Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

Chapter 198 - 198: Forbidden Zone (6) - The Voice, Again

William found it hard to believe that a magic academy would allow its students to embark on such a dangerous expedition. It didn't make sense. What kind of institution would risk their students' lives like this?

"You're saying the other students are down here in this fissure too?" William asked, his brows furrowed. "Or are they somewhere else?"

Asir nodded grimly. "Yes, they should be. But like I said, once we descended, a strange fog appeared, and we got separated. It comes and goes, and the only way to stay safe is to lock ourselves inside these houses."

William exchanged glances with Victoria and Sarah. A fog that appeared at random, disorienting people and forcing them into hiding? That wasn't natural.

Sarah's expression darkened as she processed the new information. She had spent countless hours studying everything written about the forbidden zone, yet she had never come across any mention of this fog.

"I didn't know something like this existed," she muttered, her voice laced with confusion. "That's... strange."

William glanced at her, knowing how meticulous she was in her re

With every step they took, the sound of cracking bones echoed through the cave, amplifying their unease. Each footfall seemed to disturb the silence that had settled around them, their presence an intrusion into something far older, far darker than they had anticipated.

Then, as if summoned by the very air around them, a voice rang inside William's mind. It was chilling, mocking, familiar. "You finally arrived, chosen one. Why did it take you so long?"

The voice. The same one that had whispered to him before, during the sharp pain he had felt when he first approached the fissure. What was it? The question gnawed at him, but he had no answers.

He tried to reach out mentally, as he had done with Asura, but the connection was different this time. No response. The link was closed off, as though the voice itself was too far beyond his reach to communicate with.

A chill ran down his spine, and for a moment, he almost wished he could hear Asura's voice again—anything to drown out the malevolent whispers creeping into his thoughts.

But he couldn't. The voice wasn't Asura, and it wasn't something that could be ignored.

William's heart raced, but he did his best to remain calm. He didn't dare share this with anyone—especially not Sarah. If she knew that he was hearing voices, that he was somehow connected to whatever dark force resided here, it could ruin everything. The last thing he needed was for her to see him as weak or tainted by something beyond his control.

He clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. Whatever was happening inside his mind, whatever force was watching him, he couldn't let it distract him now. Not when there were lives at stake.

They had to keep moving. They had no choice but to face whatever lay ahead. But in the back of his mind, the voice lingered, the words echoing like a taunt.

Why did it take you so long?

After walking for around 10 minutes, they saw something sinister. It was a creature, laying down on the end of the cave. Next to it was a stone structure that looked like a magical portal. The creature opened its eyes the moment William and the others approached.