In suffocating, oppressive darkness, the echo of footsteps resonated as a lone man descended the staircase.
After moving the throne, Ethan had uncovered an entrance that led into the unknown—a hidden descent toward a place he knew nothing about.
The mont he stepped down, the throne slid back into position, sealing the passage behind him. Darkness swallowed the staircase entirely; there was not a single source of light in this place.
Fortunately, Ethan’s vision had been enhanced by his ability ... Raven’s Insight.
Through it, he could see within the darkness and avoid unpleasant surprises.
The staircase spiraled downward for a long stretch. At so point, the descent shifted into a straight path. Later still, the stairs began ascending again.
Frowning, Ethan deactivated Raven’s Insight, relying instead on his heightened senses after advancing to the rank of a Skilled Knight.
"I can’t use Raven’s Insight for too long, or I’ll risk blinding myself faster... and judging by this, the staircase won’t end anyti soon."
His policy regarding Raven’s Insight was simple—intense, but controlled usage.
He had reasoned that the damage depended on duration, not frequency. That was typically how such chanics worked in gas of this type.
Yet because of the sheer length of the path, Ethan now climbed through pitch-black darkness without it, his brows knit tightly.
"I don’t like this... walking toward the unknown is truly unpleasant. I have no idea what awaits at the end."
It could be sothing valuable.
Or sothing disastrous.
"What were you trying to show , Mathius?"
Ethan’s voice echoed faintly through the void.
Because of Mathius’ interference with the Blood Eclipse Mark, Ethan had been forced to relive that miserable king’s suffering. He had risked drawing the attention of a Night Lord. And in return, he had discovered a hidden path he never knew existed.
So far, the mories had given him nothing but pain and danger.
If there was any benefit at all—it depended entirely on what awaited him at the end of these stairs.
Minutes passed.
Then ...
A faint light appeared ahead.
A dim glow seeped through cracks in a large gate at the top of the staircase.
Ethan inhaled deeply and summoned the Executioner’s Blade into his human hand. His Legion Arm activated silently as well, prepared for imdiate use.
"Unlike before, I’m more than capable of fighting now. If anything happens, I can defend myself."
He gathered his resolve and stepped before the gate.
With his chanical arm, he pushed forward with force.
The gate opened easily ... it was nothing more than a wooden door.
But because he had used excessive strength, Ethan stumbled forward, misjudging the resistance and falling onto the cold ground beyond.
He sprang to his feet instantly, weapon raised, braced for an ambush.
Then—
He froze.
His eyes slowly widened.
His grip loosened, lowering the Executioner’s Blade.
"When I saw that golden knight open a hidden path, I assud it would lead to a secret chamber... perhaps another hall... or a trap of so kind."
He took several cautious steps forward.
"But this... this exceeds all expectations."
Before him—
Was not a chamber.
Not a hall.
Not even a castle.
It was a city.
A vast, sprawling city stretching as far as the eye could see.
Its buildings were constructed of strange black brick, as though coated in ash. Tall Gothic-Victorian architecture rose in solemn silence, their structures stained with what looked like coagulated blood and charred soot.
Ethan could not step forward.
He could only stand at the threshold, staring at the empty streets that radiated a suffocating, ominous aura.
The dried blood spoke of slaughter.
The ash spoke of fire.
It was as if the entire city had burned—again and again.
Ethan lifted his gaze upward.
He saw a dark night sky filled with countless stars, shining like distant lanterns illuminating the buried world below.
But upon closer inspection ...
He realized it was not a true sky.
It was a do.
An eternal night suspended above a city buried deep underground.
"I’m still beneath the surface..."
Then a realization struck him.
"Wait... I saw Mathius build his Legacy Dungeon in front of the city where the Heart once lived. So how did it end up beneath Ashvarn?"
It was strange.
Deeply strange.
And yet, Ethan pieced it together.
"The Legacy Dungeon and the old city of the Heart... both were buried underground for so reason. And instead of restoring the old one... the Heart built a new city above it."
He narrowed his eyes.
"So... this is what that damned subordinate of the Demon of Balance warned about."
Standing before the blood-drenched, ash-covered city, Ethan spoke its na aloud.
"Old Ashvarn."
A completely new region.
One he had never explored—even as a player.
Ethan slowly clenched his fist.
Then he turned back toward the staircase behind him.
Soon, Raiden Heart would co searching for him.
And it wouldn’t take long after that for the others to discover this place—even if the entrance beneath the throne remained hidden.
He had one opportunity.
One chance.
If he intended to conquer this place alone.
But Ethan hesitated.
And he did not dare step forward.
For two reasons.
"I have a feeling... that if I step into that city, I’ll never be able to leave it again."
That was the first reason.
The second ...
Was the ominous aura that had wrapped around him the mont he arrived.
An aura that proved the desolate city before him was far from empty. It concealed horrors no one knew of.
"It’s a great loss not to monopolize whatever lies within... but the risk is too high at my current level."
He exhaled slowly.
"Sorry... but I’m neither brave nor foolish enough to walk into a cursed place like this without preparation."
Having made his decision, Ethan turned and began retracing his steps.
Yet before returning to the staircase that led back to Mathius’ dungeon, he cast one final glance toward Old Ashvarn.
"But I will return here. Very soon."
And with that, Ethan left—choosing caution over recklessness.
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