Crowne's footsteps echoed through the deepening underground corridor. The air grew heavy and cold. The smell of metal, damp earth, and something like old blood filled his nose. He didn't see any corpses, but his instincts told him that many had tried to enter this placeand never left alive.
The torch in his hand flickered slightly. Whether it was the draft or his own trembling hand, he couldn't tell.
"This is… getting strange."
He descended the seemingly endless stone stairs. Every few meters, carvings appeared on the walls, ancient symbols in a language that even his system couldn't translate.
[Unable to translate ancient rune.]
[Recommendation: Do not proceed.]
Crowne frowned at the system notification. "Don't proceed? Hah, I've come this far, should I really turn back now?" Of course, Crowne shook his head. "No. Not a chance."
He walked on. The deeper he went, the stronger the strange presence became. A dreadful, oppressive aura filled the corridor. Even the torchlight began to flicker weakly.
Srek. Srek.
Crowne inhaled slowly. "This is getting interesting."
He reached out and touched the wall. The stone felt cold and dusty. The inscriptions were hard to read, yet he could sense faint magic flowing beneath them. Crowne tilted his head.
"I should…"
Craaaack!
The floor beneath him suddenly split. Crowne tried to leap backward, but he was too late. The ground collapsed, and he fell.
Brukkk!
His body slammed hard onto the lower floor. Pain spread across his back. When he looked up, the faint light from above was far away at least 300 meters high. Crowne rubbed his lower back and waist.
"Ah, thank goodness I'm still in one piece," he muttered.
He stood and glanced around and his eyes widened.
The place was vast. Immensely vast.
A colossal underground chamber stretched before him, lined with dozens of stone sarcophagi arranged in a circle. At the very center stood a massive golden coffin bound tightly by crimson chains of metal. Those chains radiated sealing magic it would be extremely difficult to open.
Beside the coffin stood a gigantic statue. It resembled a human knight clad in thick armor, holding an enormous sword.
"What… is this place?"
He looked around, but there was nothing else to see. The torchlight only reached that far.
Crowne slowly approached the coffin.
Each step felt heavier, as though an invisible force pressed on his knees—trying to keep him from moving forward.
[Warning: Unknown Mana Presence Detected.]
[Risk Level: Catastrophic.]
"Dangerous?" Crowne gave a dry, amused laugh. "Sounds fun."
He crouched before the massive coffin, lifting his hand. For a moment, he hesitated. A terrible premonition filled his gut. His eyes darted around the chamber, no movement.
Then he reached for the crimson chain.
A chilling sensation shot from his fingertips through his whole body. Crowne gritted his teeth as he touched the chain, then tried pulling it with all his strength. It wouldn't budge. He infused mana into his arms and body and pulled again.
Still, nothing happened.
"This is tougher than I expected," he muttered.
He was about to grab the chain again when suddenly...
Whoooosh!
Slash!
Crowne released his grip and leapt backward. A blade sliced through the air just in front of his face. His eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. If he had reacted a second slower, his head would've been gone.
He stood up, rubbing his neck. No wound.
Then he looked ahead. The statue he had seen earlier was now staring directly at him. Its eyes glowed a deep crimson, burning with life. The statue slowly raised its massive sword.
Klaaang!
The sword slammed down into the stone floor before Crowne. The impact shook the entire chamber. Dust and debris burst into the air.
Crowne shielded his face with one arm, staggering from the shockwave.
"It can move?!"
The statue straightened again, its armor creaking with every motion.
Klang… klang… klang…
The metallic sound echoed like a slow tolling bell of death.
Crowne stepped back. His torch fell, rolling across the floor. Its flame danced wildly, casting distorted shadows all around.
Then he saw it, something crawling out of the stone sarcophagi that encircled the chamber. One by one, corpses rose from their graves, clutching weapons in their decayed hands. Crowne's eyes sharpened.
This was bad. Very bad.
Clicking his tongue, he drew his sword.
"Seems like I touched something I shouldn't have," he groaned.
He was surrounded by dozens of undead soldiers. He couldn't see all of them, but he could sense their presence. The only way out was the hole above, far out of reach.
"Damn it. Am I going to die here?"
The ground trembled violently. Crowne sensed a presence far more powerful than the statue. Three times stronger, maybe more.
"Looks like this really might be my end."
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Klang… Klang…
The undead advanced slowly. Some still wore rusted armor; others were nothing but bones and rotten flesh. Their hollow eyes glowed faintly red in the dark.
Crowne tightened his grip on his sword. His breathing steadied, focus sharpening.
"All right… no choice left. Come at me!" he roared.
The giant statue lifted its sword once more.
Wuuuuuummm… Klaaaang!!!
The second strike shattered part of the floor, sending a powerful shockwave toward Crowne.
He rolled aside.
Boom!
Chunks of stone exploded near him, barely missing.
The undead lunged the moment he landed.
Srek! Srek! Clang!
Their swords slashed wildly in every direction.
Crowne twisted his body, parried one strike, and cleaved a skull clean in two. Then he charged at another, but just as he moved—something grabbed him from behind.
It was the same skeleton he had just cut down. Crowne struggled to break free, but at that exact moment, the statue swung its massive sword once more.
Slash!
Slashed
**
In the same chamber, a figure watched the entire scene. The figure had been observing quietly, interested in Crowne, but now, Crowne's life had reached its end.
"What a foolish young man. He triggered the tomb's ancient trap. This will be the end of him," the figure said softly.
The figure turned to leave, but then stopped. His eyes widened slightly, and a faint smile crept across his lips.
"Heh… interesting."