Chapter 123: Hidden Depths

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Hidden Depths

With the Naga Mark throbbing like a crimson beacon on their forearms, Squad 07 didn’t rush blindly into the deep tide. Instead, Rowan turned the curse into a controlled lure. Moving at a deliberate, calculated pace through the drowned arches of the southern sector, the squad allowed small Naga patrols to lock onto their 15-meter aggro radius one group at a time, preventing massive swarms from overwhelming them.

The moment a serpent squad surged out of the murky channels, Barney would slam his tower shield into the shallow water, anchoring their defense like a fortress wall. Mirei’s wind-infused arrows picked off high-priority casters from dry marble ledges overhead, while Caelen’s Edge of the First Warden and Princess Lyra’s radiant longsword shredded the heavy infantry in tight, devastating choke points. Rowan stood firmly at the center, using precise strikes of his trusty hoe to churn up localized earth traps and control the flow of battle.

Each engagement was brief, intense, and ruthlessly clean. Rather than pushing forward while winded, Rowan strictly enforced a methodical rhythm. The moment the last monster dissolved into mana, the squad immediately pulled back into a pre-scouted high-ground alcove or dry temple gallery.

While Mirei and Caelen maintained active sentry rotations, Seraphina handed out restorative mana tonics, and Rowan prepared quick, stamina-dense snacks infused with fresh aquatic plants harvested from his domain. Every member took the time to stretch, adjust armor straps, and restore their resource pools completely back to one hundred percent before taking another step.

This patient, wave-by-wave strategy turned the floor’s deadly curse into a predictable farm. While other adventurer teams might have panicked under the relentless aggro and burned through their supplies in frantic sprints, Squad 07 advanced through the flooded citadel like a flawless, unstoppable machine.

Rowan adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, resting his hoe over his shoulder as he looked down from a high marble ridge. Below them lay a colossal, ancient stone doorway carved into the cavern wall, down which thick, rushing currents cascaded into the darkness—the gateway to the 7th floor. With his team entirely rested, fully supplied, and sitting in peak combat condition, they were ready to step through.

***

The sudden absence of water felt almost jarring after hours of wading through ankle-deep tides. The damp, dark marble tiles underfoot were completely dry, swept clean by a subtle floor gradient that channeled the citadel’s flooded waterways straight into the center of the massive, vaulted chamber.

There, a colossal circular grate forged of ancient, runic bronze churned like a giant whirlpool, swallowing thousands of gallons of roaring ocean water down into a pitch-black abyss below.

Princess Lyra stepped near the edge of the pit, her boots echoing crisply against the dry stone. She leaned over slightly, her radiant longsword gleaming in the dim ambient light as she peered down into the dark, rushing sluice. "Do you guys think there is a possibility of a hidden trial? Maybe below this room, where the water is being drained to?"

Caelen approached the rim, his sharp eyes scanning the ancient runic engravings along the bronze frame. He knelt carefully, tracing his gauntleted fingers along the edge without touching the rushing torrent. "The stonework around this grate isn’t standard drainage for the sixth floor. Look at the rune geometry—these aren’t designed for simple flood control. They’re activation locks powered by kinetic fluid flow."

Barney leaned on his massive warhammer, looking down into the churning vortex with a gruff chuckle. "Either a hidden trial chamber, or a long drop straight into an ancient sea monster’s gullet. On this floor, I’d bet fifty-fifty on both."

Rowan stepped past them to the very edge of the pit, adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat and resting his trusty hoe over his shoulder as he watched the swirling water.

Deep beneath his boots, his Gardener of Eden authority thrummed in subtle, resonant response to the environment. Rowan could feel the ultra-dense, hyper-concentrated mana rising through the mist of the dark shaft. It wasn’t the murky, stagnant energy of a monster nest; it was pristine, ancient subterranean mana, preserved for centuries beneath the flooded citadel and constantly fed by the floor’s aquatic circulation.

"Lyra’s right on the mark," Rowan said, a calm, calculating smirk touching his lips. "Dungeon builders don’t isolate an entire floor’s water supply unless it’s feeding something significant below. If there’s a trial down there, the environmental density alone means the rewards—and the rare plant strains—are going to be far higher grade than anything on the surface."

Mirei kept her bow relaxed but ready, her sharp eyes scanning the dry, high-ceiling arches behind them to ensure their rear remained secure. "The real question is: do we dive down a giant drain, or take the easy way to Floor 7?" ℯℯ𝑙.

Rowan turned back to Squad 07, tapping the iron head of his hoe against the bronze grate with a clear, ringing chime. "Easy ways don’t yield top-tier harvests. Let’s see what’s at the bottom of the vortex."

Rowan, Caelen, and Barney stepped up to the massive bronze barrier, bracing their boots against the dry stone floor. Working in unison, the three men heaved the heavy, runic floor tile clear of the churning vortex, setting it down with a heavy thud.

Beneath the slab lay a breathtaking subterranean passage: a broad, spiral staircase carved from smooth obsidian that wound downward into the unknown depths. The torrents of ocean water didn’t crash down haphazardly; instead, the ancient engineering guided the roaring currents along a perfectly carved outer groove, allowing the water to slide smoothly down the shaft like a curtain of liquid glass.

Squad 07 descended the winding stairs in single file, their footsteps echoing through the cool, mist-veiled air. As they sank deeper below the flooded citadel, the sound of the surface world faded entirely, replaced by a rhythmic, hum of ancient mana.

At the base of the long descent, the staircase opened into a vast, forgotten sanctuary. The air here felt impossibly crisp, thick with hyper-concentrated elemental energy. Positioned directly at the heart of the cavern stood a colossal Altar of Dark Stone, completely untouched by moss, algae, or the passage of time. The cascading water pooled smoothly into a luminous, subterranean basin encircling its base.

Towering above the altar, carved deep into the face of a massive stone archway, was a sequence of jagged, glowing glyphs that pulsed with a soft, ethereal azure light.

Caelen stepped toward the pedestal first, his brow furrowed as he leaned close to inspect the markings. "These symbols... they aren’t High Elven, ancient dwarven runes, or any recognized cipher on the upper floors. It’s a dead script, long forgotten in the passage of time."

Princess Lyra reached out, her fingers hovering just inches from the glowing stone without touching it. "I’ve studied classical texts in the capital’s archives, but I’ve never seen geometry like this. It’s completely indecipherable."

Rowan stepped past them, stopping at the base of the altar. He adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat and rested his trusty hoe comfortably over his shoulder.

To the rest of the squad, the glowing script was an unreadable relic of a bygone era. But as Rowan’s eyes swept across the shimmering characters, his core mana resonated instantly with the ancient architecture. The forgotten language unraveled before his eyes in a single heartbeat.

"Eternity," Rowan read aloud, his voice clear and untroubled.

Barney turned his head sharply, staring at Rowan in complete disbelief. "Wait—you can actually read that ancient gibberish?"

Rowan offered a quiet, calculating smirk as the altar’s glowing glyphs flared with sudden, blinding brilliance in response to the spoken word. "I can. And whatever this trial is... it just woke up."