1 They continued their journey toward the dungeon as the forest around them gradually became quieter.
Ank was the first to notice the strange change, and as he carefully observed his surroundings, he realized that there was no sign of life anywhere around them.
The deeper they travelled into the forest, the darker and quieter it became.
Marek glanced toward the surrounding trees before smiling.
“You noticed.” Before Ank could ask what he meant, a loud growl suddenly echoed throughout the forest, breaking the unnatural silence around them.
A massive giant jumped out from between the trees and landed directly in front of them.
Its body was nearly three times the size of a normal human, with a single horn protruding from its forehead.
Its skin was violet, and it possessed only one enormous eye in the center of its face.
Sharp teeth filled its mouth, and blood slowly dripped from between them.
Ank immediately jumped off the horse.
“A monster?” “A Mortal Blessing Giant,” Marek replied casually.
“It must have escaped from a nearby dungeon.” The giant growled before charging straight toward them at frightening speed.
Ank did not know what to do.
This was the first giant he had seen since awakening.
He remembered fighting entire armies of giants in the past, giants whose bodies were as large as mountains and whose footsteps alone could destroy cities.
But now, a single small giant was capable of killing him.
Yet instead of running away, Ank tightened his grip on the wooden swords he carried.
The giant closed the distance between them within seconds before suddenly jumping into the air.
Its massive hand was aimed directly at Ank’s head, but Ank instinctively stepped to the side at the last possible moment.
The attack barely missed his face.
The giant’s hand collided with the ground, sending pieces of debris flying into the air.
One piece struck Ank’s cheek, creating a burning sensation as a small cut appeared on his skin.
The giant immediately turned around and launched another attack.
The same thing continued again and again.
The giant punched while Ank dodged, and whenever the monster attacked from another direction, Ank barely managed to move away.
But avoiding the attacks was becoming harder with every passing second.
The giant seemed to be getting faster with each attack, or perhaps Ank was simply becoming slower.
His stamina was rapidly decreasing, and his weakened body was already beginning to struggle.
The giant charged toward him once more.
This time, Ank did not retreat.
The moment the monster entered his range, Ank threw his wooden sword directly toward its giant eye before stepping forward and punching it with both hands.
Nothing happened.
The monster continued charging forward as though Ank’s attack had done absolutely nothing.
A moment later, one of the giant’s punches landed directly on Ank’s stomach.
The impact sent him rolling across the ground before his body finally came to a stop several meters away.
“Damn…” Ank quickly forced himself to stand up.
The giant was already rushing toward him again.
“Not bad.
You’ve improved more than I expected.” Marek stood nearby, calmly watching Ank struggle against the monster.
He wanted to see whether Ank was truly capable of exploring the dungeon with him or not.
Now, he was impressed.
Marek felt that Ank was special.
The boy was not using any Blessing and was fighting only with his physical strength, experience, and strategy.
“Now watch carefully.
I’ll show you how to kill a giant in one move.” Marek summoned a sword into his hand before calmly stepping in front of Ank.
Two strikes flashed through the air.
The giant immediately fell to the ground.
The first strike created a massive hole in its stomach, while the second strike completely severed its head.
The giant’s head flew into the air before crashing onto the ground as blood sprayed across the forest.
Marek calmly climbed back onto his horse.
“Come on.
The real challenge is waiting ahead.” Ank nodded and followed him.
He already knew Marek was powerful, so seeing him kill a monster like this so easily did not surprise him much.
Several minutes later, they finally arrived at the dungeon.
They now stood directly in front of its entrance.
The dungeon appeared to be nothing more than a small cave carved into the side of a mountain.
At first glance, it looked completely ordinary, and Ank stared at it in confusion.
This was his first time seeing something like this.
He turned toward Marek.
“This cave is a dungeon?” “Yes.” Marek nodded before jumping off the horse.
Ank looked at the cave again.
No matter how carefully he observed it, it was still just a normal cave.
Sensing his confusion, Marek smiled.
“This is only the entrance.
The real dungeon is inside, and once we enter, you’ll understand.
Inside this cave exists a completely different world.” Ank’s eyes widened slightly.
A completely different world inside a cave?
When he was the Emperor, there had been no concept of dungeons.
This was Ank’s first time seeing one, and the idea of another world existing inside an ordinary cave immediately caught his attention.
Before he could ask another question, Marek suddenly stopped.
The sound of marching footsteps echoed throughout the area.
Moments later, dozens of soldiers emerged and surrounded them.
Their armor gleamed beneath the sunlight, and each soldier carried a weapon while wearing the emblem of the Diamondheart Empire.
Ank immediately became alert.
Although he was weak, he was prepared to fight if necessary.
Then he noticed something strange.
None of the soldiers pointed their weapons at Marek.
Instead, they stood respectfully before him.
One of the soldiers stepped forward and bowed.
“Prince Marek, we have brought the maps of the dungeon.” Ank blinked.
Prince?
He slowly turned toward Marek in confusion.
“Prince?” Marek immediately coughed awkwardly.
“Ah…
that’s not important.” Ank narrowed his eyes.
“It sounds important.” Marek quickly changed the subject.
“Ank, do you know what my Blessing is?” “No.
How would I know?
We’ve only met once.” “Oh, right.” Marek scratched his head awkwardly.
“I’ll tell you inside the dungeon.” He then turned toward the soldiers, and his relaxed expression suddenly disappeared.
Ank saw a serious look appear on Marek’s face, completely different from the easygoing man he had been travelling with until now.
“I don’t need anyone accompanying me inside.” The soldiers immediately became nervous.
“But, Your Highness…” “I made myself clear.” His voice remained calm, yet not a single soldier dared to argue with him.
The soldiers lowered their heads.
“Understood, Your Highness.” Marek nodded before turning back toward Ank.
“This dungeon has thirty floors, and it was formed only recently.
That means many of its secrets are still unknown.” A grin slowly appeared on his face.
“Which makes it much more interesting.” Ank suddenly had a very bad feeling.
“Why do I feel like you’re dragging me into trouble?” Marek laughed.
“Because I am.” He then started walking toward the cave entrance.
“Come on.
Our adventure begins here.” Ank stared at the dark entrance as a cold wind blew from deep inside the cave.
For some reason, he felt as though something hidden within the depths of the dungeon was silently watching him.
After a brief hesitation, Ank followed Marek.
Together, they stepped into the dungeon