Chapter 631: The Impossible Path

"How can you..." Lucien’s lips trembled as he stared at Thoren as if he were looking at a monster that had somehow taken human form.

His voice died in his throat before he could finish the question, because the sight before him was simply too difficult to comprehend.

He had spent enough time guarding this entrance to understand exactly how dangerous the trenches beyond it were.

And yet the young man standing before them had casually walked out of the same darkness that had killed countless others.

Lucien’s eyes moved slowly over Thoren’s body, searching for injuries but to his shock, there were none.

Not even a visible scratch.

His clothes were rough, suggesting that he had indeed traveled through the trenches, but there was no blood covering his body, no torn flesh, and no sign that he had fought a terrifying beast.

Even the equally calm and composed Kael could not hide his shock and disbelief.

His normally controlled expression had become stiff, while his eyes remained fixed on Thoren with an intensity that revealed just how deeply Thoren’s appearance had shaken him.

Kael had encountered many strange things since entering this floor, but he had never imagined that someone could simply walk out from that direction alive.

For several seconds, neither of them knew what to say.

The silence between the three became increasingly heavy as the two young guards struggled to process what they were seeing.

Thoren, however, remained completely calm.

He stood quietly before them without showing the slightest sign of impatience, allowing the two young men enough time to recover from their shock.

His deep blue eyes moved between Kael and Lucien as he observed their reactions.

After what seemed like forever, Kael finally managed to regain his composure and took a slow breath before asking the burning question in his heart.

"Do you really come from that part of the trenches?" he asked, his eyes filled with puzzlement and shock as he pointed toward the dark passage behind Thoren.

"Yes..." Thoren responded calmly.

His answer was so simple that Kael almost wondered if he had heard correctly.

Thoren glanced back toward the darkness for a moment before turning his attention toward the two young men again.

"Is there another way into this place apart from here?"

As soon as he asked the question, a subtle trace of confusion appeared on his face.

Until this moment, Thoren had assumed that the path through the trenches was the normal route into this enormous cave system.

He had spent hours traveling through the dark trenches, following his undead Echo Scarabs and eventually discovering this place.

However, the reaction of these two young men made him realize that things might be different from what he had initially thought.

Perhaps this was not the main entrance and there might be other routes. Or perhaps the cave system was far larger than he had imagined.

The moment Kael and Lucien heard his question, both of them froze.

Their eyes widened.

"Is there another way?!"

The question repeated inside their minds at almost the same time. Kael’s mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.

Lucien stared at Thoren as though he had just asked the most ridiculous question he had ever heard.

Kael had to force himself to take a deep breath to stop himself from screaming.

’Of course, there are other fucking ways!’ he screamed in his mind.

His chest rose and fell slowly as he fought to maintain his composure. He looked at Thoren for several seconds, trying to determine whether the young man was joking.

But Thoren’s expression remained completely serious as he was genuinely asking.

That realization made Kael feel even more speechless.

"Do you know that this path is one of the most dangerous trenches in this place?" Kael explained as calmly as possible, carefully choosing his words while trying not to reveal just how shocked he was.

His eyes briefly moved toward the dark passage behind Thoren.

"Since I arrived on this floor, I’ve never seen anyone coming from this path."

He paused before looking directly at Thoren.

"You are the first."

Hmm?

Thoren furrowed his brows slightly.

His expression showed a faint trace of surprise as he processed Kael’s words, but the reaction lasted only a moment before his face returned to its usual calmness.

’So this route was considered extremely dangerous.’

’That explained their strange reactions.’

However, Thoren still found it somewhat difficult to understand.

Apart from the Skybreaker Roc beast he encountered while descending into the trenches, he had never encountered any other beasts.

But to these people, the same path was apparently a place where death could appear at any moment.

"I don’t know if to say you’re lucky or not..." Lucien added, his gaze still locked on Thoren as if he were looking at a rare specimen.

His expression was filled with disbelief.

He had initially thought that Thoren might have somehow entered from another route and simply happened to appear at their entrance.

But now that he knew the truth, the situation seemed even more ridiculous.

This stranger had actually walked through the most dangerous trenches and emerged from the other side without suffering any visible injuries.

Kael looked at Thoren from head to toe once again, still reeling from the shock before finally gesturing toward the massive bone beside them.

"Come and take a seat."

He pointed at the massive bone that served as their seat before returning to it.

Now that they were no longer under attack from a beast, both Kael and Lucien finally released the tension that had been holding their bodies stiff.

Lucien lowered his greatsword and allowed his shoulders to relax, while Kael slowly exhaled as the danger he had expected failed to materialize.

For the past several minutes, both men had been prepared for another life and death battle.

Instead, they had encountered another awakener. The realization alone was enough to make them feel exhausted.

As for Thoren, he followed them and took a seat on the massive bone. The moment he sat down, he immediately noticed its unusual temperature.

The massive bone was hard and cold.

Not just ordinary cold.

It was a strange, unnatural cold that seeped deep into the muscle as if trying to freeze the body from within.

The chill passed through his clothes and slowly spread across his legs, creating an uncomfortable sensation.

Thoren lowered his eyes and briefly examined the surface beneath him.

The bone was enormous.

Judging from its size, whatever creature it had once belonged to must have been several times larger than an ordinary beast.

There were faint cracks running across its surface, along with strange dark stains that had long since dried and become part of the bone itself.

Yet Kael and Lucien sat on it casually as if it were nothing and neither of them showed the slightest discomfort.

And that alone told Thoren a lot about this strange place.