Ashen Land!
It was itself a paradise for the Dungeon Demon King and cave creatures.
Consequently, beneath Ramore High Tower City-State lay an extremely complex cave passage network.
In the depths of a cold, quiet, and dark cave passage,
Tuck carried a horse lamp emitting an orange glow, dispelling the darkness as he moved cautiously forward.
If it had been the "Gray Day period", there might have been Kobolds, Goblins, and other dark creatures preying on Black Mice here.
But now, during the "Grey Night period", cold pervaded the entire world, including the cave passages near the surface.
These cave creatures could only flee to deeper underground to evade the severe cold.
This spared Tuck from some unnecessary battles.
Those Kobolds and Goblins usually assessed the strength of their adversaries by numbers.
And Tuck, alone, clearly belonged to the "weaker" side.
Quickly, at the end of the cave passage, Tuck spotted a roaring bonfire.
Carlos was already waiting there.
Carlos, having the [Climbing] Ability, hadn't taken the long way round like Tuck had.
"If you hadn't shown up soon, I'd have thought those Kobolds had caught you!"
Carlos teased Tuck as he arrived and warmed himself by the fire.
Tuck ignored Carlos's quip and squeezed in closer to the bonfire, using the fire to chase away the chill.
Although Tuck possessed a Level One [Flaming Bracelet], which made him more cold-resistant than the ordinary Transcendent, he couldn't ignore the cold forever.
The light of the fire illuminated Tuck's face as the [Flaming Bracelet] rapidly absorbed heat, beginning to drive away the cold.
Tuck looked up.
His gaze moved beyond the bonfire and Carlos.
And landed on the massive, round-arched magic sealing door made of magical obsidian that stood about five meters high and three meters wide behind Carlos.
It was densely covered with powerful magic rune markings belonging to the sealing series.
That potent "Demon King's Sealing Gate" was precisely Tuck's destination for this venture.
Before, Tuck used the [Steady Growth System] to anchor regions such as:
The abandoned mine.
Cleansed Kobold tribes deep in the cave passage.
Some peculiar ancient ruins in the depths of the wilderness.
And the warm cave passages near Ramore Steam Tower where Origin Energy was abundant.
But!
These ordinary regions only yielded "Origin Energy Experience".
The area behind this dangerous, and highly Origin Energy enriched magic sealing door,
That was the real treasure.
A treasure that could trigger his metamorphosis.
"Tuck, this magic Sealed Door is the gateway sealed by powerful wizards to contain the Dungeon Demon King."
"It's said that the slain Dungeon Demon King is sealed within."
"Each year, numerous Adventurers come here to try their luck, but all leave unrewarded."
"With our Level and strength."
"Can we open it with the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone]?"
Carlos twisted his neck, scrutinizing that ancient Door of Seal, with no hope that Tuck could break the age-old magic seal.
Feeling that the chill had mostly dissipated and that his body would no longer be adversely affected by the cold in the ensuing battle,
"Give me the item!" Tuck said as he stood up.
Carlos, now serious, wasn't worried about Tuck opening the Sealed Door.
His concern lay in the possibility of an accident.
After all, that was the Demon King's Sealing Gate.
Even a fallen Demon King's lair remained immensely dangerous.
As Carlos took out the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone] from the Transcendent Storage Bracelet.
Hum...
A rich force of "Rune" and "Sequence" enveloped the two of them and the world around!
And in an instant, the cold was expelled.
The blazing bonfire was almost snuffed out by the oppressive darkness pressing in from all sides.
With the descent of rune power,
Tuck felt as if he were shouldering a tank, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
!
It was the crystallization of the natural transcendent powers of the Transcendent World.
Expensive, but incredibly powerful.
[Spirit Bridge, Rune Stone]
Capable of constructing passageways spanning barriers, seals, and different realms.
Carlos possessed a "Transcendent Storage Bracelet" capable of gathering the power of the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone], whereas Tuck did not.
That was the very reason Tuck sought to collaborate with Carlos.
Bearing the pressure, Tuck took the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone] and then pressed it forcefully against the Demon King's Sealing Door.
The moment the two made contact!
Buzz...
Buzz...
Large runes on the obsidian magic Sealed Door began to glow.
After all, the Demon King's Sealing Door was a product from more than three hundred years ago, long unguarded and unmaintained.
Even with the activation of the runes, less than a third were lit.
Most of the rune markings were dim, and many showed signs of fracturing.
But even so, Tuck was well aware that the thought of using the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone] to open the mighty Door of Seal was nothing but a pipe dream.
In fact!
Tuck's purpose on this journey was not to open the Demon King's Sealing Door.
Instead, it was to make an extremely brief contact with the region behind the Sealed Door by utilizing the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone].
Even a fleeting touch would be enough for the system to take effect.
Tuck had made several visits for reconnaissance, and had collected plenty of data from other adventurers who had explored the area.
He knew of certain areas of the Demon King Seal that were cracked.
Utilizing a Rune Stone like the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone],
opening the seal was not likely.
But, harnessing the power of the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone] to make contact with the region behind the Sealed Door was a possibility.
Once he made contact with the world behind the Demon King's Sealing Door,
the System would come into play.
Controlling the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone], Tuck quickly sifted through the fissures.
Soon, he locked onto a cracked and highly fragmented part of the seal.
"Go!"
Tuck gathered the power of the Spirit Bridge Rune Stone, aiming to squeeze through the crevice.
It was unclear whether the seal was simply too old and weak,
or whether Tuck had selected a particularly challenging and cunning spot.
Or perhaps the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone] was just exceptionally effective.
As Tuck built the Spirit Bridge within the fissure,
crackling sounds of breaking came from the Demon King's Sealing Gate.
The entire gates shook slightly.
Additionally, the entire cave passage trembled slightly as well, with plenty of pebbles and dust cascading down.
"No way!"
Carlos, standing by, instantly widened his eyes in disbelief, and was also ready to flee at the first sign of the cave's collapse.
Tuck was also startled, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
"I just wanted to make contact with the other side, I didn't mean to break the Sealed Door."
When the [Spirit Bridge Rune Stone] formed a tiny rainbow Spirit Bridge,
there was a rustle!
A large chunk of stone peeled away.
Then, a fist-sized hole appeared on the thoroughly dark Demon King's Sealing Door, right before their eyes.
"Fuck!"
"Fuck!"
Staring at the hole in the Demon King's Sealing Door, the two men exchanged a look of shared disbelief!
The Demon King's Sealing Door, a challenge to so many, had been penetrated by Tuck, leaving a sizeable hole.