The grove didn’t look like it belonged anywhere on the map.

  Kaiden and Naō stood at the southern edge of Cindralis, the glowing waypoint crystal flickering behind them. Beyond the path, where lush plains once stretched into low hills, the world had twisted into something else entirely.

  Charred grass gave way to brittle moss. Trees curved unnaturally inward, their branches knotted like skeletal fingers. The air buzzed with an invisible pressure, like a wire drawn taut between their temples.

  [Zone Entry: Grove of Withering Silence]

  A low fog clung to the ground. The light overhead dimmed unnaturally, though the sky remained clear. Each step deeper felt like walking through water, like the world itself resisted them.

  “This doesn’t feel like a zone,” Naō muttered. “It feels... off somehow.”

  Kaiden nodded, eyes narrowing as he tapped the edge of his scythe against a gnarled root.

  They moved cautiously.

  Motes of luminescent pollen floated through the air like fireflies. When Naō stepped too close to a fungal patch, it hissed and released a small burst of mist. His system pinged: [Status: Vision Flicker - 5 sec].

  “Ambient effects,” he said, blinking rapidly. “That’s new.”

  Just then, something darted between the low brush. A spindly creature on too many legs, its body covered in jagged spores.

  [New Enemy: Rotspore Jackal]

  The jackal lunged at Kaiden, fangs split with glowing purple mold.

  [-22 LP]

  Kaiden grunted and spun his blade. “Draw it back!”

  Naō flanked left, hurling a Corrosive Draught. The vial exploded against the jackal’s hind legs.

  [DEF -10% (x1)]

  Kaiden’s next strike cut through the creature with ease.

  [Enemy Defeated]

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  More jackals burst from the brush. Three. Five. Eight.

  “They multiply in fog,” Naō realized. He reached into his pouch. “Switching loadout.”

  A vial shattered on the ground between them, releasing a sulfuric mist that cleared a ten-foot radius. The fog recoiled.

  [New Skill: Mistbreaker Draught Activated]

  [Fog Dispelled: Local Zone]

  The jackals shrieked and scrambled back into the trees.

  Kaiden stared at Naō. “New skill?”

  Naō shrugged. “Crafting bonus. Guess the game rewards genius.”

  [Naō has leveled up to Level 6!]

  LP: 130

  SP: 90

  ATK: 22

  DEF: 18

  DEX: 18

  AGI: 26

  INT: 28

  WIS: 29

  They moved forward again, stepping carefully through narrow fungus-covered paths. The deeper they went, the more surreal it became.

  A tree had grown upside-down into the ground. A stone bore the mark of both Seelie and Unseelie crests but cracked down the middle. And tucked beneath a half-rotted log, a scrap of parchment flickered with a faint red rune.

  [Unseelie Record Acquired]

  We do not bend like the Seelie. We devour the death of suns, and we bloom in their rot.

  Naō frowned. “That... doesn’t sound like flavor text.”

  Kaiden’s fingers gripped the Photosphere, now warm to the touch.

  Before long, they reached a clearing. The ground ahead was scorched and warped into a crude spiral. In its center stood a tree altar with no leaves, just hollowed bark and veins of glowing purple.

  Then the ground cracked open.

  [Dungeon Discovered: Chamber of the Hollowed Pact]

  Suggested Party Size: 2+

  Recommended Level: 10+

  Entering will lock this instance.

  Kaiden exhaled. “This doesn’t feel like a temple.”

  Naō slid his last vial into place.

  “Feels like a trap,” Kaiden finished.

  They stepped forward anyway.

  [Updated Stats]

  Kaiden (Nyte)

  Level: 10

  LP: 225/225

  AP: 150

  ATK: 48

  DEF: 32

  DEX: 34

  AGI: 55

  INT: 24

  WIS: 18

  Photosphere State: Active

  Photosphere Skills: Spore Resistance 3/3 (Full Passive Immunity)