Reborn as an Extra Chapter 547: What are you? Part-2.

The cube had no way to respond to Rio's inquiry, being merely an artifact devoid of any awareness, leaving Rio to shake his head while examining the engravings on the pillars.

'Could this location have been constructed to document history or a similar purpose?'

Rio observed airplanes, trains, and ships etched into the enormous pillars.

In today's modern era, air journeys rely on floating magic ships, and trains operate through magical means as well.

However, the depictions on these pillars showed ordinary planes and trains from a time before mana and miasma ever appeared in this world.

'Did an individual from that earlier period erect this temple once mana and miasma began to exist here?'

Enduring the spirit realm's miasma-saturated environment to construct such a structure demands immense strength and resolve to withstand prolonged miasmic erosion.

'Who might have built this? It surely wasn't King Allen, as records indicate he was born several decades following the initial arrival of mana in this world...'

Rio lacked deep knowledge of history, forcing him to shake his head once more and press onward.

The cube of possibilities continued to indicate the identical path, compelling Rio to venture deeper into this site.

After crossing the entrance, visibility improved slightly as the fog thinned while he advanced.

'Just as I suspected, it's the remnants of a temple...'

A vast, crumbling temple loomed ahead of him.

Much of it lay in wreckage, with only select pillars and walls remaining structurally sound.

Scattered debris and rubble littered the ground, while miasmic corruption steadily ate away at every stone and item within the ruins.

Enormous pools of liquid miasma dotted the area, and the swirling miasmic fog amplified the site's lethal danger.

To bypass the temple's scattered debris, Rio hovered briefly in the air, proceeding by floating as he surveyed his surroundings.

'Dealing with such limited detection capabilities is truly troublesome...'

Employing miasma detection to scan the vicinity, Rio found the chaotic miasma currents from the fog severely restricting his usual range.

Progressing further, Rio encountered a large stone tablet.

Corruption had ravaged it extensively, and marks from weapon strikes suggested nearby combat had caused incidental harm at some earlier moment.

Yet Rio paid no heed to such details; positioning himself before it, he deciphered the inscriptions on the massive slab.

'Arneices? Could that refer to an ancient planet or site from long ago?...'

Deep in contemplation, Rio pondered the inscribed text.

'It appears these inscriptions recount the tale of the world's shattering, rearrangement, and rebirth upon mana's arrival...'

Similar to how Earth's expansion through spatial growth altered it, and the solar system's reconfiguration followed mana's descent on this planet, comparable events could have affected other worlds.

'The world fractured?... Does that imply the planet known as Arneices splintered into fragments?'

'Then what defeat do they reference?'

Rio's confusion deepened the longer he dwelled on the topic.

Academy history texts had never mentioned anything like this to him.

While Rio struggled to interpret the engravings on the stone tablet, a faint melody echoed from afar.

It resembled the notes from a musical instrument being performed nearby.

At the sound's arrival, Rio's gaze sharpened immediately, his hand reaching for the flute at his waist.

'Music being played in this barren, end-of-days wasteland? That's an ominous development...'

Rio hadn't anticipated encountering any rational entity in this infernal domain.

So far, all beings he'd met here were mindless abominations twisted by miasmic decay.

'No creature in this nightmare could possibly retain enough sanity to produce music.'

Glancing at the cube, Rio saw it directed straight toward the melody's origin.

'Are you guiding me to whatever's creating this sound? Do you mean I might uncover leads on Liam's whereabouts by confronting the musician?'

Doubt flooded Rio at that instant, yet the miasma's interference scrambled his instincts, leaving him unable to discern the cube's trustworthiness.

'Sigh... No alternatives remain for me...'

Finding Liam in the spirit realm was his primary objective, requiring adherence to the cube's directions.

With complete mastery over the cube achieved, it couldn't possibly intend defiance or deception toward Rio.

Nevertheless, hesitation gripped Rio.

'Never mind, I'll rely on Principal Raji's spells to flee if the situation turns sour...'

Maintaining his left hand on the flute, Rio advanced slowly yet steadily through the air.

The melody grew more distinct as he progressed. Traversing the full extent of the ruins, he reached its heart by following the tune's path.

A slight dissipation in the miasmic fog revealed a colossal sword statue within Rio's sight.

Erected upon an immense pedestal, the sword statue boasted intricate detailing.

Featuring a double-edged blade, it displayed patterns of interwoven threads forming diverse configurations.

Rio quickly recognized the design as representing the 'threads of destiny,' with the snake emblem on the hilt signifying 'loyalty' or 'promise.'

'This represents the 'Sword of Promised Destinies!'...'

Yet the statue wasn't the scene's greatest surprise; more astonishing was the unidentified figure seated on a rock amid the rubble.

In their grasp lay a radiant lyre, and remarkably, Rio detected no trace of their existence.

The entity seemed utterly nonexistent, devoid of any aura; appearing as a youthful boy clad in a blue robe.

Greenish hair framed his features, and his vivid emerald eyes sparkled, enhancing the allure of his strikingly handsome visage.

The youth's beauty left Rio uncertain if he was truly male or perhaps a female in male attire.

Upon Rio's descent to the ground a short distance away, the figure concluded his performance and met Rio's gaze with a smile, speaking thus.

"Greetings, fellow traveller..."

Disregarding the greeting, Rio inquired in his characteristic flat tone,

"What are you?"