Chapter 35: 35. Forsaken Souls

Chapter 35: 35. Forsaken Souls

As Orion stepped into the portal, a blinding light flashed, causing him to instinctively hold his hands in front of his eyes.

A moment later, the bright light faded slowly, and Orion opened his eyes. However, what he saw at that moment caused him to question if he had come to the right place.

He saw that there were many—about hundreds—of ghost-like figures in their soul forms, walking and talking in a large rectangular hall. Some were kids like them; some were middle-aged men, while some appeared old.

It appeared to him as though he hadn't walked into some scary temple but into a place filled with people having fun and enjoying their lives.

Looking all around, he saw that all the people's attention was on them at the moment, as they pointed and whispered to each other while looking at them.

However, for some reason, Orion could vaguely see that their faces appeared to be slightly red, and they were grinning at each other as if they were excited about something while looking in their direction.

'Odd.'

Turning his head to the side, Orion saw that others who came with him were also shocked like him. They also hadn't anticipated such a scene when they entered through the portal.

But if anything was unsettling about all of this, it was that all the people here were in their soul forms, yet they hadn't seen any bodies like their own outside of the temple, guarded by a protective barrier.

This made Orion wonder about something.

'Are all these people who couldn't complete the task in seven days and have their souls sealed in the temple?'

As this thought crossed his mind, a shiver ran through his spine.

He couldn't imagine how difficult the task would be if hundreds of people were unable to complete it.

'We also have to do the same task, right?'

Just the thought of having to undertake the same task filled him with despair.

At that moment, three individuals came to the front of Orion's small group.

"As for us three, I am Walric, the guy with the staff is Agnar, and the one who greeted you first is Feran. We were the very first ones to come to this dungeon, but alas, we failed to complete the task. Our bodies should have been eaten by monsters at this point, and as a result, our souls have been trapped here since then."

As Walric spoke, his expression turned grim.

Runo's face also grew grave at his words, realizing the enormity of the task ahead. If hundreds of people before them couldn't complete it, what chances did they have?

At that moment, Orion, who had been curious since they arrived, asked the three of them a question.

"So, what is the task required of us to do?"

Orion's question immediately drew the attention of Runo and the captain of the pirates, who also turned to the three old men for answers.

Of the three old men, it was the one with the staff who answered the question.

"You see that portal you came from?"

He pointed towards the portal shining behind Orion and the others.

Orion turned around, his gaze falling upon the portal they had come through. He was surprised to see that this end of the portal appeared to be made of a pure gold frame, circular in shape, shining with blue light, casting a blue glow over Orion's team.

Seeing everyone's attention on the portal, Agnar continued.

"If you go back now to the portal, you won't be coming out; instead, you will be sent to fight the first guardian of the temple of souls. There are three guardians in total in the temple of souls, and the task required of us is to kill all three guardians."

He paused for a moment, allowing them to digest what he had said before continuing.

"However, it is easier said than done. Of all the people present here, at least everyone has killed the first guardian, while a large group has succeeded in killing the second guardian, but not a single one of us has ever succeeded in killing the third one. It became our darkest nightmare living in the temple of souls."

Agnar still remembered how powerless he felt against the third guardian. At the end of the fight, it even made him feel what true despair was.

Before their fight, he hadn't realized there could be such a disparity in power levels within the same rank. But after the fight, he realized he was only a frog at the bottom of the well.