Chapter 19: The Abandoned Temple (Part 2)

The jungle was a black abyss under the moon's faint glow. An hour had passed since Kael began his solo hunt, and without his enhanced perception, he would have been swallowed whole by the darkness. 

His eyes had adjusted just enough to make out his surroundings—shadowy shapes shifting between the dense foliage, the occasional glint of moonlight filtering through the leaves.

Perched atop a thick tree branch, he remained perfectly still, observing the creature below. It prowled cautiously, nose twitching as it searched for a scent.

Sleek dark-green fur. Crimson eyes that gleamed unnaturally. Its body was stretched too long, its limbs just slightly… wrong. Like a panther twisted into something more sinister.

[Hollowther – Level 4]

Kael's fingers tightened around his daggers. He waited.

The moment it passed beneath him, he dropped from the branch like a shadow, blade plunging deep into its back.

The Hollowther shrieked, a bone-chilling sound that echoed through the trees. It thrashed violently, trying to shake him off, but Kael gritted his teeth and dug his daggers in deeper. The beast reared up and, with a powerful twist, flung him off.

Kael hit the ground hard, rolling into a bush. The Hollowther spun toward the sound, growling—only for Kael to vanish.

Something rustled behind it.

The monster barely had time to turn before Kael struck again, slashing at the back of its hind legs. A pained screech tore from its throat as it collapsed.

No hesitation. Kael activated Quickstep, dashing above its weakened form. He twisted mid-air, dagger flashing downward.

Backstab.

The skill triggered the moment the blade met its skull. The Hollowther's head burst apart, blood splattering across the jungle floor.

You have slain [Hollowther – Level 4]!

Experience Points Gained.

1,075 Survival Points Acquired.

Kael exhaled, flicking the blood from his blade before stepping over the carcass.

"Solo hunting is insane. The Survival Points alone are ridiculous... and with all the experience coming straight to me, I'll level up in no time."

Excitement hummed in his chest as he pressed deeper into the jungle, eyes scanning for his next prey.

Then without any warning, there was silence. The wind had stopped. No rustling leaves, no distant croaks of insects. Nothing.

A cold shiver crawled down Kael's spine. He pivoted slowly, muscles tensed, but there was nothing. No presence. No movement. Just the suffocating quiet of something unseen watching him.

"What the hell…?"

For a second, he considered turning back. His senses warned him to retreat—but how could he face himself if he ran now? He wasn't the man from his past life, the one who conquered the tower, only to hesitate at a mere tutorial floor.

If it was a powerful monster, he'd kill it. If not… he'd run before it became a problem.

His cautious steps led him through the jungle until he reached a clearing.

And there, partially buried in an overgrown hillside, stood a structure he had never seen before.

A temple.

Its cracked stone walls were wrapped in thick vines, time and nature having long since tried to reclaim it. Yet, despite the decay, something about it felt… wrong.

Kael frowned.

This wasn't in his past life's knowledge. He had never heard of a temple like this in the tutorial floor. No one had ever mentioned it either.

Which meant two things:

Either no one had ever found it.

Or no one had ever lived to tell about it.

A sharp grin tugged at his lips as Kael stepped forward without hesitation.

The air inside the temple was thick with dust, the scent of damp stone filling his lungs. Faint carvings lined the walls—ancient, faded depictions of humanoid figures bowing before something indistinguishable.

Kael's boots echoed against the stone floor as he moved carefully, eyes scanning every shadow. Ahead, he spotted something—a staircase leading down.

The deeper he went, the colder it became. His breath turned visible, misting in the frigid air. More carvings covered the walls, though their details were too worn to decipher.

At the bottom of the stairs, he stopped.

A massive stone door loomed before him, slightly ajar. Deep claw marks gouged into the stone—like something had tried to get in.

Or get out.

Kael's grip on his daggers tightened. His body tensed as he stepped through.

The chamber beyond was wide, empty except for a single altar standing at its center. The cold here was suffocating, pressing against his skin like unseen hands.

He advanced cautiously. He couldn't feel any movement or the presence of any monsters. It was completely silent.

That was until-

Rumble.

The ground shook.

Kael's instincts screamed. He leapt back as a shape shifted near the altar. At first, he thought it was a statue.

Then it stood.

Eight feet tall. Armor aged and broken, yet still eerily intact. Its head was covered by a cracked helmet, the face beneath hidden in shadow. But its arms-too long, ending in jagged claws—weren't human.

The thing tilted its head at him. Then its eyes lit up. Twin embers that burned in the darkness.

It was then that a system message flashed in front of him:

[Trial of the Forgotten: Defeat the Guardian to Proceed.]

Kael exhaled, heart pounding as he tightened his grip on his blades.

"Well… this just got interesting."

Without any warning, he dashed forward heading straight for the Guardian, when he reached him, Kael darted to the side as the guardian's massive sword swung down again, the force of the impact shaking the entire chamber. 

Cracks split through the floor, dust and debris flying in all directions. If he had been even a second slower, that strike would have cut him in half.

He didn't stop moving. Speed was his advantage.

The guardian's head turned toward him, glowing eyes tracking his every move. It was slow, but it didn't need to be fast—one clean hit would be enough to kill him.

Kael kept his breathing steady as he ran. He needed to find an opening.

His eyes flicked over its body. Armor covered most of it, thick plates layered over each other. But at the joints—the elbows, the knees, the neck—there were gaps.

That's where he needed to strike.