Suddenly, the air changed. Rose, who had been enjoying the theater, stiffened. Her eyes went wide as a premonition—the weight of Providence's warning—slammed into her. She turned toward the bridge, her carefree aura vanishing in an instant. ''Into the portal. Now!'' she commanded, her voice sharp as a whip.
Her team did not hesitate. They had seen Rose look like this before, and it always preceded a catastrophe. Diana and the others bolted for the swirling light. Steven paused for a final sneer. ''Just you wait, you overgrown clown. I will peel that smirk off your face in the Palace!'' he spat, before leaping into the gate.
''What spooked her?'' Ben asked, his voice trembling as he looked into the dark.
The answer came in the form of a vibration that threatened to shatter the bridge. The nightmare had returned.
Through the mist, the colossal giant appeared, its face a distorted mask of yellowish teeth and pure, unadulterated frustration. It was coming like a tidal wave of flesh. And there, running just ahead of the crushing pressure, was a lone figure in black.
''Run!'' Leo's voice was barely a rasp as he reached the edge of the Bridge. The giant's shadow fell over the entire platform, turning the world into a blinding darkness. The colossal hand swept forward, not as a punch this time, but as a grasping claw. Its fingers were like pillars of rough, scorched earth.
Hye-na grabbed Luna and shoved her into the swirling emerald light of the portal. ''Go!'' she barked at Ben and Noel. Noel didn't hesitate, diving headfirst into the shimmering void.
Leo felt the atmospheric pressure spike as the giant's palm closed in. He was only a few meters away, his legs burning, and his vision blurring. The giant's yellowish teeth were visible as it leaned down, its eyes fixed on the silver-haired lord. ''Mine!'' the giant bellowed.
The fingers brushed the back of Leo's coat. Leo used his last bit of strength to leap. He felt the wind of the giant's hand closing behind him, a thunderous clap of air that nearly sent him spinning. He tumbled into the portal's embrace, followed closely by Hye-na.
The transition was a violent surge of emerald energy that deposited them onto a floor of deep malachite. The silence of the palace interior was deafening after the roar of the titan. High above, vaulted arches were carved with intricate scenes of vines and serpents, all pulsing with a rhythmic, living light. This was the heart of the Evergreen domain, a place where the architecture itself seemed to breathe.
Leo leaned against the cold stone of the pillar, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He looked around and realized they were in a massive entrance hall. It was so big that a whole army could fit inside. Emerald curtains hung from the walls, and golden statues of faceless warriors stood in the corners, their eyes glowing with a soft, green light.
Luna drew close, her voice a hushed thread of concern. ''Leo, are you okay?'' she asked, offering her shoulder to help him find his footing.
Leo did not answer immediately. He was staring at his flickering interface, his vision swimming. His energy was a hollow void, and his limbs felt as though they had been cast in lead.
''That bastard of a giant chased me for miles,'' Leo sighed, forcing himself to stand tall. He scanned the room, noting that two other factions had already laid claim to the space.
A few meters away, Rose and her entourage waited in hauntingly perfect condition. Rose looked entirely refreshed, her brunette hair gleaming and her skin carrying a soft, effortless glow. Behind her, Steven Lockwood stood with his arms crossed, his face twisting into a familiar sneer the moment his eyes landed on Leo.
Near the far end of the hall stood a man with square glasses alongside a woman with short-cropped blonde hair clad in heavy plate armor. She was watching Leo with a sharp, predatory interest. Noticing Leo's look, Luna whispered, ''That is Elias Crowe and Emma White. They must have been the first through the gate.''
Noel, Ben, and the rest of the team swarmed Leo, their relief palpable as they demanded to know the details of his frantic escape. Hye-na, however, remained focused on the tactical landscape. She approached Elias with measured steps.
''You were the first in?'' she asked.
Elias gave a sharp nod.
''Then why the delay?''
Elias gestured toward the far wall where the emerald marble was undergoing a violent transformation. Bronze vines coiled like snakes down the jade pillars, weaving themselves into the shapes of three titanic doors. Above the arches, glowing icons pulsed with a rhythmic light: a Crown, a Sword, and a Skull.
''The mechanism is clear. It requires three distinct parties to trigger the lock,'' Elias explained as the symbols flared to life upon Leo's arrival.
Rose glided toward the center of the room, her polite smile never wavering. ''One team per door, then?'' she asked.
Emma White scoffed, her voice echoing with arrogance as she folded her gauntleted arms. ''It is obvious. We would not be standing around waiting for losers otherwise,'' she spat.
"True enough. But the question remains—which door leads to the prize?'' Rose mused. Her tone was light, but her eyes held a chill that made the surrounding lords shift uncomfortably.
Elias sighed. This was the true trap. He had prepared for a slaughter, not a gamble of intuition. Leo quickly downed a stamina potion, the bitter liquid burning as it began to stitch his frayed nerves back together. Even with his primordial constitution, the frantic flight from a disaster-rank entity had left him hollow.
Hye-na turned back to Elias. ''Which door will you choose?''
Elias glanced at Emma, receiving a subtle nod. ''The Crown,'' he replied firmly.
Hye-na looked over at Rose, who was studying the three icons. 'Providence is silent,' Rose thought, her brow furrowing slightly. 'There is no spark of fortune coming from any of them. For once, I am blind.'
''Well?'' Emma White propped a hand on her hip, the metal of her armor clanking. ''We do not have all day. Choose so we can get this over with.''
Hye-na stepped back toward Leo, her silhouette sharp against the green light of the statues. There was a rare softness in her eyes—a flicker of apology for the distance she had put between them during the flight. Leo met her gaze and offered a tired but genuine smile. ''Good work,'' he whispered. ''You kept them alive.''
The armor around Hye-na's heart seemed to crack just a little. She turned to the group, her voice low. ''Do any of you have an idea which path we should take?''
Leo didn't answer with words. Instead, he reached into his spatial storage and pulled out a chest that shimmered with a deep, cobalt hue. The air around the box rippled with the energy of a Rare-grade Unique item.
''The Epic-Rank Outpost reward,'' Leo murmured, his thumb tracing the lock. ''These chests are coded to analyze the user's current predicament and provide the most relevant solution. Right now, this chest is our only chance''
Noel's eyes widened, a low whistle escaping his lips. ''You kept that thing tucked away all this time? Talk about a trump card.''
Across the hall, the other lords watched with varying degrees of mockery. Steven Lockwood snorted, leaning against a jade pillar.
Leo ignored the stares. He focused on the lock, and the blue light of the chest flared, outshining the emerald glow of the hall.
''I really hope this works,'' Leo whispered.
The lid of the chest creaked open, exhaling a faint, cool mist. There was no gold or silver inside, just a single, yellowed parchment tied with a thread of black silk. Leo reached in and picked it up. As his fingers touched the paper, a system window hovered before his eyes.
[Secrets of the Unknown (Unique Grade)]
[Description: A conduit for forbidden knowledge. Ask one question; receive one absolute truth. Item expires upon use.]
Noel whispered, ''Ask it which one has the most gold!''
Leo ignored him. He looked at the three doors and spoke clearly. ''Tell me the true nature of the three paths before us and where they lead.''