Endless Chaos – Chaos Void Plane: The Path of Knowledge
Chapter 14 – The Ancient Mountain Ruins
The plains stretched endlessly beneath the false sun.
Arin walked alone across the tall grass, heading toward the distant mountain range that the Chaos Wonder Artifact of Knowledge had detected earlier.
From far away, the mountains looked silent and lifeless.
But now that Arin had begun walking the Path of Knowledge, he could feel faint irregularities in the world around them.
Subtle distortions in the conceptual threads.
Almost like echoes of something ancient.
Hours passed before the land began to change.
The flat plains slowly turned rocky, and the wind grew colder as Arin approached the mountain valley.
Then he saw it.
Broken stone pillars.
Half-buried beneath soil and moss.
Arin stopped walking.
"These aren't natural."
He knelt beside one of the stones and brushed away the dust covering its surface.
Carved lines appeared.
Ancient symbols.
The Artifact immediately began scanning.
[Unknown Script Detected]
[Translation in progress…]
Arin looked around.
More ruins were scattered across the valley.
Collapsed walls.
Fragments of statues.
Stone stairs leading nowhere.
This place had once been a large structure.
But time had destroyed most of it.
After a moment, the Artifact finished translating part of the text.
[Partial Translation Complete]
Arin read the glowing message appearing in his mind.
"…Sanctuary of Eternal Faith…"
"…Praise the One Who Hears All Belief…"
"…The Divine Kingdom Watches…"
Arin slowly stood up.
"The God of Belief."
This ruin had belonged to his ancient kingdom.
Which meant it existed long before the god's supposed fall.
Arin looked deeper into the valley.
Now that he paid closer attention, he could sense faint faith energy traces still lingering in the air.
Very weak.
But not completely gone.
That meant this sanctuary had once gathered enormous amounts of belief.
Perhaps even from entire regions of the world.
Arin continued walking deeper into the ruins.
The valley revealed more structures as he moved.
Collapsed prayer halls.
Stone altars.
Large statues depicting kneeling followers.
Everything here spoke of devotion.
But Arin did not see it as a sacred place.
He saw it as a system.
A network designed to collect faith energy.
Then something massive appeared at the far end of the valley.
A huge stone gate carved directly into the mountain.
It stood nearly ten meters tall, covered in ancient inscriptions.
Most of it had crumbled with age, but some symbols still glowed faintly with golden light.
Arin's eyes narrowed.
"A barrier."
The Chaos Artifact confirmed it immediately.
[Residual Energy Structure Detected]
Even after thousands of years, the gate still held a protective system.
Arin approached slowly.
The carvings across the gate were complex.
Not just prayers.
They were energy conduits.
Channels designed to guide faith energy through the structure.
Arin placed his hand against one of the glowing symbols.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The entire gate trembled.
Dust fell from the ancient stone as faint golden light spread across the carvings.
The Chaos Artifact reacted instantly.
[Access System Activated]
Arin stepped back in surprise.
"Did it detect the Divine Faith Crystal?"
The gate continued rumbling.
Slowly, the massive stone doors began sliding apart.
A narrow opening appeared.
Cold air flowed out from the darkness beyond.
Inside the mountain, a long staircase descended deep underground.
Arin stared into the black corridor.
The sanctuary above was only the outer structure.
The real temple was hidden beneath the mountain.
The Artifact scanned again.
[Internal Structure Detected]
[Possible Faith Storage Chambers Located]
Arin's curiosity immediately ignited.
"Faith storage…"
If ancient priests had gathered belief energy here, then the underground chambers might still contain remnants of divine resources.
Without hesitation, Arin stepped through the gate.
The stone doors slowly closed behind him with a deep echo.
Golden lines along the walls flickered as ancient systems awakened after centuries of silence.
Dust-covered corridors stretched deep into the mountain.
Somewhere in the darkness below…
Old defense mechanisms were beginning to activate.
The sanctuary had not been completely abandoned.
Back in the hidden divine dimension far beyond the world…
The God of Belief watched the scene unfold through the faint connection of the faith network.
A quiet smile appeared on the ancient god's face.
"He found one of them."
The mountain temple was not just an old ruin.
It was one of the ancient faith sanctuaries created before the god disappeared from the world.
And deep inside it…
A guardian system had already awakened.
The god whispered softly.
"Let us see what the seeker of knowledge does next."
Because some ruins were not meant to be explored.
And some knowledge was buried for a reason.
But Arin had already stepped into the darkness.
And the next discovery waiting below…
Would change his understanding of the world even further.