Thoren stared silently at the skeleton lying behind the massive throne while his brows knitted tightly together.

The further he observed it; the stranger the corpse appeared.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly approached the skeleton cautiously.

Almost immediately, he realized the creature had never been human.

The skeleton rested slumped against the back of the ancient throne with its long legs stretched awkwardly forward while its arms hung limply at its sides.

Its bones were not pale white like ordinary skeletons.

Instead, every bone possessed a polished obsidian black color with faint golden veins running throughout the surface.

Those thin golden veins emitted a weak glow that flickered faintly within the darkness.

The sight felt eerie.

Ancient.

Unnatural.

Thoren eventually stopped only several feet away before lowering himself onto one knee carefully.

His sharp gaze lingered upon the creature's skull.

The skull possessed an elongated tapered structure resembling something closer to an equine creature rather than a primate.

However, despite the strange shape, the face itself still retained disturbingly human features.

The combination created an appearance that was deeply unsettling.

Most horrifying of all were the eye sockets.

There were not two eye sockets.

There were seven.

Six smaller sockets formed a circular ring around a larger diamond shaped cavity positioned directly at the center of the forehead.

The structure alone sent chills down Thoren's spine.

Slowly, his gaze shifted lower toward the creature's jaw.

The jawbone hung unnaturally open as though permanently unhinged.

Inside the mouth rested three complete rows of flat grinding teeth.

There were no sharp canines whatsoever.

Instead, the teeth appeared designed for crushing rather than tearing.

Even stranger, countless microscopic runes had been carved directly onto the surface of every single tooth.

The tiny symbols glimmered faintly beneath the lantern light.

"What kind of creature is this?" Thoren whispered softly beneath his breath.

The deeper he examined the skeleton, the more disturbed he became.

His gaze eventually moved from the skull downward toward the ribcage.

Ordinary humanoid creatures typically possessed twelve pairs of ribs.

This creature possessed twenty four.

Even worse, the ribs were not separated normally.

Instead, they fused together completely into a single barrel shaped plate resembling natural armor forged from bone.

Just from the skeletal structure alone, Thoren could already imagine the terrifying physical durability this creature must have possessed while alive.

Although the creature maintained an overall humanoid shape, it was clearly far removed from humanity itself.

Its arms appeared disproportionately long while the hands ended in six clawed fingers instead of five.

Every finger possessed double joints capable of bending unnaturally.

The legs resembled something closer to avian limbs than mammalian ones.

The entire skeleton looked like a horrifying fusion created from several different species combined together unnaturally.

Thoren stared at the corpse silently for several moments while attempting to understand its origins.

Unfortunately, no answer appeared within his mind.

Beastmen races were one thing.

At least those still followed understandable biological structures. But this creature completely shattered all logic he understood.

Eventually, Thoren shook his head slowly.

"This is the Abyss after all," he muttered quietly.

"Who knows how many races exist within this place?"

Compared to the endless mysteries hidden within the Abyss itself, one strange skeleton meant very little.

There were likely tens of thousands of forgotten ruins scattered throughout countless worlds.

Trying to understand every lost civilization would only waste valuable time.

Right now, his primary objective remains simple.

Complete the trial.

Survive.

Leave this cursed ruin behind.

After reaching that conclusion mentally, Thoren immediately focused once more upon searching the skeleton carefully.

Perhaps the corpse possessed something valuable.

Or perhaps some clue existed nearby.

Then suddenly, his movement stopped abruptly.

"Hm?"

His eyes narrowed sharply while staring toward the area beneath the skeleton's legs.

Something rested there partially hidden beneath the corpse itself.

If he had not examined the skeleton carefully earlier, he might have overlooked it completely.

Without hesitation, Thoren reached forward while attempting to push the skeleton aside slightly.

However, the moment he applied force, his expression changed drastically.

The skeleton did not move whatsoever.

Not even slightly.

It felt unimaginably heavy.

Like attempting to move a mountain.

"T This… how is this possible?"

Shock filled his face instantly.

The skeleton appeared relatively slim and narrow. Yet its actual weight felt horrifyingly monstrous.

Just from the weight of those bones alone, Thoren could already imagine the terrifying physical power the creature once possessed while alive.

A single casual strike from such a being would likely turn his entire body into bloody paste instantly.

Cold sweat spread faintly across his back.

Eventually, Thoren abandoned the idea of moving the skeleton personally.

Instead, he summoned two undead servants beside himself immediately.

"Lift it," he commanded coldly.

The two undead servants obeyed instantly before grabbing the skeleton carefully.

The moment they attempted lifting it, cracking noises echoed from within their own skeletal frames immediately.

The tremendous weight strained their bodies heavily.

Yet the undead servants continued exerting force relentlessly without hesitation. Finally, after tremendous effort, the skeleton lifted several inches from the ground.

At that exact moment, Thoren reacted instantly.

He reached forward rapidly before grabbing the hidden object beneath the corpse.

Immediately afterward, he ordered the undead servants to release the skeleton.

Boom!

The instant the skeleton crashed back onto the floor, the entire chamber trembled violently.

Dust drifted downward from the ceiling.

The terrifying impact further confirmed Thoren's suspicions regarding the creature's unimaginable physical strength while alive.

Slowly, he lowered his gaze toward the object resting within his hands.

To his surprise, it was a thick ancient book.

The cover appeared crafted from some unknown material similar to the throne and the strange door outside.

However, what truly caught Thoren's attention were the strange symbols engraved boldly across the front cover.

The symbols radiated a mysterious ancient aura that immediately caused his instincts to react sharply.

Even without touching them directly, he could already sense strange energy emanating faintly from the symbols themselves.

The aura surrounding the book felt ancient beyond comprehension.

Dangerous.

Mysterious.

Slowly, Thoren extended one finger toward the engraved symbols before touching them lightly.

The moment contact occurred, an icy sensation exploded throughout his body instantly.

The coldness felt so intense that it pierced directly into his bones.

A violent chill rushed straight down his spine.

Thoren immediately retracted his finger instinctively.

The freezing sensation vanished just as suddenly as it appeared.

It felt almost like an illusion.

Breathing slowly, Thoren stared carefully at his hand afterward.

There were no visible injuries whatsoever.

Yet his instincts warned him repeatedly that the ancient book before him was anything but ordinary.

For several long moments, Thoren remained silent while staring directly at the thick ancient tome. Eventually, he exhaled deeply through his nose while attempting desperately to calm his emotions.

Then slowly, cautiously, he opened the book. The instant the cover separated, a blinding burst of light erupted outward violently. The sudden brilliance forced Thoren to shut his eyes reflexively.

Unfortunately, that single instinctive action became a fatal mistake.

"AAAHHHHH!"

A soul tearing scream burst violently from Thoren's throat while both hands clutched his head desperately.

Instantly, unbearable agony exploded directly inside his mind.

It felt as though some invisible blade had pierced directly into his soul before attempting to split it apart violently.

The pain surpassed anything he had previously experienced.

His entire body trembled uncontrollably. Cold sweat poured endlessly from his skin.

He staggered backward repeatedly while gasping painfully for breath.

The horrifying pain continued ravaging his mind relentlessly like countless blades slicing repeatedly through his consciousness.

For one terrifying moment, Thoren genuinely believed his soul would shatter completely.

His vision blurred violently and his knees nearly buckled beneath him.

Every nerve throughout his body screamed in agony. Then suddenly, just as he believed the torment would never end, the pain slowly began receding.