Wade's original version of The Great Hollow had been over a thousand meters tall.
Later, he realized that was far too excessive—enough to terrify any player. No matter how forgiving the fall damage was, no one would survive a drop like that. So, he drastically reduced the height.
Even so, the party's rapid descent barely covered a tenth of the total depth. The remaining distance alone was enough to make their scalps prickle.
The crisscrossing tree roots varied wildly in shape and texture—some smooth like polished stone, others rough and jagged. If you wanted to descend quickly and stay alive, you had to choose every landing spot carefully. Slip on one slick root and "become a Robert," and… well, that would certainly make for an interesting obituary.
Honestly, if they weren't rushing, going down root by root wouldn't have been that bad. Sure, one wrong move meant instant death, space was tight, and monsters left little room to dodge—but from above, ambushes were rare.
For those with a knack for jumping, The Great Hollow was arguably far more comfortable than the Undead Burg.
As for the monsters lurking here—
"Not these things again!?"
This time, Stella led the descent. She landed hard on a thick root, about to call back to the others—when three shadowy figures lunged out of the darkness.
She caught a glimpse of them and instantly broke into goosebumps.
Basilisks.
Of course. Everyone knew The Great Hollow was crawling with Basilisks.
The entire upper half of the Hollow teemed with them. Sometimes, standing on a root, you could hear their distorted croaks echoing up from the black abyss below—adding yet another layer of dread to the descent.
Almost every jump brought them face-to-face with more of the creatures. Stella was sweating nonstop. These things haunted her almost as badly as Crucible Knights—or Wobbuffet.
Luckily, after so many battles, the team had plenty of experience handling them. The creepy little monsters could be a nuisance, sure—but nothing serious.
Halfway down, however, tension flared.
The reason—
"I'm going for that glow," said Melga, her eyes fixed on a bright white light shining from a nearby root. Her tone was resolute.
Glowing loot—irresistible to adventurers.
"It's too dangerous. Leave it for next time," Perry warned.
"I know what I'm doing." Melga shook her head. She hadn't gained a single worthwhile item this whole expedition—she couldn't go back empty-handed.
Her mission didn't allow her to.
"And besides, doesn't that spot look perfect?" She pointed toward the light.
It did. The glow rested at the edge of the Hollow, where several massive roots intertwined into a wide platform. A dark tunnel yawned nearby—who knew what was inside?
Worst case, just monsters. She could handle that.
With that thought, Melga leapt. Her superb control over her body let her land safely—barely. Half her foot hung off the edge. One slight tremor and—
Rumble…
A strange noise reverberated through the air. A huge, round shape covered in blue crystals suddenly burst out of the tunnel, charging straight at her!
Melga sneered, bending her knees as she prepared to vault upward. She'd dodge it easily.
"The trajectory's obvious. What a cheap trap."
Except—things never went as planned.
The "ball" slammed into the ground, bounced, and shot straight up in front of her!
"Eh?"
Her smirk froze. The thing wasn't a ball—it was a gigantic lizard curled into a sphere.
[Crystal Lizard(Dark Souls)]
[Mana Required per Unit: 100]
[Overall Combat Rating: D–]
Uh oh. She was screwed.
Before anyone could react, the Crystal Lizard body-slammed Melga clean off the platform. Together, they plummeted into the abyss.
The whole squad fell silent.
Then Stella snorted.
"Heh. That's what you get for underestimating a Dungeon."
She'd died here more times than she could count—she'd earned the right to say that.
In truth, she felt… oddly satisfied. Not because her annoying sister had fallen, but from that petty thrill only a veteran could feel—watching an overconfident newcomer get blindsided to death by the Dungeon's cruelty.
Melga was gone. But the expedition pressed on.
Everyone grew much more cautious, scanning for traps and ambushes before every move. From afar, they even spotted Bigmouth Imp Ashes skulking among the roots.
The deeper they went, the more vibrant the scenery became. The barren roots above gave way to lush, glowing greenery—almost beautiful.
And here, they encountered new monsters.
"These mushroom guys look pathetic," Maru muttered, eyeing the creatures wandering an open clearing below.
They looked like mushrooms with arms and legs, wearing vacant, dopey expressions. Even the largest of them didn't look threatening.
[Mushroom Parent (Dark Soul)]
[Mana Required: Confidential]
[Overall Combat Rating: Confidential]
Maybe the weakest monsters in the whole dungeon?
"I'll handle them," Terl declared, leaping down. He kicked a small Mushroom Parent flat, then plowed through the others like they were nothing.
Then, one of the larger Mushroom Parents lumbered forward, raising a massive fist.
"Just a mushroom? Bring it!"
Terl's orc blood surged. He didn't even dodge—he went for a direct trade.
Thud!
Terl crumpled instantly.
Even the stoic Knight's eyes widened.
"How the hell does a mushroom punch that hard!?"
In the end, they had to cheese it—sniping the mushrooms from the safety of the upper roots, arrow by arrow.
Damn cheating outlanders.
Thanks to Perry's desperate healing, Terl narrowly avoided a trip back to the resurrection room. But he limped for the rest of the way, and every time he glanced at the mushrooms, terror flickered in his eyes.
Time passed. Finally—finally—the team reached the bottom.
To their surprise, the lowest level wasn't made of roots at all, but barren stone. It looked more like a mining cavern than part of the Hollow.
And there it was: the long-awaited bonfire, glowing serenely in the clearing. The moment they saw it, relief washed over them.
But something else caught their eyes.
A colossal corpse lay beside the flame.
A dragon's corpse.
Time had turned it entirely to stone. Its cause of death was obvious—a massive spear pierced straight through its skull.
The spear, too, had fossilized—no hope of looting it. But beside it hovered a faint, purple glow.
"A reward?"
This run's MVPs were undoubtedly the three spellcasters. After a brief discussion and a round of dice rolls, Drew stepped forward to claim it.
Another page.
[Miracle: Sacred Oath]
[Usable only by those chosen by the Sun's Oath.
Strengthens courage and might when standing beside companions.
A tale interwoven of the Eldest Son of the Sun, his sworn knights, and the dragonslaying swordsman—together forging the grandest legend of slaying dragons.]
The moment Drew touched it, his mind was pulled into a vision.
He saw the Sun's Eldest Son—like a god incarnate—thrust his spear through the body of an ancient dragon. He saw the dragonslayer cutting through his enemies one after another. He saw heroes brimming with divine strength and blazing spirit.
And at the end—like stumbling across a hidden easter egg—he glimpsed a golden figure clad in leonine armor, flanked by three knights.
When Drew returned to himself, his whole body trembled.
It took ages for him to calm down enough to describe what he'd seen—but even then, words failed to capture that mythic grandeur.
Leon and the others listened in awe. Stella, however, frowned in thought.
The Eldest Son of the Sun… he appeared in the tale of the Lightning Stake. And that shattered statue atop the Sun Altar—it might not have been Gwyn after all, but the Sun's Eldest Son himself.
Just who was he, in the Age of Ancients? What deeds had he performed? Her curiosity burned.
"Quick, light the bonfire!" she urged. She couldn't wait to see if this one held another vision.
Leon's eyes went distant as he murmured,
"All these stories point to one thing—the Age of Fire was the greatest age. The brightest. Heroes carved their names into eternity, forging legends that still echo today…"
Finally, he whispered,
"The Age of Fire will never end, right? Maybe our world still burns because that flame hasn't yet gone out."
The Fire Priest nodded fervently, even inviting Leon to join the Church of Fire as a bishop.
The Holy Light Knight still frowned—but this time, he didn't dare kick the bonfire.
Yearning for the glory of a bygone age, the party gathered around the flame and lit it.
The old voice returned.
But unlike before, it wasn't bright or triumphant—it carried a heavy, solemn tone.
Something almost… eerie.
A chill ran through everyone's hearts.
And the first words of the vision dropped like a bomb:
"But the fire will one day fade. And when it does… only darkness will remain."