In Heavenly Bright Moon, secret realms are mostly divided into two types.
The first type refers to the general secret realms that you can enter just by finding the entrance.
These secret realms are generally not very difficult, but the rewards aren’t that great either.
And the second type is the large secret realms, which require you to know the strategy to tackle them.
You would gather information through events, data research, or dialogue events, and you had to overcome trials to find the entrance to these secret realms.
“Phew…”
Naturally, large secret realms aren’t that common in Heavenly Bright Moon.
Whenever there’s an update, if three or four new ones are added, people would say it’s a generous update.
That’s why large secret realms are considered the highlight of each update, with great rewards, and you had to go through a variety of connected events and stories to access them.
But I had no intention of doing all that.
Let’s just grab the important stuff and get out quickly. I know all the methods, so why waste time?
The related rewards are decent, but they don’t have much meaning right now, and I can always do them later when I have time, so it’s not a concern.
“Phew. Is that it?”
I nodded at Sayoon, who was muttering as she wiped the sweat off her brow.
The final trial to enter the Dragon’s Temple was breaking through the Mist of Clouds.
As soon as the trial began, the challenge was to escape from the thick fog, which wasn’t really that hard.
“It’s easier than I thought.”
“Chaeran, your power was significant.”
“Hehe. What are you talking about~?”
Honestly, when the Mist of Clouds activated, I thought it would take some time to break through, but Chaeran was much more capable than I expected.
“How many secret realms have I broken through by now? How could I struggle to find an exit in something like this?”
Since she was very interested in secret realms and legends, passing through a trial like this was nothing for Chaeran.
Thanks to her, I was quite comfortable.
“Ahem.”
“Of course, others struggled a lot too.”
The Mist of Clouds isn’t just a maze-like trial.
The trial itself is alive and tries to devour those trying to escape, and monsters formed from fog attacked us.
But here we have three superhumans and two masters.
Normally, if you went through the regular events, you would receive a medicine called Yeokhongje to help you pass through the Mist of Clouds and deal with the fog monsters.
If you didn’t apply that medicine to your weapons, it would be quite tough to face the fog monsters, but strong is strong.
The power of the superhuman, which erases everything, could not be countered even by the fog monsters.
“I don’t think I was much help.”
As Sayoon muttered regretfully, Hongryeon patted her head.
“Not at all. You helped a lot.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you moving the fastest in the Seobangjin earlier, we managed to escape safely.”
“Right. Thanks to you moving the fastest earlier in the four-sided arena, we managed to escape safely.”
It was when we faced the trial in the so-called four-sided arena.
When challengers took on the trial, they had to move to different positions and find hidden altars to light a fire.
I couldn’t participate this time because if everyone scattered, my weak self wouldn’t be able to hold out.
So, I shared all the methods to pass and waited outside with Chaeran.
And the first one to pass the four-sided arena was Sayoon.
“I just got lucky, that’s all!”
“They say there’s nothing stronger than luck. Maybe you’re under the protection of fortune.”
“Fortune…”
Sayoon glanced at me, and I smiled back. While she was grinning back at me, Chaeran tugged at my sleeve.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Let’s head to Cheongho.”
Because the Dragon’s Sanctuary is at the bottom of Cheongho.
Since we were near Cheongho, it didn’t take long for us to arrive.
We stopped at quite a high place.
Wasn’t this Cheongandae?
Once we reached the high hill overlooking Cheongho, the damp air felt unpleasantly sticky on our skin, unlike usual.
By the way, it’s about time for something to come out…?
I looked around, and Hongryeon asked curiously.
“What are you looking for?”
“Nothing…”
Hmm. Is it because I ignored all the other events to come here?
Normally, when trying to find the Dragon’s Sanctuary by the usual means, there would be disturbances, but oddly, there were no troublemakers.
That’s a good thing.
While there’s stuff to gain from capturing them, it’s not that important.
Let’s just be thankful we can save time without unnecessary setbacks.
I gently patted Hongryeon’s back and stared at Cheongho.
My gaze landed on the center of Cheongho.
It was where the moon in the sky reflected on the lake.
“In the past, the dragon searched for a resting place to ease its weary body. But many were out to hunt the dragon. Especially a tired dragon became good prey for evil monsters. Therefore, those who followed the dragon requested to create a hidden realm for it to rest.”
I pointed to Cheongho.
“There’s only one way to enter there. You have to go find the moon.”
“Finding the moon… How do we do that? We can’t just go up into the sky.”
“There it is.”
The calm lake mirrored the moon like a mirror. As I pointed to the moon being reflected, I turned my gaze to the women watching me.
There was no need to ask if they trusted me.
“We have to go under there.”
“You mean jump in?”
“That’s right. Since ancient times, mirrors have been pathways to unknown realms. Having passed through five trials, we are eligible to enter that mirror.”
“It was also the way to open the space. After going through five trials, we earned the right to enter that mirror.”
The blue lake, reflecting the sky like a giant mirror.
Having gone through five trials, we could pass through the blue lake to reach the dragon’s temple.
“Ah… So that’s why no one has discovered the dragon’s temple,” Chaeran sighed, mumbling to herself.
“They turned the blue lake into a giant mirror as the entrance… Who on earth hid the dragon there?”
“Well, I don’t know that much either.”
I truly didn’t know. Even in Heavenly Bright Moon, they just referred to it as a dragon’s subordinate.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
As I was about to jump, Hongryeon quickly grabbed me.
“Why are you doing that?”
“Because it could be dangerous, so let’s hold hands.”
“Sounds good.”
Chaerin swiftly grabbed Chaejin’s hand.
“Heh. Then I guess I’ll be going this way.”
The Sword Saint lightly settled into my arms.
“…U-umm, should I do something too?”
“Your back is empty! Stick close! Stick close!”
“Kyah!”
Chaeran plastered Sayoon onto my back and took Chaerin’s hand.
Can’t we just jump in? Why are we all merging…?
“What are you doing?”
As the Sword Saint, now snugly wrapped around me, chattered away, I sighed.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
I immediately threw myself in.
Though I jumped into the lake, I didn’t sink. The moment we hit the surface, we were naturally sucked inside.
“…Is that where we are?”
We had clearly jumped into the lake, yet we found ourselves standing in Cheongandae.
There was hardly any difference from where we had just been.
The only thing different was that a massive building now stood in the middle of what had previously been a tranquil blue lake.
“Is that the dragon’s temple?”
“Yes. From here on, it’s a bit dangerous, so stay alert.”
– Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just as I finished speaking, we heard footsteps—thundering, echoing sounds. As the clanging of metal against metal started to resound, Hongryeon placed her hand on the great sword strapped to her back.
“This is the world where the dragon resides. There are guardians who wish to protect the dragon. And those guardians…”
I pointed at the things lurking around the lake.
There were massive iron giants, towering three times my height and resembling beasts five times my size, their red eyes glowing as they moved.
“…Iron giants belong to the level of secret realms… and they’re just wandering around as guardians? We haven’t even gotten to the dragon’s temple yet?”
Seeing Chaeran’s astonished expression, I nodded.
Yes. We haven’t even started yet.
“I told you. Now we need to be cautious.”
The difficulty of conquering the Dragon’s Shrine was considerably high, even in comparison to Heavenly Bright Moon.
As such, it was only natural that formidable enemies awaited us.
“We shouldn’t provoke them unnecessarily, so let’s proceed with caution.”
“By the way, we’ll need a boat to get to that shrine, right…?”
Yeah, we indeed needed a boat.
If we were playing normally, that is.
But with special martial arts…
For example, if one had learned Ice Techniques or Water Walking Skills, it was possible to enter without a boat.
“I believe everyone can handle Water Walking Skills.”
Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Chaerin were sure to be capable.
However, it was a tall order for me, Sayoon, and Chaeran, so we’d have to rely on their help.
With their assistance, we rushed through the clear lake and arrived at the shrine in the center. I couldn’t help but grin at the iron giants that seemed to stare at this place like a dog chasing a chicken from afar.
“Wow… Wow… Elder Sister! Look at that!”
“It’s just a rock, isn’t it?”
“…Look at the architecture. It’s the style of the Cheongho ruins. I thought everything was destroyed beyond recognition…”
“Right, right.”
Grabbing Chaerin’s nape, who was joyfully admiring the surroundings, Chaelin led the way into the shrine. I chuckled while watching them and followed suit.
As soon as we entered the shrine, we found ourselves in a spacious room.
“Pay careful attention to what I’m about to say.”
I explained the strategies for dealing with the enemies that would appear in the Dragon’s Shrine.
Everyone received the information seriously, and once I felt they had grasped it, I pointed to the statues in the room.
“Alright. Now let’s change positions.”
As I directed everyone, I accurately placed the statues in their proper positions. At that moment—
– Boom!
The door we entered through slammed shut. When the Sword Saint glanced back at it, drawing her great sword, the statues faded into shadows, and the door of the expansive room opened, revealing something emerging from within.
“…What is that?”
Even Hongryeon and Chaelin felt a pressure that was enough to make them tense.
With legs as thick as logs, three twisted faces stared at us, and in their six massive hands were a gigantic sword and an axe.
“…Soora.”
Soora. A powerful being so formidable that even Sahyung would feel anxious in its presence stared solemnly in our direction.
Anyone with a weak heart would falter under that gaze.
“Are you afraid?”
The one who answered my question on behalf of everyone was the Sword Saint.
“Why would I be?”
Calmly aiming her sword at Soora, just like Hongryeon, Chaelin, Sayoon, and Chaeran, she said nonchalantly, “You’re here beside us.”
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