As they walked not far down the path, a cave entrance appeared before everyone.
Upon entering, they found a staircase leading downwards.
After descending the stairs, the scenery before them changed dramatically.
The original mottled cave walls gradually turned into orderly stone walls, eventually becoming walls built with neatly stacked bricks.
“Why are there brick walls underground?”
“Could it be an illusion?”
The Heroes began to whisper among themselves.
Henry tapped the wall with his sword. Sparks flew.
These walls were no illusions but a tangible reality.
The group continued forward.
Over time, the stone walls started to show the signs of aging.
The deeper they went, the more dull the color of the walls became.
It was as if the same stretch of wall was constructed in different epochs.
Lamps began to appear ahead, and the stone walls finally reached an end.
Gigantic murals were seen on the walls, lit by lamps that seemed to have been burning for years without ever going out.𝓞𝐯𝗅xt.𝗇𝓔t
The group paused, moving forward while observing the content on the walls.
The murals were a narrative of the story of the Dwarf Kingdom.
A group of dwarves came from the wilderness and arrived at Blackstone Volcano.
Here, they discovered vast mineral deposits.
Using the power of the underground volcano, they smelted the ores into exquisite weapons.
This was the birth of the Blackstone Dwarf Kingdom.
They continued to mine the mountain.
After countless years, the Blackstone Dwarf Kingdom amassed terrifying wealth.
However, the entire volcano was hollowed out by them.
In the final scene of the mural, a massive black hole appeared in the hollowed-out belly of the mountain.
The black hole took up two-thirds of the mural, with countless dwarves worshipping the hole.
The mural abruptly ended there.
The remaining part seemed to have been forcibly erased by some irresistible force, leaving only a vast white space.
The group continued forward, encountering a massive bronze gate.
The gate towered over twenty meters high, engraved with various intricate patterns.
Standing before this gate, the Heroes all felt their own insignificance and vulnerability.
“What should we do next?” One of the Heroes couldn’t help but ask, and silence fell among the group.
There was no way forward.
Pushing open this door seemed to be the only option.
“Maybe we should go back,” the girl in white, Ling, couldn’t help but say.
Fear and dread were evident on her delicate face.
This area radiated an ominous aura.
The door seemed to lead to a terrifying abyss, and no one knew what they would face next.
“Do we have any other choice? We can only move forward,” Jonathan sighed, patting the girl’s shoulder.
The food and water they brought with them were limited.
If they chose to turn back, they didn’t know how long it would take.
The unknown illusions had no discernable solution, and they would only get lost within them.
“Since we’ve come all this way, why not press forward? Even if the outcome isn’t perfect, at least we’d have seen the story to its end,” Scott proposed, reaching out to gently trace the patterns on the grand bronze door.
His gaze bore an inexplicable sentiment.
“Knock it off, don’t jinx it,” Henry snapped back, his face pale.
“This is just a thrilling chapter in my glorious hero saga. I’m going to brag about this adventure once we get out.”
Despite his bravado, it was clear he was more uneasy than he let on.
Finally, the heroes took a vote, with the majority deciding to open the massive bronze door and see what lay beyond.
Creakkkk—
With a collective push, the heroes heaved the door open, prompting a chorus of tortured metallic groans.
Dust fell like a rain, and it felt as if a colossal giant was stirring, its movement accompanied by violent tremors.
The bronze door gradually gave way.
A sliver of light and a warm breath of air greeted them from the gap, easing the heroes’ anxieties.
At least it wasn’t a death trap waiting to spring the moment the door opened.
As the door fully opened, they finally caught sight of the world beyond…
What lay beyond the door was a bona fide city. Streets stretched out in every direction, lined with grand, ornate lanterns that illuminated the world.
It was a city that seemed plucked right from a dream, the handiwork of the Blackstone Dwarves.
Yet, there had been no mention of such an underground city in the quest briefing they’d been given.
“Do any of you know where this is?” the heroes asked the dwarven members of their team.
The dwarven heroes could only offer a bitter smile and a shake of their heads. Their faces were equally awestruck by the sprawling city.
“Though we share the same race as the Blackstone Dwarves, we’re essentially heroes, travelers. We might have a slight advantage when it comes to interacting with them, but they would never share their secret and core history with us,” they explained.
“Locals and us… We aren’t truly one and the same. We’re only on the same side because the Dark Lord poses a greater threat. If the day comes when the Dark Lord is no longer a threat, we could become the next one,” Scott murmured.
It was a thought that had occurred to all the heroes at one point or another.
They were essentially aliens, invaders merely under the guise of heroes.
“Those thoughts are miles away. Right now, we need to find a way out,” Henry declared, leading the way into the city.
The band of heroes embarked down the city’s main avenue, which led to a grand castle nestled in the heart of the city.
“If there’s any secret to this underground city, it’ll likely be found there,” they thought as they moved forward.
To their surprise, the street-side windows were made of glass, pristine and crystal clear.
Such material, in the outside world, held a value comparable to gold.
Only in the extravagant buildings of royalty and the wealthy elites could such luxury be seen.
Behind the glass display windows lay a vast array of goods – clothes, jewels, accessories… In some of the food stores, food items were still exhibited on the shelves.
The food looked so lifelike it seemed to have been freshly prepared, but the heroes refrained from further exploration, considering the uncanny circumstances.
Having traversed the bustling commercial street, they arrived at a residential area.
Suddenly, one of the heroes pointed at a window, exclaiming, “There’s someone alive in there!”
Everyone hastily followed his gaze.
Behind the window was a family living room, with a dining table laid with steaming food at the center.
“Damn, could there really be people living underground?”
“Instead of standing around and speculating, let’s check it out. I can’t stand this, I’m going in!” Henry swore, walking up to the front door of the apartment, and twisted the doorknob.
The door remained immovable despite the clicking sound, prompting Henry to shout, “Hello, hello, hello, is anyone in there?”
“Thud, thud, thud!”
He pounded on the door several times, but there was no response from within.
“I’m about to break this door down, what do you guys say?” Henry turned around, weapon already drawn from his belt.
“We’re in more danger the further we proceed without understanding what’s going on in this city,” Jonathan added, pulling out his weapon and joining Henry at the door with a grim expression.
“Go for it,” Scott said, as he began to chant a series of complicated spells, encasing the group in a white light.
This was a protection magic, capable of enhancing the combat and defense abilities of its targets.
The heroes of Dark Core began to chant their spells, bestowing them onto Henry.
Bathed in a halo of multi-colored lights, he appeared like a war god ready for battle.
“Damn it, even if a dragon shows up now, I’ll slay it for you!” Henry roared, feeling the surge of power within him.
He unsheathed his weapon, aimed it at the wooden door, and delivered a powerful swing.
The terrifying blade light tore through the door, sending splinters flying in all directions.
Everyone held their breath in anticipation, but nothing happened.
Led by Henry, they cautiously entered the apartment.
The temperature inside was comfortable, even a bit warm.
The fire in the fireplace was still burning, with half-burned logs that looked like they’d just been added.
Scott approached the dining table and touched a soup bowl, his face full of disbelief. “The soup… it’s actually hot…”
The group began to search the house, quickly discovering a picture, much like the photos from before their journey, but this picture was magical.
The depicted characters were moving.
The picture portrayed a family of four, all dwarfs, wearing exquisite clothes.
The two adults were dressed in refined garments and made-up, a stark contrast to the unkempt appearance of modern-day dwarves.