The air around the ancient archway was unnaturally cold. Not the chill of morning dew or mountain wind—this cold was alive, deliberate, and watching. Luice stepped closer, eyes scanning the centuries-old structure with a calculating sharpness that would've unsettled anyone with sense.
Corin swallowed hard. "This… looks dangerous."
"Everything useful usually is," Luice replied flatly, brushing aside a cluster of glowing moss. The moss hissed faintly at his touch, releasing a thin trail of blue vapor. He didn't flinch. "Danger only matters when you walk in blind."
And Luice never walked in blind.
The carvings were intricate: swirling patterns, broken runes, and faint, looping heart-like symbols that mirrored the Territorial Claim Stone. That wasn't a coincidence. Something ancient tied this forgotten ruin specifically to heart-bearing clans—and the Lanceheart family had clearly been too arrogant or too stupid to ever explore this region.
DING!
[Royal Pass Analysis Active]
Ancient Heart-Bound Structure Identified
Status: Dormant / Sealed
Threat Level: Unknown
The system's cold clarity only sharpened Luice's focus.
---
THE INSCRIPTION TEST
A thin section of the stone seemed polished—untouched by time. Luice pressed his fingers to it. The surface felt warm, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
Corin stepped back. "Luice… maybe we should get tools, or people who know magic—"
Luice shot him a look sharp enough to silence a grown knight. "If I rely on others now, I'll stay weak. This world rewards initiative, not hesitation."
Without waiting, he applied a firm pressure.
The archway flared alive—a vertical whirl of blue flame and blood-red sigils.
Corin stumbled back with a yelp. Luice didn't move.
DING!
[Optional Mission Activated]
"Prove Ownership to Awaken the Gate."
Requirement: Offer a drop of your blood or channel your authority.
Warning: Incorrect offering may trigger dormant guardians.
Corin started panicking. "Luice—NO, this is insane—"
"Panicking wastes oxygen," Luice said. "Stand still."
---
THE OFFERING
Luice considered the options:
Blood: risky. Magical structures often took more than offered.
Authority: safer, if the stone truly recognized him.
But safe wasn't always efficient.
He raised his thumb and drew a thin cut with the edge of a broken stone shard. A single drop fell onto the glowing runes.
The archway shuddered.
Corin's breathing halted.
The ground split with a muted groan as ancient mechanisms awakened.
Then came the voice—deep, hollow, echoing from ages past:
"HEARTBEARER… YOUR WORTH… SHALL BE MEASURED."
A cold wind roared through the trees. Three silhouettes crawled out of the forest shadows—tall, skeletal figures with cracked armor fused into their bones. Their empty eye sockets glowed with faint red light.
Corin screamed. "W-w-what ARE those!?"
Luice didn't even flinch. "Gate Wardens. And stop screaming—it attracts worse things."
DING!
[Emergency Trial Initiated]
Trial of Entry — "Survive the First Warden's Judgment."
Time Limit: 3 minutes
Reward: Unknown
---
THE FIRST WARDEN APPROACHES
One of the skeletal guardians raised a rusted halberd, its movements surprisingly fluid for something half-decomposed. It stepped forward, the ground cracking under its weight.
Corin trembled behind Luice. "We should run!"
"We can't outrun magic-bound constructs," Luice replied, voice cool, "but we can outsmart them."
He held the flare stick from the earlier missions—then broke it in half.
A burst of white light exploded outward. The Warden recoiled slightly—not from fear, but from momentary interference in its visual perception.
Corin gasped. "That won't stop it for long!"
"It doesn't need to."
Luice grabbed Corin's wrist and jerked him toward the Territorial Claim boundary line—the invisible shimmer he had marked earlier with carved stones.
The Warden lunged.
It crossed the boundary—
And froze.
Like hitting a wall of divine pressure, its bones rattled violently. Luice had tested the boundary earlier, but seeing it disrupt an ancient guardian confirmed something critical:
Farling Hollow wasn't just land.
It was a sealed artifact.
The two other Wardens halted, unable to cross.
The first one writhed on the ground, stuck half-in, half-out of the boundary.
Luice stepped forward and inspected it coldly.
"There's no point fighting something immortal. You break its rules instead."
DING!
[Trial Completed]
Reward Unlocked: Heart Warden Token (Fragment)
+ Passive Skill: Ruin Affinity — Basic Understanding of Ancient Structures
Corin stared at him like he wasn't human. "Luice… how… how did you know that would work?"
"I didn't."
Luice's voice was flat, brutally honest. "But guessing wrong would've killed us, so I didn't allow that option."
---
THE TRUE PURPOSE OF THE GATE
The archway dimmed slightly as the Wardens retreated deeper into the forest, waiting for their next activation.
Luice stared at the stone token in his hand—a jagged piece shaped like a heart, glowing faintly.
This wasn't a reward.
This was a key.
The archway's runes began rearranging themselves, forming new glyphs only someone with Ruin Affinity could understand:
"When the Heartbearer gathers all five Warden Fragments…
The Gate to Origin shall open."
Luice's gaze hardened.
An ancient ruin that required collecting tokens, defeating trials, and unlocking a sealed gate?
This wasn't a random relic.
This was a blueprint for ancient inheritance.
And he had the first piece.
Corin whispered, terrified, "Luice… what now?"
Luice closed his fist around the glowing fragment.
"We prepare. The Hollow has deeper secrets. And I intend to own all of them."
He turned away from the gate with calm finality.
"The Royal Pass wants progress? Fine. I'll give it progress."
His eyes gleamed with ruthless clarity.
"We begin hunting Wardens tomorrow."