Chapter 524 – Setting Up.

Below, the staircase opened into a massive chamber, the architecture ancient yet eerily preserved. Pillars carved with intricate runes and skeletal motifs lined the edges of the room, reaching up to support a high rocky ceiling. The air shimmered with latent mana, thick and almost oppressive. At the far end, a massive set of double doors loomed, adorned with the same skull motifs Roland had seen earlier. These, however, were encased in obsidian, and a faint red glow pulsed from the runes engraved upon them.

As Roland entered the massive chamber, his boots echoed faintly against the polished stone floor. Agni padded silently beside him, his flames dimmed in response to Roland’s cautious demeanor. This floor was vastly different from the winding corridors and smaller rooms he had explored earlier. It was a grand, cavernous expanse quite similar to the open lava area in the old dungeon.

His visor began analyzing the surroundings, projecting faint outlines of the room’s hidden intricacies. The chamber was divided into distinct sections, with five towering structures dominating the space – Aztec-like temples resembling those from the earlier floors, but grander and more ornate. Each temple bore a distinct color and glowing symbol at its apex, matching the ones inscribed above the ominous obsidian doors at the far end.

“Those temples, do the colors matter?”

Roland murmured while looking at his display. His drone was flying close to the ceiling and scanning the whole area. He could directly see the altars on top of those temples and each one had a strangely shaped block there. Each one was coted in a different energy pattern that illuminated the top area.

The closest structure was the Red Temple, pulsing with fiery energy. Its walls were adorned with intricate carvings of flames and molten rivers, and the symbol above it was shaped like a blazing sun. Even from this distance, Roland could feel the residual heat radiating from it.

Not far away, on the opposite side, stood the Blue Temple. It radiated an aura of tranquility yet undeniable power. Its carvings depicted cascading waterfalls and flowing waves, and the glowing symbol above it resembled a droplet frozen in mid-fall.

‘I see the pattern here. The next ones should be green for the wind element and brown for the element of earth. But then there’s the last one… black. Does it represent the element of darkness?’

At the far end stood the Black Temple, ominous and foreboding. Its carvings portrayed shadowy figures and spiraling voids that seemed to draw the eye into their depths. Behind it loomed a large staircase leading to massive, gate-like doors. Using his drone, Roland observed a mechanism embedded in the ground near the doors.

“I get it. I probably need to gather all the elemental blocks to activate the mechanism and open the door. Classic dungeon design. But it might not be that straightforward – maybe the order of solving the puzzles matters. Or placing the blocks incorrectly could trigger a trap.”

Roland sighed softly. These kinds of puzzles were a hallmark of dungeon architecture, and the design of the earlier temple on the upper floor hinted at potential dangers. While the mechanisms appeared different, there was a strong possibility that making a mistake could unleash an avalanche of monsters. Perhaps even now, more creatures were hidden within the walls, lying in wait for any unfortunate soul who failed this level’s challenge.

‘If I manage to solve this and sell the information to the guild, they’ll probably reward me’

“Awoo?”

Roland blinked and glanced to his side.

“Oh, sorry, Agni. I got lost in thought.”

Agni, his loyal companion, had plopped down at the entrance to the floor, his tail wagging lazily. But it seemed the wolf was growing bored of waiting. Roland had been releasing more drones into the area, scanning every corner while Agni had nothing to do.

“Hm… You might be a little under-leveled for this area”

“Woof?!”

Roland chuckled as Agni barked in indignation as if the comment had wounded his pride. However, a glance at some of the creatures crawling through the dungeon and Agni’s current stats told Roland his assessment was probably correct.

While his wolf companion, Agni, was leveling up quickly, it would still take some time for him to catch up to Roland’s own level, which was nearing two hundred. The monsters in this area were similarly high-leveled, hovering close to his own range. Even though they were vulnerable to holy mana, there was still room for complications.