Adrias took a step back, his eyes fixed on the stone wall where the corpse had been leaning before it decayed. He hadn't noticed those carvings before, but now they were clearly visible—deeply etched into the stone in a faded hue, as if engraved centuries ago.
He stepped closer, running his hand over the strange letters, trying to sense any lingering ancient energy. The script was ornate, written in a language he wasn't sure he knew, but somehow, he understood its meaning the moment his eyes landed on it:
"When you reach the clouds, you will find a rift guarded by a giant beast. Kill it to find what you seek."
A shiver ran down his spine. These weren't just random markings. This was no coincidence. There was a purpose behind them—a message left for whoever made it this far. But for whom was it written? And who had written it?
He raised his head, staring at the dark tunnel ahead. Had others come here before him? This sword, the corpse, and now these words... there was a deeper mystery than he'd anticipated.
But one thing he knew for certain—this message wasn't meant for an ordinary person.
"The clouds..." he murmured. Did it refer to mountains? Or was there another meaning?
He felt uneasy, yet strangely thrilled. In his previous life, he had only one goal: to become the strongest. But now, things weren't that simple.
Something bigger was happening here. Something possibly tied to his new fate.
He glanced again at the black sword in his hand, then back at the inscription.
A giant beast?
If the challenge was real, it meant he would have to face a creature unlike any he had encountered before. Maybe he wasn't ready yet, but he wouldn't back down.
He took a deep breath, then turned and walked away.
It was time to uncover the secrets of this place.
Adrias advanced slowly into the tunnel. His steps were quiet but cautious. He gripped the black sword tightly, keeping all his senses alert for any movement or sound. But with each step forward, nothing happened. No lurking monsters, no other corpses, no further inscriptions... nothing but the silent dark.
The walls were rough and cold beneath his fingertips, and the air felt heavier here, as if this place hadn't been opened for a long, long time. Still, there was nothing tangible—no traps, no remnants of previous life.
How could this be possible?
He stopped in the middle of the tunnel, staring into the blackness stretching before him. There had been a message on the wall—a clear message telling him that once he reached "the clouds," he would find a rift guarded by a beast. But so far, there were no clouds, no rift, no signs of any beast.
"Is this just a trick?"
A cold current crawled up his spine. No, this wasn't just a random inscription. This place wasn't natural at all.
He took a deep breath, trying to recall the details of the inscription again.
"When you reach the clouds, you will find a rift guarded by a giant beast. Kill it to find what you seek."
"The clouds..." he repeated to himself, eyebrows furrowed in focus.
In his previous life, there had been powerful techniques tied to the clouds—could it be a metaphor for a certain level of strength? Or was it meant literally?
And the "rift"—what could that be? A gateway? A passage to another dimension? Or just a hole in the ground?
As for the beast… it clearly referred to something dangerous. But if it were real, why was there no trace of it?
He looked around again. The darkness here was different—deeper, denser, as if it devoured the light instead of merely lacking it.
"Maybe..."
He took another step forward, this time channeling energy into his eyes, trying to detect anything invisible to the naked eye.
What he sensed was stranger than expected.
There was nothing in front of him.
But there wasn't "emptiness" either.
It was as if he were walking inside something that didn't really exist.
His heart pounded. This wasn't an ordinary tunnel.
If there was a secret here, it was hidden in an unusual way.
He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled deeply, then opened them again, focusing all his awareness on his surroundings.
Just because something wasn't visible didn't mean it wasn't there.
He had to search differently.
But now, the real question wasn't "What is here?"—it was…
"Why does this place exist in the first place?"
...
...
Adrias returned with calm but wary steps, his heart racing as he glanced back into the darkness behind him. There was nothing—no beasts, no inscriptions, no rift, no sign of anything special.
But the feeling of unease lingered.
When he reached the place where the corpse had been, he stopped abruptly.
His eyes froze on the stone wall where the inscription had clearly been etched just moments ago.
But now?
Nothing.
The wall was completely smooth, as if nothing had ever been carved there.
A chill ran down his spine. How was this possible? He had seen the words with his own eyes, touched the etched letters with his fingers, contemplated their meaning deeply… and now? It was as if they had never existed.
Was this place alive? Or was it playing tricks on him?
He looked down at the ground where the body had once leaned, but there was only old dirt and stone. Every trace of its presence had vanished completely.
"This isn't normal."
He felt the grip of the black sword he had taken from the corpse. It felt unlike any weapon he'd ever held before. It wasn't just a piece of metal—it held something deeper, a strange energy pulsing within it.
But how could he hide it?
He couldn't walk around openly carrying such a strange weapon—it would draw too much attention.
He stared at the sword for a while, thinking of a way to conceal it, but found no immediate solution.
"If only I could… hide it…"
And the moment that thought crossed his mind—the sword vanished.
His eyes widened in shock. He looked at his hand, which had held the hilt moments ago, but found nothing. It hadn't fallen, evaporated, or gone anywhere—it simply ceased to exist.
He stood stunned for a moment, then tried to summon it again.
In less than a second, the sword appeared in his hand as if it had never disappeared.
His heart pounded.
This wasn't just any ordinary weapon.
He was sure of it now—this sword held a mysterious secret, and perhaps much more than it seemed.
He willed it to disappear again, then looked once more at the wall where the message had been.
The mystery was deeper than he had imagined, and the more he tried to understand it, the more cryptic it became.
But one thing was certain—
"This place was never just an ordinary mine."
To be continued...