Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

Chapter 274 - 274: Demon Royal Palace (7) - Old Enemy

The footsteps weren't getting louder — in fact, they were growing fainter as William stood there, listening.

They were moving away from him. But the problem was… the sounds were coming from the same direction he needed to go. Which meant it was only a matter of time before he crossed paths with whoever — or whatever — was making them.

He had no idea whether it was the group hired by the noble family to camp near the palace and slowly explore it, or if it was someone else. Or worse… something else.

A sense of dread tightened in his chest. But this was his mission. He couldn't back out now.

Shaking off the negative thoughts, William pressed forward. It didn't take long before the footsteps grew louder again.

He focused carefully, sharpening his hearing — and quickly realized there was more than one person.

A group.

That made things worse. If they were powerful, a direct confrontation would be risky.

His only real advantage was that the traps inside the palace wouldn't activate because of his royal bloodline. But if that group was walking around without issue… then they clearly had a way to bypass the traps as well.

That advantage… was practically useless.

Still, William moved forward, keeping his pace slow and quiet, making sure not to get too close. The good thing was that the palace was suffocatingly dark. Shadows covered everything, but William could see just fine. His eyes caught the faint glow of magical lamps — held by people up ahead.

They can't see me… but I can see them perfectly.

"This is good," he muttered to himself.

As he got a better look, William confirmed they weren't part of the noble family's hired crew camped outside the palace. No, this group was different.

Their clothes were rugged, practical — the kind adventurers usually wore. And then… his eyes widened.

There was someone he recognized among them.

Kier.

"Fucking Kier. What the hell is he doing here?" William gritted his teeth.

Kier — the bastard who had betrayed him back then. The one who fled when things went south, leaving William behind to be captured and sold as a slave. That betrayal had forced William into hell before he'd finally clawed his way out.

"And now… that rat is here too?"

It didn't take much guessing to figure out why. Kier was always desperate to grow stronger. If this palace had valuable artifacts or secrets, then of course he'd risk it.

But something didn't add up at first — how were they walking through the palace without triggering the traps? Then, after watching closely, William understood.

They weren't immune to the traps.

Every so often, the group would stop. A young woman among them would kneel down, placing her hands on the floor, and carefully disable the traps ahead.

Impressive. Not many people had the skill to disarm the royal palace's magic-based traps. That girl was clearly a specialist — and a damn good one.

William stayed back, maintaining a safe distance. Getting spotted now would be a disaster. He wasn't ready for that fight yet.

But seeing Kier again… a surge of anger rose in his chest, hot and sharp.

"You're going to pay for what you did. I swear, the moment I get the chance… I'll make you pay."

With the current distance William had from the group, he could also listen to what they were saying.

"How long until we reach the special training room?" Kier asked the girl who was deactivating the traps.

"It will still take us a while, and the traps are getting harder to turn off, so we'll take even longer. It's a good thing we brought supplies."

The special training room! William instantly thought about the place Jhen had mentioned—the place where he would improve his royal bloodline and get stronger.

Was it the same place? If so, why was Kier going there? He didn't have a royal bloodline. Would it help him? What was William missing in this whole situation?

Anyway, the group's current pace was a problem. They had to use their time deactivating traps while William could simply walk.

So, if things continued this way, they would reach their destination at the same speed, and that was not what William wanted!

Also, he had another mission to complete first: to find the mirror that could turn off the traps so that Victoria and Jhen could come with him.

Seeing himself in such a tough situation, William had to do something. He decided to act.

William ran. He wasn't walking slowly like before, so it didn't take long for the group to hear his footsteps.

Eventually, he appeared in their sight. They were all expecting a creature, so when they saw William there, they were puzzled.

Kier, on the other hand, couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked multiple times to see if what he was seeing was a mirage or something.

"How are you here?" Kier asked.

William ran past them, passing close to Kier. "We will see each other again," he said.

They thought for a moment about attacking him, but when they saw William heading towards the trap—which the girl hadn't deactivated yet—the only thing they considered doing was retreating.

All of them ran away, hoping to avoid getting hit by the trap that William, in his stupidity, would soon activate.

But nothing happened.

They stood there, unsure of what had just happened.

"How is he avoiding the traps?" Kier asked.

Everyone shared that question. The girl who was deactivating the traps, however, was staring into the distance, frowning.

"Does he have it?" she thought.

William didn't linger. He ran off without even looking back. His mind was set on something else.

Part of him wanted to confront Kier, but that wasn't the right time. William continued his

William walked for a while, and realized his luck was just really bad. He started hearing strange sounds again.

Footsteps, again, but they didn't sound human. It was too loud. The thing creating that sound was certainly massive.