As I walked through the dark and damp stone walls of the passage, each step echoed. The air was heavy, filled with moisture, and an unsettling feeling gnawed at me from within. The ground was covered in a strange liquid in places; my steps slipped slightly in it, making a faint splashing sound. As I neared the end of the passage, the darkness slowly began to lighten. A faint beam of light greeted me; flickering and pale, but unsettling enough.
When I stepped into the next room, the sight that greeted me turned my stomach. I found myself in a laboratory. But this was no ordinary laboratory. What I saw clearly indicated that this place was some sort of horrifying experimentation facility.
Jars were lined up on the tables. Inside them, most of them contained unrecognizable goblin body parts: heads with empty eye sockets, arms, hands, and even some bodies strangely fused together. The liquids inside the jars were a greenish color, reflecting the light in an eerie way. When I looked more closely at one of the jars, I saw an eye inside move suddenly. I staggered back, my hand instinctively reaching for my sword.
"What is this?" I murmured to myself. My voice echoed off the stone walls of the room, and I felt a chill run through me. For a moment, I had the sense that I was not alone here, but when I looked around, nothing seemed to move.
On one of the tables, a dismembered goblin skeleton was on display. The bones had been cleaned and arranged neatly, but some of them were much larger than the others. "This... this isn't normal," I whispered. I knew goblins to be small and fragile by nature, but some of the bones here were nearly human-sized. In fact, one skull was twice the size of a normal goblin's, with a strange crack on its forehead. It looked as though it had been reshaped by magic.
The tables were covered with papers, tubes, and strange instruments. Some vials contained foaming liquids, while others had dark, sediment-filled deposits. The vials were etched with strange symbols, covered in writings that appeared to be in a language I couldn't recognize. A note in the corner of one table caught my eye. My fingers lifted the note, now stained with dried blood. However, the note was written in an unfamiliar language.
"Who could have done such horrific things here?" I asked myself. My voice carried a mixture of curiosity and deep revulsion. As I continued to examine the note, a question echoed in my mind: What was the purpose of these experiments?
My gaze shifted to another compartment just beyond the table. Goblin skeletons of various types were haphazardly piled on the floor. Some appeared far more complex than the others. One, in particular, had bone-like wing extensions on its back. As I approached, I noticed strange markings carved into the bones. It suggested that some sort of ritual or magical process had been performed on them.
"Of course," I said to myself, a mix of mockery and fear in my voice, "like I couldn't find something more horrifying." My eyes unwillingly drifted to the other jars lined up on the shelves. In one, I saw several hands connected together, moving. Was this thing still alive?
I pulled back in disgust, taking a deep breath. I leaned my back against the cold stone wall for a moment. "This is a den of madness. But who and why would someone meddle so much with goblins?" I murmured. Questions were firing in my mind, but I couldn't find any answers.
I decided to take a closer look around. Activating my [Examine] ability, I touched some of the tools and vials on the table. Each object I touched sent a different stream of information into my mind. I realized that some of the liquids were linked to poison, while others contained magical power. But what stood out most was that the goblin bodies were not being used in ordinary ways. These were twisted experiments, likely trying to create some kind of enhanced soldier using magic.
Slowly, I made my way to the center of the lab. The old, dried blood stains on the floor showed that this place had been heavily used in the past. But one thing was clear: These experiments hadn't been conducted solely on goblins. I was certain there was a larger purpose behind it all. But I still didn't know what that purpose was.
I whispered to myself, "These are just the beginning. If things here are this horrific, I don't even want to think about what might be waiting for me further ahead." With this thought, I checked my weapons once more. Danger could strike at any moment, so I had to stay alert.
Another passage caught my eye on the wall, waiting for me. But before I left, I knew I had to investigate this horrifying place further, to try to understand what was going on. The answers were here. I just had to find them.
As I tried to process the horrifying sight around me, my eyes caught a heavy chest in the corner of the room. Its rusted metal corners and deep cracks indicated that it was old and battered. The lid of the chest was slightly ajar, and a faint, crystal-like glow was leaking out. This glow reminded me of the crystals I had taken from the golems, but it was much weaker.
I approached cautiously and fully opened the chest. Inside, there were many crystals of various sizes. But one thing was clear: unlike the crystals I had taken from the golems, these did not emit intense energy. Some were pale, others nearly colorless. I picked one up and examined it closely. It was cold, lifeless. It seemed like a remnant, drained of its energy.
"It has the same structure as the ones in my hands... but why are these so lifeless?" I thought to myself. As I rolled the crystal in my hand, I tried to make a connection in my mind. Focusing on the crystal, I used my [Examine] ability. As I attempted to decipher its structure and properties, I realized that, unlike the golem crystals, there was no flow of energy within it. It was as though an energy that had once overflowed from these crystals had been drawn out and taken away.
"All these crystals can't be here by chance," I murmured. I knelt down by the chest and checked the other crystals. None showed any signs of life. Compared to the golem crystals, these were just empty shells. "So... where did the energy go? Or what was the purpose of these crystals?" I asked myself, but I couldn't find a way to solve this mystery.
I thought for a while, but with the information I had, I couldn't make sense of it. A slight discomfort began to stir in my chest. This place was hiding a dark secret, and these crystals were part of that secret. But to learn more, I needed to leave this place.
I noticed another passage. It was much wider than the previous ones, and it was adorned with detailed carvings. Slowly, I stood up and began walking toward the passage. My fingers involuntarily moved to the hilt of my Luminous Blade. A strange tension filled me, a sense of unease about what I might find beyond the passage.
The moment I stepped through the passage, my feet hit a stone floor, and I found myself in a vast open space. As I looked up and around, I realized I was in the center of a massive arena. Tall, black stone walls surrounded me. There was an opening in the sky, but the air was dark and overcast. A gray light from above illuminated the arena, but it was faint.
The ground was covered with signs of old battles. Cracks in the floor, dried bloodstains, and broken pieces of armor were scattered around. Symbols carved into the arena walls resembled those I had seen in the laboratory, but they were much larger and more intricate. My eyes were drawn to large iron gates. They were spaced evenly around the arena, and the chains hanging from them swayed slightly.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," I muttered, scanning the surroundings. It felt as though this place was preparing for a fight. My gaze involuntarily shifted to the dried bloodstains on the ground. I took a deep breath. "It's clear that getting out of here won't be easy."
I brought my finger to my Mana-Charged Amulet and gently touched it. I began to regulate the flow of mana inside me. The silence of the arena was unsettling, but it also indicated that something was close. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my blade and prepared myself for whatever was about to come. Whatever awaited me here, I would have to face it through battle.
The deep silence of the arena was broken by a muffled mechanical noise. I turned my head, straining my senses, and saw that the high walls of the arena were slowly beginning to move. The sound of the stones rubbing against each other filled the arena, and certain sections of the walls parted, revealing dark passageways. From these passages, the heavy, rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed. After each step, a deep, resonating vibration could be felt in the floor.
I narrowed my eyes and focused on the passages. The first to appear were the golems. Three archers, carrying long bows, marched in a neat formation. Behind them came three axe-wielding golems, each carrying massive axes on their backs. Their movements were slow but threatening; the metal armor they wore clanged with each step. After them, three dagger-wielding golems entered the arena with agility. They clearly moved with a different speed and flexibility, each one maneuvering like a martial artist with light agility.
But the true horror came with the massive shadow that emerged at the center of the arena. From one of the gates, a colossal, four-armed golem slowly stepped out. Far larger than all the others, it was at least twice their height and radiated an imposing presence. Each of its arms was made of solid stone and metal, carrying thick shields and crushing weapons. My eyes locked onto the red crystal embedded in its chest. The crystal pulsed like a heartbeat, emitting a powerful light. It seemed to be the lifeblood of the golem, but I also knew that directly targeting it would be a deadly gamble.
With every step the giant golem took, the vibrations in the ground grew stronger. The other golems stood like foot soldiers beside it. Each one moved as if it were a guard for this massive creature. I found myself unconsciously stepping back, my breathing quickening as my eyes darted around the arena. I needed to find a way to deal with these enemies.
"Of course, it had to be like this..." I muttered to myself, catching my breath. "Did you think it was going to be any easier? Of course not. There's always something tougher." Taking a deep breath, I tried to ease some of the pressure weighing on me. My hands were trembling, but there was no room for fear.
My fingers slid to the hilt of my blade, and I hesitated for a moment. To analyze these golems with my [Examine] ability, I needed to make physical contact with them. But that would mean engaging in close combat. The red crystal on the giant golem marked the primary target, but reaching it amidst the others would be nothing short of a miracle.
"Alright... start with the smaller ones first," I muttered. I reached for my bow and drew one of the Stealth Arrows from my quiver. Nocking the arrow onto the string, I decided to focus on the archer golems first. Archers posed a significant threat by keeping enemies at a distance. If I could take them out quickly, I'd have more room to maneuver.
I aimed carefully and drew the bowstring back. But just as I did, the red crystal on the giant golem's chest pulsed once more. All the other golems froze and turned to face me simultaneously. It was as if that crystal acted as a central command for all of them. Suddenly, they began moving rapidly, and I could no longer deny the reality that I was now in the midst of a battle.
"Alright then, show me what you've got!" I shouted as I released the first arrow.