It was an unusual sight. The fact that I managed to find myself here was unusual as well, but the sight before me was even more unusual than that. It was like I was staring at a kaleidoscope of artificial lights.


    The scene reflected before my eyes was a desolate space, but one thing I was sure of was that all of this looked extremely holy. It wasn’t the same as the temples outside, but this place felt like a temple.


    I saw an altar of unknown purpose and props that looked like they were used for religious ceremonies. That was all I could see in this empty space, but the place felt holy rather than empty.


    There weren’t murals or statues depicting legendary figures, and the lights looked like decorations that were used to make this space stand out.


    The iron maiden stood tall, and it was the strangest prop among all the props here.


    Why was a torture device like that standing in the center of this place?


    No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t a normal sight.


    To make things worse, it was releasing a radiant light, making my jaw drop without realizing it. The artificial light around it was different. The radiant light was strangely warm and cozy. Despite what it looked like on the outside, this space was extremely…


    It was probably because this was a brand-new sight to me.


    I unknowingly stepped back and heard a .


    It was a feeling I felt many times on the battlefield, and it was a nauseating feeling.


    When I looked down, I saw a red puddle on the ground. I noticed it just then—the large cavern was covered in blood. The floor was so red that I’d believe it if someone were to say that I was staring at a shallow lake of blood. Interestingly, the air had no rusty smell, but I still couldn''t understand why it took me so late to notice all the blood.


    In addition, the air smelled sweet.


    This was all I could hear in this place.


    “Where… am I?”


    I suddenly found myself here, so I probably got myself caught up in a trap, or I could have discovered an easter egg. If I were right, then it was highly likely that the other expedition members would soon arrive here.


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    The hidden boss was probably inside that iron maiden.


    It seemed different from the other bosses we had encountered so far here at the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary, but it didn’t mean that the expedition group had no way of releasing the seal.


    If I were to open that iron maiden, a hidden boss would most likely appear, and the raid would begin. Technically, I had to wait for the other members or find a way to bring them to this room. I was strong, yes, but a raid with no information and comrades was a bit too much for me.


    I was sure that was the right thing to do, and Saint Altanus would agree with me. Despite that, I couldn’t help but keep walking toward the place that was definitely dangerous.


    I could hear a faint voice from it, and it sounded like the voice I often heard in my dreams. Moreover, the radiant light from the iron maiden spread like smoke and transformed into humanoid figures.


    It was an interesting sight. The lights were moving and creating figures on their own. The figures moved and spoke as if they were in a play. They talked with each other, cried, and laughed.


    At some point, figures made out of light were all around me.


    The two were talking. One of them was being sarcastic, while the other was struggling. Interestingly, one of the figures resembled me a lot. No, I heard my name, so I was sure it was me. A figure who looked like me was talking to a faceless figure.


    It looked like I was looking at my ordinary daily life. We''d exchange gifts and…


    We''d eat together.


    Or we''d just have ordinary conversations…


    They were stories about us riding our griffons together or going shopping. We’d drink tea, open festivals, and laugh. However, I wasn’t the only figure made by the light. It’d be nice if it was just all in my head, but it felt like all the Holy Knights were here.


    “


    Jung Ha-Yan…


    Park Deok-Gu…


    Jo Hye-Jin…


    Sun Hee-Young…


    I heard voices everywhere.


    They gathered at a large table and talked, drank, and sang.


    They were rowdy, and it was probably because of the dancing Ye-Ri.


    They seemed to be really enjoying themselves.


    They laughed while clapping, clinked glasses, and started talking about the things they normally talked about. Miss Elena, who was sipping on her cup, looked like she was talking about the Elf Kingdom with Yoo Ah-Young.


    I took a step forward, and the scenery changed.


    The faceless figure was on the terrace with me and was drinking coffee while watching people train. I was sure that was part of their daily life. They''d raise their hand slightly to greet people and call out their names. They''d go out to eat with other people and have conversations that I couldn’t quite understand.


    When I stepped forward once more, the scenery changed again.


    I could see the sunset. I wasn’t sure where I was, but I was looking at two people who were staring at the sunset. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but the faceless figure seemed like they were smiling.


    I stepped forward, and the scenery changed again.


    I stepped forward, and the scenery changed again.


    I stepped forward, and I saw the iron maiden.


    The iron maiden was crying tears of blood.


    Blood spilled out of it as I stared at the figure that the light had created.


    I knew I wasn''t supposed to open it, and I knew that this was a risky adventure.


    However… my hand reached out toward it, even though I knew that I couldn''t do this.


    I was reacting to it without realizing it.


    I put some strength into my arms, and I opened it without any hiccups.


    A creaking noise echoed, and the door seemed to open automatically.


    “Who is it…”


    There was a figure whose figure was covered in a red hue. The figure''s body was riddled with holes in a variety of sizes, and there was blood flowing out of the holes.


    It was such a horrible sight that I couldn’t describe it with words. I thought I had witnessed all sorts of disasters and grisly scenes after years of living in this ruthless continent, but the sight before me was such a cruel sight that it couldn’t be compared to those things.


    I couldn’t see clearly, and my head felt like it was spinning.


    “Who… the hell… are you…”


    I could hear the thorns falling off their figure.


    It felt like the grotesque noises were telling me about how long it had been since the thorns had pierced their figure. The figure fell forward weakly. I tried to catch them, but I took a step backward. There was a , and they fell to the ground.


    The figure rolled on the ground as if it were a puppet that had lost its strings.


    And…


    “”


    “”


    “”


    “...”


    “...”