Chapter 32
The ground shook violently, and the sky wavered as if the world itself was on the verge of collapse. Dust covered everything, and the scent of earth mixed with the awe of the place made every breath heavy.
At that moment, when Rojin touched the mysterious mark š, she found herself clinging to the edge of a giant warrior's helmet, screaming in fear like a small child unsure how they ended up in this predicament.
The giant's eyes suddenly opened, and the place glowed with a green light almost blinding Rojin. As the light gradually faded, silence filled the air, and the dust vanished as if it had never existed.
Rojin opened her eyes slowly, trying to catch her breath as she swayed on her feet:
"Thā¦ this huge thing moved? How?!"
Before she could comprehend, a deep metallic voice boomed:
"Who dares wake meā¦ I am the absolute guardian of the Explorer King's legacy!"
Rojin's heart trembled, curling inward as she whispered in fear:
"This timeā¦ I'm finishedā¦"
But as the giant lifted its head, scanning sharply ahead, it found no one. It looked to the right and left, searching for the intruder, while Rojin clung atop its head, holding her breath. The scene seemed oddly comical, as if a serious giant had lost something in front of it, unaware that it was directly above.
The giant settled again, and Rojin almost thought it was over. But suddenly, red sweeping beams shot from its eyes, rotating a full angle as if searching for every foreign particle.
Rojin's heart froze. She tried to slide slowly down the giant's back to avoid the beamsā¦ but the ray caught her.
"Intruder detected!"
The giant's head spun mechanically, and the dizziness caused Rojin to lose her balance, falling violently and hitting her back against the wall, blood dripping from her mouth.
The giant approached, its deep voice thundering:
"Are you the one who woke me from my slumber?"
Rojin could only vomit from the severe dizziness. The giant's eyes flashed with disgust, its appearance more humanlike than machine-like.
Rojin wiped her mouth with her hand, attempting to stand, and shouted in childish anger:
"Stop repeating the question! Do you think I'm deaf?!"
Then, with defiant curiosity:
"Aren't you supposed to attack me like all the gate guardians we hear about in the stories?!"
To her surprise, the giant did not get angry. Instead, it lifted the corner of its mouth in a faint smile and said calmly:
"Your curiosity is right, little one. If you had gone straight to the door, I would have crushed you long ago. But you did not."
Rojin shivered:
"Thenā¦ why?! And why do you call me a child?! I am not!"
The giant ignored her objection and continued:
"Because you climbed my head and activated the hidden system. This would not have happened without your pressing the hidden button a moment ago."
Rojin waved her hands, shouting:
"What nonsense is this? Too many riddles!"
But the giant's voice became more serious this time:
"You are now inside the Explorer King's tomb. And luckily, by activating both buttons in the corridor and on my head, you triggered the pyramid test system. There is no room for questions anymore."
Rojin raised her hand from her shirt like a small doll, then looked directly into its eyes:
"I see in you the traits of an explorerā¦ endless curiosity and questions that weigh on the mind. I have not seen a challenger with your qualifications for centuries."
Then it hurled her forcefully toward the door. Before she could comprehend what was happening, the door opened automatically, swallowing Rojin before closing again.
The giant whispered in a deep voice:
"Perhaps this is the person I have waited for centuriesā¦ my king."
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Transition to Saman and Selin
In a cozy house after lunch, Selin was lying in home clothes, watching her favorite show on K.NV, laughing between bites of sweets.
Meanwhile, Saman sat at the other end of the room, eyes closed, immersed in the pages of the Book of Souls. He was not in this world, but seemed to float in another realm. The words and symbols on the pages began to glow, rising from the paper and floating before him, intertwining to form a new concept: the method of summoning souls.
The system chimed:
[Ding! Your level increased twice]
[Ding! You gained the Soul Summoning Concept (Level 1 ā Common Category, upgradable)]
[Ding! You gained 20 Power Points]
Saman opened his eyes in shock, joy overflowing his expression, and could not contain himself as he ran to tell Selin.
Selin closed the program, smiling:
"Congratulations, Saman. Wonderful news!"
Excitedly, he replied:
"Thank youā¦ I must thank Eias when he returns. Without him, I would not have understood the book this way."
Selin laughed lightly:
"Just be carefulā¦ Eias boasts a lot. Don't give him a chance to remind you that you're no match for him."
Saman smiled shyly, sweat dripping from his forehead:
"You're rightā¦ but at least I will ask him additional questions."
Suddenly, Selin's tone became more serious:
"Samanā¦ Eias is very sensitive about his privacy. Do not cross the line."
He replied proudly:
"Don't worry. So far, I haven't asked him to honor my challenge. He lost to meā¦ and I will choose the right time to question him."
Selin laughed, then said enthusiastically:
"Then, let's test your new ability!"
Saman sighed:
"I hope so, but summoning requires a special place. I can't do it in the city training grounds. I must wait for a proper floor in the Towerā¦ or go outside the state's borders, which is difficult until I finish the tenth floor."
Selin raised an eyebrow with a confident smile:
"And have you forgotten who I am? I am the Queen of Explorers. Luckily for youā¦ I know the perfect place for your first summon."
The scene ends.
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šļø End of Chapter 32