Hours later...

A few hours before Kohen and the other Mages would arrive at The Vile Altar, Vicente arrived at the rendezvous point he had chosen.

Arriving in a mountainous part of Scott Province, he was soon confronted with ancient ruins, but not so old or destroyed that someone like him couldn't recognize the area's past.

Seeing the remains of ancient buildings on the edge of this pointed mountain, Vicente slowed down and began to look around more carefully.

The place he was standing on was the main mountain in the area, one of several in the vicinity, a mass of land that stretched more than 2 kilometers from its lowest point to its highest.

The mana in the area was practically identical to that in Millfall, completely different from what Vicente had expected to find there, given the area's history.

'So this is where the Vile Altar was located? It seems hard to believe. Why would a faith once present in a large part of the continent build a post in this state in such an ordinary place?' Vicente moved more carefully through the terrain of ruins mixed with craters and vegetation.

The Vile Altar was more or less similar to the Awakening Temples in the Congregation of Revelations. However, while temples of Jasmine's faith were present in every city of more than 50,000 inhabitants on the continent, altars of the faith of this extinct religion were not as common on the continent millennia ago.

The faith behind The Vile Altar had a few million followers, and as old as it was, even at its best, it wouldn't have more than 3 altars in the states where it was present.

Unlike the Congregation of Revelations, which preached the harmonious progression of magicians throughout Polaris Realm with words of hope for people's lives, the faith behind The Vile Altar was very different. It was much harsher in its words and beliefs and preached a difficult path to follow that often led down tortuous paths.

Their followers were often associated with terrible things, with the dark path.

That was one of the reasons for the war 2,000 years ago that led to the end of this organization, but also the reason why this faith had no altars in many places and was often hidden in remote areas.

But even though he knew the history of this organization, Vicente didn't understand why it had an altar in a poor place. After all, other areas in Scott Province were richer than the one he was in.

As he observed the surroundings with his second skill, Vicente narrowed his eyes and thought about how strange it was.

'Is there a bigger reason behind it?'

There were still many things Vicente didn't know about this world. The magical studies that young people like him had during their childhood didn't include very complex topics.

Each magician's journey was unique, and there were no limits impossible to overcome, nor was there a single path or ideal way to follow. What was right for some might not work for others, and sometimes distinctive magicians had to take unique paths.

It was impossible to know who had a special destiny and who was just an ordinary person. Therefore, the academies on this continent, even the most advanced ones, only taught the basics about the world, magic, and the possibilities of Polaris Realm.

If one wanted to reach the pinnacle, discover the truth about the magical world, or much more, they would have to learn what was necessary for themselves, using their experience and foundation to gain new information.

As a graduate of the Academy of Stars, Vicente didn't know everything about this world. Still, he knew the basics, and he knew how to explore and learn new things from his current knowledge.

Seeing this place, he decided to explore the area a bit while preparing the ground.

'First, I'll scout the area and set up defenses and traps around it.' He thought as he saw some interesting places to hide some of the equipment he had brought.

Vicente didn't have much. But he had defensive items, offensive items, poison, distraction mechanisms, and a few other options he knew well how to use in the situation he would soon find himself in.

With the things he had brought from Millfall and his experience of life on Earth, he was sure he could prepare something for his guests.

Whether it would be enough to win, he wasn't sure, so he planned to bring Kohen to his side, at least temporarily.

But even if that man decided to help him, he would still need his traps, considering the number of enemies coming into this area.

So, before entering the ruins of The Vile Altar, he studied the terrain carefully, mentally marking where he could set his traps.

As he did so, he analyzed the terrain and the buildings left behind by the previous owners of this place and quickly identified some traps that would be difficult to deal with.

'Fortunately, almost every trap has physical components that contain metal...' Vicente sighed as he looked at the dark terrain in front of him, where there was a trap that could easily kill unprepared Acolytes.

Thanks to his skills, he was once again able to identify traps in front of him and move to avoid setting them off.

As he overcame another trap, he saw some stairs in front of him, leading to the last level of this facility.

'This place...' Immediately upon entering the last level of The Vile Altar, Vicente felt a negative sensation in this place and stopped before continuing on his way.

Feeling the hairs on his arm stand on end, he looked at that part of his body and broke out in a cold sweat.

He paused in front of the entrance to this plane and saw nothing but an intense darkness in front of him.

As he looked ahead, he felt like he was looking into a black hole, like he was going to be sucked into the darkness at any moment.

At the same time, he felt like he was being watched, an awful sensation.

'Damn it, this place should have been abandoned over 2,000 years ago! What could still be here?' He asked himself, not believing what he felt now was related to living beings occupying the area.

The feeling coming from that darkness didn't seem to come from living beings!

Knowing that after the fall of The Vile Altar, it had been scoured not only by the victors of the war but also by explorers and adventurers from all over the continent, Vicente didn't expect to find anything in this place to justify unnecessary risks.

He stepped back, but just as he was about to walk away, Vicente felt someone behind him grab his shoulders.

"Since you came, why don't you stay?"