God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Chapter 553: A Worthy One

It had not taken a single step since they arrived, and yet the pressure coming from it made the whole chamber feel blocked. The old armor did not shine, the weapon remained lowered, and the figure looked almost like a statue placed there to scare intruders.

Sophie’s group remained still; none of them dared to walk further. Even Ragnarok99, who usually preferred action over waiting, kept his feet planted while his eyes stayed locked on the knight-like figure ahead.

Sniperbowlegend, who had been quiet since they entered the tomb, finally spoke.

"We should not move forward."

Cassie turned her head slightly. "You saw something?"

Sniperbowlegend kept his bow lowered, but his fingers were already close to the string. "No. That is the problem. It is not reacting, and I have a bad feeling about it."

The guide frowned at his words and looked at the figure again. After a short pause, his shoulders relaxed a little, as if he had reached a safer explanation in his head.

"It might only be an ancient knight statue," he said. "There are many old remains inside the tomb. Some were used as markers, while others were placed to mislead intruders."

Ragnarok99 looked at him with doubt. "You are saying we should just walk past it?"

"I am saying we should not be delayed by every statue we see," the guide replied, though his voice was not as firm as before. "This is still the best path for your group."

Ragnarok99 clicked his tongue and stepped forward slightly. "Fine. Let us test it."

Sophie’s eyes shifted toward him. "Do not get close."

"I know," Ragnarok99 replied while raising one hand. "I am not stupid enough to poke it with my sword."

He sent a probing attack forward, a piece of rock he had picked earlier.

The rock moved across the chamber and struck the knight-like figure directly in the chest. The attack hit with a dull sound, but the figure did not move at all.

The old armor did not crack.

The weapon did not lift.

Several members of Broken Dawn eased slightly after seeing that reaction, and even the guide seemed more confident. Ragnarok99 sent another attack, this one aimed near the shoulder, but the result was exactly the same.

Nothing happened.

Bunny exhaled softly. "Maybe it really is just a statue."

Sophie stayed quiet. Her eyes remained on the figure, and for a brief second, she thought she saw a faint red glow inside the helmet. It was so quick that she could not be certain if she truly saw it or if the poor light had tricked her.

Her fingers tightened again as she said softly, "We should retreat."

The guide turned toward her at once. "Lady Sophie, this path is the most stable route given to your group. The other passages nearby are more dangerous, and some are not mapped properly."

Sophie did not reply immediately. She understood the risk of turning back, but the pressure ahead made her instincts uncomfortable.

From her uncle, she had learned more than once that the most dangerous thing in a dungeon was not always the enemy that charged first.

Before she could make a final decision, her eyes suddenly shifted toward the left wall.

A presence was fast approaching.

It was not hostile, but dense enough that her body reacted before her mind fully understood it. Sophie’s head turned toward a crack between two broken sections of wall, and a few others noticed her movement almost immediately.

Ragnarok99 frowned. "What is it?"

Before she could answer, part of the narrow side passage trembled slightly.

A figure stepped out from the impossible gap in the stone.

Several Broken Dawn members raised their weapons at once. Cassie’s eyes widened, Bunny took half a step back, and Ragnarok99’s sword was already in his hand before he even processed who had appeared.

Gabriel stood there in the White Phantom mask, dust on his clothes and the faint trace of dead qi still clinging to him. The passage behind him was so narrow that most people would not even consider using it, yet he came out as if he had simply walked through a normal hallway.

The guide’s face changed. "How did you come through there?"

Gabriel looked at the group for a second, and although his expression was hidden, his posture carried mild surprise well enough. He glanced from Sophie to Ragnarok99, then toward the knight-like figure at the far end.

"Oh, I did not expect to run into people here."

"White Phantom?"

Ragnarok99’s grip tightened.

Cassie kept her weapon raised, though doubt crossed her face. "Why are you here?"

Gabriel looked at them calmly. "This is my route."

Broken Dawn’s members were already tense from the statue ahead, but White Phantom’s tone only pushed that tension higher. To them, he had appeared suddenly, blocked their path, and spoken as if he had ownership of the route.

The guide’s expression darkened. "This path was assigned to us."

Gabriel turned his head slightly toward him. "Take another one."

Bunny’s brows tightened. "We found it first."

Several members behind her murmured in agreement, and Ragnarok99’s face hardened further.

The guide stepped forward. "You cannot simply claim a path because you walked out of a wall."

"If you want to use it," Gabriel said, his voice still calm, "get past me."

The chamber fell silent.

Ragnarok99’s eyes narrowed; for a second, anger clearly crossed his face. He remembered what White Phantom had shown earlier, how easily he had handled the Tianlan fighter, and how the pressure around him felt even now without any open threat.

His teeth clenched. ’Damn it. If Sir Broken was here, he would have easily handled this.’

A few Broken Dawn members looked at him, waiting to see if he would move, but he slowly stepped back with obvious reluctance. His pride did not like it, but his judgment was not poor enough to start a fight here.

Sophie finally spoke; her voice was elegant and even.

"We will take another path."

The guide looked at her in surprise. "Lady Sophie, are you sure?"

Sophie did not look away from Gabriel. "Yes."

Ragnarok99 exhaled through his nose, still annoyed, but he turned with the others. Cassie gave Gabriel one last guarded look before following, while Bunny muttered something under her breath but did not argue.

Gabriel watched them leave without saying anything.

Only after Broken Dawn’s group moved back into the passage did he turn toward the knight-like figure. His eyes narrowed behind the mask.

Now that he had no need to act casual before them, his expression changed slightly.

This close, the pressure from that unmoving figure became even clearer. He had already judged it in less than a breath, and his conclusion was simple.

Broken Dawn would not have handled it safely.

The thing was stronger than they understood and would have crushed them.

Suddenly, right at that moment, there was a faint clinking sound at the far end.

For the first time since the group arrived, the figure moved. A faint red light flickered inside the helmet, and the long weapon beside it scraped softly against the floor as an old voice echoed through the chamber.

"Finally... a worthy one."