Task Phase II, Contending for the Origin

"Why does it feel more and more off the longer I look at it?"

Sterl was currently sitting cross-legged atop a giant mountain fissure, a terrain formed by the appearance of the Shadow of Hatred.

At the moment, he wasn't in a rush to check the boss drops.

Instead, he was cautiously observing his surroundings, sensing that something strange seemed to be happening in the Netherworld.

"What is this..." Sterl's gaze unintentionally drifted over the cracks in the ground. He was stunned. Earlier, when the Shadow of Hatred had first appeared, Sterl had observed the underground, where golden lava had flowed in bright, molten streams.

But now, the once radiant lava was gradually dimming.

This couldn't possibly be due to exposure to outside air, as cooling lava would solidify into hard stone.

But the lava was still in a liquid state, only its color had dulled, almost as if the lava itself was dying.