Chapter 285: Fallen Sun Shrine
As soon as I descended into the Ancient Passage, a dark, cold aura rushed towards me. However, for Little Snow and me, who had already been half-baked on the Desert, this aura was undoubtedly a welcome relief.
The structure of the Ancient Passage was similar to the Sewer, just without that ** smell. The Magic Torches on the stone walls flickered gently, casting a dim light inside. Startling echoes occasionally came from the depths of the Passage, making it feel like being in a horror movie.
I was already used to this eerie environment. Thinking back to those horror movies from before, I could now watch them like a Comedy. Of course, extremely disgusting ones were an exception; watching those wasn't a test of Guts, but self-torture.
Generally speaking, Monsters rarely appear near the Entrance. After descending the Stairs, I still cautiously looked left and right. As expected, I didn't find any enemy situation. I immediately let out a yell, took off the Helmet that was steaming with White Mist, and removed my Equipment, revealing my muscular Upper Body. A strange stench, like moldy pickled vegetables, immediately filled my nostrils. Damn, if I wasn't in a hurry to complete the Quest, I would use a Town Portal Scroll right now and go back for a refreshing cold shower.
Humming a Melody, I poured the cold water from my Water Bag onto a rag and wiped my Body. Then I sprinkled the rest onto Little Snow. As the icy water fell, it immediately let out a comfortable cry. Only after getting completely soaked did it reluctantly shake its Body, shaking off the water.
"Ah, refreshing!"
I shouted loudly, then took out another Water Bag. This time, most of my Inventory was filled with Water Bags, enough to last me for several months, so it didn't matter if I splurged a little now.
Meanwhile, in a dark Corner not far away, a black skeleton, completely dark, peeked out half its Head from the Corner like a Ghost. In its empty eye sockets, a faint crimson Glow flickered, merging with the dim Torches on the Wall, which was truly terrifying.
These days, you can't even take a shower in peace. I sighed and shook my Head, wiping my Body unhurriedly. I had already sensed that skeleton approaching. The more than a month of Training with the Old Drunkard wasn't for nothing, especially in this dark and quiet Environment. I felt like I had grown a pair of super sensitive ears.
No rush, no rush. With the skeleton's Speed, it would take some Time to get close. Besides, with Little Snow here, it's enough. Thinking this, I finally tasted the frustration brought by a moment of carelessness and miscalculation.
This black skeleton sneaked out, its hands flashing with Lightning Glow. Just as I reacted, it clasped its hands together, and a Charged Bolt flew towards me. At this moment, Little Snow jumped out and blocked in front of me. With its innate Magic Resistance, this sneaky Skeleton Mage wasn't an Elite, and certainly couldn't be a Mini-Boss, so it couldn't cause any Damage to Little Snow.
It should have been this way, and in fact, it was just as I expected, but I overlooked one thing: water. It was the thin layer of accumulated water on the ground from when Little Snow and I showered. It became the Protagonist of this unexpected event—the Charged Bolt couldn't cause any Damage to Little Snow, but it traveled along the accumulated water under its feet and reached me. I don't have innate Resistance like Little Snow; my Resistances are attached to my Equipment. Now, all my Equipment had been stripped off, so...
*Zzzzzzz—!!!*
The moment the Charged Bolt hit Little Snow, White Light erupted from my Body. My Body twitched violently a few times as if suddenly having an epileptic seizure. It was so exaggerated that it seemed I could see my entire skeleton through the White Light. After the Charged Bolt's Energy dissipated, I stood there charred black. I opened my mouth and spat out a puff of black smoke. My Hair on top of my Head stood straight up like a Hedgehog. At first glance, I looked like some non-mainstream person from Africa.
"Little Snow, tear this skeleton trash apart for me."
To Little Snow, who turned back to look at me with an innocent face, I slowly extended my right finger and pointed at the black skeleton. It was just a mere Terror Mage (the ultimate unit of Skeleton Mages), yet it actually had some Guts, huh?!
With a Roar, Little Snow, eager to atone for its mistake by performing a meritorious service, pounced forward fiercely, raising its double claws high. The first strike triggered Giant Claw Tear. With double the Attack Power, let alone a Terror Mage with low Defense and low Health, even Night Tigers and Death Beetles would be killed in one hit. Therefore, the moment the faint Glow of Giant Claw Tear appeared, this wretched Terror Mage had already turned into a pile of scattered Crushed Bones in my eyes.
Something unexpected happened. Although the Terror Mage was sent flying, it wasn't smashed to pieces. Instead, it was knocked back completely intact. Its crisp Bones hit the Wall with a rather spectacular cracking sound. After falling to the ground, it actually staggered and stood up again.
What in the world is going on? I quickly took another close look. No mistake, this was just a Normal Terror Mage, not a Chieftain, nor an Elite. Why could a Normal Terror Mage with low Defense and low Health withstand Little Snow's double Attack?
To prevent any anomalies, I quickly signaled Little Snow to kill it first. Generally speaking, the Protagonist always encounters all sorts of unexpected events (from reading too many Novels). For example, killing a Normal Monster might trigger a Super Evolution with a chance of less than one in a billion, then transforming into a Unique Boss that gives the Protagonist a hard fight or something. This kind of nonsensical event must be firmly prevented.
This time, no accident occurred. With just a light finishing blow, this Terror Mage, which had given me a trendy hairstyle, scattered into hundreds of large and small Bones. I put on my Equipment and went over, picking up the Skull that had bounced to my feet. I stared wide-eyed at the grotesque Skull, looking left and right. I flicked it with my index finger. Hmm, it was indeed a bit harder than a Normal Terror Mage. Could it be that the skeletons here drank calcium supplements when they were alive?
It seems the Rumor that the Monsters in the Ancient Passage are much stronger than those outside is not groundless Rumor. This Terror Mage in my hand, regardless of its Attack Power, its comprehensive Life Force Index (Defense + Health) was already approaching the Elite Rank Terror Mage.
However, seeing a bottle of Light Mana Potion mixed in with a few shiny Gold Coins on the ground, a purple Chipped Gem, and Experience that was exactly double that of a Normal Terror Mage, my heart filled with joy. I'm not afraid of you being Powerful, I'm afraid there aren't enough! Let alone just approaching Elite Rank Strength. Even if they were all Elite Monsters, I, your grandpa, am determined to sweep through these Ancient Tunnels.
There was work to be done. Little Two and the other four Ghost Wolves, Poison Creeper, Oak Sage, and Lazy Crow, were all Summoned out by me. Even Little Ghost, who was sleeping soundly, was woken up by me.
"You bastard. You'll regret this."
Little Ghost, whom I was holding like a Kitten, brandished its claws and bare fangs, threatening me. Its neat pearly teeth sparkled. It swung the Priest Book in its hand, looking at me with malicious intent, as if ready to pounce and bite me at any moment, or hit me with something like a brick.
Now, Little Ghost had transformed, its Equipment looking splendid. Not to mention the other parts were Equipment with good Stats that I had carefully selected, its Clothes and Weapon were the best Equipment I had painstakingly picked out from Lin Ya's equipment pile that it could equip. There was no other way; it wasn't that Lin Ya didn't have good Equipment, but Little Ghost's Level was simply embarrassingly low.
Jackal's Apprentice Priest Robe: Required Level 5. Durability 17-17; Defense 15; +1 Priest Healing Skill (Priest only); +12 Life.
Energy Healing Book: Required Level 4; Durability 21-21; Attack 2-3; +1 Healing (Priest only); +2 Holy Bolt (Priest only); +3 Energy; +50% Damage vs Undead and Demons.
Of course, it still wasn't wearing Underwear...
*Bang—*
My Head was hit. Little Ghost looked at me with a troubled gaze, pouting its cute little mouth and saying, "I just feel like you're saying bad things about me Mentally."
Tch. At this moment, I had to admit its Stats of having a sharp gaze.
Bringing a Little Ghost and a group of Pets, we charged in mightily. We bit anyone we saw. No, I mean we bit any Monster we saw. Still not right. Why does it feel like an evil young master walking dogs?
Of course, facing groups of Monsters with Strength approaching Elite Rank, getting a little injured was unavoidable. At this moment, Little Ghost showed its power. A genuine Priest is indeed extraordinary. Holy Radiant Light Enveloped its entire Body, and the pair of Holy Wings on its back were faintly visible. Along with this came waves of warm Healing Spells hitting us. The wounds scratched by Monsters hadn't even had Time to bleed. A White Light flashed, and they disappeared without a trace. Leaving everything else aside, just this level of awareness was already top-tier.
As it continuously cast Healing Spells, Little Ghost's Experience also grew. Although slow, with unrelenting effort, it could still improve. Its first goal now was to reach Tier 2, which is Level 12.
Four or five hours had passed since killing that Terror Mage. During this Time, my grinning mouth barely closed. Not to mention the rapidly rising Experience, the value of the Items dropped in this short period alone was almost enough to compensate for the Chipped Gem I spent when using Remote Teleportation to send Sarah back. If I kept this up, I calculated that as long as I farmed here for two or three months, using Remote Teleportation in the future would be like playing around.
After resting for a night, on the second day, we encountered two Elites. Elites with Strength and Drop Rate approaching Minor Boss Level, which made me re-calculate my plans Mentally. Hmm, it would even be fine to spend Money on a Diamond Membership Card for free lifetime use of Remote Teleportation. By the way, does the Mage Guild have such a thing?
Things didn't go as planned. God also seemed unwilling to see me drooling. After wandering around the Ancient Passage for four or five days, we finally reached the End. A wide Corridor, at the End of which was a Gold Treasure Chest, guarded by a huge Monster Army composed of hundreds of Invaders, Plague Spreaders, Terror Mages, and Defiled Corpses (the second evolution of Mummies), including three Elite Monsters, wandering back and forth, guarding this final Treasure Chest.
Instead of being happy, I was angry. Is it over? No way, I still wanted to spend a few months here. How could the Ancient Passage be so tiny?
Although I was frustrated, I had no choice but to steel myself and deal with this group of "Treasure Chest Monsters." Charging straight in was impossible. Unless I transformed into Blood Bear Form, I couldn't handle it. But what do we Adventurers rely on to make a living? Wisdom, don't you know (although a certain person rarely uses it)? Just lure them out a few at a Time, and it's done?
I took out the Dark Gold Bow I had extorted from the Old Drunkard—Wrath of the Gale. I hid in the Corner like that wretched Terror Mage, gently aimed at an idle Invader, and shot a Guided Arrow towards its rear end with a whoosh.
The Invader, hit in the backside, immediately became ashamed and angry. With a call, over a dozen Companions and three or four Terror Mages charged over mightily. Very good, calling friends and summoning companions is a good thing. I was afraid you'd foolishly run over alone; how long would it take to kill them then?
After silently dealing with the first wave of Monsters, I aimed at a Terror Mage again. I couldn't touch the three Elites yet, because Elite Monsters have greater "Charm." It's very likely that one call could summon the other two Elites and all the hundreds of Monsters together. At that point, I would be the one getting beaten.
After successfully luring four or five waves, only less than twenty Monsters remained inside, including the Elites. I no longer held back. With a call, I took the lead and transformed into Werebear Form, pouncing towards an Elite Invader. Of course, I didn't forget to apply buff Skills like Strength Art and Radiance. Finally, I added Weaken. With one strong and one weak, even an Elite would turn into a rabbit.
With hardly any Effort, we quickly dealt with the remaining Monsters. The Items dropped by hundreds of Monsters and three Elites, including two pieces of Golden Equipment, made me grin widely. After opening the Gold Treasure Chest, my mouth couldn't close even more.
Besides the common Gold Coins and Life and Mana Potions, there was a bottle of Rejuvenation Potion, a Flawless Sapphire, five Chipped Gems, a blue grade Wrist Blade exclusive to Assassins, and then, the most incredible Item made its grand entrance: a Golden Jewel.
A Golden Jewel! This is said to be a top-tier Rare Item, even harder to come by than Unique Items. If it's socketed into Golden Equipment, even if the Stats are Junk, it can be equivalent to less than half a piece of Unique Item. If it's directly combined with a Unique Item, it's even more incredible.
Jewel of Flame Aura
Can be inserted into Socketed Item
Required Level: (
40% Enhanced Damage
+10% Increased Attack Speed
+ Attack Rating
10-16 Fire Damage
Fire Resistance + %
+10 Strength
2% Chance to Cast Level 3 Fire Ball when hitting an Enemy
Excellent Grade! After Identifying it, I stared blankly at the glistening golden Jewel in my hand, grinning foolishly, wishing I could clutch it in my hand while sleeping from now on. Finally, I strongly resisted the urge to socket it into the Unique Wrath of the Gale—after all, Bow and Arrow isn't my main Weapon, and doing so would also waste the "2% Chance to Cast Level 3 Fire Ball when hitting an Enemy" Stat.
After carefully sweeping through every Corner, I turned my Line of Sight to the End of the Passage—it wasn't a huge wall, but was blocked by countless collapsed rocks.
I couldn't help but think of the Meaning of this place, the Ancient Passage, which is a Passage leading to a certain place. So what place is behind this collapse? I did want to clear away these stones, even if it took ten days to half a month of Effort. As long as it satisfied my Curiosity, it didn't matter. But this wasn't a matter of how much Time it would take. Adventurers who had come here before probably also had the same Idea as me, but they didn't take action. Why? Because this is an ancient ruin. If you go deeper inside, who knows how many Magic Traps there might be. After so many years, if these Magic Traps have failed, that's fine. But if they haven't, the ones that could be preserved for so long are definitely not simple stuff. Once triggered, ten out of ten times your Life will be game over. So everyone could only suppress their Curiosity.
I was no Exception. After hesitating for a while, I finally chose to give up. Although I often kept the Protagonist's Halo in mind, I didn't have the resolve to try how strong this vague Protagonist's Halo actually is. To live longer, acting cautiously is the best way.
Finally, with endless regret and reluctance, I left the Ancient Passage. The stranger the place, the more Powerful the Monsters, the longer the Respawn Time. So I had no intention of lingering inside and waiting for the Monsters to Resurrect. As for whether I could find this place again in the future, perhaps only God knows.
With the Ancient Passage as a reference point, after being ravaged by the blazing sun for a few days, getting tanned all over, I finally successfully entered the scope of Snake Valley. It didn't take much Time to find the Entrance to the Claw Viper Temple.
After entering the first level of the Temple, I didn't dare to take a cold shower to cool down like in the Ancient Passage. The Monsters here are not just any nasty kind. According to Adventurers, there are generally only two types of Monsters in the Claw Viper Temple: one is the Claw Viper, and the other is the Evolved Form of the Claw Viper—the Salamander Snake Monster. Other minority Monsters like White Bone Warriors and Defiled Corpses are just minions.
In the Adventurers' opinion, these two types of Snake Monsters are even more troublesome than the electric Death Beetles. They have high Attack and decent Defense. What's most headache-inducing is that their Tail Attack comes with a certain Knockback Stat. Even the strongest Barbarian, if hit, would be knocked back two or three times out of ten. If surrounded by a large group of Snake Monsters, well, don't even expect to Attack. You'll be literally knocked back until Death. Therefore, the Number of People in Adventurer Teams coming here has never been lower than four. With more people, they can look out for each other. Otherwise, if they are all surrounded, they can only wait to die.
After stealthily exploring the first level for a while, I finally witnessed this Monster that made Adventurers turn pale upon hearing its name. It had a snake tail for its lower body and a human body for its Upper Body, a ferocious and terrifying snake head, and cold pupils exactly like a Viper's. Its tongue flicked out very long, and its pair of Claws could even crush Stone.
We encountered a mixed group. The gray ones were Claw Vipers, and the red ones were Salamander Snake Monsters. There were about twelve or thirteen of them. The sharp-eyed leader immediately spotted us sneaking in stealthily with a group of Pets. They hissed strange cries and charged up.
The Snake Monsters' Tail Attack was indeed extraordinary. Not only did it sting painfully, but the attached Knockback Stat forced even me, in Werebear Form, into a sorry state when caught off guard. However, after a while, I figured out a few patterns. First, don't get surrounded by them, especially attacked from the front and back. Otherwise, you'll fully experience the feeling of being kicked around like a football. Second, when they perform a tail whip attack, their front body twists significantly. The movement is quite obvious. After grasping the pattern, not only can you dodge more easily, but if your awareness is strong, you can even seize the opportunity instantly to give it a fierce blow. Of course, this is also on the premise of not being surrounded. Otherwise, if surrounded by four or five attacking together, even if you know the pattern, you are willing but unable to dodge. Third, if your Strength is sufficient, you can actually grab its Tail and then do whatever you want with it, or even swing it as a Weapon. Although this method is a little bit wretched...
Traveling forward, after playing hide-and-seek with these large and small Snake Monsters for seven or eight days, I finally found the Entrance to the second level. The Space on the second level wasn't large. In the exact center was an Altar over two meters high. I couldn't see clearly what was on top, but just looking around the Altar startled me greatly. Damn it, hundreds of Snake Monsters, at least over two hundred in Quantity, were slithering back and forth around the Altar, as if guarding something.
You've got guts. I took out Wrath of the Gale, feeling frustrated, and aimed at the most suitable target. It was still the old tactic used in the Ancient Passage. Besides this method, I really couldn't imagine what it would be like to face over two hundred Snake Monsters simultaneously. It probably wouldn't be playing football anymore, but playing badminton.
It took me a full four or five hours of Effort to mostly clear out the Snake Monsters in the Great Hall. Being an Adventurer really requires some Patience. Seeing the sparse twenty-odd Snake Monsters wandering in the Great Hall, my Guts immediately grew bolder. I swaggered in with Little Snow and the others... or rather, I slowly sneaked along the Corner.
Wait, where's Fangskin? I suddenly thought of the target this time. How come I didn't see its Figure? I immediately stopped, my Gaze carefully searching among the Snake Group. After a good while, I finally found its trace. Well now, this fellow was actually hiding inside the Snake Group. Generally speaking, high-Level Monsters are a size larger than Normal Monsters of the same type, but Fangskin was exactly the opposite. Its Figure was actually a size smaller than Normal Claw Vipers and Salamander Snake Monsters. If it weren't for its uniquely standing out light green Skin deeply betraying it, perhaps I would have thought it had already been killed by other Adventurers.
These days, Monsters are very cunning. I secretly cursed Fangskin Mentally for a while and decided it was Time to give Fangskin a lesson, so it wouldn't underestimate the IQ of Adventurers.
Under my signal, Little Snow stealthily hid inside the Corner, shaking its Head left and right. After locking onto Fangskin, an intense White Light burst out in an instant. By the Time the Snake Monsters opposite reacted, a white Energy Pillar half a meter thick had already shot towards them, landing right under Fangskin's Tail. With a rumbling sound, accompanied by a violent explosion, countless figures flew high up with the explosion airflow, making me recall the close-up shots of enemies stepping on mines during landmine warfare.
What followed was simple. Little Snow's blast directly finished off seven or eight Snake Monsters. No matter how cunning Fangskin was, its Strength couldn't escape the Scope of a Mini-Boss. It was still a piece of cake. In a short while, the entire Great Hall was cleared out by us. Hundreds of Snake Monsters. Although not as many as in the Ancient Passage, it still allowed me to make a fortune. Especially Fangskin, which contributed a Golden Crystal Sword. I had been drooling over Crystal Swords for a long Time. For no other reason, just their crystal clear and beautiful appearance was worth collecting. At worst, letting Charsi melt it down and sell it as crystal would also be a small amount of Money. But all along, only a few Normal ones had dropped, and Lars had relentlessly pestered me for one and took it to show off. Now, I got a Golden Tier one right away, and the Stats were also above average. It could be said to be good for both collecting and practical use.
Crystal Sword of Storm Eye
One-Hand Damage: 12-)
Required Strength: 43
Required Level: 23
Sword Class: Fast Attack Speed
+60% Enhanced Damage
+50 Attack Rating
2-5 Cold Damage
+8 Vitality
+5 Energy
+5 All Resistances
+1 Light Radius
+50% Damage to Demons
Not bad, not bad. Especially the +1 Light Radius, which made the already exquisite Crystal Sword extremely dazzling. Holding it in my hand and raising it high. Hmm, show off, extremely show off.
By the way, Light Radius has two ways of manifestation. One is directly increasing one's Vision, which is super practical, but can only stack up to +4 at most. The other is relatively "watery"; it's the Equipment itself emitting Light. If you gather a full set, even walking in a dark Cave would be like broad daylight, as long as you're not afraid of being surrounded by Monster groups attracted by the Light...
Hey, too bad I don't have a camera! Otherwise, holding the Crystal Sword and standing on that Altar, stepping on Fangskin's Corpse and striking a pose, wouldn't my Little Sarah be so charmed that she'd offer herself in marriage?
Speaking of this Altar... I put away the Crystal Sword. Following the Stairs, I stepped onto the Altar. Looking around, the Altar, which was about nearly a hundred square meters, had a few incomplete Stone Pillars standing around it. In the middle was placed a magnificent Stone Coffin. The area around the Stone Coffin was covered in bloodstains that had long since dried. Faintly, a trace of Evil Aura emanated from it. I approached closer and carefully circled the Stone Coffin. Finally, I discovered a few pieces of Ancient Script on it.
Fallen Sun Shrine.
Oh, so it wasn't a Coffin. It was a Shrine! But it made no difference to me; it was this shape anyway.
After failing to find any other useful information, my greedy demonic claws began to extend towards the Coffin... no, it should be the Shrine. Made so exquisitely, wasn't it just like the Gold Treasure Chest, enticing Adventurers to open it? The moment my hand was about to touch the Shrine, I suddenly stopped. Something's not right. I also haven't heard of other Adventurers opening this Shrine. Could there be a trick in it? Grandma taught me that for things others don't do, you should think about it more carefully yourself. Never think that only you are a Genius.
I cautiously retreated from the Altar. After thinking for a moment, I retreated to not far from the exit, so that if something happened, I could quickly escape. Then I picked up a piece of Stone Fragment from the ground and threw it towards the location of the Shrine. Fortunately, although my Archery wasn't great, my stone throwing skill was first-class. That fist-sized Stone arced through the Mid-air and landed accurately on the Shrine.
Silently, a terrifying Poison Nova exploded centered on the Shrine. A dense green mist immediately Enveloped the entire Altar. This was the Necromancer's Level 60 Ultimate Skill, Poison Nova! If I had just foolishly touched it, even if I didn't die, I would lose half a layer of Skin.
Damn it, who designed such a vicious Trap?! I cursed fiercely. I wanted to give up, but I was also a little reluctant. Unlike the collapse in the Ancient Passage, even if a path was cleared there, there would definitely be something on the other side, but it wasn't necessarily a good thing. This Shrine before me, however, was more tempting. Its exquisite appearance always gave people the imagination that countless Treasures were hidden inside.
After that wave of Poison Mist dispersed, I returned to the Altar, not giving up. I started planning again, circling the Stone Coffin, wishing I could peer inside to discover something. But unfortunately, the clues that other Adventurers couldn't find, I was equally powerless to find. Then, I shifted my attention to the surrounding incomplete Stone Pillars. I carefully groped them, looking to see if there were any Sockets or things like that, because the method to open the Tristram Gate was to insert six Perfect Gems into the Stone Pillars.
To my disappointment, these pillars seemed to really just be decorations. There was nothing on them. Let alone Sockets or Buttons or Oil Lamps or anything like that, I even tried Werebear Transformation and twisted these pillars left and right. As a Result, I didn't find a door, but instead twisted off a rotten Stone Pillar at the root.
Frustrated, it seemed I could only watch helplessly as I returned empty-handed from a treasure mountain. With a burst of frustration, I stomped fiercely on the ground with my foot. The Werebear Form's Strength immediately made the entire Altar shake several times.
Just as I was planning to turn around and leave, I inadvertently discovered a slight difference in the Corner of my Eye.
Behind the Shrine, in the place I had just searched several times, a small hole suddenly appeared. It was probably originally covered by a stone, but was revealed again when I stomped down just now.
Logically speaking, this small hole was very ordinary, because it was too small, and its shape was crooked and twisted, not looking like there was any Mechanism. It's estimated that countless Adventurers discovered it before, but they were all at a loss and just treated it as an ordinary small hole. The reason I noticed it was also because this slight difference suddenly appeared, just like playing "Find the Difference." It always bothered me a little.
Lying on the ground, I carefully studied this small hole. What mystery was there exactly? Could it be that the Fallen Sun God Lord was hinting for us to poke his backside? Phew. First, I put my eye close to it. It was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything. This was natural. If only I had a small flashlight. Next, with pure thoughts, I fiercely inserted my index finger inside. I twisted it a few times and found that the edge of the hole had some wrinkles, uneven and without any pattern. No matter how I looked, it didn't seem like a Mechanism.
With a fierce resolve, I decided to try everything even if it seemed hopeless. I should find something to poke it with. The Opening was very small, so I needed to find something pointy. And it was probably poked by many people who had the same Idea as me, but it didn't have any effect. So to win by surprise, this thing must also be rare.
Something pointy and rare. I carefully searched in my Inventory. A Torch from a certain shady merchant in the Rogue Encampment? Rare enough, but not pointy enough. Short Sword or Dagger? Pointy enough, but not rare...
Suddenly, I clapped my hands fiercely. That's right, how could I forget about this thing?
"Little Ghost, do you still have that King's Staff from last time? Lend it to me for a bit." I asked Little Ghost, who was looking curiously at my actions from inside the Necklace.
After taking the King's Staff from Little Ghost, the more I looked, the more satisfied I was, and the more I felt it was possible. Tsk tsk, look how pointy the staff tip is? A Unique Item, it's rare enough, right? Most importantly, the Staff Body is uneven, much more satisfying than cucumbers or carrots or whatever. It's very likely to get the favor of this "divine hole."
Squinting my eyes and comparing left and right, I then fiercely inserted the staff tip into the hole. With a plop, one fifth of the Staff Body entered completely.
Huh? It seems like nothing happened. I raised my Head and looked left and right. Where's the strong wind? Where are the Dark Clouds? Where's the Lightning? Where's the Radiant Light?
Oh, I forgot I needed to twist it. I twisted the Staff Body hard. Mm, it's a Unique Item, not that easy to break.
The Staff Body started rotating as I expected. After about 90 degrees, there was suddenly a crack. It seemed to have found something stuck and stopped.
When I came back to my senses, the Shrine that was just tightly closed, its lid had opened at some point. Damn, without any fanfare. It couldn't be some Junk, right?