The group received a clue about a Hidden Dungeon in Ninh Bình and immediately moved toward the area.
Location: Ninh Bình – Tràng An
In the past, Ninh Bình was hailed as "Ha Long Bay on land," a vibrant ink wash painting where nature's lines were drawn with exquisite detail. This place was not just a simple destination but a multi-sensory experience, a journey to discover a beauty that was at once majestic, poetic, ancient, and mysterious.
The most striking feature of Ninh Bình's landscape was the harmonious combination of monumental limestone mountains and winding rivers. The colossal mountain ranges, in a myriad of fantastic shapes, rose from the deep green water, creating a landscape of bottomless ravines and mystical caves. From above, the rivers looked like soft silk ribbons, embracing the mountains, and weaving through lush green valleys. The early morning or evening sunlight shone on the rock faces, creating dazzling streaks of gold and orange that shimmered and reflected on the tranquil water.
When the rice season arrived, Ninh Bình transformed into a vast, endless sea of gold. The gently sloping terraced fields, or the flat rice paddies, surrounded by stone mountains and rivers, created a magnificent and romantic scene. The sweet scent of ripe rice wafted through the air, blending with the smell of earth and water vapor, bringing a strange sense of peace.
In particular, the experience of rowing a boat to explore Tràng An was an unforgettable highlight. The small boats glided gently on the water, carrying visitors deep into the heart of caves, through narrow mountain passes and serene reed forests. The soft splashing of the oars, the chirping of birds, and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves created a symphony of nature. The verdant reed forests, taller than a person, created a private space, completely separated from the noise of the outside world.
Ninh Bình was not only captivating because of its natural beauty but also its ancient historical and cultural values. The ancient temples and pagodas hidden within the mountains, the thousands-of-years-old historical sites, all told the story of a former capital, a sacred land of Vietnam.
Now, that land was shrouded in a haunting gloom. The rice was still there but no one harvested it, the paddy fields overgrown with dense reeds that covered the riverbed. Some parts of the river seemed to have dried up, revealing rugged, gray-dusted rock. The ancient temples and shrines were completely covered by creeping vines, isolated in a terrifying silence. Before, at the foot of the mountains, flocks of birds used to sing in chorus; now, there was only the sound of the wind whistling through the rock faces and a repeating echo like the mournful cry of a forgotten memory…
The group stood on top of Mua Cave, looking down at the entire landscape of Tam Cốc with somber expressions, mourning the beautiful scene that once existed here. After a moment of silence, they moved down toward the base of Mua Cave and headed deeper toward the Ancient Tràng An Temple.
Finally, they stood facing the Ancient Tràng An Temple, but were separated from it by a deep, pitch-black river with no visible bottom.
"We're here," Nghĩa said softly, breaking the silence.
Hoa responded, her voice filled with hesitation:
"Are we supposed to swim across now, Brother? No way!"
Suddenly, Nam pointed to the left, where an old boat was moored near a patch of old bamboo on the riverbank.
"There's a boat over there. We can use it to get to the ancient temple. The area around here seems quiet, with no sign of any Unknowns."
Hoa looked at the bottomless river, her voice a little shaky:
"The way you said that just made me a little more worried... Maybe we should just go back? What if there's a swarm of mutated leeches at the bottom of the river? Just thinking about it gives me the creeps…" Hoa's face went pale.
Nghĩa saw her reaction and immediately tried to reassure her. He spoke with a playful tone to reduce the tension for the group:
"What are you afraid of? Nam's here. He just got a sweet new piece of gear. Let's just row the boat across. If there were Unknowns, the System would have already warned us. If we're unlucky enough to run into some, Nam will be the first one to get eaten. We just have to paddle as fast as we can, and he'll hold them off. Haha."
"Alright! I'm heading back to Hà Giang. See ya!" Nam said with a mock sulk.
Hoa and Nghĩa burst out laughing, then patted Nam on the shoulder to soothe him:
"Come on now. Be a good boy, we're just joking. Haha. There, there~ Don't cry, we love you."
After that, the group decided to use the boat to cross the river, heading straight for the Ancient Temple area.
As soon as they set foot on the other bank, the System's danger-zone scanner vibrated fiercely, and a piercing warning blared:
Ting!
[Warning]
[Dangerous Zone – Grade B]
[Main Quest: Infiltrate Floor 2 – Sediment Tower]
[Eliminate the Fire Core Golem Unknown (Lv.15)]
In front of them was an Ancient Temple. It didn't look very big, but its entrance was covered by a strange black membrane, from which flickered a faint yellow light, like a gate to another world.
Nam lightly tapped his shield, looking at the towering Ancient Shrine before them, his eyes full of doubt:
"That's weird. It's clearly a Shrine, so why does it say to infiltrate Floor 2 of the Sediment Tower? I don't see any Tower."
Hoa replied, her face innocent:
"Well... isn't us fighting Unknowns also illogical, Brother Nam?"
Nam laughed, scratching his head, then turned to Nghĩa, his voice more serious:
"Our current levels are still low. Have you thought this through?"
Meanwhile, Ái Hoa was examining an item shard they had collected from the previous Golem, then compared it to a fragment on the temple's entrance.
"The Golems here are a higher evolutionary line than the ones at Ha Long Bay. Their shells are protected by thicker and harder layers of volcanic rock."
"What do you think, Brother Nghĩa?" she asked.
Nghĩa didn't answer right away. He tightened his grip on his Drifting Shadow Twin Daggers, standing silent in thought, his eyes showing a soulless, empty look.
"I just have this feeling… that something very important has vanished. There's a void in my memory from the moment I broke through Rank C."
Nam froze, his voice dropping, filled with concern:
"What do you mean? Little things, like the lullaby your mother used to sing… or who took care of you when you were little?"
Nghĩa frowned slightly, his expression a little confused. He hesitated, then muttered as if asking himself:
"Someone… used to take care of me?"
After a moment of heavy silence, Nam slowly said, his tone full of bitterness:
"Did the System take away that much…"
Ái Hoa looked up at her brother, her voice gentle but filled with deep thought:
"I think… the greatest pain isn't losing memories, but losing yourself. Don't lose yourself, Brother…"
Nghĩa let out a soft breath, then gave a faint smile—as if accepting the unchangeable, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes:
"Don't worry about it. I know what I have to do and who I am. That's enough."
"Let's go in."