The Altar

"...That place gives me a very uncomfortable feeling."

Silvia subconsciously hugged her arms, her fingertips turning slightly pale. Her pink eyes were filled with intense unease and resistance.

"It's as if something terrifying is sleeping inside... No, that's not right. The ruins themselves just feel... completely wrong."

Victoria, whose level had risen to 26, was also staring intently at the shattered temple in the distance, which looked like a nightmare manifested. She could clearly feel the malice being transmitted even across such a great distance.

Though she felt some fear, her Hero status flared with a greater sense of battle intent.

"Could that be... where the Floor Boss of the second layer is? It looks... certainly different. I'm actually... a bit eager to go meet it!"

However, Greg immediately threw cold water on her excitement.

"Don't be too confident, little gray-haired brat."

Greg's gaze was also fixed on the shattered temple, but there was no fear in his eyes.

"Going there now would be nothing but a meaningless suicide mission."

He paused and explained, "The Floor Boss of the second layer, although it isn't a giant monster like Lady Eight-Legs, its level of trouble is likely even greater."

Second Layer Floor Boss: Thirsting Maw.

Recalling his experience fighting the Thirsting Maw in the original game, Greg still felt a sense of difficulty.

Although he hadn't used a guide back then and had relied on overwhelming levels and equipment to defeat it once, the thought of facing it again was still a massive headache.

This was because it possessed a very troublesome instant-death skill. The moment it emitted a specific screech, if one didn't have enough specific resistance or failed to interrupt its casting in time... then every target within range would instantly turn into shattered pieces.

This was also why many players completely gave up on clearing the dungeon. Even if they came here with high-level equipment obtained after defeating the Demon King, if they let it release that move without preparation, the character would die instantly. It was absurdly broken!

"Anyway, if we want to deal with it, we must be fully prepared. Otherwise, you can only pray it's feeling merciful enough to let you go."

Hearing even Greg say such things, Victoria and Silvia's faces instantly turned pale.

They had all witnessed Greg's strength, especially that dark power of his, which practically one-shotted every monster they encountered. Since he was this wary of the Floor Boss, it could only mean that the boss was terrifyingly strong.

"Then... what should we do now?" Silvia asked softly, looking at Greg.

Greg took one last deep look at the distant shattered temple, then turned around without hesitation and walked back the way they came.

"Let's head back. The ultimate goal of this exploration isn't that."

He looked back and gave the two bewildered girls a meaningful look.

"It's another 'key' that will give us the chance to conquer that shattered temple in the future."

Victoria and Silvia exchanged glances. Though their hearts were full of doubt, seeing Greg's certain back, they quickly suppressed their stray thoughts and followed him.

The three of them retraced their steps, eventually returning to the low black altar located in the corner of the dead end.

The altar was covered in dust, and together with the broken clay jars around it, it formed a scene of being long forgotten.

"Why come back here? Didn't we search this place before? There was nothing but this altar," Victoria questioned.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Greg walked up to the altar and took out the complete closed eye from his pocket. He carefully placed the eye into a shallow groove in the center of the altar's surface that perfectly matched its shape.

Hum...

The moment the eye touched the groove, the altar—or rather, the space of the entire dead end—vibrated extremely slightly.

An invisible, intangible chill that made the soul sting slightly swept past.

Then, Greg picked up the mirror that had been placed on the altar like a decoration.

Greg turned around and faced Victoria and Silvia. "Get a bit closer to me. Make sure your faces are reflected in this mirror. Don't let your eyes wander; just look at yourselves in the mirror."

Despite their questions and faint unease, Victoria and Silvia's trust in Greg had become almost instinctive.

They moved closer without hesitation, standing tight against Greg on his left and right, their shoulders almost touching.

Then, they simultaneously lowered their heads, focusing their gaze on the blurry ancient copper mirror.

Greg: "Now, follow my rhythm. Together, we will slowly walk out of this room backward."

Greg took the lead and began to slowly shuffle his feet backward. One step, two steps...

Victoria and Silvia hurriedly followed, mimicking him, their eyes fixed on the reflections in the mirror as they carefully moved backward.

One step, two steps, three steps...

At first, nothing seemed unusual.

But soon, Victoria and Silvia felt something was wrong almost simultaneously.

The light was dimming.

It wasn't the natural fading of a sunset, but a sort of physical darkness seeping out from every corner of the room, quietly swallowing the already weak light source.

They could feel each other's nearby breath and body heat, but in their peripheral vision, the outlines of the room were rapidly blurring and merging into an increasingly thick darkness.

Unease, like cold vines, quietly wrapped around their hearts.

They could even hear their own accelerating heartbeats, which sounded exceptionally clear in this deepening silence and darkness.

"Don't worry."

Greg's steady voice rang out at the right time, piercing through the thickening darkness.

"I'm afraid of dying too, so I usually don't do things I'm not sure about. Trust me."

His words were simple and direct, even carrying a bit of self-deprecation, but they strangely dissipated some of the fear rising in the two girls' hearts.

It was true. Although Greg was annoying sometimes, he certainly valued his life more than anyone. How could he drag them into something he wasn't sure of?

Trust once again overcame unease.

Victoria and Silvia steadied themselves, focusing their gaze more intently on the reflections in the mirror. Following Greg's steady rhythm, they continued to step backward, one firm step at a time.

The darkness had become so thick it was almost physical, as if they were at the deepest bottom of the sea or in some starless void of space.

Except for the copper mirror in their hands and the faces within it, they could see nothing and hear nothing but their own backward footsteps and synchronized breathing.

Five steps, six steps, seven steps...

Just as the three of them were about to completely step out of the room's threshold backward—

The complete closed eye placed in the altar's groove suddenly opened without any warning!

An eye so deep it seemed to lead to the void, with countless tiny shattered lights flowing in its pupil, abruptly appeared!

"You have come..."

A strange female voice suddenly entered Greg's ears, nearly causing him to shift his gaze away from the mirror's surface.

Just as he was about to ask the two girls behind him if they had heard anything—

Crack! Shatter!

The ancient copper mirror in Greg's hand, which they had been staring at intently, also developed countless cracks without warning!

"Eek!"

"Ah!"

With no psychological preparation for this sudden turn of events, Victoria and Silvia almost screamed in fright.

"Don't stop! Keep backing up! The last step!"

Greg growled.

Compelled by the urgency in his tone, the two girls suppressed their impulse to panic and followed him, taking the final step backward.

The sound of three pairs of footsteps hit the ground almost simultaneously.

The moment they completely exited the room, the thick, inseparable darkness behind them suddenly dissipated like a receding tide!

Normal, dim light flooded back into their vision.

Greg let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, we can keep going now."

Victoria, who had just recovered, asked, "Where to now?"

Greg pointed toward the altar.

Victoria and Silvia looked over.

They discovered that the original dead end had actually turned into a deep corridor.