He left behind only the undead Dust Naga and the undead Echo Scarabs.

Now that the greatest threat within the underground ruin had been eliminated, Thoren could finally examine the sanctum properly without constantly fearing sudden death.

However, the moment his gaze swept across the surroundings, his expression changed slightly.

The walls of the sanctum were now riddled with cracks and shattered sections.

Several ancient bricks had completely collapsed during the fierce battle against the Dust Naga.

Most of the mysterious drawings and strange patterns decorating the walls had been destroyed beyond recognition.

The brutal battle earlier had turned the once majestic sanctum into a partially ruined battlefield drenched in blood and destruction.

Shaking his head lightly, Thoren decided not to dwell too much upon the damage.

There was no point regretting it now.

Slowly, he began examining the remaining portions of the sanctum carefully.

His footsteps echoed softly throughout the silent chamber while the Illusory Floating Lantern illuminated the surroundings with its pale ghostly light.

Eventually, his attention shifted toward the enormous pile of sand resting near the far end of the sanctum.

Throughout the entire battle, that strange accumulation of sand had remained completely untouched.

Not even the violent attacks from the Dust Naga had managed to scatter it.

Every grain remained perfectly gathered together as though protected by some invisible force.

The sight immediately caused Thoren's brows to crease tightly.

"This is strange," he muttered softly beneath his breath.

He walked slowly toward the sand pile before crouching slightly to examine it more carefully.

The closer he approached, the stranger the scene became.

It genuinely felt as though some invincible power had intentionally gathered every grain into that exact location.

Even during the devastating battle earlier, when the sanctum shook violently from explosions and collapsing stone, the sand had remained completely undisturbed.

Everything stayed perfectly intact.

"T This…"

Thoren widened his eyes while confusion flashed visibly across his face.

After recovering from his initial shock, he began circling around the massive pile of sand carefully while searching for clues.

Perhaps something hid behind it.

Or beneath it.

His instincts continuously warned him that this strange sand formation was important somehow.

After walking toward the opposite side of the sand pile, Thoren suddenly froze.

A door stood directly behind it.

The sight stunned him instantly.

The mysterious door remained completely intact despite the countless years that had supposedly passed since this ruin fell into ruin.

Not even dust covered its surface.

It looked untouched by time itself.

"How could this be?" Thoren muttered in disbelief.

This underground ruin had clearly existed for hundreds of years, perhaps even longer.

Yet this strange door remained perfectly preserved as though it had only recently been created.

Slowly, Thoren approached the door cautiously.

He extended one hand before touching its surface carefully.

The moment his fingers made contact, he frowned deeply.

The material felt unlike anything he had ever touched before.

It was neither wood nor metal.

At least, not any material he recognized.

The surface felt unnaturally smooth and cold against his palm.

Even after examining it carefully, Thoren still could not determine what it had been made from.

The mysterious material appeared ancient yet impossibly durable.

Slowly, he pushed against the strange door cautiously while attempting to open it.

Creak.

A deep creaking sound echoed throughout the silent atmosphere.

Inside the deathly quiet sanctum, the noise sounded unnaturally loud.

Hisss.

Thoren unconsciously inhaled sharply while instinctively lowering his breathing.

For several moments, he remained completely still while observing the surroundings carefully.

Nothing attacked him.

No hidden creature appeared.

Eventually, Thoren stepped cautiously through the doorway.

The Illusory Floating Lantern drifted silently beside him while illuminating the room beyond.

The chamber beyond the door was surprisingly small.

However, its ceiling extended unusually high overhead, creating an oppressive atmosphere despite the room's limited size.

At the very center of the chamber rested a massive chair resembling an ancient throne.

The throne remained perfectly intact.

More importantly, it appeared to be crafted from the exact same mysterious material as the strange door itself.

Apart from the throne, the chamber initially appeared completely empty.

At least, that was what Thoren believed at first.

As he carefully observed the silent room, a sudden cold wind swept across the chamber unexpectedly.

Instantly, goosebumps spread across his entire body.

Before Thoren could even process what was happening, the entire scene surrounding him suddenly changed.

Ghostly figures appeared throughout the chamber.

Transparent shadows moved around the room while conversing with one another calmly.

Although Thoren could not hear their voices clearly, that did not matter greatly to him.

He continued observing everything unfolding before him carefully like someone watching fragments from an ancient movie.

The deeper he observed the vision, the more shocked he became.

The sanctum he previously fought within appeared completely different during its prime.

The massive astrological charts carved throughout the sanctum walls were no longer motionless.

Instead, the countless skull shaped stars moved continuously across the walls like living celestial bodies calculating unknown secrets of the heavens.

The sight was breathtaking.

Terrifying.

Beautiful.

It was only then that Thoren realized something even more shocking.

The ceiling of the sanctum could actually open completely.

Beyond the opening, countless stars filled the sky overhead.

Meanwhile, the ghostly figures below continuously manipulated strange energies while performing powerful magic throughout the sanctum.

Suddenly, something clicked within Thoren's mind.

"Do not tell me…" his voice trailed off slowly while his eyes widened drastically.

His heartbeat skipped violently.

A cold breath escaped from his lips immediately afterward.

The skulls carved into the astrological charts no longer resembled simple symbols to him.

Instead, they appeared far more horrifying.

They resembled worlds.

Conquered worlds.

The realization caused violent chills to spread throughout his body instantly.

Cold sweat drenched his spine heavily.

"If my theory is correct… then this is truly terrifying," he whispered beneath his breath.

For a civilization to possess the power necessary to conquer entire worlds, how powerful must they have been during their peak?

Compared to such a civilization, Earth suddenly appeared unbelievably primitive.

Humanity's proud technological achievements felt insignificant before this ancient race.

Without the appearance of the Abyss itself, humanity would never even have discovered the existence of mana or other worlds beyond Earth.

Yet these ancient beings had already been wielding mana and casting terrifying magic thousands of years ago.

Even now, humanity still lacked true understanding regarding mana itself.

Most awakened merely borrowed power from the Abyss rather than controlling mana naturally.

If such an ancient civilization truly invaded Earth directly, humanity might not even possess the ability to resist properly.

The thought alone felt deeply depressing.

Shaking his head firmly, Thoren forcefully pushed away those dark thoughts.

There was no point drowning himself in fear regarding things far beyond his control.

Instead, he focused entirely upon the vision continuing before him.

Suddenly, the atmosphere within the vision changed completely.

The ghostly figures began running frantically throughout the sanctum.

Fear and urgency filled their expressions clearly.

"What is happening?" Thoren narrowed his eyes while focusing intensely upon the unfolding scene.

He attempted desperately to discover some clue explaining the sudden panic.

However, before he could uncover anything meaningful, the vision disappeared instantly.

Whoosh.

Everything vanished completely.

"Ah…"

A deep sigh filled with regret escaped from Thoren's lips.

The vision ended far too suddenly.

He still possessed countless unanswered questions.

Slowly, Thoren shook his head before turning his gaze around the chamber once more.

After witnessing the vision, he now understood clearly that this chamber was far from ordinary.

A throne existing within such an important sanctum could not possibly belong to an insignificant individual.

Whoever once sat upon that throne must have possessed terrifying authority and power.

Carefully, Thoren began walking around the chamber while extending his hand toward the walls occasionally to examine the strange material surrounding him.

Every surface felt unnaturally smooth and cold.

The further he explored, the more mysterious the chamber became.

Then suddenly, after taking only several more steps, Thoren froze completely.

His body stiffened instantly.

His eyes locked firmly upon something hidden directly behind the massive throne.