novelraw Chapter 230: The Strange Door.
Chapter 230: The Strange Door.
[Experience Gained +1000]
[Summoned Entities: Experience Gained +500]
[Spirit +0.2]
Looking at the notification, Thoren could not help but let out a sigh of relief, one he did not know he had been holding. Although the broodmother was slow and seemed weak, her abilities were not easy to deal with.
He was weak compared to her as well. Also, his undead servants’ weapons were almost useless against her armor.
If he had not used an unconventional method, perhaps he would have been forced to retreat. But now, victory belonged to him.
Looking at the massive broodmother’s dead body, a slow, faint smile crept up his face. He could have been tempted to convert the broodmother into his undead servant, but her fighting ability was close to nonexistence.
Thus, he lost interest immediately.
Still, the broodmother had some use. Without hesitation, he cast his new skill.
[Ghost Whispers]
Instantly, a powerful undead energy surged into the still body of the broodmother. The corpse trembled slightly. Then, silver light surged out of her form, and an illusory figure appeared above her remains.
This was the broodmother’s spirit form.
Her expression was dull, having lost all signs of intelligence. Thoren merely looked at the broodmother’s spirit for a second before he went directly to his point.
"Where is this place?" he asked.
This was the question that had been troubling him. At first, he believed he was beneath the Bleeding Desert, but as he stayed longer in this underground world, his thoughts changed.
The stone pillars did not seem to belong to the desert. And now, looking at the cavern and the glowing crystals on the wall, as well as the strange ground beneath his feet, everything felt wrong.
Everything did not add up.
"This place is located under the Bleeding Desert. That is all I know," the broodmother’s spirit responded.
Hmm?
Thoren creased his brow. What type of response was that?
It was not any different from saying nothing at all.
Still, he did not dwell on it too much as he continued to ask his next question. "Is there any way out of this place?"
"No," she shook her head. "I have tried many times, but I cannot find a way out of this place."
Listening to this, Thoren’s expression could not help but turn ugly. This was the broodmother, for goodness’ sake. How could she not know the way out?
Just as he was growing furious, the broodmother’s spirit continued.
"There is a door, but I do not know where it leads."
Hmm?
Thoren stopped his pacing and raised his head to look at the broodmother’s spirit.
’Can this be true?’ His heart raced and skipped a beat.
"Where?" he asked impatiently.
The broodmother turned and pointed her finger toward a specific part of the cavern. Looking in the direction she indicated, Thoren creased his brow.
He had checked this cavern carefully and had not noticed any door. But now, something seems different.
He moved forward and walked closer to the cavern wall. Then he noticed something strange.
This was the only part of the cavern that had no glowing crystals. At first glance, anyone would dismiss it as something natural, but only now did he realize it was not natural at all.
Arriving before what should be a door, Thoren stared at it for a moment before he reached out his hand to touch it.
The surface was rough, just like any ordinary cavern wall. But Thoren did not let this deceive him. He continued to look at the so-called door more carefully.
There, he noticed many tiny markings on the wall. Without his strong perception and his awakened soul, he would not have noticed anything at all.
"Is this some sort of language?" he whispered faintly, creasing his brow.
Even though he was not sure if this was a language or not, he knew these were not ordinary markings. But the sheer number of the markings stunned him. They numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
This was all he could discover for now.
As for how many markings were truly on the wall, he could not really say. Just as he prepared to retract his hand, a deep, ancient voice echoed inside the cavern.
"Are you worthy?"
Startled, Thoren retreated a couple of steps. His eyes widened as he tried to find the source of the voice, but he found nothing.
The ancient voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at the same time. He held his breath and waited for another couple of seconds, hoping for the voice to echo again, but nothing happened.
"What is going on?" Thoren mused, knitting his brow.
Everywhere was deadly quiet.
But this was a type of silence that felt deeply unsettling. He stared at the door for a moment, and his curiosity grew stronger. After thinking for a moment, he reached out his hand to touch the ancient door once more.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, it happened again. The ancient voice echoed once more.
"Are you worthy?"
This time, Thoren did not rush to take his hand from the door. He did not speak, waiting for the ancient voice to continue.
Just as he guessed, the ancient voice continued.
"Only a worthy soul can pass through this door. Answer three riddles, and you shall be allowed to enter."
"Failure means you shall never leave this place."
Instantly, a thick suffocating silence descended inside the cavern.
Thoren swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. He had faced monsters and undead armies, but this felt different. This was a trial of the mind, not of the sword.
’Should I accept it or not?’
’What if I can’t pass all the three riddles? Will I be locked in this place forever?’ Just the thought sent a cold shiver down his spine.
But then, another thought appeared in his mind. ’But if I don’t accept what other choice do I have? It’s not like there is another way out of this god forsaken place.’
****
[AN: Please support this book with your golden ticket and power stones.]
Message Chair +1 Chapter.
Dragon +2 Chapters.
Magic Castle +5 Chapters]]