Chapter 90: Core Matrix
"When the Thornvale family came here a few years ago, they only managed to explore the outer perimeter before being attacked by strange worm-like beasts and forced to retreat."
He gestured to the surroundings.
"From what we gathered, they didn't even explore ten percent of this place."
The deeper the convoy moved into the ruins, the more surreal it became. Some buildings had entirely collapsed, swallowed by trees and shifting earth. Others stood surprisingly tall, though roofs had fallen in, and vines gripped the stones like iron chains.
But strangely, no monsters or magical beasts appeared.
Kael glanced toward the trees warily. "It's too quiet. Be alert all the time."
They pressed on, cautiously.
Then, a dome-shaped building sat nestled in the heart of the ruins. Unlike the others, this one was entirely intact. Its metal surface shimmered faintly beneath the dust and age, and no crack marred its massive form.
"What is this?" Veyra muttered.
"That thing shouldn't still be standing," Nash muttered as he stepped beside her, eyes narrowing. "Not after a thousand years."
They took a few steps closer.
The air around them seemed to change—
The wind faded to silence.
And the heavy heat of the day? It vanished, replaced by an eerie, unnatural chill that crept over their skin.
"It looks like an invisible barrier," Wizard Ryder muttered, narrowing his eyes. "This structure is being protected—likely by a spatial or elemental ward."
Count Alden raised his hand, signaling them to halt.
Ryder stepped forward and ran his fingers across the massive metal gate. Strange inscriptions shimmered faintly beneath layers of grime. But something else caught his attention.
It was the footprints etched in the dust below.
"Hmm," Ryder muttered. "These tracks are recent." He paused, then turned back to the others.
"Judging by the pattern, this must've been the Thornvale team's route."
With a push, the gate creaked open, revealing a dark interior. As light poured in behind them, the convoy saw a vast, circular hall stretching into the shadows.
And within it, everyone saw strange metal cubes lined the walls—some transparent, some frosted, others glowing faintly with internal runes. Inside them floated things no one recognized—preserved organs, plants with shifting leaves, and glass tubes holding mummified humanoid creatures unlike anything they'd ever seen.
"This doesn't seem like a normal building," Ariel whispered. "It seems more like a research facility."
The group spread out carefully, eyes drawn to the towering arc-like device in the dome's center.
And then, they soon saw the signs of battle.
Broken shields, scorched floor, and sword fragments embedded in walls. Armor bearing the Thornvale insignia, snapped and bloodstained.
Kael crouched beside a shattered blade. "They fought inside this building… They seem to have defeated the monster and left with the corpse."
"They also emptied all the valuable materials inside," Veyra added while looking at the storage boxes.
Count Alden's gaze swept the hall, and after a pause, he spoke with a grave tone.
"Survey the structure. Secure all corners. If it's clear, we camp here for the night."
"Understood," Nash said, signaling his team.
Radiant Knights and scouts fanned out, checking halls, passageways, and lower chambers. Ryder and Ariel began inspecting the arc device, but couldn't even understand what it was.
'Do you have any idea about it?' Raven asked as he observed the arc device.
[It looks more like an Interdimensional Portal.] Zera muttered.
'What does that mean?' Raven asked.
[You can travel to different realms using this. They must have used this device to explore other dimensions.] Zera said solemnly.
'Can it still be used?' Raven asked, intrigued by the technology of the Agith era.
[I don't think this device can be useful after thousands of years. But if you can find its blueprint, you can recreate the device independently.] Zera spoke.
"You want that?" Jovie arrived beside him and asked.
"You know of its function?" Raven raised his eyebrows.
Jovie smiled.
"If I can't even tell its function, I don't have the qualification to be reborn again." She then looked at Wizard Ariel and Ryder and shook her head.
"They are clueless, too."
At that moment, Ariel and Ryder gave up probing the device and walked away to check other small equipment.
Meanwhile, Raven quietly walked towards the arc device and studied it.
[Open the small box on the left side of the arc.] Zera suddenly spoke.
Raven moved towards the left side and opened the iron box. Though it was locked, it came off after a slight pull.
A few Radiant knights and even Wizard Ariel and Ryder got puzzled by his action; none said anything. In their eyes, the large arc was nothing more than junk made of iron.
[See the thing in black? That's the Core Matrix used to activate the engine.]
As he crouched beside the arc device, Zera's voice echoed in Raven's mind.
[The Core Matrix—sometimes called a Core Chip—is the soul of the Interdimensional Portal arc. It's not just a power stabilizer; it stores coordinates, star maps, and the records of every explored realm. Without it, the arc is nothing more than a hollow shell. You'll find it connected by a thin silver binding wire—cut it precisely. One mistake, and the entire data stream disappears.]
Raven's gloved fingers moved carefully, guided by Zera's instructions. The thin silver thread shimmered with a faint pulse, as if the device resisted the separation. He took a glass-edged scalpel from his inventory, sliced the wire in a single smooth motion, and lifted the tiny black cube—the Core Matrix.
Jovie, who had been observing from the side, noticed.
Her lips parted briefly as if to speak… but she closed them again. She turned away, pretending not to notice his action.
Raven stayed near the orc's body for nearly three hours. While others dismissed it as a pile of old era junk, Raven opened multiple hatches, examining the arc's interior.
To others' eyes, he looked like an obsessed scavenger lost in madness. Some were even confused by Raven's, aka Leah's, behavior. After all, 'she' was nothing more than a maid in the Count's house. Alas, nobody thought too much about it.
On the other hand, Raven was memorizing everything with his [Eidetic Memory] skill.
The external shell—its design, angles, and engravings.
The engine core—a swirling crystalline heart still glowed faintly, hinting at its fuel source.
The runes etched into the inner walls—complex language constructs powered by unknown essence.
He touched and scratched parts, even the metal composition, to identify their density and sound.
When he stepped away, his gloves were smudged with metallic dust.
Zera whispered one final thing.
[If you ever want to build one, Raven… the Core Matrix is only the beginning. You'll need a Rune Engine, a power stabilizer, and a dimensional frame sturdy enough to survive space-time fluctuation. The knowledge to build it doesn't exist in your world yet—but you might recreate it if you absorbed more of Runeth's memories.]
'I think the technology of this world needs to be improved if I want to create a similar portal to travel to different worlds,' Raven said solemnly. In truth, it was realistically impossible with the current technology.
[It will take a few centuries for such technological advancement to happen. So, just try improving your strength until then.]
Raven nodded and continued to check the device.
As Raven observed the arc device, the group combed through the building but found nothing outwardly dangerous or suspicious.
Once the inspection was done, they moved all the metal crates, strange devices, and rusted contraptions into a corner to clear space.
Everyone gathered in the now-open center of the structure to rest.
As dusk approached, the sky outside darkened.
Raven—still in disguise as Leah—joined Jovie and a few loyal servants in preparing food for the others.
After dinner, the group spread out to rest. Thankfully, Count Alden allowed the women to sleep in a separate room to the left.
The dome had several inner rooms, so a few knights took the chance to sleep within the walls instead of under the stars.
However, the Count made one thing clear: no one was to wander or rest alone.
Despite his greedy and pompous nature, Count Alden had once fought in the Crimson Fort War and knew all too well that danger rarely announced itself.
After ensuring the group had settled, the Count moved to a quiet chamber, sitting on an old chair that creaked beneath his weight.
In front of him was a pile of documents and a list of items they had recovered from the ruins. Five Expert Knights and three Wizards stood silently before him, awaiting his orders.
After some time, Wizard Ariel stepped forward, breaking the silence.
"Most of these documents concern their research, My Lord. While the language is of the Agith Era, it's not completely indecipherable. We can make sense of the core meanings."
Nash added with a frown, "Most of the valuable devices and tools seem to have already been taken, probably by the Thornvale family members before us."
"I expected that much."
The Count sighed. "You may all rest. Nash, stay behind."
Once the others left, the Count's expression shifted from stern to deeply serious.
"Report," he ordered.
"Yes, My Lord," Nash said, stepping forward. "Some of our knights have started feeling unwell. Five of them reported severe headaches. Three are down with a cold and fever. Another ten claimed they feel drained, as if their strength is slowly sapped."
"It must be due to battle exhaustion," Count muttered. "We're in dangerous lands. It's not uncommon for knights to get sick. Give them low-rank healing potions and make sure they rest well."
Kael hesitated for a moment and spoke.
"I noticed that Wizard Ryder also started acting strange for a while, My Lord. Usually, he is very talkative, but he has been staying silent."
"He must be exhausted, too. Do not disturb him." Count said solemnly.
"Yes, My Lord."
"And Nash… stay guard while I sleep," Count added after a pause. "I don't trust this place. It is eerily quiet."
Nash hesitated but nodded. "As you wish, My Lord."
Most had gone to sleep elsewhere in the building, though a few knights stood watch.
Raven lay down on the cold floor, letting his tired body relax.
The quiet hum of the ruin around him faded into the background, and soon he slipped into a deep sleep.
At that moment, a small black worm suddenly appeared on his nape, attaching to his flesh.
…
[Raven…]
[Raven… Wake up…]
[Hurry! Or you will die!]
The sudden shout jolted him awake. His eyes opened—yet the world he saw was not the one he had fallen asleep in.
He was standing in complete darkness.
'Where am I?' he muttered, sounding oddly muted.
[Inside someone else's domain. Something is interfering—]
Zera's voice suddenly cut off mid-sentence.
"Zera?" he called out, but no reply came. Only the silence of the dark remained.
He started walking, the ground—or whatever was beneath him—feeling strangely solid, as if he were walking on land.
'This place… It's empty, but I can still move. Wait… what is that?'
Far ahead, a faint golden light appeared. At first, it was no bigger than a spark, but it grew brighter and larger as he approached.
When he got close enough to see its source, his face stiffened.
It wasn't a lantern or a torch.
Instead, it was an enormous black worm, its body covered in thousands of blinking eyes. A single antenna on its head glowed with the golden light, sending a shiver down Raven's spine.