A few minutes earlier, Fryne had lost sight of the lowly member she had restrained and planned to torture. Her frustration simmered, but she swiftly moved towards the source of the enormous, concentrated mana—an overwhelming, terrifying amount. Her senses tingled with the potency of the energy ahead. Upon arrival, she witnessed one of the old sages locked in a fierce battle with Duncal.

Without hesitation, Fryne joined the fray. She cast a sharp disc of ice, making it spin at great speed before releasing it, aiming it directly at the sage. The sage, engrossed in his duel with Duncal, failed to sense the attack. The icy disc sliced through his leg effortlessly, sending it flying through the air.

"Tsk... I missed," Fryne muttered in disdain, her eyes narrowing in irritation.

The sage, undeterred by the loss of his limb, retaliated with a ferocious gust of wind, powerful enough to lift everyone off their feet momentarily. Seizing this opportunity, he enveloped his staff with earth magic, transforming it into a spear. With a swift motion, he propelled himself towards Fryne using wind magic, aiming a deadly slash at her neck. To ensure his success, he added another layer of magic—an invisible wind blade trailing behind the spear. The spear reached Fryne's skin, the wind blade following closely, cutting halfway through her neck.

"Oh no... I'm dead..." she thought, her mind racing with the finality of the blow.

Suddenly, the wind dispersed, vanishing as if it had struck an invisible barrier. "Lady Fryne, please fix yourself," the old man who accompanied Duncal said, his hand moving in a strange, arcane manner. Fryne fell to her knees as blood gushed from her wounded neck. She quickly pressed her hand to the wound, freezing her skin to prevent further blood loss. Her vocal cords were damaged, rendering her mute for the time being.

"I'm disappointed, Lady Fryne, to think you're one of the Guardians," the sage spoke, his voice dripping with contempt. Fryne wanted to scream at him to just drop dead but couldn't because of her wound.

Meanwhile, deep in the dungeon, I sat idly, contemplating a way to open a mysterious door. I should have been looking for an escape, but the thought of running through a maze of doors again seemed pointless. I was convinced that there was something valuable behind this enchanted door, something not mentioned in the fifty-plus dungeons I had explored in the game or the novel.

I pushed against the door with all my might, but after a few minutes, I gave up and left, facing the labyrinth of doors once more. After passing through many doors, I stumbled upon a strange room. There were angel and demon statues facing each other, and petrified Guardian members. Their clothes were withered and tattered by time, but their flesh was rock solid, their petrified faces frozen in fear and agony. Quickly, I left the room, horrified by the sight.

As I ran, the dungeon shook violently, causing parts of the walls to collapse. Soon, the shaking subsided, but the loud clashing sounds still reverberated through the walls. I wondered why I hadn't encountered any Guardian members. In such a vast place, their absence was eerie and unsettling. Perhaps they had all converged where the old sage was battling against Duncal and whoever had thrown that ice.

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Continuing to run, my question was answered. I entered a narrow passage that could barely fit an adult and found myself in a room with a giant eye staring down. Many Guardian members were floating towards it, and those who reached the eye seemed to be absorbed by it.

"I don't recognize this monster. What is this?" I wondered, my heart pounding.

Hearing rushing footsteps, I quickly ran away, knowing that hiding in the shadows wouldn't help with my glowing body. The Guardians were carrying multiple boxes that seemed important, placing them in a magic circle. After filling the circle, they chanted something, and the items disappeared.

'Must be teleport magic' I thought.

I continued my search for a way out, irritated by the endless rooms and doors. The instant I saw a staircase leading upward, I climbed it, despite not knowing what awaited above.

Entering another chamber, I found more petrified Guardians and strange, ancient artifacts.

Then, suddenly, something moved in the shadows, hiding behind the petrified statues of the guardian members.

I couldn't make out what it was; I only saw something shifting but couldn't tell if it was human or a monster.

Curiosity urged me to investigate, but fear of danger won out. I left the chamber.

Once again, I faced a dead end.

A vast chasm separated me from the other side.

I tried peering over the edge to gauge its depth, but there was nothing below except darkness.

I picked up a large chunk of rock and hurled it into the abyss.

I waited. Twelve seconds later, a distant crash echoed back.

"Yeah, no," I muttered, stepping back. It was deeper than I had imagined.

I resumed my search, eventually finding more doors.

I had been running for so long, yet I didn't feel tired.

I found myself in a much larger chamber, with a gate frame situated further ahead, facing the door.

Behind the frame was a staircase leading upwards. I rushed towards it, running ahead, and as soon as I passed through the frame, the light in my body died.

Its lingering flame quickly dissipated into the air.

"What?" I exclaimed in shock. The surge of power I had been relying on vanished, leaving me feeling utterly normal. But I didn't care—I continued to run, pushing my body to its limits.

Fatigue began to set in, my breathing grew labored. I paused briefly to catch my breath, then continued up the stairs.

As I climbed, the faces of those imprisoned in the dungeon below flashed through my mind. I didn't have the strength to go back, nor did I know the way.

If I saw a kitten drowning, I would save it without hesitation. But in the face of danger, I seemed to forget everything around me. My heart ached with guilt.

Finally, I reached the last step, a smile spreading across my face.

"There it is... Just a few more steps," I whispered to myself. I could see the bright noon sunlight illuminating the entrance.

But my body was giving out, barely holding onto consciousness. A child's body is ridiculously weak.

It was just one long staircase, and I was drained.

I crawled slowly, leaning against the walls for support, forcing myself to move forward.

"Fulgur," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

My body slumped to the cold floor once more. Maybe a few minutes of rest would revive me. My knees hurt the most.

I didn't know what happened next. My eyes involuntarily closed, and I lost consciousness.

When I awoke, I didn't know how long it had been. I found myself lying on a flat plate of earth, hovering above the trees in the forest. The sage sat beside me, watching over me silently.