Divine Essence Holy Herb (II)

Deeper inside the forest, as we ventured further into the inky darkness, Arthur's arachnophobia began to get the best of him. Every rustle of leaves or unseen movement in the shadows sent him into a panic.

"Spider! Spider!" Arthur would scream every time he thought he saw something move, causing me to stop abruptly and turn to him, growing more frustrated with each false alarm.

"Arthur, for the love of all that's sacred, calm down!" My voice grew strained as I tried to contain my irritation. "We can't keep stopping like this. You're seeing spiders everywhere!"

Arthur, trembling with fear, stammered, "I...I can't help it. I just can't stand those...those creepy crawlies." 

Frustration and disappointment overcame me. My palm met my forehead, and I shook my head, a silent expression of my vexation.

'How the fuck was this person my favorite side character?' 

I couldn't help but think that the once character I thought was cool is now like this.

If someone had told me before that the greatest spy, Arthur, the cold but cool character was like this in his twenties, I would have smacked their head. But the reality is often disappointing, I guess.

"Arthur, follow me."

But then, "Finally," Just as my patience was wearing thin, I spotted a waterfall nearby. A flicker of hope ignited in me. I turned to Arthur and told him to follow me.

As we approached the waterfall, Arthur couldn't help but ask. "Wow, Young Master, where are you going?"

"We're going inside the waterfall."

"Inside the waterfall? Why on earth?"

"But-"

I stepped into the cascading water before he could voice any more questions.

Without a second thought, he rushed to follow, eager to discover what lay beyond.

"To think there'd be a cave here..." Arthur muttered, examining the walls of the cave.

Following me, Arthur muttered under his breath, "What if there are spiders or ghosts in there? Or, worse, a boogeyman waiting to snatch us away?"

'Seriously? Ghost, Boogeyman. He still believes in this stuff.'

As we ventured deeper into the cave, we came across an old stone pillar, its surface covered in thick, creeping vines. Arthur couldn't resist the temptation to reach out and touch it, curiosity getting the best of him.

"A pillar, huh? How old is this?" he wondered aloud, running his fingers along the rough stone surface.

"Arthur, could you use your aura," I asked him, as I couldn't see clearly in the dark.

Arthur unsheathed his sword and started pouring mana into it and soon the sword started gleaming with yellowish hue.

Just beside the pillar was a gate.

It was the next path to explore. The gate appeared old and covered in intricate designs that hinted at a hidden history.

"Let's go."

As I cautiously pushed the old, weathered door open, it emitted a creaking sound that echoed through the cavern, like the groan of a forgotten era.

Now that the door was wide open, the huge open interior revealed itself. Arthur and I hurriedly went in.

As soon as we set foot inside, flames erupted on the numerous torches packed tightly on the walls, all at the same time. Thanks to that, the interior brightened up considerably.

"What's the heck? The lights came on by themselves?"

The interior was nonsensically huge. The chamber was shaped like a giant dome. It was as large as several football fields put together – no, maybe it was even bigger than that.

However, one couldn't help but feel that it was still inadequate.

The reason for that was rather obvious.

"Wow."

Shocked gasps leaked out from Arthur.

On the walls, countless torches could be found there. And in front of these walls, more stone statues, slightly taller than a human being, stood tall and unmoving. There were lots of them here as well, found at a certain distance from one another.

And in the middle was a chest.

"What the...?" 

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but exclaim. How could I not?

I haven't read anything about the statues being here.

Was this because I came nine years early?

"…...."

"What is this-"

-SLAM!!

As soon as Arthur took a step further, the door behind, that they had come in closed with a slam.

"What, what was that?!"

And then a strange voice resounded.

[Defeat all the Ossidians, the Protectors, and clear the trials of Panacea.]

"The Ossidians...?"

As we gazed at the eerie spectacle, a subtle, eerie hum filled the chamber, growing louder with each passing moment. It was as though the statues were coming to life, and the very air around us seemed to crackle with supernatural energy.

The stone statues began to move. Slowly, their stony features shifted, revealing hidden mechanisms and gears. It became apparent that these statues were not mere sculptures but intricate automatons.

"Are they saying... we're supposed to defeat all these guys?"