"Phew... we got away from those beasts," someone behind him sighed in relief, his voice slightly shaking.
"Yeah, we were lucky. There were hundreds of them," another added, still catching their breath.
"It's a miracle we made it."
"But we're not safe yet," Jin said without turning. "We still don't know what's waiting for us in these ruins."
"Right… Is this the puzzle quest zone you mentioned?" asked one of the students, trying to stay hopeful.
Jin gave a small nod. "That's the theory. According to what professor Slyvia said, some areas have puzzle trials and magical mechanisms—tests that require more than just brute strength."
Broken stone pillars lined both sides of the corridor, their shadows stretching across the ground like ghostly fingers.
The deeper they ventured into the arena, the quieter everything became. The noise of the forest faded behind them and it was so silent.
It was unsettling.
