A cave whose location constantly changed, a mysterious goddess standing at its entrance, and a cake obtained in exchange for epic-grade equipment—these strange circumstances put Roy on high alert.
The moment he stepped into the cave—
The wooden sconces lining both sides of the walls suddenly ignited with blue flames, stretching all the way into the depths of the cavern.
Roy swallowed, drew closer to the flames, and found that instead of heat, they emitted a bone-chilling cold. He couldn't help but shiver.
The deeper he stared into the cave, the more an inexplicable sense of dread welled up from the bottom of his heart.
"Hoo…"
Roy took a deep breath and cautiously made his way inside, advancing toward the depths.
The surroundings were terrifyingly silent, like a ghostly domain, where even his own footsteps seemed infinitely amplified.
It felt as though he were inside the Dungeon itself—time and space grew vague and distorted. Roy felt he had only walked for a dozen seconds or so, but when he turned back—
The cave entrance was already gone.
After about three or four minutes, a fork in the path appeared. Roy glanced at the map and headed left.
Whoosh!
Just as Roy was about to enter the left passage, he suddenly noticed several dark shadows flash through the right corridor, swiftly slipping into the corners of the darkness.
They were so fast that he couldn't see them clearly.
"It's a human?"
"He actually came in—how does he dare?"
"Hurry up and go! If we run into that, it's over!"
The shadows whispered among themselves. Though their voices were low, they were still audible in the deathly silent cave.
Roy focused his gaze and shuddered. Those shadows were neither monsters nor humans, but blue orbs of light cloaked in gray robes—
Like wandering spirits.
Seeing ghosts in broad daylight!
Roy recalled the silver-haired goddess's warning: under no circumstances was he to enter other areas. He could only pretend not to see them.
The shadows followed closely behind him.
One in front, the others behind—neither interfering with the other.
Guided by the map, Roy passed through one junction after another, as though the path were endless.
Cold sweat slid down his forehead. Every corridor looked exactly the same, with no landmarks at all—far more unsettling than the Dungeon.
He tried marking the walls with stones, but within seconds, the marks faded away, leaving nothing behind.
Without the map, Roy was certain he would never be able to find his way back.
Roar!
Suddenly, Roy heard a howl—something between a dog and a wolf. His mind felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer, waves of pain surging through his head.
Roy dropped to one knee, gripping his sword hilt tightly as an overwhelming sense of danger closed in on him.
He had never heard such a bizarre sound before.
"It's coming, it's coming!"
"This human is dead for sure—I'm telling you!"
The shadows that had been following Roy were even more terrified, scattering and fleeing in panic.
After waiting for a while, the howls continued to echo from time to time, yet no figure ever appeared.
Roy clenched his teeth. The timid starve; the bold survive. He pressed on down the corridor.
The passage seemed endless. The intermittent howls were deafening. Under this double pressure, Roy's sanity teetered on the brink of collapse. He no longer knew what he was doing—only that he kept moving forward.
Finally—after who knew how long—
A chamber appeared before him. His once-dull eyes lit up brilliantly, like a drowning man grasping his last lifeline.
"I'm here!"
Roy looked down at the map, joy flashing across his face. The two points—his position and the treasure—were nearly overlapping. He strode into the chamber.
Blue flames burned in the wall sconces inside.
The chamber was otherwise empty. At its center stood a crystal coffin.
Inside lay an elven girl, possessing beauty that surpassed even that of goddesses. With emerald-green hair, she slept peacefully—a true Sleeping Beauty.
Her breathtaking beauty made even Roy gasp in admiration.
As Roy approached, the elven princess slowly opened her eyes. Her jade-green pupils reflected Roy's figure. She froze for a moment, then joy flooded her face.
"My hero… I've finally been able to wait for you."
The elven princess sat up, her delicate face filled with pitiful tenderness. She extended her snow-white, lotus-root-like arms, moving to embrace Roy—
Roy stepped back.
"Who are you?" Roy asked.
The elven princess spoke softly, her voice like water. "I am Seltia. A thousand years ago, I fought the monsters that emerged from the Dungeon and was gravely injured.
"This place nourishes my body, preserving it for a thousand years. I have been waiting for a hero to appear… to help me recover from my wounds—"
Roy's expression turned strange. That script sounded awfully familiar. I am Qin Shi Huang—send money.
Suddenly, the elven princess's body stiffened.
She looked down to see Roy's half-broken village-made sword mercilessly thrust through her chest.
"Why…?" she asked in disbelief.
"Before I came in, a goddess told me not to trust anyone," Roy grinned, revealing teeth white as bone, a hint of killing intent in his smile.
The alluring fragrance, the soft touch—it was all far too real. Even Roy had nearly been fooled, almost sinking into it.
Terrifying.
"Damn you!"
In an instant, the elven princess's beautiful face twisted hideously, her features contorting into something demonic. Her hands transformed into vicious claws as she lunged at Roy.
Lord of Thunder!
Golden lightning erupted from Roy's body, crackling violently as it illuminated the entire chamber.
The moment the "elven princess" touched the golden lightning, her aggressive momentum halted. She recoiled in fear, dread spreading across her face.
Her form transformed into a blue orb of light, fleeing the chamber in panic—identical to the shadows Roy had seen earlier, some kind of eerie existence.
But Roy was faster.
Activating the special effect of the Gale Boots, wild winds coiled around his legs. He lunged forward in a single bound.
In an instant, Roy closed the distance and slammed the entity against the wall. Golden lightning gathered around his fist as he drove a heavy punch into the blue orb.
Boom!!
The brutal punch pierced straight through the orb and smashed into the wall behind it, cracks spreading across the stone.
Golden lightning, like countless thunder serpents, crawled over the "elven princess's" body. Amid a piercing scream, her form dissipated into nothingness.
Only then did Roy let out a breath of relief.
When he turned back, there was no sleeping elven princess in the crystal coffin—after the ravages of time, only a pile of dust remained.
Along with a burial longsword, left there for years and covered in grime. Roy picked it up and swung it casually—the quality looked even worse than his village-made sword.
At that moment, Roy truly felt like crying.
He had come all this way and gained nothing—he had even traded away his Steel Bracer.
Just then, something red flashed within the ashes at the edge of his vision. Roy hurried forward, brushed the dust aside, and found a blood-red crystal lying quietly within.
He picked it up reverently. At that instant, a panel appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations on obtaining Seltia's Royal Blood!]
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