Chapter 172 - Episode 172: Temple Of Gloom.

I go to the south of the desert and beyond. The Temple of Gloom is not that far after I leave the desert, so I should be able to see the Temple of Gloom soon. Back then, after I tried many times to enter the Land of Sigrid and couldn't get past through the guardian, I left the entrance rather than killing myself, and when I left, I was standing in front of the Temple of Gloom. I did try it over and over to make sure I got teleported to the same spot and place, and I was right, so I believe that's the only entrance to the Land of Sigrid. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my way back into the Land of Sigrid because I think the reason why I couldn't enter the Land of Sigrid was that I didn't have the [Hero] title on me back then. Now that I have the [Hero] title, I hope I can find the entrance.

Now I'm leaving the desert area and entering the Dead Land. There's nothing in this area other than dead trees and mud. This place looks like a place where witches are live in the movies. The white mist is blocking my view from above so I have to go down and explore the area on foot. Azrael and I are walking in the dead forest where so many glowing eyes animals and monsters are staring at us. I'm not concern about those monsters that are lurking in here since this place is not that dangerous and most of them are not aggressive, so I can explore the area without having to fight them.

I look at Azrael and I just realize that his skin is glowing in the dark and it's really convenient for me. We are walking deeper into the forest and then we see a concrete path that is covered by dirt in front of us. This concrete path will lead me to the Temple of Gloom. The further we are in the forest, the quieter the forest is. There are no longer monsters or animals that are staring at us, and there are only bats and crows on top of the dead trees around us.

The mist is thickened and starts to block my view. I can only see a meter from where I'm standing. Using the [Eyes of the Moon] won't help since I can't see through the mist. I'm trying to squint my eyes and I can see a bit better. I see a wall in front of us and that's exactly where I need to go. We both are walking around the wall to find the entrance.

We are standing in front of a huge fence gate. I look at Azrael.

"Az, there's a monster that will guard the entrance as soon as we open the gate. I want you to take care of it."

Azrael nods.

"Yes, master. Leave it to me!"

I nod and then open the gate. As soon as the gate is opened, a massive mace is striking the ground in front of us. Azrael is startled and immediately growl and fly toward the guardian. The monster is a Zombie Ogre, and his level is 750. Even though his level is very high, he's very weak to all elements but immune to physical damage. His movements are very slow so even a newbie can easily dodge his attacks. This Zombie Ogre will spawn immediately after he got defeated, so we are going to get inside as soon as possible so we won't be fighting him again. The reason why he spawns immediately is that he's the guardian of the gate and he doesn't have any EXP on him when we defeat him.

I grab my spellbook and staff to buff Azrael. I'm also trying to weaken the Zombie Ogre so Azrael can defeat him easily while I'm also experimenting with new spells.

[7492]

[7958]

[15.202]

[15.571]

...

...

...

[Zombie Ogre Guardian has been defeated!]

[0 EXP gained!]

[You already reached max level]

I look at Azrael.

"Let's go."

Azrael then follows me from behind. We are entering the Temple of Gloom and looking around the area. The spot that I was teleported has twin pillars and a huge building behind it that is surrounded by dead trees, but for some reason, I can't find the building. I keep looking around with the mist blocking my view while Azrael is checking the other side of the area. I vaguely remember that the building should be near me, but the building is not here. The worse part is that even though I have explored the right side of the temple, there's nothing in here and I'm already standing near the wall, and the place I'm standing has no buildings around me. Azrael comes back and he didn't find the building I'm looking for as well. We both then decide to explore the whole temple and search for the building together.

An hour has passed and we couldn't find the building that I'm looking for.

I'm sitting on the fallen pillar while Azrael is eating the enchantment stones. I'm trying to remember what I'm missing, but I'm confident that this is the right place because the Zombie Ogre was there as well guarding the entrance back when I was playing with Becker. The buildings that are here right now are the same as when I was here back then, the difference is just that the buildings on that right side of the Temple of Gloom are not there anymore.

I look up at the sky and humming.

"It's still daytime... I wonder if the building will miraculously appear when the nighttime comes since the Temple of Gloom is identic with night."

Azrael is looking at me.

"Are we going to stay here until nighttime, master?"

I look at Azrael.

"Yeah, if we can't find the building even after the sun is rising, we are leaving. So, for now, let's wait until nighttime."

Azrael nods with understanding.

I'm staring at the time and it's already 11:30 P.M. We both then decide to check the right side of the temple again and see if the building is there.  On our way there, the mist is not that thick compared to earlier, I can almost see everything now, but what interests me is that the mist on the right side of the temple is still thick. The mist is trying to hide something in there and I'm confident that the building is in front of us, but when we walk further the building is still not there.

I sigh.

"This is really frustrating..."

Azrael then sniffing at the ground. I look at Azrael with confusion.

"What are you doing, Az?"

Azrael looks at me while stomping the ground.

"The ground of this area is different from the other, master. There is no grass or anything on it. Also, the ground smells different from the other. It smells fresh..."

I look at the ground and he's right. The ground we are standing on has no grass, I look around to see the ground on the other area and there's grass and plants on it. I'm backing away and try to look at the bigger vision of the ground. A square ground with no grass while the ground around it has grass and plant. I also see a small circle of ground with no grass on it. I look at the opposite side and there's another circle of ground with no grass on it as well. Now I'm convinced that the building and the pillars are here, but where are they now?

I'm standing still while watching the ground. The mist then slowly disappearing and the moonlight is lightened up the temple. I look up at the sky and staring at the moon. Azrael is poking my back with his paw.

"Master! Look!"

I look back and see a faint image of a building getting formed from the moonlight. We both are walking back a bit and see the whole building is getting formed by the moonlight. I look at the time and it's 12 A.M. Now I understand that the building can only be seen after midnight. We keep watching until the building is fully formed, and then we walk closer to the building. I look at the pillar and try to touch it. I'm surprised that this thing is solid as a real pillar.

I look at Azrael and nod.

"Let's get inside the building."

Azrael nods and we both then walk toward the building. I stop and turn around. I can see both of the pillars from here and this is exactly where I was whenever I'm leaving the Land of Sigrid. I look back and see the huge door. I continue walking and then stand in front of the door. I take a deep breath and exhale deeply, then I try to open the door, but the door won't budge. It's the same as back then.

I look at my status screen because I want to try something.

[Exclusive Title "Indomitable" has been removed]

[Exclusive Title "Hero" has been equipped]

I look at Azrael.

"Let's see if this works."

I put my hand on the door and the door suddenly glowing with a bright light. I'm putting my hand over my eyes because the light is blinding me, and then a notification appears.

[Hero [Trevor] has entered the sacred altar of the Land of Sigrid]

[Welcome, Hero of Orion. The Land of Sigrid is waiting for your arrival]

I scoff and chuckle.

"Finally..."