The iron armor worn by Leon trembled violently, while the sword in his grip thrashed as if refusing to be involved any further. Leon and his subordinates stood frozen, their bodies stiff.
Leon's face paled, his breathing heavy and uneven. "What manner of creature are you?" he shouted.
Amid the chaos, the abstract being fixed its sharp gaze on Leon. Its grotesque mouth began devouring the soldiers of the Holy Legion one by one, until at last it swallowed Eris Thorne.
When the tension reached its peak, the creature suddenly stopped moving, as if turned to stone. The energy it radiated froze in midair.
The space around it began to fracture, shards of energy particles flowing through the cracks it had created, erasing all existence in Leon's surroundings.
At last, Leon regained consciousness. His body jerked upright, sweat streaming down his forehead.
"Captain, are you all right?" Olin asked, his tone concerned.
Leon gave a small nod, though he could not hide the unease in his heart. He asked how long he had been unconscious. Arthur replied that he had slept for more than four sticks of incense.
"Four sticks of incense?" Leon exclaimed as he rose to his feet. "Then where is Eris?"
"She will arrive shortly. It took her longer to get here," Arthur answered.
Before long, Eris arrived in haste. Her violet hair flowed freely, and in her right hand she held a magic staff. She came to a stop, planting her left foot first. The night wind swept through her hair, revealing the flawless presence of a thirteenth-circle sorceress.
Eris Thorne was a gifted sorceress from the Imperial Qilin Academy on the central continent. After five years of study, she graduated as the sixth among eight top students. The academy offered her the role of ancient rune interpreter and leader of the Ancient Dungeon Exploration Division.
The height of her career came when she deciphered an ancient rune believed to be the key to unlocking the Grey Library, a legendary place said to have collapsed and vanished some 94,000 years ago. The rune was also found in other continents. The Qilin Empire, which ruled the Central Continent, established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Yuslania, one of the southeastern continent's states, to unravel its mystery.
Intriguingly, the rune had appeared simultaneously across all twelve major continents. The patterns found in each seemed connected, pointing toward a single constellation.
Leon Dorna had known of this since his days at the Royal Ledoria Knight Academy.
"So your delay was because you attended evening worship for Orin the Golden?" Leon asked in a firm tone.
Eris raised her right eyebrow, visibly surprised. "How did you know?" she asked sharply.
"It is obvious. The majority religion in the Central Continent, where your academy is located, worships Orin the Golden. He is the most revered deity in the eight continents," Leon replied, shrugging.
"Then you do not worship Orin?" Eris questioned.
"No," Leon said, shaking his head. "I choose to follow the Heavenly Dao from the Southern Lands."
Olin tried to mediate, while Arthur, who had been observing in silence, stepped forward to remind them that their time was short. As night deepened, they agreed to head toward the location of the black tentacle.
Along the way, Leon explained the rules of the Forbidden Forest, including the prohibition of fire magic and the ban on foul language.
Each step marked the beginning of a story yet unknown. The dirt path narrowed, with wild grass and creeping vines posing the greatest obstacles. Arthur cleared the path while Leon, at the center of the formation, mapped the terrain ahead.
Two sticks of incense later, the Holy Legion found an exit. Before them lay the ruins of collapsed buildings, curiously without a single drop of blood.
Eris was stunned. This was impossible. No matter how skilled someone was, they would leave some trace behind—even a drop of blood. Not even the scent of corpses lingered in the area, which they now marked as a Forbidden Red Zone.
Leon noticed the same peculiarity. He recalled the moment when the black creature devoured the entire legion along with Eris—a memory that sent a cold sweat down his spine. Before reaching the site, Leon had set numerous magical traps throughout the forest, awaiting the creature's appearance. But it never came.
Arthur was ordered to search for artifacts or valuable items that could serve as evidence, while the others began dismantling suspicious ruins.
That night, the crescent moon hung directly overhead. Olin's investigation report was sent to the royal capital through Arthur. Leon ordered the men to set up tents. Eris cast light and fire magic, igniting the firewood Olin had gathered, keeping them safe from the night's cold wind.
"Alan, Huyi, you will stand guard tonight," Leon commanded.
"How long, Captain?"
"Every four sticks of incense, you will take turns in pairs. Once the incense burns out, Arthur and I will take over," Leon replied.
"Yes, Captain."