The next second, the world around him changed completely.
The narrow cave disappeared, and in its place stood a vast underground world.
A massive stone ceiling stretched high above his head, while countless glowing blue crystals covered the walls and illuminated the surroundings with a faint blue light.
Giant trees grew from the rocky ground, and a wide river flowed peacefully beside Ank.
The entire area looked like a giant forest hidden inside an enormous cave.
Ank stared at everything around him in disbelief.
“This…” Marek grinned after seeing his expression.
“Welcome to the dungeon.” Ank slowly looked around, trying to understand the strange place he had just entered.
No matter where he looked, he could not see the end of the area because the space surrounding them was simply too large.
“How is this possible?” “Nobody knows,” Marek replied with a shrug.
“Some scholars believe dungeons are connected to other dimensions, while others believe they’re remnants of destroyed worlds.
And some think the gods created them.” Ank remained silent after hearing the word gods, and his expression immediately became complicated.
If the gods were somehow involved with dungeons, then perhaps they were using them for something.
Ank did not know what their purpose could be, but after everything he had experienced, he could no longer ignore anything connected to the gods.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Marek tossed something toward him.
Ank instinctively caught it.
It was a small crystal.
“A communication crystal,” Marek explained.
“If we get separated, you can use it to contact me.
It only works inside dungeons.” Ank nodded and carefully kept the crystal with him.
Marek then pulled out a rolled-up map and opened it.
“This is the information gathered by the Empire.
The first five floors have already been explored.
Most of the monsters here possess Mid Blessings, while occasionally, some also possess Low Mortal Blessings.” Ank frowned.
“Occasionally?” Marek smiled.
“Dungeons like surprises.” Ank’s bad feeling immediately returned.
Before he could respond, a rustling sound suddenly echoed nearby.
Something was moving through the bushes at a frightening speed.
Ank immediately grabbed his wooden sword while Marek calmly stepped aside.
“Your prey.” Three creatures suddenly burst out of the bushes.
They resembled giant lizards, with dark green scales covering their bodies and sharp claws scraping against the rocky ground as they slowly surrounded Ank.
They were giant reptiles.
Ank had never seen creatures like them before, but a single look was enough for him to understand that they were dangerous.
The largest reptile released a loud hiss before suddenly charging toward him.
The other two immediately followed its movements.
Ank’s eyes widened slightly.
Their teamwork was far better than that of the Shadow Wolves.
One reptile attacked him directly from the front, while the other two quickly moved toward his sides.
Ank somehow managed to dodge all three attacks, narrowly escaping their sharp claws.
Marek suddenly threw a real sword toward him.
Ank quickly caught it.
The moment the reptile in front attacked again, Ank swung the sword toward its neck.
The tip of the blade struck the reptile, causing the creature to scream in pain.
However, before Ank could finish it, another reptile’s claw slashed toward his back.
He barely managed to dodge the attack, but its sharp claws still tore through his shirt.
Cold sweat appeared on Ank’s forehead.
These monsters were smarter than he had expected.
The injured reptile quickly recovered and attacked again.
All three creatures moved together, perfectly coordinating their attacks as they surrounded Ank once more.
Ank gritted his teeth.
If he continued defending, he would eventually lose.
He needed to eliminate at least one of them as quickly as possible.
Ank carefully observed the three reptiles while continuing to avoid their attacks.
After several exchanges, he suddenly noticed a weakness.
One of the reptiles was slightly slower than the other two.
Whenever it attacked, it left a small opening.
The three reptiles charged toward him again.
This time, Ank did not retreat.
Instead, he rushed forward.
The slower reptile seemed surprised by Ank’s sudden movement, and before it could react, Ank’s sword pierced directly through its eye.
The reptile collapsed instantly.
Two remained.
The remaining monsters became enraged after seeing their companion die and immediately attacked Ank simultaneously.
Ank tried to counterattack again, but he could not find another weakness in their movements.
The two reptiles attacked in almost perfect synchronization.
Whenever one attacked, the other carefully watched Ank’s movements, and if the first attack missed, the second immediately followed.
Again and again, the reptiles repeated the same pattern, slowly forcing Ank backward.
Then Marek suddenly stepped in front of him.
The moment the reptiles saw Marek, their bodies froze.
A second later, both creatures turned around and fled deeper into the forest.
“They ran after seeing you?” Ank asked.
“Monsters aren’t stupid,” Marek replied with a laugh.
“They value their lives too.” Before Ank could relax, the ground suddenly trembled beneath their feet.
The fleeing reptiles immediately froze, and their bodies began shaking uncontrollably.
A massive shadow appeared beneath them.
Then the ground exploded.
A gigantic creature burst out of the earth, sending rocks and dirt flying throughout the area.
It was an enormous serpent whose body was as large as the giant they had fought before.
Dark scales covered its entire body, while its yellow eyes glowed with hunger.
The two reptiles did not even have enough time to scream.
The serpent swallowed them whole.
Silence immediately filled the area.
Ank’s face turned pale as he watched the enormous serpent slowly turn toward them.
Its massive body crushed trees and rocks as it moved, while its yellow eyes, filled with intelligence, locked directly onto Ank.
A chill ran down his spine.
This creature was completely different from every monster he had encountered so far.
Even breathing near it felt difficult because of the overwhelming pressure surrounding its enormous body.
Once again, Ank was reminded of how weak he had become.
Yet he still tightened his grip around the handle of his sword.
“Marek, what kind of monster is that?” Marek’s smile disappeared.
His eyes narrowed as he carefully observed the enormous serpent.
“That’s impossible.” Ank looked at him.
“You know it?” Marek slowly nodded.
“I’ve only seen one in the Imperial records.
The reports said it should exist on the lower floors.” The giant serpent opened its mouth and released a terrifying hiss that echoed throughout the dungeon.
The entire floor began to shake beneath the force of its voice.
Marek’s expression became serious.
“That monster possesses a Beast Blessing.” Ank’s eyes widened slightly.
Although he did not fully understand the hierarchy of Blessings yet, even he could tell from Marek’s reaction that the situation was bad.
Marek took a deep breath before a grin slowly appeared on his face.
“Interesting.
The first-floor boss actually possesses a Beast Blessing.” Ank stared at him in disbelief.
“Why are you smiling?” “Because this just became fun.” The giant serpent suddenly lunged forward, its massive jaws opening wide enough to swallow a man whole.
At the same moment, a powerful aura erupted from Marek’s body.
His carefree expression disappeared completely, and the easygoing traveller Ank had known until now seemed to vanish.
Standing before the enormous serpent was no longer a man who joked about danger and dragged strangers into dungeons for fun.
At that moment, Marek finally looked like the First Prince of the Diamondheart Empire.
And the battle against the Beast-Blessed Serpent began.