[Welcome to the Shadowheart Sanctum!]
[Good luck! For your soul is now trapped within these walls!]
“This place feels alive,” Alex murmured, scanning the walls.
The corridor ahead stretched endlessly, carved from polished obsidian that reflected faint, distorted images of their surroundings.
Strange, undulating patterns coursed along the walls like veins, glowing faintly red before fading into darkness.
The ground beneath their feet was uneven, cracked as if by an ancient force, and the air was heavy, carrying an oppressive heat that pressed down on their lungs.
Alice adjusted her grip on her frost-tipped bow, her sharp eyes darting around the room.
“This is the weirdest Secret Realm yet,” she mumbled.
Alex nodded.
His intuition tingled, an ever-present warning of danger lurking beyond sight.
Each step they took echoed, the sound swallowed quickly by the oppressive atmosphere.
Previously, the [Secret Realms] were in outdoor spaces, like for example the [Goblin Secret Area] or the [Blood Valley], but this time was different.
Further ahead, the corridor opened into a vast chamber.
The ceiling was impossibly high, vanishing into shadows, and strange, twisted structures jutted from the ground, part stone, part something that looked unnervingly organic.
Pools of dark liquid shimmered faintly in the dim light, their surfaces disturbingly still.
A low hum reverberated through the space, growing louder with each step.
And then came the voice.
“So you dare enter the Sanctum,” it hissed, disembodied and echoing, the sound slithering like a serpent around them, “Foolish mortals. You will find only despair here.”
Alex raised his dagger and staff, the crimson glow of his [Demonized Whisper of Shadows] cutting through the shadows.
“Guess we’ll see about that,” he muttered, his voice firm despite the weight of the atmosphere.
As they stepped deeper into the chamber, the pools of liquid began to ripple.
Without warning, grotesque shapes burst forth, rising from the black liquid.
[Sanctum Crawlers – Level 630]
[HP: 40,000,000]
The creatures were humanoid but warped, their limbs elongated and twisted, with skin that shimmered like oil.
Their eyes burned with an unnatural red glow as they let out piercing shrieks and lunged forward.
Ding!
A notification appeared before Alex and Alice.
[Secret Realm Trial: Corridor of Echoes]
[Complete this trial to access the end of the realm.]
“Trials…?” Alice was confused, as usually even Secret Realms would allow them to move wherever they wanted without restrictions.
“There are lots of types of Secret Realms,” Alex explained, “Some are basically free-roaming, others force you to go through a trial, others to test your strength and some even have puzzles or parkour.”
“That’s cool!” Alice’s eyes shone.
“Get ready!” Alex called out, raising his weapons.
Alex surged forward, raising his staff to cast [Fury of Thunder], lightning crackling wildly before slamming into the closest [Sanctum Crawlers].
The creatures didn’t even flinch, the attack dispersing into harmless sparks across their slick surfaces.
“What the-” Alex started, but before he could finish, one of the monster’s elongated arm lashed out like a whip.
The force slammed into his chest, sending him flying backward into the jagged wall.
-154,032!
Blood gushed from Alex’s mouth as he struggled to his feet, his vision blurred and his breathing labored.
The notification flashing before his eyes was a cruel reminder of just how strong these enemies were.
“Alex!” Alice shouted, her voice sharp with panic.
She notched three arrows in quick succession, alternating between her frost-tipped [Ice Arrows] and the glittering projectiles of her [Star Arrow].
She loosed the arrows in rapid succession, their deadly precision striking true.
But the Crawlers seemed unaffected as if her attacks simply phased through their oily, shimmering bodies.
“This isn’t working!” Alice called out, retreating a few steps.
Alex gritted his teeth, pressing a hand to his side to stem the bleeding.
He glanced at the blood dripping onto the ground and had a fleeting thought.
Before he could act on it, another Crawler lunged, its twisted limbs reaching for Alice.
“Alice, dodge!” Alex shouted, “Use a [Blood Arrow]!”
Alice pivoted just in time, narrowly evading the creature’s swipe.
Her quiver rattled as she grabbed an arrow without thinking: a [Blood Arrow].
“Alright, let’s see if this works,” Alice muttered under her breath.
She steadied her aim and fired.
The [Blood Arrow] streaked through the air, a vivid crimson against the dim, oppressive chamber.
The projectile pierced the Crawler square in its chest.
The effect was immediate.
The creature froze mid-air, its distorted form writhing as crimson veins spread across its body.
Then, with a sickening crack, it was flung backward, slamming into the chamber wall before exploding in a violent burst of black ichor.
Ding!
[Weakness hit, dealing entirety of health!]
Alice stared in shock as the notification appeared before her.
“One shot?” she whispered.
Alex, still catching his breath, grinned, “Seems like these things are immune to normal attacks, but not to blood ones, or possibly liquids in general, as their bodies were mostly made of oil and liquid.”
“…?” Alice titled her head in confusion, “What?”
“It’s the blood!” Alex exclaimed. “They’re weak to blood attacks!”
“Ohhh!”
Without wasting another moment, Alex summoned his [Blood Art] from the attack he received earlier.
Streams of crimson magic swirled around him, forming multiple [Blood Blades].
He hurled the blades at the remaining Crawlers, each one finding its mark.
The Crawlers recoiled, their grotesque forms seizing up before exploding just like the first.
Ding!
[Weakness hit, dealing entirety of health!]
Ding!
[Weakness hit, dealing entirety of health!]
In a matter of seconds, the once-overwhelming enemies were reduced to puddles of black ichor scattered across the chamber floor.
Alex lowered his weapons, his breathing heavy but steady.
He wiped the blood from his lip, his body still aching from the earlier blow.
“Guess we figured that out easily…”
Alice lowered her bow, her hands trembling slightly.
“That was… intense.”
She looked at the puddles with a mix of relief and disgust.
“Why would a monster like that even exist? It feels like cheating.”
“Not cheating,” Alex said with a faint smirk. “Strategy.”
“What if someone doesn’t have a spell or arrow with [Blood] power then?”
“The game is usually fair, meaning that there would surely be another way, like a core or something of the sort,” Alex informed.
Ding!
[You have extracted x4 “Sanctum Crawler Core” (Rare)]
[Description: This core allows monsters who have it to be able to phase through most attacks, though in exchange any liquid that touch them, or if their core is hit, will result in an instant death.]
“That explains it…” Alex mumbled as he stored these things inside of his backpack.
[These enemies do not give any experience point.]
“Damn.”
As the battle settled, a doorway materialized on the far side of the room, carved with intricate patterns that glowed faintly.
Beyond the doorway, the Sanctum’s final area awaited.
“Let’s go,” Alex smiled as walked toward the door, and Alice followed closely like always, though more cautious than before.
The air grew colder as they passed, and the oppressive heat gave way to a chilling stillness.
They entered a cavern so vast it seemed otherworldly, its walls encrusted with jagged, crystalline formations that pulsed faintly with light, as though alive.
The silence was suffocating, broken only by the occasional drip of water echoing through the chamber.
And there it was.
In the center of the cavern lay an immense, coiled figure.
The dragon’s obsidian scales glinted faintly, as if smoldering with an inner heat, while its wings, scarred and torn yet majestic, were folded loosely against its body.
Twin eyes burned like eclipsed suns, radiating a mixture of intelligence and menace.
[Nivran – The Sunless Dragon – Level 650]
[Canyon of Death Floor Boss]