commanded, his voice halting the man more effectively than a shout. The man froze, his hand mere millimeters from the spear shaft. IceQueen grasped the back of his armor, pulling him upright before the formation could fully react.

The far doorway was a mere fifteen meters away, yet the chamber distorted the distance, making it feel significantly longer. Gabriel could sense a concentration of dead qi accumulating once more beneath the central circle, and the reprieve was drawing to a close.

"Quicker now," he urged, his gaze fixed on the coalescing dead qi. The corpses surrounding them began to stir once more. Black nails emerged from flesh and armor, now pointing inwards instead of towards the entrance.

ChaosCleric's expression grew strained. "Why are they targeting the center now?"

Gabriel’s eyes scanned the floor ahead, revealing the answer too late for comfort. The designated path guided them around the chamber’s periphery, but the formation intended to draw them into the center with the next surge.

"Brace yourselves low," Gabriel ordered. "When the force strikes, do not resist by pushing upwards. Allow it to flow over your shoulders."

The air around them compressed, and dust lifted from the blood lines. Gabriel lowered his stance in anticipation of the imminent release.

BOOM!!!!

The force impacted from all sides, drawing loose dust towards the center. One ChaosKnight member lost his balance, but VV caught him by his armor's rear and drove the tip of their sword into the ground.

Gabriel crouched low, embedding his blade into the gray stone beneath him. The blast passed overhead, creating two lengthy rents in the shoulder of his clothing without inflicting any skin damage.

IceQueen dropped to one knee, spreading a layer of ice beneath the feet of three members behind her. The ice provided sufficient stability to withstand the outward pull until it subsided.

The formation faltered after its second activation, causing several corpse anchors to tumble back to the ground. The faint red and black lines pulsed erratically, no longer forming a cohesive pattern.

"Move," Gabriel commanded, withdrawing his blade. "It won't grant us a third opportunity so readily."

They swiftly covered the remaining distance, not sparing a glance at the fallen bodies. Gabriel arrived at the exit door first, placing a hand on the stone beside it. Though the surface was devoid of active mana, a thin streak of black residue clung near the handle.

His gaze hardened, his thumb hovering over the residue. It felt peculiar, precisely as the alchemist had described. This was no ordinary dead Qi, nor did it originate from the Tianlan guild or the tomb itself.

IceQueen paused beside him, noting the shift in his stance. "Someone went through here after the trap claimed them."

Gabriel studied the black smear for another moment. "Indeed."

ChaosCleric arrived last, resting on his staff without channeling any mana into it. His eyes flickered between the residue, the corpses strewn behind them, and Gabriel's mask.

"You recognize this, don't you?" he inquired, though his tone suggested he already dreaded the answer.

Gabriel remained still for a beat, the ensuing silence causing ChaosCleric to avert his gaze first.

"Not definitively," he finally responded. "But I have a theory."

At his words, the guide's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.