Chapter 147 – Her Emerald Eyes which Reveal the Unseen

Chapter 147

Her Emerald Eyes which Reveal the Unseen

Date : Day 30 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Hyoren, Elise, and Jackey continued their dive deeper into the dungeon.

Their footsteps echoed repeatedly through the endless stone corridors while the faint glow from magic lamps illuminated the cracked walls around them. The pale blue light cast long shifting shadows that danced with every movement, creating illusions of motion in the corners of their eyes.

They took another right turn. Then, at the end of the corridor, they found the familiar sight of another solid stone wall.

A dead end.

Elise sighed softly and shook her head. Her silver hair swayed gently with the motion, catching the dim light like threads of moonlight.

"Another dead end… this is starting to get on my nerves."

Her pointed ears twitched.

Hyoren smiled faintly and reached out to touch her tense shoulder. His fingers brushed against the cool green mantle, feeling the knotted muscles beneath.

"It seems that these dungeon monsters are not dangerous."

He glanced around the maze-like corridor, taking in the crumbling stone and the ancient discoloration on the walls.

"But the disorienting labyrinth is the one that is going to eat away at our sanity."

Elise gave a tired smile at that, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly under his touch.

Hyoren gently rubbed her shoulder once before reassuring her.

"But we should not get discouraged."

Then he gestured toward Jackey behind them, whose restless energy was impossible to miss.

"See? Jackey is still excited. Haha."

Right on cue, Jackey burst into booming laughter that filled the narrow corridor.

"This was normal, Big Bro! Elise! This was not even the worst one yet! HAHA!"

His energetic voice echoed loudly across the narrow corridor.

Elise giggled quietly at his reaction. Her pointed ears twitched energetically again, the earlier irritation melting away.

"Fufu. It seems I was feeling cramped…"

She looked around at the endless stone walls surrounding them, her emerald eyes tracing the cracks and crevices with mild distaste.

"I never went into a dungeon before this…"

Then she exhaled softly, her breath stirring the dust motes floating in the pale light.

"I truly prefer the vast and clear air of the forest."

As an elf, it was only natural. Compared to nature filled with wind, sunlight, trees, and open skies—this dungeon felt suffocating. Cracked stone walls pressing inward from every direction. Narrow corridors that offered no glimpse of the horizon. Stale air that tasted of dust and age. An endless labyrinth stretching beneath the earth with no end in sight.

Even the silence here felt heavy sometimes. Oppressive. As if the dungeon itself was watching and waiting.

Hyoren nodded in understanding.

"Let's backtrack to that last intersection. There was a left turn we haven't tried yet."

He turned around and started walking away together with Jackey, their boots scraping softly against the uneven stone floor.

But Elise suddenly narrowed her emerald eyes.

This time, she focused more carefully on the dead end wall and the surrounding floor. Something felt off for her. Something she had overlooked earlier while distracted by frustration. A subtle inconsistency that her sharp senses had registered but her conscious mind had dismissed.

Her ears twitched sharply. Then she quickly called out.

"Wait, don't leave yet."

Hyoren and Jackey, who had already walked several steps away, immediately turned around. The urgency in her voice made them both halt mid-stride.

Hyoren tilted his head slightly, curiosity evident in his expression.

"What is it, Elise?"

Without answering immediately, Elise walked toward the dead end wall and crouched down near the floor. Her knees pressed against the cold stone as she leaned forward, her silver hair falling over one shoulder.

Her slender fingers traced across the dusty stone surface carefully, brushing away centuries of accumulated grime.

"There's something here."

She pointed downward, her fingertip hovering just above a specific spot.

"Look at the floor."

Hyoren and Jackey quickly approached her, their footsteps echoing softly as they crossed the narrow corridor.

The three of them crouched near the dead end, huddled close together in the confined space.

Hyoren narrowed his eyes and focused on the stone floor. At first, he saw nothing except rough cracked stones covered in dust and age. But after staring more carefully, adjusting his focus and following the subtle lines in the stone, he finally noticed it.

A square section of the floor, roughly around thirty by thirty centimeters, had a slightly different color. A darker one. More uniform. Cleaner shade of grey. It blended almost perfectly with the surrounding stone floor, making it extremely difficult to notice unless someone deliberately searched for it.

But now that he saw it, the differences became obvious. The surface was smoother—almost polished compared to the rough surrounding stone. There were no cracks on it unlike the surrounding floor. And faint outlines could barely be seen around its edges, suggesting a seam where the stone could move.

Hyoren crouched lower and examined it more closely, his dark eyes tracing the subtle boundaries of the hidden plate.

"…Elise."

He lightly touched the edge of the square stone with his fingers, feeling the distinct gap where it met the surrounding floor.

"A pressure plate?"

His expression turned cautious, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Is this a trap… or some kind of mechanism?"

Jackey immediately stood up excitedly, his golden eyes gleaming with recognition.

"Pressure plate! This might be hidden chamber!"

Hyoren looked up at him.

"Really, Jackey? Not a trap?"

Jackey crossed his arms confidently, his tails swishing behind him with enthusiasm.

"There is trap pressure plates! But never on dead end!"

He pointed toward the narrow space near the wall, demonstrating the cramped location.

"It usually in the middle of corridor. Or chamber!"

Then he grinned widely, showing his fangs.

"So people could step on them while distracted. HAHAHA!"

Hyoren slowly nodded as his gaze returned toward the strange square plate on the floor. The logic made sense.

"Jackey might be right. He has years of experience which support that."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, processing the information.

"But if we think logically, then it does make sense."

Elise turned her gaze toward him. Her emerald irises met his dark eyes with quiet attention.

"What do you mean, Hyoren?"

She glanced back toward the plate, then returned her focus to him.

"What made you sure this was not a trap?"

Hyoren stood up slowly before gesturing toward the dead end around them, encompassing the entire confined space.

"Think about it. Who is going to step on this pressure plate?"

He pointed toward the narrow corner near the wall, where the plate sat almost flush against the stone.

"No one would walk this close to the wall of a dead end normally."

Then he gestured around the empty corridor, indicating the obvious path that any traveler would follow.

"There are no monsters spawning here either, so adventurers would not deliberately come to this exact spot."

He placed his hand against the dead end wall. The stone surface felt cold, damp, and filled with cracks beneath his palm.

"Mostly only adventurers trying to rest for a bit would use this place."

Then he looked toward Elise, his expression confident.

"And if their eyes are not as sharp as yours, they would completely miss it."

His finger tapped lightly against the edge of the hidden plate, feeling the precise edge of the mechanism.

"This thing is too close to the corner. Accidental stepping is unlikely."

Then he grinned slightly, a spark of excitement entering his dark eyes.

"So I'm pretty sure this is not a trap."

His eyes shifted toward the dead end wall once more, studying its solid surface with new suspicion.

"It is probably a mechanism to unlock something beyond this wall."

Truthfully, Hyoren himself had never explored a dungeon before this. He had never seen hidden pressure plates like this in real life. But back on Earth, he had played enough games to immediately recognize the possibility. Secret switches hidden in suspicious corners. Hidden rooms containing valuable treasures. Mechanisms deliberately placed in dead ends as rewards for observant players.

And usually—they led to something valuable. Treasure. Riches. Rare loot.

Elise slowly stood up afterward. Her expression looked genuinely impressed, her emerald eyes widening slightly.

"You are truly something, Hyoren…"

She looked toward the pressure plate again, reconsidering the mechanism with new perspective.

"If it was me alone, I would dismiss this as a trap and avoid it altogether…"

Then she smiled softly, warmth entering her gaze.

"But you are right. This placement of the mechanism is too weird for a trap."

Jackey immediately gave Hyoren a thumbs up, his grin stretching wide.

"Big Bro is not only strong! He also so smart!"

Then he burst into laughter, remembering his big sister, Ina, and her obvious affection for the man before him.

"Damn, Big Sis truly win big! HAHA!"

Hyoren could only chuckle helplessly and smile wryly at the teasing, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We still need to be careful though."

His expression soon turned serious again as he looked toward the pressure plate.

"Whatever this mechanism is going to do, we need to be prepared."

Jackey and Elise immediately nodded. The playful atmosphere vanished.

Both their expressions became serious as they instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons. Jackey's knuckles whitened around the handles of his axes. Elise's fingers flexed against her bowstring.

Elise knelt down once more beside the pressure plate, her expression turning intensely focused.

"Leave it to me."

Her slender fingers brushed lightly across the smooth stone surface, reading the texture like a scholar examining ancient text.

"I do not have the skill yet. But my father taught me about this before."

She smiled softly while keeping her eyes on the mechanism, a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

"I could identify and try to see whether this was truly a trap or not."

Then a faintly excited smile appeared on her lips, her ears perking forward with interest.

"I can get Trap Dismantling skill if I work harder at it. We might need it the deeper we go into the dungeon."

Her pointed ears twitched slightly with anticipation.

"Managing traps is a scout role anyway. Fufu."

Hyoren watched her with genuine fascination. The silver-haired elf was truly skillful. Not only in combat, but also in utility skills and field knowledge. Her versatility continued to impress him.

"I see."

He nodded toward her, trusting her judgment completely.

"Please do then, Elise. That would be helpful."

Elise immediately began working. She did not simply poke randomly at the plate. Instead, her fingers carefully traced along the faint edges where the mechanism met the surrounding stone floor, delicately feeling for hidden gaps and movements. Her touch was featherlight—probing without triggering.

Then she slowly pulled out her short sword. The blade lightly slid between the tiny openings surrounding the square plate.

CLINK.

The metal edge scraped softly against stone as she worked it into the seam. Carefully. Precisely. She tested the resistance beneath the floor while listening closely to the faint mechanical responses hidden underneath the stone. Her pointed ears twitched slightly, catching sounds too subtle for human perception.

Her movements were economical and confident, almost like someone performing delicate surgery. Each motion deliberate. Each adjustment calculated.

"There is a mechanism."

Her voice became quieter and more serious, her concentration absolute.

"It is connected to something."

She gently pressed the blade deeper into one edge before pulling it back out, testing the give in the mechanism.

"I am not sure whether it is a trap or not."

Then she looked upward toward Hyoren and Jackey, her emerald eyes meeting theirs.

"But this will definitely do something if we step on it."

After that, she sheathed her short sword with a soft click.

"Time to find out."

Immediately, Hyoren raised his shield and sword into ready position. His muscles tensed as he positioned himself between the mechanism and his companions.

Jackey also tightened his grip on both axes, his previous carefree expression disappearing entirely. His golden eyes narrowed, focused on the dead end wall.

The narrow dead end suddenly felt tense and heavy. The air itself seemed to thicken with anticipation.

Elise slowly stood. Then she carefully placed her boot on top of the pressure plate.

CLICK.

The sound echoed softly through the corridor—subtle yet unmistakable.

Then something moved. A deep grinding noise rumbled through the dead end corridor as stone scraped violently against stone. Dust fell from the cracked wall in front of them, making Elise step back quickly. The floor trembled beneath their feet as ancient mechanisms awakened from their long slumber.

Then, slowly, a section of the solid rock wall slid sideways. The grinding protest of centuries-old stone filled the corridor until finally—silence returned.

Revealing a dark and narrow hidden passage leading deeper into the dungeon.

***

Jackey whistled loudly, the sharp sound cutting through the heavy silence of the corridor.

"Truly hidden chamber!"

His golden eyes sparkled with excitement while staring into the newly revealed passage. The darkness beyond seemed to pulse with promise, beckoning them forward. His tabby cat tail spiralled energetically.

Hyoren smiled toward Elise, genuine appreciation warming his expression.

"Good work, Elise…"

Elise immediately shook her head. Her silver hair swayed softly with the motion, catching the faint blue glow of the magic lamps.

"No, it is you, Hyoren."

She glanced toward the opened wall, where ancient stone still groaned faintly from the recent movement.

"You were the one who deduced this mechanism was not a trap. I only confirmed it."

Meanwhile, Jackey could barely contain his excitement anymore. His feet were already inching toward the hidden corridor, his boots scraping eagerly against the dusty stone floor.

"Let's go, Big Bro! Elise!"

He pointed enthusiastically into the darkness, his tail swishing rapidly behind him.

"Hidden corridors like this mean good stuff!"

Hyoren chuckled lightly at Jackey's obvious greed. He tightened his grip around his sword handle and started to walk forward, his shield raised instinctively.

But suddenly.

"Wait!"

Elise's sharp voice immediately stopped both him and Jackey. The two froze mid-step, their bodies tensing at the urgency in her tone.

Hyoren turned toward her and tilted his head slightly, concern flickering across his features.

"What is it now, Elise?"

Elise narrowed her eyes while peering carefully into the dark passage ahead. At the base of the corridor entrance, something faintly shimmered under the pale blue magic lamps light. Almost invisible. A hair-thin line catching the illumination at just the right angle.

She slowly raised one hand to stop them from moving, her palm facing outward.

"The pressure plate was not a trap."

Her expression became serious, her playful demeanor vanishing entirely.

"But there is a trap behind the hidden door."

She crouched lower and looked closer, her emerald eyes tracing the faint outline of the wire.

"A trip wire trap…"

Jackey immediately stepped backward, his earlier enthusiasm replaced by caution.

"Woah. We almost went in straight to hell!!"

Hyoren furrowed his brows while narrowing his eyes toward the floor. Now that he focused properly, he could finally see the nearly invisible wire stretched across the entrance. Thin. Tight. Almost perfectly blended into the shadows cast by the uneven stone walls.

"Two-step trap… cunning."

His expression hardened slightly as the implications settled in.

"Excited parties who discover this hidden corridor would rush inside without paying attention…"

He studied the wire's placement, noting how it sat just above ankle height.

"And they would trigger the trap."

Elise nodded, her silver hair catching the dim light as she moved.

"That's right."

Her emerald eyes squinted while tracing the wire carefully across the corridor floor and toward the wall where it disappeared into darkness.

"Okay. Leave it to me."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"I will try to dismantle this trap."

Then she immediately got to work. Her eyes carefully followed the wire across the floor and toward the wall. Where it connected. Where the mechanism was hidden. Where the trigger point would activate. Every detail examined with meticulous attention.

After several seconds, she finally found it. The thin wire disappeared into a tiny hole in the wall, barely visible among the cracks and discoloration. Inside the hole, the tip of a small arrow could barely be seen protruding outward—its metal head dark with age but still deadly.

Elise pulled out her short sword again. Carefully. Precisely. She slid the blade into the mechanism and loosened the trigger component with practiced movements, feeling for the tension release.

CLICK.

The wire suddenly went slack, losing its dangerous tautness. Then Elise reached into the small hole and carefully pulled the arrow mechanism out entirely, her fingers wrapping around the wooden shaft with steady confidence.

She examined the arrow briefly before showing it to the others, holding it up to the pale blue light.

"This was a simple trap…"

She lightly spun the arrow between her fingers, the motion casual despite the deadly object in her grasp.

"Just one arrow shot when triggered."

Then she inspected the arrowhead more closely, tilting it to catch the light at different angles.

"It was not poisoned."

Her expression, however, remained serious. The lack of poison did not mean the trap was harmless.

"But considering the height placement…"

She pointed toward the level where the arrow would have flown—roughly at neck height for a human.

"If the timing was bad, it could pierce our head or throat…"

Jackey swallowed nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly.

"…Okay. Maybe hidden corridors are scary too."

They proceeded deeper into the hidden passage, Elise taking the lead with her bow held ready.

The corridor was much narrower than the main dungeon paths. The walls pressed closer on either side, forcing them to walk in single file. The air felt older somehow—heavier with dust and the smell of damp stone that had remained sealed for who knew how long. Each breath carried the musty scent of centuries untouched by wind or sunlight.

Their footsteps echoed softly through the darkness, the sound muffled by the tight confines of the passage.

Elise's emerald eyes remained narrowed the entire time, carefully scanning the floor and walls ahead while her pointed ears twitched at even the faintest sound. Every shadow received scrutiny. Every crack in the stone warranted inspection.

After about a hundred meters, she suddenly halted again, her body going rigid.

"Another trip wire trap."

She crouched slightly, her gaze fixed on the floor ahead.

"Similar mechanism."

Hyoren immediately focused his gaze downward, following her line of sight. This time, after knowing what to look for, he finally noticed the faint shimmering wire stretched across the corridor—nearly identical to the first trap.

Jackey rested one axe over his shoulder and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"There are no traps at all outside this hidden corridor. Now trap everywhere!"

Hyoren chuckled quietly, finding dark humor in the situation.

"Then maybe this corridor really will lead to something good like you said, Jackey."

He glanced toward the darkness deeper ahead, where the passage curved slightly out of view.

"A treasure will always be guarded, right?"

Jackey's golden eyes instantly lit up, his earlier fear forgotten.

"Oh! Yes! Treasure!"

His excitement returned immediately, his tabby cat tail spiralling with renewed enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, while the two men were talking, Elise had already begun dismantling the trap. Her movements looked smoother than before. More confident. The tip of her short sword carefully slid into the small mechanism hidden inside the wall, finding the release point with practiced ease.

CLICK.

The wire loosened instantly, going slack against the stone floor.

Then Elise paused. Her body stiffened slightly. Her pointed ears stopped twitching.

Hyoren immediately noticed the subtle change in her expression—the way her eyes widened fractionally, the slight parting of her lips, the way her pointed ears went still.

"What is it, Elise?"

Elise slowly turned around toward him, her emerald eyes glittering with faint excitement in the dim light.

"Just now… I heard the Voice of Aethell."

A small smile appeared on her lips, genuine and unguarded.

"I got Trap Dismantling skill."

Jackey immediately whistled loudly, his approval echoing through the narrow corridor.

"Elise also get strong!"

Hyoren smiled softly at her, warmth spreading through his chest at her achievement.

"That's really good. Congratulations, Elise."

He crossed his arms thoughtfully, considering the timing of her skill acquisition.

"Maybe you already trained enough under your father before, and this time you finally earned real experience which pushed the proficiency over the limit."

Then he chuckled lightly, shaking his head at their fortune.

"Talk about timing though."

Elise giggled softly, the sound bright against the oppressive silence of the hidden passage.

"Fufu. You may be right, Hyoren…"

There was visible happiness in her expression—a subtle glow that had nothing to do with the magic lamps. For adventurers, gaining a new skill was never a small thing. It represented growth.

***

The hidden corridor continued for another hundred meters before they finally arrived at a slightly wider dead end.

The cramped passage suddenly opened into a small space large enough for around six to eight people to stand comfortably. The ceiling here was marginally higher. Stale air rushed past them, disturbed by their presence.

On the left side, another smaller corridor extended deeper into the darkness. Narrower than the passage they had just traversed. Darker too. The pale blue glow from the dungeon magic lamps seemed to dim at its entrance.

Elise, ever cautious, immediately approached the corner first. Her body tensed. Her hand drifted toward her bow instinctively while her pointed ears twitched, straining to catch any sound from beyond.

Carefully, she peeked into the smaller corridor ahead. Then, only a moment later, she quickly pulled herself back. Her face grimaced. Her complexion paled visibly in the dim light. And her fingers trembled slightly against the stone wall.

Jackey immediately jumped in excitement, completely misreading her reaction.

"What is it, Elise? A treasure room? Tell me it is treasure room!"

His golden eyes gleamed with anticipation while his tails swished eagerly behind him.

But Elise slowly shook her head. She was shivering slightly—her shoulders quivering with barely suppressed tension. Her silver hair swayed faintly with each tremor.

Hyoren instantly noticed her unusual reaction. The normally composed elf rarely showed such open distress.

Without wasting time, he carefully stepped past her and peeked into the smaller corridor himself. His shoulder pressed against the cold stone as he angled his vision toward the room beyond.

The passage ahead was narrow, only enough for two people to walk side by side. It stretched for around ten meters before finally opening into a large room. The darkness there seemed thicker somehow—heavier with presence.

And the moment Hyoren saw inside—his breath almost stopped.

The room was massive. Perhaps twenty meters by twenty meters. The ceiling vanished into shadow overhead.

But what made it horrifying was not the size. It was the goblins.

The chamber was absolutely packed with them. Dozens upon dozens of the creatures filled the space from wall to wall. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a writhing, shifting sea of green skin, crude weapons, and filthy armor scraps. The stench of their collective musk wafted through the corridor.

At least thirty goblins crowded that single room. Far more than any group they had encountered so far. Their guttural chatter created a low, constant murmur that vibrated through the stone like the buzzing of insects.

Yet the strangest part was—they did not leave the room. They merely stood there. Writhing. Shifting. Snarling softly at nothing in particular. Almost as if waiting. Patient. Restless.

Then Hyoren's eyes moved downward. At the center of the room, a massive glowing Runic Array was carved directly into the floor. Pale blue light pulsed from it rhythmically. Like something alive.

Hyoren immediately pulled his head back. He did not want to risk alerting that sea of green monsters.

He looked toward Elise, his expression tight with concern.

"What is that… Elise?"

Elise's shivering finally stopped. But her expression remained serious.

"That was a Monster Room… Hyoren."

Jackey's jaw dropped instantly. Unlike Hyoren, he recognized the term immediately as an experienced dungeon diver. His tabby cat ears flattened slightly against his head while his tail swished uneasily behind him.

For the first time since entering the dungeon, even Jackey looked genuinely nervous.

Meanwhile, Hyoren frowned slightly. The term sounded extremely familiar to him.

From his gaming knowledge back on Earth, Monster Room usually referred to special rooms where monsters continuously spawned endlessly. Gauntlet challenges designed to test endurance rather than skill. Survival against overwhelming numbers until some condition was met.

Though, the knowledge from Earth might be different. He quietly gulped. He decided to confirm it.

"What is a Monster Room, Elise?"

Elise's voice dropped lower. Barely above a whisper.

"It is a room with an extremely high spawn rate."

Her emerald eyes wandered toward the hidden chamber again, unable to completely look away.

"They are designed to be brutal attrition-based encounters."

A brief pause followed. Her throat worked visibly as she gulped.

"The monsters just keep coming. Almost endlessly…"

Hyoren silently swallowed. The weight of the revelation pressed heavily on him.

It truly was exactly as he suspected. Once again, the dungeon resembled RPG games from Earth with unsettling accuracy. Monster Rooms. Hidden corridors. Dissolving corpses. Spawn systems. Mapping Skill. The resemblance was almost uncanny.

Which once again raised the same impossible question inside his mind.

Demon God Gidol. The creator of these dungeons. The maker of these strange pocket dimensions that operated on rules suspiciously similar to game mechanics.

Could he truly have come from Earth?

No one knew. And perhaps—no one ever would.