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

Chapter 685: Beneath the World Tree, a Hidden Secret [1]

The underground area was much more spacious than they had imagined.

The first stretch of the passage had clearly been reopened and widened by the goblins recently. Fresh chisel marks covered the walls, while large quantities of broken stones and wooden supports lay scattered across the ground. They could even see several abandoned transport carts.

However, portions of much older stonework were still visible beneath the recent excavation marks.

It was obvious that an underground passage had already existed here long before the goblins arrived. The World Tree’s roots had sealed off parts of it over the years, and the goblins had merely cleared the blocked sections, widened the route, and reinforced the upper passage to accommodate their army.

Beside the carts were piles of unused mana crystals and numerous tools intended for excavating rock.

Gabriel casually picked up an iron pickaxe.

Its craftsmanship was surprisingly refined.

At the very least, it didn’t look like something ordinary goblins could produce.

“Looks like those humans provided them with far more assistance than we imagined.”

Edgar snorted coldly.

“The quality of these mana crystals isn’t low either. Reopening such a large passage and keeping several thousand goblins supplied underground would have been impossible without a stable source of resources.”

Gabriel tossed the pickaxe back onto the ground.

One of the overturned carts had lost a wheel, leaving its contents scattered across the passage. Gabriel stepped around several broken crates and noticed a goblin helmet lying beneath the wreckage. He nudged it aside with his boot, clearing enough space for Sophie to pass without climbing over the debris.

“Watch your step.”

“Thanks,” Sophie replied.

With a simple nod to her, Gabriel swept his gaze across the surroundings.

Many transport carts had been overturned, with food, weapons, and tools scattered everywhere. Evidently, the goblins had retreated in such a hurry that they hadn’t even had time to take these supplies with them.

For a goblin army that had just suffered such devastating losses, this was undoubtedly another significant blow.

The three continued deeper underground.

The passage gradually sloped downward, although the incline was gentle enough that they barely noticed it at first. The air grew cooler as they descended, and the sounds of their footsteps carried surprisingly far through the tunnel.

Occasionally, they encountered a few goblins that had fallen behind. However, Gabriel didn’t even need to lift a finger. Edgar casually released several mana threads and easily disposed of them.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, the environment ahead finally began to change.

The recently reopened passage gradually gave way to an extremely ancient stone corridor.

Both walls were covered in faded patterns, many of which had already been worn away by the passage of time. Unlike the rough upper tunnel, the stonework here was remarkably precise, with no signs that the goblins had constructed any part of it.

“Wait a moment,” Edgar suddenly spoke.

He walked toward the wall and wiped away a thick layer of dust.

The next instant, an ancient mural appeared before the three of them.

The mural depicted an enormous tree.

Countless roots extended deep underground, eventually converging around a massive stone structure.

And at the center of that structure, the vague outline of an enormous figure could be seen, completely entangled in tree roots.

“This is…”

Edgar’s expression gradually became solemn.

“The World Tree?”

Sophie also approached.

She reached out and touched the mural.

A moment later, she nodded gently.

“Yes.”

“This mural should be depicting what the World Tree looked like in the past.”

Gabriel looked toward the center of the mural.

“Then what’s that thing underneath it?”

Sophie shook her head.

“I can’t tell.”

The central section of the mural had suffered considerable damage. They could barely distinguish an enormous outline, making it impossible to determine exactly what it represented.

However, one thing was now certain.

There really was an ancient structure underground.

And the World Tree’s roots had grown around that very structure.

“Looks like what the Goblin Commander said before dying wasn’t complete nonsense.” Gabriel fell into thought.

Originally, he had assumed some powerful treasure was buried here.

Now, however, the situation was clearly somewhat different.

Still, that didn’t diminish his interest.

After all, anything that required the World Tree itself to participate in sealing it away was probably worth far more than an ordinary treasure.

The three continued forward.

The deeper they went, the more tree roots appeared around them.

Initially, they were merely roots as thick as a person’s arm. Later, however, enormous roots several meters in diameter began appearing, stretching along the stone walls until they almost completely enveloped the passage.

Unlike the withered and decaying roots near the altar, the roots here, although equally ancient, still retained faint traces of life.

Sophie’s footsteps gradually slowed.

She could sense something. These roots were establishing some kind of subtle connection with her.

They weren’t attacking her. Nor were they rejecting her. It felt more like they were trying to confirm her identity.

“They recognize me,” Sophie suddenly spoke.

Gabriel turned toward her.

“What?”

“These roots…”

The young girl raised her head and looked at the enormous, intertwined roots surrounding them.

“They know I possess the World Tree’s power.”

Hearing this, Edgar’s eyes flickered slightly.

However, he didn’t ask any further questions.

He had already known something about Sophie’s connection with the World Tree. It was simply that he had never personally witnessed it manifesting to such an extent.

And just then, the three finally reached the end of the passage.

What appeared before them was an enormous underground chamber.

The space was at least several hundred meters wide, while its ceiling was so high that they could barely make out its limits. Ancient magical patterns covered the surrounding rock walls, and at the center of the chamber stood a massive circular stone platform.

Countless World Tree roots twisted and intertwined around the platform.

Several of them were even as thick as actual tree trunks, descending all the way from the cavern ceiling and tightly enveloping the entire structure.

And at the center of those roots part of an enormous black object could vaguely be seen.