"I found it," Lucas muttered, a thin grin curling on his lips.
Without hesitation, he stepped closer. The cracks in the cliff weren't large—just enough for one person to pass through at a time. But his heart was sure. This was the entrance he had been searching for all along.
Bennet, still confused, quickly followed. His brow furrowed as he examined the narrow gap, resembling the entrance to a cave.
"Did my strike cause this?" he asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, it was strong enough. Good work," Lucas answered with a brief nod.
Bennet seemed relieved, even smiling faintly, proud of his own words.
"Haha, so that's how it is. I had a feeling. This cliff is tough, but not a match for the strength of an elder like me," he said, laughing softly.
Lucas simply shook his head and turned his gaze back to the gap—into the narrow, dark, and mysterious cave.
"As an elder, shouldn't you be in front?" he asked.
"Hehe, of course. Don't worry, Young Master Lucas. I will protect you," Bennet replied confidently.
Lucas nodded.
Bennet stepped forward, entering the gap. Lucas followed behind. After just a few narrow steps, they emerged into an open cave before them.
The cave was untouched by moonlight, but still faintly glowing. Its walls emitted a natural light, dim yet enough to see their surroundings.
"I never thought... a place like this would be hidden behind such a narrow crack," Bennet remarked, astonished.
They stepped deeper inside. But a sharp, pungent odor filled the air—Lucas immediately covered his nose.
"Do you think... it's the smell of corpses?" he asked.
"I think so," Bennet answered with a serious nod.
The natural light began to dim the further they went. Bennet raised his hand, summoning fire into his palm to illuminate their path.
The glow from the fire revealed a terrifying sight—hundreds of skulls fused with an ancient stone structure standing in the center of the room, resembling an altar or an old tomb.
"Young Master, stay behind. Places like this... usually harbor dangers worse than they appear," Bennet said firmly.
Lucas simply nodded.
Just as Bennet's foot stepped onto the threshold of the stone structure—
Click.
A hidden mechanism was activated. Two large wooden beams with iron spikes shot out from the left and right, speeding toward them.
With the reflexes of an experienced magus, Bennet channeled his spiritual power and halted the beams with his bare hands.
Bang!
The beams shattered instantly, splintering into pieces.
He turned, smiling with satisfaction at Lucas. "This is what will you learn from the Creed Mountain Order, young master. Reflexes and awareness of traps."
But before Lucas could respond, a flash of white light shot from the front.
Flash!
The light struck Bennet's back.
"Arghhhh!" he screamed. His eyes turned white, and his body stiffened, as if turned to stone.
Lucas quickly took a few steps back. The pressure from the light was so intense, it felt like it was suffocating him.
In the original plot, Leon simply walked in, and his jade stone reacted… with no detailed explanation.
"Young Master Lucas! Help!" Bennet cried, his voice trembling. It sounded as though he was being consumed from within by something invisible.
Lucas looked forward—the source of the light came from a large statue in the middle of the cave. A woman's statue. Eroded by time, no longer whole.
Quickly, Lucas pulled a pendant from his robe pocket—the jade stone that once belonged to Leon.
The jade immediately began to glow brightly, emitting a golden light.
In an instant, an understanding appeared in his mind. As if the stone was conveying something to him.
But just as he was about to move, a large hand touched his shoulder.
Lucas turned. Before him stood a hooded man, tall and solid.
"That's too dangerous, Young Master. There's a strong anomaly coming from that statue," the man said seriously.
Lucas recognized the voice.
Garran Brinhold. His most powerful bodyguard—always watching from the shadows.
Garran's gaze locked on the jade in Lucas's hand. "I sense the same energy. Let me handle this."
Without hesitation, Lucas handed him the jade. "Be careful."
Garran nodded and dashed toward the statue. In a flash, he stood before the figure—a two-meter tall woman's statue, her face unrecognizable.
He raised the jade.
In an instant, the white light from the statue seemed to be absorbed by the jade. Garran's hand trembled violently, his bones creaking, but he didn't give up.
As a high-level magus, this pressure wasn't enough to bring him down.
Meanwhile, Bennet sat weakly on the ground, gasping for air. His entire body shook as if he had narrowly escaped being ripped from his own form.
Lucas approached, extending his hand.
Bennet grasped it.
"Doesn't the Creed Mountain Order teach its members to anticipate things like this?" Lucas asked, his tone half-teasing.
Bennet lowered his head in shame.
Lucas patted his shoulder. "I'm just kidding."
"Damn… What exactly happened?" Bennet muttered.
"I'm not sure. But it seems like... that light was trying to steal your soul. Or more precisely, that statue did," Lucas replied, pointing ahead.
"But don't worry. My bodyguard is handling it."
Bennet looked at the hooded man. "He's your bodyguard?"
Lucas nodded.
Bennet mumbled, as if in disbelief, "He's amazing… that aura... he must be incredibly powerful."
"Yeah, he's a Heavenly Realm magus, peak level," Lucas answered flatly.
"What?!" Bennet exclaimed, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
The Heavenly Realm itself was already incredibly rare. Even the grand leader of the Creed Mountain Order was only at level 5 of the Heavenly Realm.
But the man before him… far surpassed that.
Bennet stared at Lucas with awe. If his bodyguard was this strong, just how powerful was the Drakebane family?
Meanwhile, Garran was still standing in front of the statue, holding back the immense pressure of the energy. If not for his large spiritual force, he feared his soul would have been absorbed by that light.
A few seconds later, the white light from the statue completely faded. The jade now glowed golden, shining so brightly that everyone had to close their eyes.
Then, everything went silent.
When the light faded, and their vision returned…
...a golden-haired woman, in spirit form, stood before them. Beautiful. Dressed like a warrior from ancient times.