"I found it," Lucas muttered, a thin grin curling at the corner of his lips.
Without hesitation, he stepped closer. The cracks in the cliff weren't wide, only enough for a single person to pass through at a time. Yet his instincts were certain.
This was the entrance he had been searching for all along.
Bennet, still wearing a confused expression, hurried after him. His brows knitted together as he examined the narrow gap, which resembled the mouth of a cave.
"Did my strike cause this?" he asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yes," Lucas replied with a brief nod. "It was strong enough. Good work."
Bennet visibly relaxed. A faint smile even crept onto his face.
"Haha… so that's how it is. I knew it," he said, pride creeping into his voice. "This cliff is tough, but not enough to withstand the strength of an elder like me."
Lucas merely smiled and turned his attention back to the gap, dark, narrow, and filled with mystery.
"As an elder," Lucas said calmly, "shouldn't you be going first?"
"Of course," Bennet replied without hesitation. "Don't worry, Young Master Lucas. I'll protect you."
Lucas nodded.
Bennet stepped forward and squeezed into the narrow opening. Lucas followed closely behind. After only a few cramped steps, the passage suddenly widened—
Revealing an open cavern beyond.
The cave was untouched by moonlight, yet it wasn't pitch-black. Its walls emitted a faint, natural glow. Dim, but enough to make out their surroundings.
"I never imagined…" Bennet murmured in awe, "that a place like this would be hidden behind such a narrow crack."
They moved deeper inside.
Suddenly, a sharp, pungent odor filled the air.
Lucas immediately raised a hand to cover his nose.
"Do you smell that?" he asked. "Is it… corpses?"
"I believe so," Bennet replied grimly.
The natural glow weakened the further they advanced. Bennet raised his hand, summoning a flame in his palm to light their way.
The fire illuminated the chamber—
And revealed a horrifying sight.
Hundreds of skulls were fused into an ancient stone structure at the center of the cave, forming something between an altar and a tomb.
"Young Master," Bennet said firmly, stepping forward, "stay behind me. Places like this usually hide dangers far worse than they appear."
Lucas nodded without argument.
The moment Bennet's foot crossed the threshold of the stone structure—
Click.
A hidden mechanism activated.
From both sides, massive wooden beams embedded with iron spikes shot forward at terrifying speed.
Bennet reacted instantly.
Mana burst surged through his arms as he caught the beams barehanded.
CRACK!
The beams shattered on impact, splintering into fragments that scattered across the floor.
Bennet turned back with a satisfied smile.
"This is what you learn in the Creed Mountain Order, Young Master," he said proudly. "Reflexes. Awareness of traps."
But before Lucas could respond—
Flash!
A blinding white light shot forward from the altar.
It struck Bennet squarely in the back.
His body glowed like a living lamp.
"ARGHHH!" Bennet screamed.
His eyes rolled white. His limbs stiffened, as if his very soul had been seized.
Lucas immediately retreated several steps.
The pressure radiating from the light was suffocating, heavy enough to crush the chest.
In the original plot, Leon had simply walked in and triggered this reaction with his stone pendant.
There had been no explanation.
"Young Master Lucas! Help!" Bennet cried, his voice trembling, as though something unseen was tearing him apart from the inside.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
The source of the light was clear now—
A massive statue stood at the center of the cave.
A woman's statue.
Time-worn. Broken. Her features eroded almost beyond recognition.
Lucas reached into his robe and pulled out the stone pendant.
The jade stone that once belonged to Leon.
The moment it was exposed, the jade began to glow, radiating a brilliant golden light.
Information flooded Lucas's mind, as if the stone itself was conveying understanding directly to him.
But before he could act—
A large hand landed on his shoulder.
Lucas turned.
A tall, solid figure stood beside him, cloaked in shadows.
"That's too dangerous, Young Master," the man said solemnly. "There's a powerful anomaly coming from that statue."
Lucas recognized the voice instantly.
Garran Brinhold.
His strongest bodyguard.
Always watching from the shadows.
Garran's gaze shifted to the jade in Lucas's hand. "I sense the same energy. Let me handle this."
Without hesitation, Lucas handed him the pendant.
"Be careful."
Garran nodded.
In a blur, he dashed forward, stopping directly before the statue, a towering figure nearly two meters tall.
He raised the pendant.
Instantly, the white light pouring from the statue was drawn into it.
Garran's hand trembled violently. The sound of bones creaking echoed faintly as the pressure surged.
But he didn't retreat.
As a high-level magus, this wasn't enough to break him.
Nearby, Bennet collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. His entire body shook, as though he had barely escaped having his soul ripped apart.
Lucas approached and extended a hand.
Bennet grabbed it.
"Doesn't the Creed Mountain Order teach its elders to anticipate things like this?" Lucas asked lightly, half-teasing.
Bennet lowered his head in shame.
Lucas patted his shoulder. "Relax. I'm just kidding."
"…Damn it," Bennet muttered weakly. "What exactly was that?"
"I'm not certain," Lucas replied, eyes fixed on the statue. "But it looked like that light was trying to steal your soul. Or more precisely… the statue was."
He glanced toward Garran.
"But don't worry. My bodyguard has it under control."
Bennet stared at the hooded figure in disbelief.
"He's… your bodyguard?"
Lucas nodded.
Bennet swallowed hard. "That aura… he's incredibly powerful."
"Yes," Lucas said flatly. "He's a Heavenly Realm magus. Peak level."
"What?!" Bennet blurted out.
The Heavenly Realm itself was already legendary.
Even the grand leader of the Creed Mountain Order was only at level five.
And yet this man…
Bennet looked at Lucas with awe.
If his bodyguard was this terrifying… just how deep did the Drakebane family's power truly run?
Meanwhile, Garran remained locked in place, enduring the immense pressure. Without his massive spiritual force, his soul would have already been torn away.
Seconds later—
The white light finally faded.
The jade shone brilliantly gold, so bright that everyone instinctively closed their eyes.
Silence followed.
When the light dimmed and their vision returned—
A woman stood before them.
Golden-haired. Translucent.
A spirit.
Beautiful, clad in the armor of an ancient warrior.
And she was staring directly at Lucas.