The gate was about two meters wide. Since it lay among the shattered coral reefs, it looked like the entrance to an underground chamber.

"System, scan that gate," Merlin ordered.

"[Ding! Scanning… mysterious gate… Ding! Found!]"

Name: Nameless Gate

Description: A gate that has existed since an unknown era. It leads to a mysterious area that likely contains treasure. Note: There are many dangers inside. I suggest you think twice.

Looking at the system's analysis, Merlin rolled his eyes. The explanation was completely half-baked.

It seemed the system was angry with him, since he had refused to spend 50,000 system points to locate the treasure's exact location.

"What do you think, Merlin?" Luna asked.

The others turned toward Merlin at the same time, as if waiting for his approval.

Even Lisa remained silent. Although she was the strongest among them, her role was merely that of their guardian.

In the end, all decisions fell to Merlin, whom the others regarded as their leader.

"This gate leads to the treasure chamber," Merlin replied indifferently.

Everyone was surprised and exchanged glances.

"But it's extremely dangerous inside," Merlin continued. "So let Lisa open the gate. Can you do it?"

He turned to Lisa.

It wasn't that he wanted to sacrifice her, but among them, Lisa was the strongest.

If any monsters attacked, Lisa would at least be able to react faster than the rest.

"I understand. Leave it to me," Lisa replied firmly.

Merlin nodded, then told the others to step back.

Within a five-meter radius of the gate, only Lisa remained. She took a deep breath and swam toward it.

She tried to pull it open but failed. Even after using all her strength, it still wouldn't budge.

There was only one possibility: some kind of magical barrier or spell was keeping the gate sealed.

Not wanting to take any risks, Lisa swam back two meters, drew her sword, and gathered her aura.

Buzz!

A bright blue light flared along the entire blade. Then she swung it downward in a vertical strike.

Slash!

The blue light formed a sharp arc that shot toward the gate.

There was no explosion as expected. Instead, everything remained eerily silent.

But the next second…

Boom!

The gate exploded and split in two. Seawater instantly rushed inside, revealing a pitch-black passage beyond.

Lisa quickly backed away. The suction was incredibly strong—if she let her guard down, she could have been pulled in.

Margaret, Luna, Catrine, Nysera, and Merlin stared into the dark tunnel with serious expressions.

"Merlin, I have a bad feeling."

Luna's voice echoed in his mind.

Merlin remained silent. He felt the same. But it was already too late, and they couldn't turn back now.

Once the whirlpool inside the tunnel subsided, Merlin and the others approached.

"Lisa and I will go in first. You stay behind. Understood?"

Merlin glanced at each of them.

The four of them nodded in unison. "Understood!"

***

"They found it!" Monica exclaimed.

Liora and Nivis, who were having lunch, were immediately startled. They hurried over and stared at the magic screen.

On the screen, a two-meter-tall gate came into view. Lisa then stepped forward and shattered it.

A dark tunnel appeared before the six of them. It was so silent and still, as if it carried the air of an ancient era long forgotten.

"Wow! They really did it!" Nivis couldn't hide her admiration. "But…" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Her expression tightened. "Is this really okay? It's so dark in there, with no lighting at all. There could be danger lurking inside, right?"

Hearing that, Monica and Liora frowned as well. Nivis's words weren't entirely wrong.

The place was indeed strange and eerie. Just looking at it made their hair stand on end.

And they weren't even there.

"Don't worry," Liora reassured them. "I'm sure Merlin and the others aren't that foolish. If the place is truly dangerous, they must have a way to escape."

Nivis pursed her lips and nodded weakly. In the end, there was nothing they could do but pray for the six of them.

***

The dark tunnel sloped downward. There was nothing but darkness and a strange, indescribable smell—like rust, damp mustiness, and a fishy stench.

Merlin snapped his fingers, and three fireballs instantly appeared before him.

Logically, it was impossible for fire to burn underwater. But this was a fantasy world.

Magic itself defied logic, so there was no point in questioning it.

As the firelight illuminated their surroundings, the six of them could finally see one another clearly.

"Wow! I thought the tunnel would be narrow. Who would've thought it was so wide?" Margaret exclaimed in surprise.

She turned to her right and saw nothing but darkness. In fact, they were swimming side by side, spread out to the left and right.

If the tunnel had been narrow, their bodies would have already scraped against the walls.

Luna, Catrine, and Nysera were also shocked. They stretched out their hands as if trying to touch a wall or barrier but found nothing.

Merlin snapped his fingers again, and two more fireballs appeared. He sent them drifting to the right and left but was still startled.

"Still can't see clearly?" His brows furrowed. "Could it be that we didn't enter a tunnel but a massive hall?"

That was the only plausible explanation. More than five minutes had passed since they started swimming, yet they still hadn't found the end.

But suddenly, Lisa stopped and held Merlin back from moving forward.

The four girls behind them instinctively stopped as well.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

Lisa frowned. She lifted her head and said, "Move those two fireballs forward."

Merlin didn't question her and did as she instructed. Nothing appeared at first, but he kept pushing the fireballs farther ahead.

Suddenly, a giant eye came into view.

"Whoa!"

Everyone froze and instinctively backed away. The eye was enormous—perhaps five meters wide. It was gray and looked lifeless.

"Don't be afraid. It's just a statue," Merlin reassured them.

The four girls slowly regained their composure. They examined the eye more closely and realized it was indeed part of a statue.

"That really scared me! I thought it was the eye of some huge monster!" Margaret patted her chest and let out a relieved breath.

Luna and Catrine nodded weakly. They had been so startled that they nearly drew their weapons.

Merlin chuckled softly. Then he summoned two more fireballs, and at last, their surroundings became clear.

Before them lay an enormous statue head, easily thirty meters tall.

If the head alone was that massive, the body must have been far larger.

Yet only the head remained.

Merlin guided the fireballs farther to the side and froze. Countless other statue heads were scattered across the area.

"This…" His eyes widened. "Could this be a graveyard of statues?"