Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

William walked over to the altar to examine the body. When he stopped and observed it closely, he realized just how bizarre it truly was.

It seemed as though Jonas's sister was both alive and dead at the same time. It was as if something was keeping her in this suspended state.

The strangest part was that her heart wasn't beating, and there was no blood in her body, yet she was alive and breathing!

William could have sworn she was looking at him, unable to speak or move. The thought was deeply unsettling.

It got even worse when Stuart said something to him.

"I think she can see everything around her but just can't move or interact. Crazy, right?"

When Stuart said that, William looked at her again, and her lifeless eyes were fixed directly on him.

"She's probably wondering who I am and what the hell I'm doing here… Well, let's get out of here."

There was nothing more he could do there except stare at that strange corpse, so William decided to leave.

Before completely exiting the room, he cracked the door open slightly to make sure no one was around.

Jonas wasn't there—at least, William didn't see him. There were no guards either.

"This must be a family secret, so I doubt there are any guards around here," Stuart said. "I think only Jonas and his family come down here."

William believed Stuart's words. They made a lot of sense. Despite seeing a few guards earlier, they seemed to be there more to prevent anyone from reaching this far into the mansion.

Inside, he had only seen those bodies and Jonas. Now that Jonas was gone, the place was empty.

This was the perfect opportunity to explore further and see if he could find anything else.

As much as William didn't want to enter the other rooms in the hallway, he did so anyway.

He had already imagined they would be rooms with bodies similar to the one he had seen earlier, and indeed, that's exactly what he found.

William opened each door and saw different bodies, all preserved in the same eerie state. All of them were unable to move or do anything.

By now, William was certain these were all members of Jonas's family. What could have happened to them?

He was deeply curious. Finally, there was one last room at the end of the hallway. When William opened it, he found something different.

It wasn't a room like the others but a strange chamber with an altar—also made of stone—and several chairs in front of it.

It resembled the layout of a church, but the altar was bizarre, with a statue of some deity behind it.

The deity looked like a creature made of various mismatched parts. The strangest thing was that the statue emanated a peculiar aura—something similar to mana but not quite the same.

"What are they doing here?" William murmured.

Stuart seemed uneasy. The little mouse, with his vast knowledge, understood a bit of what was going on.

"This is an altar to some deity. They're trying to use divine power to accomplish something," Stuart said.

"Probably to resurrect everyone here. Or maybe the deity is the one who did this to them in the first place?" William speculated.

"That's a valid theory, but we can't be sure yet. Let's get out of here before they notice our presence. Unfortunately, we didn't find Simone…"

They searched every corner but found nothing more. Was there a chance of a secret passage somewhere?

Perhaps. William didn't rule out the idea. But what if there wasn't one? Where were Simone and the other missing workers?

Had they really left the mansion, or had Agnar been wrong all along?

In any case, as much as William wanted to stay and search longer, it wasn't a good idea to linger.

Jonas could return at any moment, or someone might notice William's absence from his room, which would cause problems.

William made his way back, passing the guards without issue—thanks to Stuart's camouflage.

On the way, he glanced again at the locked doors he had seen earlier.@@novelbin@@

'There's a chance Simone could be in one of those rooms… How do I get the key? Maybe in Jonas's office?' he thought.

That seemed like the best lead. As he passed Agnar, he signaled to him, but they didn't speak.

Agnar didn't seem angry about it. He knew it wasn't the right time to talk. William returned to his room without any issues.

There, he decided to rest. The things he had seen were still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't shake them off.

The next day, breaking news arrived. Apparently, the fighting club that Jonas's noble friend had started was ready, and the first event would take place in a few days.

This meant it was time for William and 03 to leave the mansion and head to the fighting arena.

William had known this moment would come, but he had expected it to take a bit longer. At least, that's what Jonas had told him.

"They managed to organize everything faster than expected, and the nobles are eager for some fights to liven up this harsh winter. We'll have to go today," Jonas said.

"Do we know who we'll be fighting?" William asked. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire

Despite feeling confident in his abilities—William firmly believed his body was his greatest weapon—he still wanted to know more about his opponents.

It would be good to have some idea, as it would give him some peace of mind. However, there was no way to know yet.

"No fighter knows, especially since it's the first event. But from what I've heard from Travis about your training, I'm sure you'll win. There's no way the other nobles have found fighters as good as you right off the bat," Jonas said.

"Good to know."

They prepared everything, and this time, they used Jonas's flying carriage.

Only William, 03, Jonas, and one guard traveled in the carriage. The group was small since the focus was solely on participating in the fights.

On the way, William discussed strategies with Jonas.

"Honestly, there's no strategy. It's a fistfight until one of the fighters gives up, and I want you to win because I've placed my bets on you."

Jonas kept emphasizing this. He repeatedly mentioned how much he had bet on them and how confident he was in their victory.

William even considered losing on purpose just to anger Jonas—after all, the bastard had bought him as a slave—but what good would that do?

It would only give William a momentary sense of satisfaction. Afterward, he would suffer at Jonas's hands, as Jonas would likely take out his anger on them.

In any case, the journey was much faster than they had anticipated. Jonas's carriage was incredibly swift, and within a few hours, they arrived at the noble's estate where the fights were being held.

The atmosphere was far livelier than the last time they had been there. Many people had come from outside to watch and support the fights, and of course, to pit their own fighters against one another.

As soon as they arrived, all eyes turned to Jonas's carriage.

It was well-known that Jonas was the wealthiest noble among them, and they recognized him immediately by his flying carriage—adorned with gold.

When they stepped out of the carriage, the portly noble who owned the mansion came to greet them.

"Jonas, it's wonderful to see you. You're early!" he said.

Jonas smiled. "Yes, I am. I'm always impressed by how fast this carriage is."

"Indeed, indeed. Come, I've prepared something for you to eat," the portly noble said, then added, "and for your fighters as well."

They were led to a dining room filled with an array of different foods. William could feel the gaze of the other nobles on him.

Everyone seemed intensely curious about William. Not just the nobles, but the other fighters were also exchanging glances.

This already set the tone for the excitement surrounding the fights that would take place in a few hours.

One of the nobles in the dining room approached Jonas. By his side was his fighter—a towering, muscular man who looked like a mountain.

He glanced at Jonas and said, "Is this the fighter you brought? Mine seems far superior."

The tall fighter stood in front of William, making him appear incredibly small in comparison.

Jonas felt a bit intimidated, but before he could say anything, William spoke up.

"Anyone with even a basic understanding of combat knows your fighter is a piece of trash. Does he want to fight me? I'll be happy to kill him today."

Even Jonas was surprised when he heard that. It wasn't every day someone spoke with such boldness and confidence.

The tall fighter grew furious and was about to throw a punch at William when his master stopped him.

"We're not going to fight here and cause a scene in our friend's home. We'll settle this in the ring later."

With that, he walked away, and the fighter followed him.