The group slowly advanced along this new path, and before long they found themselves trapped in a swamp. However, there were quite a few winged individuals in the team, and this obstacle caused no delay at all. The mist at their feet gradually dissipated, and the surrounding trees grew sparse. Besides that, there were many giant beast carcasses lying around, some reduced to ashes by fire, while most had been neatly sliced. A stench of decay permeated the area.

"It seems the giant snake received a warm welcome when it passed through here!" Lynch covered his mouth with a handkerchief and pointed forward with his magic wand, "Over there, that should be the clearing."

Stepping back onto solid ground put everyone at ease, especially for the dwarf Morgan. The gruesome sights along the way had impacted him greatly, possibly making this fervent warrior begin to properly assess the gap between him and his opponent for the first time.

Lynch tapped the ground with his magic wand and quickly discovered an entrance sealed by an iron plate. Morgan pulled on the heavy chain until a staircase leading into darkness was revealed. However, because someone had recently passed through here, the air inside was much better compared to those ancient tombs from millennia ago.

"Let me go down first," Eryies said, "My vision is excellent, and I'm more experienced in exploration than any of you."

"I will closely follow you, milady!" Morgan swung his hammer, "Tell me what to do, and I'll help solve it for you!"

Soka followed behind the two, while Zilvra insisted on staying at the end with Lynch. Just as the mage was about to head down the stairs, Zilvra whispered softly in his ear, "Lynch, what's wrong with your eyes?"

"It's nothing. I can see very clearly now," the mage replied, "This bit of darkness won't affect me."

"No, I trust your dark vision is fine," Zilvra said, "But if your eyes were truly fine, there would be no need for you to tap the ground with your magic wand to find the entrance. I remember you once claimed you could see through any obstacle."

"Whatever you're thinking, I'm fine," Lynch said, "What belongs to me is still mine; what doesn't, it's no loss to lose." He reached out, gripping Zilvra's wrist, "Follow me."

Zilvra bit her lower lip lightly, nodded, and followed by the mage's side.

This passageway seemed to have endured quite a battering, with almost every part of the walls showing signs of damage. Broken arrowheads, crossbow bolts, and spears lay scattered on the ground, while the murals on the walls had all been forcibly stripped away. Except for some mottled remnants, nothing else was left in the passage.

"Folks, I have good news and bad news," Lynch halted the group and carefully observed the surroundings. "The bad news is, all the magic runes that were on the walls have been destroyed, and much ancient spell knowledge may be lost and unrecoverable. The good news is, the giant snake wasn't a mage at all; he didn't use any magical power."

"How do you know that?" Morgan asked, "He can vanish into thin air and evade my attacks mysteriously!"

"That could only be divine arts or some special ability, but definitely not arcane," Lynch pointed to a statue on the wall that was cut in half, "If he were a mage, he would know this is the switch to deactivate the magic trap. Yet he preferred more troublesome and laborious actions. Even if he had confidence in his abilities, he shouldn't risk potentially destroying the entire tomb in such a commotion. I'm certain he's not a mage."

"But there was a mage in his group, Brother Lynch," Soka questioned in confusion, "And he's also an association mage like you!"

"That just means the giant snake didn't trust him and didn't let him come down with him," Lynch replied, "He left the mage behind and didn't want him to discover the relics at the same time. Of course, there's another possibility, that mage didn't tell the giant snake about these things. For some reason, he kept certain facts concealed."

"In any case, these are all to our advantage," Lynch concluded, then prompted everyone to continue forward.

The sound of a waterfall came from ahead, and soon an underground waterfall appeared before the group. The staircase ended, and the road disappeared in front of a deep pool. There was no light here, but something at the bottom of the water glimmered as if stars were hiding inside, sleeping.

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