SSS-Class Overlord: My Harem Rules the Realms (18+)-Chapter 76: What Was That?

The massive wooden door creaked open under Ethan’s hand, groaning on rusted hinges as dust

drifted down like powdery snow.

A wave of stale, rotting air rolled out to meet them, carrying a sharp tang of mold, old wood, and something metallic... almost like blood.

Reyna scrunched her nose, waving a hand in front of her face. "Smells like a troll’s ass in here,

don’t ya?"

Daniel stepped cautiously behind Ethan, eyes flicking over the shadows beyond the threshold.

"This place... it looks like it used to be important."

Ethan nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping across the grand entry hall. "Yeah. Once upon a time,

this was probably the pride of whoever built it."

The floor inside the main house was a checkerboard of black and white tiles, most of them

cracked or missing, revealing the cold stone beneath.

Broken glass crunched under their boots. Jagged shards of mirrors littered the floor, catching glints of their torchlight like scattered stars.

The walls had once been adorned with paintings. Now only shredded canvases clung to wooden

frames, their colors faded and claw-marked as though some beast had torn through them.

Long velvet drapes hung limp, stained with dark patches, edges crawling with mildew.

"Bloody hell..." Reyna muttered, glancing around. "This place’s seen worse days than me after a

keg o’ whiskey, don’t ya?"

Ethan pushed deeper into the house. Each step stirred dust motes swirling in their torch glow.

"Stay close. We’re not alone here... I can feel it."

They followed a wide hallway lined with overturned tables and splintered chairs, leading them to a

pair of ornate double doors hanging slightly ajar.

Ethan placed his palm against the cold wood and nudged it open further. The hinges squealed a protest, echoing like a wounded animal.

Beyond lay the manor’s grand hall.

It was massive—an open chamber with a vaulted ceiling supported by columns carved in twisting

floral patterns. Light streamed in through gaps in the high walls, spilling across the stone floor in

pale silver stripes. Dust coated everything in a thick layer.

To the right stood a towering fireplace, blackened with soot, as though it had roared for days

before dying out. Torn rugs lay sprawled across the floor like fallen banners.

An eerie silence pressed down on them, so thick that the soft creak of leather as Ethan shifted his

grip on his sword hilt seemed deafening.

Reyna whistled low. "Feels like the ghosts in here’re starin’ at us, don’t ya?"

Daniel hugged himself against a chill that seemed to creep in from the stones. "This place is

cursed. I can feel it in my bones."

At the far end of the room loomed a colossal cupboard. Its carved doors stood half open,

shadows pooled within. Ethan narrowed his eyes and strode toward it, his boots leaving trails in

the dust.

Reyna hovered behind him. "Careful with that thing, don’t ya? Might jump out and try to eat ya."

Daniel swallowed, eyes darting nervously from shadow to shadow. "You think there’s... bodies in

there?"

Ethan shot him a sidelong grin. "Only one way to find out."

He reached into his coat, pulling on a pair of thin leather gloves before touching the cupboard

doors. He eased them open the rest of the way.

The smell hit them instantly—a sharp coppery tang, unmistakable and vile.

Inside, elegant noble clothes hung from wooden pegs: silk robes, brocade coats, delicate lace

shirts. But all were marred with grotesque stains—rusty, dark brown patches stiffening the fabric.

Reyna leaned in, eyes narrowing. "Gods... that’s blood, don’t ya?"

Ethan frowned, reaching in and gently lifting a fine velvet coat between his gloved fingers. Closer

inspection showed even deeper splotches, dried thick along the lining.

He spoke under his breath. "System. Scan these clothes for me. I have my doubts."

A faint blue glow shimmered in the air beside him.

[System Notification]

[Scanning... please wait.]

[Blood analysis complete. Stains are approximately 15 days old. Traces suggest multiple]

[individuals. No residual life signs remain.]

Ethan’s jaw tightened as he absorbed the data. "Fifteen days... whoever wore these clothes, they

didn’t leave this place willingly."

Reyna shivered slightly, though she tried to hide it behind a snort. "Looks like somebody painted

these fancy rags in blood, don’t ya?"

Daniel clenched his fists, voice trembling. "Monsters..."

Ethan set the coat back into the cupboard, his eyes still darting around the hall, absorbing every

detail.

He gestured to the deep scratches on the walls, dark marks burned into the stone as though fire

and claws had raged through. "Look at this damage. This wasn’t done by knives or bandits."

Reyna eyed the burn marks. "Looks like somebody threw fireballs all over the bloody place, don’t

ya?"

"Exactly." Ethan’s voice dropped, sharp and focused. "System, give me a full scan of this entire

hall. Structure, damage, everything."

Again, the gentle pulse of blue light flickered.

[System Notification]

[Scanning... complete.]

[Structural integrity: stable.]

Damage patterns indicate extensive magical destruction. Analysis suggests the presence of

catastrophic-level power. Energy residue consistent with a high-intensity battle between powerful

entities.

Ethan’s lips pressed into a thin line. "So this wasn’t a robbery. This place was a war zone."

[System Notification]

[My job is to keep you informed, boss.]

The glowing text faded, leaving Ethan staring into the silent hall.

Reyna slowly lowered her sword from her shoulder. "So we got big folks slingin’ magic in here,

blood on the fancy coats... and whoever lived here vanished like smoke, don’t ya?"

Daniel glanced nervously toward the hall’s shadowy corners. "You think any of them are still

here?"

Ethan’s eyes flicked toward a darkened archway. "If they are, they’re watchin’ us right now."

A hush fell, tense and stretching out like drawn wire.

Then—

THUNK.

A sharp, sudden sound echoed from somewhere deeper in the house. Like something dropping to

the floor.

Instantly, Ethan spun, one hand dropping to the hilt of his sword, Warlord’s Fang. The blade

glinted as he half-drew it from its scabbard.

Reyna’s eyes widened, her own hand grabbing her sword’s grip. "What the hell was that, don’t

ya?"

Daniel’s eyes darted to the shadows, his breath coming fast. "Someone’s here..."

Ethan raised a hand, signaling them to silence. His eyes narrowed, scanning the hallway that led

deeper into darkness.

He spoke softly, voice like a blade sliding free of a sheath. "Stay sharp. Whatever’s still inside this

house... just announced itself."

Silence rushed back in like a wave, thicker than before. Somewhere, water dripped steadily, the

sound echoing off ruined stone. Dust motes floated through the shaft of light spilling across the

tiles.

Reyna shifted her stance, flexing her fingers around her sword hilt. "Well... whoever’s sneakin’

about better pray I don’t catch ’em first, don’t ya?"

Daniel swallowed hard, voice barely above a whisper. "Should we leave...?"

Ethan’s eyes glittered in the half-light, a dangerous smile curling his lips. "No. We came this far.

Time to see who—or what—is still lurkin’ in these shadows."

And with weapons drawn and tension coiling in their chests, they turned as one toward the

unseen room where the noise had come from...

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l