## Chapter 236: Stony Tomb, Treasure Chest, Temple!

## Chapter 236: Stony Tomb, Treasure Chest, Temple!

The second level of the Stony Tomb was noticeably more damp and cold than the first. Even the magic torch flickered unsteadily, as if it could go out at any moment. The desert mice and scorpions, usually teeming with vitality, seemed to have vanished without a trace, unable to adapt to the environment here. Aside from the echoing sound of dripping water, nothing else could be heard or seen.

As soon as I descended to the second level, I couldn't help but shiver, huddled my body tighter. The place seemed filled with a strange, chilling aura. The transition from the warm, damp first level felt like going from the Rogue Encampment, where it's spring year-round, to Harrogath, perpetually frozen in snow.

Besides the Horror Bones, Burning Dead Mages, and Water Bloated Warriors from the first level, a new type of monster appeared on the second level: the initial tier of Mummy—the Mummy. The Mummies of Lut Gholein and the Corpses of the Rogue Encampment could be considered close relatives. One is a decomposed body, the other is preserved with spices, resulting in a more complete form. Therefore, the Mummy's defense and attack are more than a notch higher than the Corpse's; they are essentially the enhanced version of Corpses. However, both types are equally disgusting. Although Mummies have a slightly more complete form, the indescribably foul stench of spices mixed with rotten flesh is even worse than that of Corpses.

But aren't Mummies on the second level? Rick said he saw Mummy-like monsters. Could he have already gone deep into the second level? His illness was probably also caused by the chilling aura of the second level. The body of Ordinary People is absolutely unable to adapt to the environment of the second level.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but break out in cold sweat. This Rick's luck is truly incredible. From the Entrance to the second level, he didn't encounter a single monster, and even on the second level, he only ran into slow-moving Mummies that even Ordinary People could safely escape from. What incredible luck. If he were to gamble, he would have long become one of the few great magnates in Lut Gholein.

Actually, coming from the cave entrance, it's less than half an hour's journey to the second level Entrance. This just shows how directionally challenged someone is...

Just as I was thinking, a dozen or so Mummies were idly wandering nearby. Their shriveled, sunken faces wore a corrupted, decadent appearance, looking exactly like those young people who refuse to find work after graduation and just loaf around at Home, waiting to die. And from far away, a complex smell of spices and decay assailed me.

I was very reluctant to face these Mummies because they smelled terrible. Their bodies were stuffed with foul-smelling spices. If I hit them with a punch, the spices would fall off like the thick foundation applied by middle-aged Aunties who refuse to age. If I used Werewolf Form or Werebear Form to attack directly with claws, my fingernails would get filled with disgusting things.

However, the area on the second level wasn't large. There was only one path leading forward. To get past here, I couldn't avoid dealing with the Mummies ahead. Sigh.

At my command, Guilang and the Poison Creeper pounced. Holding a slender white two-handed sword in my hand, I planned to take them down while keeping my distance from these Mummies as much as possible. Even Guilang seemed to intensely dislike the smell of spices. Normally using both mouth and claws, they now absolutely refused to bite. Only the Poison Creeper could still boldly bite into the spice-covered areas.

After dealing with these Mummies, I followed the straight path for about half an hour. The corridor gradually widened. Faint patterns and carvings began to appear on the damp stone Walls. There were even Stairs, statues, and huge stone pillars. The surroundings were filled with a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

There wasn't a single monster on the way. Finally, a stone wall nearly twenty meters wide and high blocked my path.

It seems that ghost designer finally stopped playing tricks. I let out a sigh of relief. Standing at the foot of this huge stone wall, I felt as small as an ant. My hand began to fumble around on it. The designer really wasn't playing tricks. Based on my previous experience, I quickly found the switch.

"Rumble——"

The huge Stone Gate, several times larger than the mechanism door seen before, slowly rose. It let out a deafening sound, and the entire Stony Tomb trembled with it. Crushed stone and dust fell from the Walls and ceiling, as if an earthquake of magnitude eight or higher had occurred, and the entire Stony Tomb was about to collapse.

After a full half minute, the sound abruptly stopped, and the trembling Stony Tomb returned to stillness. The earth-shaking event just now felt like a dream. Only the continuously falling dust and the large door, several meters wide and over ten meters high, that appeared before me, proved the reality of what had just happened.

I gripped the scepter held in my palm tightly. The Resistance Aura enveloped all of us. After drinking a potion and using Werebear Form, preparing everything, I stepped inside together, following Xiao Xue and the others.

"Boom——"

Just as the last Guilang's hind leg stepped in, the huge Stone Gate slammed shut. I was startled and my first reaction was to pull out a Town Portal Scroll. I lightly unfurled it by a quarter, and the Scroll immediately began to emit a faint light blue radiance. I quickly put it away again. I breathed a sigh of relief. The Town Portal Scroll still worked, so there shouldn't be any big problem.

Feeling relieved, I began to observe the situation inside. Judging by the scale of things, this should be the last Room on the second level, the so-called boss room. It would likely be guarded by a mini-boss level monster or several Elite monsters, protecting a golden chest.

Unexpectedly, it was just a very large Room. Aside from being unusually large, it had no other distinguishing features. It was like finding only a small stone house where Civilians live at the end of a long, historic, solemn, and magnificent Long Corridor, completely failing to live up to the atmosphere built up by the Long Corridor outside.

The only difference, perhaps, was the beautifully carved stone coffin in the center of the Room.

Could the boss be inside? I was confused, looking at this Stony Tomb up and down. Based on my past experience exploring tombs, opening those Stony Tombs usually caused monsters like Corpses or Mummies to pop out. But this coffin felt different. There was no repulsive aura inside; it felt ordinary, as if just an Ordinary Person was in slumber within an ordinary Stony Tomb.

Impossible, right? If it was just an Ordinary Person, even a rich one, would it really be worth mobilizing such resources to build a Stony Tomb for burial?

I was about to step closer and place my hand on the Stony Tomb, but I found my hand blocked by a layer of transparent magic barrier. What was going on? I felt the barrier with my hand. The barrier didn't seem to be aggressive; it merely blocked things from the outside.

After careful examination, I discovered that this transparent barrier perfectly formed a circle, protecting the entire Stony Tomb and preventing anyone from touching what was inside. After thinking for a moment, I didn't test the barrier's hardness, because I knew absolutely nothing about magic arrays. I had neither the ability nor the free time to break it. And who was buried inside? What did that have to do with me? The most important thing was, what if this was a linked magic array, and destroying the barrier would immediately trigger the mechanism of other magic arrays? Then I would be in trouble.

At the same time, I broke out in cold sweat over my lack of prudence. Actually, if I had observed carefully, I would have noticed that the Floor inside the magic barrier was spotless. Compared to the dust-covered Floor in the surroundings, it formed a very clear circular clean mark. If I had been more careful, I definitely would have noticed that there was a problem here, but I didn't. What if this magic barrier was aggressive? Then I might have just died inexplicably.

Leaving aside this mysterious coffin, I began searching the other Corners. Soon, I found two good things. In an inconspicuous Corner, I discovered a golden chest, and there were no monsters guarding it. It was like a giant pie falling from the sky.

Besides that, not far from the golden chest, there was a stone pillar-like stage shaped like a stove or hearth. From a distance, I could feel a surging, explosive strength contained within it. Combining this with what I had seen in the Bar, I quickly made an assessment: this was a Magic Temple!

OMG, a Magic Temple that had accumulated strength for who knows how many years! How long would its effect last? A month? A year? Or was it a permanent buff? Thinking of this, my heart immediately bloomed with joy.

Should I open the golden chest first, or activate the Temple first? This was indeed a problem. However, I still had some reservations about the golden chest. Based on my luck value, something gained without effort like this felt too strange. It might very well be a super-sized magic trap inside. I'd better check out the Temple first.

Thinking of this, I eagerly stepped forward and began looking at the Temple from all sides. This Temple wasn't like in the game, where there was a clear symbol on top to confirm what type of Temple it was. Instead, I had to make an assessment based on the mark on the Temple itself.

What type of Temple could it be? A Skill Temple would be best. An Experience Temple also seems pretty good...

Stroking my chin, I thought gleefully. Feeling the surging strength inside, I couldn't help but become more excited. It was like accidentally walking into a Dead End with the path behind blocked, and then a conspicuous red button appeared within sight, labeled with the tempting phrase, "Pressing it will cause unexpected things to happen." I believe no Ordinary Person could resist that, right? They would press it without hesitation, hehe...

Anyway, nothing bad should happen with a Temple. After circling it a few times, I took a deep breath. My big hand suddenly pressed down hard on the Temple. Instantly, the immense strength contained within the Temple seemed to find an outlet, surging wildly through the connection point with my palm, and then spreading outwards...

Huh? Huh? Huh——? Shouldn't it be injected into my body?

As that wildly violent strength, accumulated over who knows how many years, surged, several bright red characters gradually appeared on the Temple pillar.

The Spokesperson of Death is approaching——

"Huh?" I was dumbfounded.

(end of chapter)