The moment the six companions passed through the second gate, the scorching battlefield disappeared behind them, replaced by a vast underground wilderness that seemed impossible to exist beneath the earth.
Enormous trees stretched toward a ceiling concealed by thick green mist, their twisted roots spreading across uneven ground covered in moss and fallen leaves.
Strange flowers glowed between the trunks, while the distant cries of unseen creatures echoed through the forest. Despite the absence of sunlight, the entire environment possessed an eerie twilight glow.
"Well, this is certainly an improvement," Sage remarked, examining the towering trees. "At least whoever designed these trials understands the importance of scenery. Fighting monsters in the same miserable stone chamber five times would have been terribly disappointing."
Rowan crouched beside a cluster of broken branches, examining the soil beneath them.
