"What the hell is this place?"

Verc asked.

His voice echoed softly against the damp walls of the tunnel, but the sound was quickly swallowed by the sheer vastness of the chamber he had just entered. He stood there for a moment, his feet planted firmly on the floor, trying to make sense of the sight before him.

And in front of him—he was looking at stone double doors that were as tall as the walls back in the village!

They were towering, massive structures of dark, weathered rock that looked like they had been carved directly out of the mountain’s heart. They were menacing to look at, standing like silent sentinels guarding a secret that had been buried for centuries.

There’s an engraving of a crescent moon on the doors. It was positioned perfectly in the center, where the two slabs of stone met. The carving was deep and precise, though time and the thick, corrupted mana of the cave had worn down the edges. It gave off a faint, eerie feeling, as if the moon itself was watching him from the rock.

It’s been two days since Verc snapped out of his trance. Since then, he hadn’t stopped to rest.

He had been running non-stop, his feet blurring against the ground as he pushed himself to reach the end of this seemingly endless cave. He had bypassed several smaller tunnels and ignored the hollow echoes of distant monsters, focused entirely on the strange pull he felt coming from deep within. And after all that effort, he finally encountered this.

"..."

Verc stood silently in front of the stone doors.

Up close, they were even taller than they had appeared from a distance. He had to tilt his head back just to see the top of the frame. And also; he can feel some strange energy coming from them.

It wasn’t the wild, chaotic mana of the monsters outside. It was structured, old, and incredibly dense. It felt like a physical weight pressing against his chest, radiating from the very grain of the stone.

He placed his hand on top of the cold surface, expecting a reaction—a spark of light, a mechanical click, or perhaps a warding spell. But nothing happened.

The stone remained silent and still under his palm. He also can’t feel any presence behind them. He focused his senses, trying to peer through the thick rock with his mana, but it was like hitting a solid wall of lead.

Something was stopping him from sensing whatever lay on the other side. It was a complete sensory blackout.

But he knows something is inside, after all—

"This is the loudest I’ve ever felt this."

[Danger Sense] was acting up, warning him about whatever’s inside. It wasn’t just a faint prickle at the back of his neck this time. It was a loud, constant ringing in his mind, a primal alarm telling him that stepping through those doors would change everything.

His instincts were screaming at him, vibrating through his very bones.

Verc didn’t encounter anything on his way here. The path had been strangely clear, so except for the massive maze-like structure of the cave; nothing really stopped or bothered him on his way here.

It was almost as if the cave was letting him through, or perhaps the other monsters were too terrified to even come near this place.

Well, if he wasn’t a vampire and he doesn’t have his tracking skills that helped him navigate in the cave; then he would’ve died even before knowing there was a place like this at the end of the cave.

A normal human would have run out of breath miles ago. He would’ve get lost multiple times in the twisting, turning tunnels, then slowly died of starvation and dehydration in the pitch—black silence.

’Just as I thought, there’s something more in this forest.’

Verc thought to himself.

The [Cursed Forest] was a mystery, but this went beyond just mutated animals and thick trees. This was a structure. This was architecture. This was something built with a purpose.

Verc stood there, his hand still resting on the door, contemplating on what he should do next now. Should he go back and gather his people? Should he wait and prepare more?

And he didn’t have to think about it for so long—

"This is the reason why I entered this cave in the first place. I need to finish this so I can go back as soon as possible."

Verc declared that.

His voice was firm. He hadn’t come all this way just to stare at a door. He had a village to protect and a territory to grow. If there was a threat behind these doors, it was better to deal with it now than let it fester and eventually reach his gates.

So without beating around the bush, he sent mana into both his arms and hands. He could feel his muscles tightening, his strength amplifying as the energy flowed through his veins.

He braced his feet against the floor, leaned his weight forward... and pushed with everything he had!

CREAAAAAK—!!!

The sound was deafening. It was the sound of ancient stone grinding against stone, a high-pitched groan that echoed through the entire cave system.

Dust and small pebbles fell from the ceiling as the massive hinges finally gave way. Verc slowly opened the towering doors, the gap widening inch by inch. And as soon as a small gap was made between them—TAP!

Verc slipped inside and passed through the doors. He didn’t wait for them to open fully; he moved with the grace of a shadow, disappearing into the darkness beyond.

BOOM!

Then they closed back behind him again, producing a strong shockwave that rattled his head. The air in the room was suddenly sealed. The doors shut with such force that a gust of wind blew past him, carrying the scent of dust.

"Ugh, that was heavier than I thought it would be."

He said.

He stood there for a second, catching his breath. Even with his absurd strength, the double doors still gave him a hard time. He actually feels a bit sore on both his arms, the muscles thrumming with a dull ache.

It was like the double doors weren’t really supposed to be opened! It felt less like a door and more like a seal meant to keep something locked away forever.

Anyway, as Verc was thinking of that—

-Who are you?

SWOOSH~!!!

Verc heard an unhuman voice, and it was followed by a strong wave of corrupted dark mana!

The voice didn’t sound like it came from a throat; it was more like the rattling of dry leaves or the scraping of bone. The mana that accompanied it was freezing, a wave of pure cold that seemed to suck the warmth out of the room.

"?!!"

The voice was so cold and the mana was so strong that chills ran through Verc’s spine. His body reacted before his mind did, his muscles tensing for a fight. The pressure in the room had tripled in an instant, making the air feel thick and hard to breathe.

In a panic—his head snapped toward where he heard the voice.

And there, a few tens of meters away from him... Verc saw a floating skeleton wearing a black robe with a hood!

The fabric of the robe was tattered at the edges, swaying in a wind that wasn’t there. The skeleton has no legs, no eyes, no flesh, nothing—just dressed bones floating without legs and feet onto the air. It hung there in the darkness, illuminated by a faint, sickly purple glow that seemed to emanate from its very bones.

But even though it doesn’t have eyes—

"..."

Verc can feel that it was looking at him. He could feel its gaze like a physical needle pricking at his skin. It was an intense, hateful stare.

-...

The skeleton didn’t say anything after a while. It just floated there, its bony fingers twitching against the dark fabric of its robes. The silence stretched out, becoming more uncomfortable with every passing second.

But all of a sudden—

-KEKE...!

It just giggled, showing its sharp, and complete set of teeth!

The sound was harsh and grating, like metal on stone. It was a mocking sound, full of a strange, twisted amusement.

-Well, who cares who you are?! I’LL JUTS USE YOU TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE!!!

Then, out of nowhere, it shouted that. The voice exploded with power, vibrating through the air and making the very walls of the chamber hum.

"?!"

[Danger Sense] flared up, turning into a searing heat in Verc’s mind.

It was a direct warning of an immediate, lethal strike. Trusting his instinct—BAM!

"URGH!!!"

Verc jumped to his side!

BOOOOOOOM—!!!

Which turned out to be a good decision, because if he had been a second late—he would’ve been in deep trouble!

An explosion of dark energy hit the spot where he had been standing just a moment ago. The light from the blast was a blinding violet, casting long, dancing shadows across the room.

"..."

Verc looked at where he was standing before, and there; he saw a large burnt mark on the ground, proof that the explosion before wasn’t just in his imagination. The stone was scorched black, and wisps of dark smoke rose from the impact point.

Though, what confuses him was that even though the explosion was so loud and strong; the ground and the walls remained intact—the place didn’t even shake. The architecture of this room was clearly reinforced by something much stronger than normal stone. It absorbed the impact as if it were nothing.

Though—

-Huh? You dodged that? You have good senses.

He doesn’t seem to have time to worry or think about that right now. The skeleton’s voice was closer now, filled with a renewed sense of interest. It sounded delighted, like a child who had just found a new toy to play with.

"Tsk."

Verc clicked his tongue. He realized that this wasn’t going to be a simple conversation. This creature was dangerous. He turned his attention back at the floating skeleton, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed its movements.

Then, after standing straight—FWIP!

He took out his sword. The blade hissed as it left its scabbard. He held it in a low guard, his feet spaced apart, ready to move at a moment’s notice.

"This is going to be troublesome."

Then he muttered that.

He could feel the sheer amount of mana the skeleton was pulling into itself. It was like a black hole, sucking in all the energy in the room to prepare for another attack. Verc knew he had to be careful; one wrong move and he would end up just like that burnt mark on the floor.

And seeing him take a stance—

-KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

The skeleton started full-on laughing. The sound was manic, echoing off the high ceiling and bouncing back in a cacophony of bone-chilling noise. It threw its head back, the hood of its robe falling away to reveal a yellowed skull. Then turning its empty eye-socket back at Verc—

-I guess an entertainment after a long time isn’t so bad.

It said that, showing its sharp teeth again.