Chapter 141: A Daunting task III

The massive root slammed into Alex’s body.

"Ugh!"

Alex coughed up blood as the overwhelming force sent him flying through the air.

His golden armor cracked from the impact.

He continued flying until he crashed into a nearby lake.

SPLASH!

His body disappeared beneath the surface.

Alex’s consciousness quickly faded.

’I’m going to die...’

That was the last thought that crossed his mind before he fainted.

His unconscious body continued sinking deeper into the lake.

However, instead of reaching the bottom, the current carried him toward a hidden passage beneath the water.

Alex’s body was swept through the narrow underwater passage and eventually entered a large cave hidden beneath the lake.

His body floated in the water for a moment before settling onto the cave floor.

Meanwhile, the Forest Sin stood beside the lake.

It had followed Alex to the edge, but after sensing no signs of life from the water, it eventually lost interest.

The monster slowly turned around and returned to its original location.

The lake gradually became calm again.

No one would have known that Alex’s unconscious body was hidden beneath it.

Time passed.

Alex remained unconscious inside the underwater cave.

He had no idea how long he had been there.

Eventually, his fingers moved slightly.

His eyes slowly opened.

"Did I die?"

Alex looked around in confusion.

He immediately checked his system.

There was no notification indicating that he had used his extra life.

He quickly checked his level as well.

He was still the same level.

"I didn’t die?"

Alex stared at his system in disbelief.

Then he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Damn... after all that pain, I didn’t even die."

He cursed under his breath.

"Fuck, my body hurts."

Alex slowly sat up.

Every part of his body ached from the beating he had received from the Forest Sin.

He quickly took out a healing potion and drank it.

Warm energy spread through his body.

His wounds began healing rapidly.

After a few moments, most of his injuries had recovered.

Alex looked around.

"Now... where am I?"

He glanced around the cave.

The walls were covered in strange patterns, and faint blue light came from several glowing plants growing between the rocks.

Alex frowned.

"Did someone save me?"

He looked toward the lake behind him.

There was no sign of anyone.

"Maybe I was swept here by the current."

Alex stood up and looked ahead.

A dark passage extended deeper into the cave.

He couldn’t see where it led.

Alex hesitated for a moment.

Then he shrugged.

"Whatever."

He had already been planning to die anyway.

Compared to fighting another Rank 3 monster, exploring a mysterious cave didn’t seem too bad.

"I was planning to die anyway."

Alex started walking toward the passage.

As he walked deeper into the cave, his footsteps echoed through the darkness.

He kept his golden greatsword in his hand, just in case something attacked him.

"I wonder where this leads."

Alex continued walking deeper into the cave.

The passage was narrow at first, but it slowly became wider.

The faint blue light from the glowing plants became stronger as he moved forward.

Alex looked around curiously.

"This place is pretty strange."

He touched one of the glowing plants growing from the wall.

The plant gave off a soft light but didn’t react to his touch.

Alex continued walking.

After several minutes, he reached a larger chamber.

His eyes widened slightly.

The entire chamber was filled with glowing plants.

Some grew from the walls, while others covered the ground.

Their blue light illuminated the entire cave.

Alex looked around.

"Did someone build this place?"

He noticed several strange markings on the walls.

They weren’t natural.

They looked like symbols carved into the stone.

Alex walked closer and examined them.

"I can’t read these."

He scratched his head.

"Maybe they’re some kind of ancient language."

He decided not to waste time trying to understand them.

Instead, he continued deeper into the cave.

The further he went, the stronger the strange energy in the air became.

Alex could feel something around him.

It wasn’t hostile.

It felt more like a faint pressure.

"Hmm?"

He stopped walking.

For a moment, he thought he heard something.

"Hello?"

His voice echoed through the cave.

There was no response.

Alex tightened his grip on his greatsword.

"Probably just my imagination."

He continued forward.

Soon, he noticed something ahead.

A large stone door was built into the cave wall.

The door was covered in the same strange symbols he had seen earlier.

Alex walked toward it.

"Another mystery."

He placed his hand against the door.

Nothing happened.

He pushed it.

It didn’t move.

Alex frowned.

"Seriously?"

He pushed harder.

Still nothing.

He stepped back and looked at the door.

"Maybe there’s a mechanism."

He carefully examined the surrounding walls.

After searching for a while, he noticed a small depression shaped like a hand.

Alex stared at it.

"Could this be it?"

He placed his hand inside.

The moment he did, the symbols on the door suddenly lit up.

Alex’s eyes widened.

"What?"

A low rumbling sound echoed through the cave.

The stone door slowly began to open.

RUMBLE!

Dust fell from the ceiling as the massive door moved.

Alex took a few steps back and raised his sword.

"Alright..."

The door finally opened completely.

A dark passage appeared behind it.

Unlike the previous part of the cave, there were no glowing plants inside.

It was completely dark.

Alex stared into the darkness.

"Well, there’s definitely something important inside."

He hesitated for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"I’ve already come this far."

Alex stepped through the doorway.

The moment he entered, the stone door behind him suddenly closed.

BANG!

Alex turned around.

"Of course."

He sighed.

"Why does this always happen?"

He turned back toward the darkness and continued walking.

After a few minutes, he noticed a faint light ahead.

Alex slowly approached it.

The light became brighter with every step.

Finally, he entered another large chamber.

And this time, Alex froze.

In the center of the chamber stood a massive stone statue.

The statue depicted a humanoid figure wearing ancient armor.

A strange symbol was carved into its chest.

Alex stared at it.

"What is this place?"

Suddenly, the symbol on the statue’s chest began glowing.

A voice echoed through the chamber.

"Finally..."

Alex’s eyes widened.

Someone was here.

The voice continued.

"After so many years, someone has finally entered this place."

Alex immediately raised his golden greatsword.

"Who are you?"

The chamber fell silent.

Then the statue slowly opened its eyes.