First Layer
The ancient gate stood tall, its serpentine carvings glowing a faint, ominous green. Poisonous trees twisted around the stone structure, their leaves dripping venom into the soil. The heavy stench of rot and death lingered in the air.
Arthur raised a hand to halt the group.
"This dungeon isn't normal," he said sharply. "There's poison everywhere. Cover your noses with mana."
Without hesitation, each of them flared their mana around their faces, forming thin, shimmering veils to purify the air they breathed.
The five pressed forward.
A loud hiss split the silence.
From the shadowy corridor ahead, vipers lunged—dozens of them, each nearly the size of a man. Their scales shimmered with toxin, and their mana signatures pulsed dangerously.
"Ninth Mana Circuit," Arthur muttered, eyes narrowing.
But there was no fear in the group—only action.
Jullian and Nyx surged forward. Jullian spun his spear in a wide arc, flames crackling along the shaft as he cleaved through the serpents. Nyx moved even faster—his katana flashing like lightning, severing heads before the vipers could even strike.
Then came the next wave.
Larger. Stronger. Some had already breached Rank 1.
"Saryn, behind you!" Arthur called.
But Saryn was already moving. Calm, calculated, every shot from his gun hit its mark. With each squeeze of the trigger, another serpent dropped dead, pierced cleanly between the eyes.
Suddenly—
"Duck!" Arthur shouted.
Everyone hit the ground just as a massive torrent of liquid venom sprayed overhead. It sizzled as it struck the walls, burning through stone.
But more came. Venom from the ceiling, walls, and ground.
Arthur clenched his jaw. "Phalanx Wave!"
Golden light exploded from his sword as he slammed it into the ground. A radiant barrier burst outward, forming a golden dome that shielded the group completely.
The venom struck the barrier with violent force. Again and again.
And still, Arthur held his ground.
Finally, the assault ceased.
"Thanks," Jullian panted, rising to his feet.
Arthur nodded, his eyes scanning the corridor ahead. "Stay alert. It won't get easier from here."
They moved cautiously, Nyx at the front, eyes scanning every surface. He found three traps hidden beneath moss-covered tiles, one behind a rotted pillar, and another nestled beneath a cluster of corpse-like roots. Each one was swiftly disarmed.
"Impressive," Nyssara murmured, keeping close behind him.
"I've done this before," Nyx replied quietly.
Soon, the group exited the venom-slick corridor. The air shifted. The stench of poison faded—but it was replaced by something colder, something that whispered.
They stepped into a darkened grove filled with towering, pale trees. Their trunks twisted like skeletal arms, and faint voices seemed to drift from their leaves.
"The Whispering Trees," Arthur muttered.
But waiting at the center of the grove was something far more unusual—a stone archway, ancient and covered in runes. Vines clung to it like veins, and at its base sat a sealed door with six circular indentations.
Then, from the air itself, a voice echoed—deep, hollow, and knowing.
"To pass through the gate, answer what lies within your soul. One question each… and one for all."
The Puzzle Gate had begun.
The voice echoed through the grove once more, ancient and weightless.
"Only those who know themselves may pass. Step forward when your name is called. Your answer will shape your path."
The runes on the gate shimmered.
"Nyx Akers."
Nyx stepped forward, jaw tense. A tree behind the gate pulsed with eerie light, and a voice like broken glass filled the grove:
"You were abandoned, cursed, and cast aside. Tell me, Nyx Akers: Which is heavier — betrayal by those you trusted, or the guilt of trusting them in the first place?"
Nyx froze. His fists clenched.
The puzzle wasn't just about logic. It was a dagger to the soul.
He breathed out.
"…The guilt of trusting them."
Silence.
Then, the rune for his circle glowed green. Accepted.
Nyx stepped back, shaken.
"Jullian Reinhart."
Jullian stepped forward. The ground around him warmed with crackling flame.
"Your power is fire, your heart too. But hear this: If you must burn either your enemy or your own ideals to win — what do you sacrifice?"
He hesitated. The question was dangerous.
"…Neither," he said finally. "I reshape the battlefield. Fire doesn't just destroy. It creates."
A pause.
Then the rune turned green. Accepted.
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Saryn Halaric Bhumari."
Saryn's footsteps echoed loud against stone.
"You calculate every move. You see numbers and outcomes. But tell me, Prince: Would you save a friend and lose a war, or sacrifice him to win?"
A simple choice. But only at first glance.
Saryn whispered, "I would save my friend… if that's what wins the war."
No light.
A deeper glow followed—brilliant emerald. Accepted with excellence.
Arthur's eyes narrowed. He's growing.
"Nyssara."
She stepped forward, her white robes whispering.
"You wield light, yet you've walked in shadow. To become stronger, you must embrace one. Which will you choose?"
Nyssara didn't flinch.
"Light," she said. "But not the one that blinds — the one that sees truth, even in shadow."
Silence.
Accepted.
"Arthur Valerian."
A weight hung in the air.
The trees whispered louder. Even the air seemed to watch.
"You were born with everything, yet act like you have nothing. Tell me, Arthur: What is the true cost of control?"
Arthur didn't blink.
"Loneliness."
The grove went utterly still.
"And you accept it?"
He whispered, "Yes."
The final rune glowed.
Accepted.
Then, a final circle pulsed with shifting light.
"Now—one for all of you."
The stone cracked. Vines retreated. A single question was carved across the arch:
"Five keys to five doors. One leads forward, two lead to death, one to madness, and one back to where you began. You may speak only once. What do you do?"
Silence.
Saryn was first to whisper. "It's a logic trap. If we choose wrong, we all die or lose everything."
Jullian frowned. "What if we all pick the same door?"
Nyx scowled. "We only get one chance to speak."
Arthur raised a hand.
"None of us speak," he said. "We walk forward… together. No answer is still an answer."
He stepped toward the sealed path.
The gate rumbled.
The path opened.