Everlast Ruins
"Was there even a romance event between the Guardians?"
Of course not in the original story.
But judging by how things were unfolding, it didn't seem entirely impossible either.
After Tyrbaen's identity-reveal event and Kals's father-son reunion event, maybe…
"Eh, whatever."
Not important right now.
It's not my romance, after all.
Whether they set flags or not, I focused on the path ahead—toward the dungeon.
Beyond the residential district of Aulrax's citizens, at the far edge of an undeveloped zone, stood the entrance to the dungeon.
"The Tomb Ruins of the Ancient Kingdom."
Through the thick underbrush, I could see the entrance half-buried in the vines.
I drew my longsword from my belt and hacked away the foliage, stepping gradually deeper inside.
The entrance leading underground was damp, dark, and smelled of age—
and it looked as unstable as the centuries it had endured.
"Still, this is the honey dungeon every rookie in the Revolutionary Camp has to go through."
Even so, facing the dungeon's gaping maw—a black pit like the mouth of hell itself—
I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
…No, more than a bit.
"Kh-hm."
I steadied my nerves and began my descent, step by cautious step.
Tap, tap.
Thankfully, some of the illumination magic still lingered here and there,
so I didn't need to light a torch.
Even so, it was dark enough that a single misstep could send me tumbling down the stairs.
"In high mountains, in deep valleys… silent hills and snowy fronts… hm?"
I'd been humming an old military tune out of habit when I suddenly stopped.
The stairs had ended—
and before me stretched a new sight within the darkness.
"Whoa…"
It was an enormous gate.
A towering metal door, easily as tall as a five-story building.
This was the main entrance—
the one leading to the central hall of the Tomb Ruins of the Ancient Kingdom.
"Should I… try opening it?"
A reckless curiosity flickered for a second—but I dismissed it immediately.
Even if I could, it wouldn't open.
And beyond that door wandered Guardians averaging level 70.
Unless I were the Marquis of Reut himself, clearing the main course was objectively impossible.
"Instead, my route's this way."
I turned my gaze toward another door swallowed by shadow.
Compared to the massive main gate, it looked almost pitifully small—
but it still stood a good three meters tall.
That was my path this time.
'The Sealed Passage of the Tomb Ruins.'
I wouldn't be able to reach the Relic of the Ancient Emperor, the dungeon's ultimate reward—
but I could obtain the blessings guarded by the Saint Protectors.
It was said that five Saint Protectors once served the Everlast Kingdom:
The Saint of Light and Darkness.
The Saint of Spear and Sword.
The Saint of Bow and Wheel.
The Saint of Hound and Wolf.
The Saint of Shield and Flame.
They were collectively known as the Saints of Light and Shadow (Myung-Am-Seong), Spear and Sword (Chang-Geom-Seong), Bow and Wheel (Gung-Ryun-Seong), Hound and Wolf (Gyeon-Rang-Seong), and Shield and Flame (Pae-Yeom-Seong).
Unlike the current deities worshiped across the continent,
these were ancient divine beings of an entirely different nature.
"I guess you could call them rivals to the modern gods."
It seemed the gods of the past and the gods of the present couldn't coexist.
And the proof of that lay right here.
The five Saint Protectors sleeping within these ruins didn't appear under normal circumstances.
They only awakened under specific conditions—
"When the powers of the two temples on the surface weaken."
In other words, when the divine might of the Eolem Grand Cathedral and the Kishiris Great Temple diminished.
Only during that time would the five Saint Protectors of the ancient kingdom manifest within this dungeon.
And tomorrow's Ritual of the Crimson Wind would create exactly those conditions.
Because to maintain control over the ritual's hunting grounds, both temples would need to expend significant divine energy.
Meaning—right now, this very moment—
was when the five dormant Saints would awaken.
"If I'd gone down the mage route, I'd have gone for the Saint of Light and Darkness without hesitation. But as a gladiator, I should go with the Saint of Spear and Sword."
The Saint of Light and Darkness granted blessings that boosted magical effects,
while the Saint of Spear and Sword strengthened physical combat power.
Unlike divine blessings, these saintly graces didn't require faith to maintain.
As long as you met the conditions, you could keep the benefits indefinitely.
And here, within the Sealed Passage of the Tomb Ruins,
that condition was "below level 30."
Meaning until I hit level 31,
I could retain the Saint's grace anywhere, anytime.
"But only one blessing."
This dungeon could only be entered once—
so I only had one chance to receive a Saint's grace.
Even after deciding on the Saint of Spear and Sword,
I couldn't help but feel conflicted.
"The Saint of Hound and Wolf or Shield and Flame wouldn't be bad either… but for now, I'll focus on physical combat."
Raw power and solid defense—
the two most basic requirements for a gladiator.
Better to master the fundamentals first.
"Phew."
I grasped the handle of the Sealed Passage door and took a deep breath.
"Can I really do this?"
Thinking about it—
this would be my first real battle.
When I leveled up to 9, Kals and Tyrbaen had carried me through the goblin fights.
And my duel with the Marquis of Reut, to get past the Special Knights, hadn't been a real life-or-death battle.
I'd known from the start he couldn't kill me.
"And the ambush on the Black Market?"
I hadn't even drawn my sword then.
I'd relied purely on skill combos to crush those thugs and escape.
And now I was here.
A troubling question rose in my mind.
Could I really pull this off?
Would I survive this dungeon?
"..."
Instead of answering, I simply gripped the handle tighter and pushed the door open.
Creeeeak…
The heavy door swung aside, and faint light began to spill from within.
"Can I really do this?"
…What a ridiculous question.
After sleeping comfortably for a few days, I must've gone soft.
Asking myself if I could do this was meaningless.
"I have to."
No thinking, no doubting—just do it.
Venturing alone into a pitch-black dungeon like this?
Even if it wasn't today, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
This was the world of —
and this was exactly what I used to do in front of a monitor.
The only difference now was that instead of a mouse and keyboard,
I'd be using my own two hands.
Nothing else had changed.
I was still a great gamer.
"Haah!"
With a deep breath, I stepped forward into the dungeon.
Alright. Let's do this.
[A new dungeon has been discovered!
[You have entered the dungeon: "Sealed Passage of the Tomb Ruins."]
[This is your only entry opportunity! Best of luck!]
[Dungeon Objective: Eliminate as many enemies as possible.]
The interior of the dungeon was faintly lit by magical lanterns—
but the intervals between them were wide, leaving much of the corridor swallowed in darkness.
Wandering carelessly here would mean triggering every hidden trap in the place,
and ending up a hedgehog skewered with arrows.
So, I made a torch.
Not just a smoky stick of fire—
but one imbued with magic.
[Consumable] A mana-infused torch crafted by a master's hand.
Emits a powerful, far-reaching light with only a trace of magic power.
In simpler terms—
a super high-grade flashlight.
How'd I get it?
…Obviously, I bought it—with gold.
The reason Kals had such a hard time sneaking past the city guards was because I had too much shopping to do.
Thanks, buddy.
Feeling a little grateful to him, I advanced deeper into the passage.
Typically, a dungeon is made up of three core elements—
a maze, traps, and guardians.
The maze here, in the Sealed Passage of the Tomb Ruins, wasn't particularly complex.
It was an instance dungeon—its layout generated uniquely upon a player's entry—so even I couldn't memorize the structure beforehand.
But still—
"It's just… very simple in design."
A wide hallway stretched straight ahead, with the occasional detour,
but none were long enough to truly get lost in.
In short, it was a maze simple enough that you'd have to try to lose your way.
However—
"That means the other two elements are much deadlier."
First up: traps.
The seemingly straightforward corridors were littered with countless trigger mechanisms.
Pressure-sensitive plates that activated when stepped on.
Tripwires that triggered upon snapping.
And magic-type sensors—engraved circles that reacted to movement itself.
Three kinds of triggers in total.
I crouched, eyeing the cleverly camouflaged pressure plate embedded in the floor.
"The guardians won't appear until later… Maybe I should test these first?"
Why trigger them on purpose?
Because this dungeon had a hidden objective.
"Shed blood by triggering every trap."
A bit gruesome, sure—
but that was one of the hidden conditions I had to fulfill.
And of course, "Defeat as many enemies as possible" was the main one.
Only by achieving both could I earn a perfect clear rating and unlock the secret chamber—
the one where the Five Saint Protectors resided.
Which meant I had to intentionally trigger every trap here
while somehow avoiding a fatal injury.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly and set my foot lightly on the plate.
"Can I really do this?"
That stupid question surfaced again—
and right as it did, I shouted at myself:
"Shut up and just do it!"
And with that, I slammed my heel down on the plate.
At the same instant, I activated a skill.
[Evasion Skill: Request of the Gale]
Ping!
A sharp sound cut through the air as an arrow shot toward me from the left.
But by then, I was already twisting my body halfway aside.
Even I was surprised by the speed of my reaction—
though, of course, it was thanks to the skill, Request of the Gale.
Not perfect, though.
Pfft!
The arrow grazed my thigh before vanishing into the dark.
"Kh…!"
Pain flared belatedly, and I grabbed at the wound in reflex.
Blood welled out fast from the long, clean gash.
"P-Potion!"
I yanked open my inventory and poured a red potion directly over the wound.
My hands trembled from the strange, raw pain.
Thankfully, the wound closed almost instantly—
not even leaving a scar behind.
"Haah…"
Still a bit dazed, I shivered and glanced around the shadows.
There were around a hundred traps in this dungeon.
"You're telling me I have to do this a hundred times?"
Who was the idiot that said "shut up and just do it" earlier?
Yeah, you.
You do it, genius.
Oh wait—that's me.
"…Ugh, I'm starting to feel my sanity split."
Anyway, I got back up.
The pain had faded, and my body had recovered thanks to the potion.
The first time's always the hardest—
after that, you get used to it.
A growing sense of confidence stirred within me.
"Request of the Gale… Not bad."
The new skill was actually pretty solid.
[Evasion Skill] Momentarily entrust your body to the flow of wind,
sharpening perception and enhancing physical reflexes to evade danger.
Can be reused after 15 seconds.
"Yeah… I can feel it."
A faint but distinct sense—
that the skills granted by my cards were becoming part of my own strength.
I needed to get more accustomed to using them.
Their advantages, their limits, their rhythm and timing—
even their micro-details.
"I have to analyze every element and factor them into my calculations."
To make each skill an extension of my body itself.
That was the goal.
"If I can pull that off, I'll be leagues stronger than when I was fumbling with them before."
It was no different from mastering a new weapon—
learning how to wield it properly.
"Three new skills from the C-Rank Mercenary Gladiator class…"
"Plus, the Haeu Sword Style."
I had to make them all completely my own.
"…Alright."
I stared into the dungeon's dim depths.
Time to begin in earnest.