Unedited*

After passing through the Portal, Edward didn’t waste any time looking around. Although he found the dungeon in a chaotic state—with even more rampaging undead and completely altered biomes—he didn’t let himself get distracted.

He ran toward the Gate of the Desolate Temple, which he reached in no time.

Once there, he made sure no one was around. He would have liked to arrive more discreetly, but recently, as a member of the 101st Regiment, he’d come to realize that acting so inconspicuously didn’t lead to anything good.

That’s why he didn’t hide himself too much. Despite that, he’d prefer not to be disturbed. Although Owen would surely find out sooner or later and come here, since it’s a bit suspicious.

After making sure no one was around, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the interface in front of him, which displayed his beasts’ levels and the stats they had achieved.

[Fire Winged Serpent: Level 29.]

[Wind Winged Serpent: Level 29.]

[Earth Winged Serpent: Level 28.]

[Water Winged Serpent: Level 28.]

’I’ve managed a substantial level-up thanks to Elder Owen and the 101st Regiment supporting me with everything they’ve got,’ he thought.

Previously, when he was fighting in the Red Moon Cave, he had managed to level up several times, but he had focused almost exclusively on lower-level beasts and very little on the Fire Serpent.

Now, however, he focused entirely on leveling up the Fire and Wind Serpents, as he needed strength.

After making sure no one was around, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the interface in front of him, which displayed his beasts’ levels and the stats they had achieved.

[Fire Winged Serpent: Level 29.]

[Wind Winged Serpent: Level 29.]

[Earth Winged Serpent: Level 28.]

[Water Winged Serpent: Level 28.]

’I’ve managed a substantial level-up thanks to Elder Owen and the 101st Regiment supporting me with everything they’ve got,’ he thought.

Previously, when he was fighting in the Red Moon Cave, he had managed to level up several times, but he had focused almost exclusively on lower-level beasts and very little on the Fire Serpent.

Now, however, he focused entirely on leveling up the Fire and Wind Serpents, as he needed strength.

He wanted to discover everything, but even more than that, he wanted to take a closer look at what a dungeon within a dungeon was like. Stories claim that these kinds of dungeons are no pushover and could be several times stronger than the dungeon he was currently in.

"And the rewards come with the danger. Maybe I’ll be able to level up a lot here and find a treasure or two," he thought.

After a few moments of thought and checking his equipment, Edward walked toward the door and inserted the key.

[Are you sure you want to open the door to the Desolate Temple?]

A system window popped up.

Although Edward frowned, he pressed the "Yes" button.

Rumble!

Shake!

Shudder!

After a few tremors and a strong jolt, the door practically swallowed the key, making it disappear from view, and began to move.

It fell back a few centimeters and then stopped.

"Doesn’t it open all the way?" Edward walked over to it and gave it a shove.

"It’s heavy!" It took an enormous amount of strength just to budge it.

It was so heavy that he feared that even using all his strength, he wouldn’t be able to move it even a few centimeters.

Fortunately, it didn’t scrape the floor too much, and the floor sloped slightly downward, which allowed him to push it without too much trouble.

The sound of rusty hinges immediately filled the air. Dust swirled up around the door and, for a brief moment, covered everything around him, though it quickly cleared from the room.

Edward went on high alert immediately. He carefully surveyed his surroundings...

In front of him and to the sides was a strange, fairly large cave that appeared to have been carved out of a mountain.

The rocks were damp and moldy, and the floor was slippery from all the moisture. But he was able to walk several steps inside without any trouble.

After taking ten steps, the door behind him slammed shut.

’It doesn’t open on its own, but it closes on its own. Interesting.’

Despite that, he was already prepared for anything, so he didn’t flinch. Thanks to his continuous leveling up over the past few months—even while deep within the Cursed Land—the cursed energy no longer affected him.

His spiritual energy alone was enough to prevent it from being a problem. So he didn’t worry about how long he could stay here. Years could pass, and he wouldn’t have a single problem.

He was more concerned about how dangerous this place was. He took another step forward, and just then a series of messages appeared, freezing him in his tracks.

[You have entered a Dungeon within a Cursed Land.]

[You have found the Hidden Dungeon: Ancient Temple of Aleskra.]

[Be careful on your adventure. You have found a dangerous place.]

"The Temple of Aleskra? This is..." He swallowed hard and looked into the depths of the cave, which seemed to lead nowhere but, he sensed, led to dangerous places.

He remembered that time in the City of Rebirth, on that lonely street, the feeling of being constantly watched without respite. It was a terrifying beast; he knew it then, but he didn’t say anything so as not to alarm his companions.

He remembered the four hideous faces he saw inside the black carriage... and then the disappearance of the carriage and of Aleskra.

How was it that he was now in a place that called itself the Temple of Aleskra?

Why Aleskra? Who exactly is Aleskra? Or what is it?

’An Aleskra might be a legendary beast that I cannot face right now. It seems I’ve stepped into a deadly trap.’ He sighed.

He had no choice but to move forward.

He immediately began walking deeper into the cave, down the only passageway in sight.

The cave was ordinary—not mysterious or dangerous in the least. There weren’t even any ants. The only sound to be heard was Edward’s boots hitting the ground.

Otherwise, it was silent.

At least inside the cave.

"Is there a river around here?" he thought, looking to the sides and up.

Thanks to the deathly silence inside the cave, far in the distance you could hear the constant sound of something like running water.

The sound was distant, too distant. It seemed as if it were miles away, but the noise still reached him here.

"Either it’s a very fast-flowing river or it’s something else," he thought without stopping.

After walking for over an hour.

The sound of the river grew louder and louder. Now Edward could tell he was very close to it.

"Where the hell am I? This cave seems endless." He shook his head and looked ahead at yet another corner of the cave that would lead him to a place identical to the one before.

"Sigh." He had already given up on these corners that turned and seemed to give him hope of finding something different, only to dash it. So he simply walked toward that corner and turned again.

SWOSH!

SWOSH!

Suddenly, a strong wind buffeted him. As if by magic, and as if the wind had appeared just as he crossed, he witnessed the wind freezing in a part of the cave where it could go no further. All around the corner.

As he was startled by the sudden change, he opened his eyes, for he felt a strong glare hitting them.

Immediately, an extraordinary landscape came into view.

There were trees, mountains, clouds, and beautiful fruits.

He ran to the entrance of the cave and found a waterfall cascading down one side of it. At the bottom, a great river flowed ceaselessly, sweeping away any fish or beast that fell into it.

The water of that river felt very powerful, with an extreme current that could even generate energy. But it was a natural river.

And, strangely, the strong current did not prevent the river’s beauty from being observed.

"Where is this place?" He swallowed hard. He looked around carefully and tried to take in everything he saw.

He was standing in the middle of a huge pile of rocks, and below him were many rocks arranged like a natural staircase. Despite its unusual beauty, this seemed like a dangerous place. However, there appeared to be signs of life, and behind him was only a closed door—perhaps one that couldn’t be opened. And he had come here to take on this place.

He wasn’t going to back down.

So he looked at the dangerous stone stairs, swallowed hard, and without giving it much thought, began to descend them.

They were sharp and even slippery. Occasionally, water from the waterfall splashed toward him, even though they weren’t exactly close, demonstrating the force of the falling water.

He focused on getting down, and when he stepped onto solid ground, he sighed. He looked at the tall trees growing on either side of the river and thought about how many dangerous beasts there must be in this place...