Chapter 48: The Source of Disaster

"It's... a rolling stone!"

The rumbling grew louder and louder. Irving felt the light at the tunnel entrance vanish in an instant, only to see a massive rolling stone with a diameter of at least five meters barreling toward him. With inertia, the stone accelerated as it rolled.

The six Butchers leading the way were crushed in an instant, reduced to pulp.

"There are even more traps." Irving was shocked, but he had no time to think. The massive rolling stone's impact would be unbearable for even the most physically strong warrior players, let alone a mage like him.

Behind him, Little Black began barking frantically, seemingly urging Irving to leave immediately.

"It's too late." Irving felt bitter. The passage was a narrow straight line, offering no place to hide.

The rolling stone gained speed. If he tried to escape backward, it would only lead to death.

Boom!

Irving quickly took out his staff and cast the mid-tier spell, [Fireball], at the massive stone. His [Unknown Staff], having undergone another upgrade, hadn't gained new skills but had significantly boosted his mental strength.

For mage players, increased mental strength substantially enhanced the speed and power of their combat spells.

In an instant, a fireball the same diameter as the rolling stone formed and shot forward at high speed.

Irving hoped to block the rolling stone this way. The next moment, a deafening explosion echoed through the tunnel, and his expression grew even grimmer.

The fireball collided with the rolling stone and shattered into countless sparks, floating in the air. The stone's speed only paused for a moment before continuing its relentless advance toward Irving.

"Umm..." Sweat beaded on Irving's forehead. "Am I really going to die here today?"

While he could resurrect the next day after dying this way, time was running out. The second wave of the cataclysm would arrive tomorrow. Even with this experience, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be killed again upon entering the depths of the altar.

If he was killed again, he wouldn't be able to enter the Other World to fend off the second wave of the cataclysm. Without him, there was no way Sophia and Vicky could protect the shelter from being destroyed.

He couldn't take that risk! And he wouldn't take that risk!

Little Black's barking grew louder, and it even bit Irving's pant leg, trying to pull him away. Despite the critical situation, it wouldn't abandon its master to save itself, even though it lacked resurrection capabilities.

Irving glanced at Little Black at his feet, his mind racing. The rolling stone was only tens of meters away and would crush him in just a breath or two. His deep eyes suddenly flashed with a brilliant idea.

The fireball couldn't stop the rolling stone because it lacked weight. But what if he could somehow give it some gravity?

"Anyway, this is the only way!"

Irving simultaneously cast[Fireball]and[Gravity Mire], tripling the gravity of the original fireball.

Four meters!

Three meters!

Two meters... Just as the massive rolling stone was about to crush Irving and Little Black, the fireball with triple gravity finally shot out.

Boom!

This time, the power was far greater than before. As the fireball collided with the rolling stone, an explosion filled the air. The impact formed a visible shockwave, and Irving was thrown backward uncontrollably.

He hit the ground hard!

At this moment, Irving's greatest weakness as a mage player was fully exposed. He felt as if his internal organs were boiling, and blood spurted from his throat.

Staggering, he managed to get up and turned to look at Little Black, who had been flung even farther by the shock wave. Seeing that it was mostly unharmed, he finally let out a breath of relief and turned his gaze forward again.

The massive rolling stone had finally been shattered by the fireball with triple gravity. Not only had it stopped rolling, but cracks also spread across its surface.

Irving let out a long breath. He had finally passed the last obstacle. After regaining his composure a bit, he led Little Black through the cracks in the shattered stone and headed straight to the innermost and most central part of the altar.

Compared to the outer hall, this space was much smaller, more like a secret chamber. As he approached, Irving finally saw the coffin suspended in midair by iron chains. The entire coffin was made from some kind of indescribable wood.

What was strange was that numerous green shoots had sprouted from the coffin, as if the wood was still alive...

Irving glanced around again. Since all the Butchers he had enslaved had been crushed by the rolling stone, he could only rely on the dim purple flame emanating from Little Black to barely see the surroundings.

He cast a fireball into the corner, and the blazing flames illuminated the secret chamber. Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

There were still some murals on the walls, very similar to those in the hall. Oppressive dark clouds covered the sky and earth, and countless bones lay beneath withered trees... In this already small space, the atmosphere became even more eerie.

In addition, numerous statues stood in the corners, all stone carvings of enormous beasts. Their hulking forms had faces pocked and pitted as if corroded by something, looking terrifying with their bared fangs and claws.

At first glance, Irving was startled by the statues, as they were incredibly lifelike. He instinctively gripped his staff tightly until he realized they weren't moving at all, distinguishing them as mere sculptures.

"How strange... so many traps, these carvings, and murals, yet inside there's nothing but this coffin." Irving shook his head. He had expected to find some treasure here, just like last time.

He searched the secret chamber again, but after confirming there were no treasure chests or other passages, a look of disappointment crossed his face.

Finally, Irving's gaze fell once more on the coffin.

"I nearly got crushed into pulp by that rolling stone trap just now. Can't let this trip be for nothing..." Irving walked up to the suspended coffin, hesitated for a moment, and decided to open it to see what was hidden inside.

Earlier, in the altar hall, after killing those Butchers, he acquired some weapons and equipment. After selecting a few, he took out the [Flame Dragon Broad Axe], a high-tier ★★ weapon.

In the trading market, this kind of equipment would undoubtedly be a sought-after treasure among players. But for Irving now, it was merely a convenient tool for prying open the coffin.

He picked up the [Flame Dragon Broad Axe] and began hacking at the coffin, trying to chisel open the top wooden board. But after a few swings, he suddenly stopped.

"What's happening..." Irving saw, by the light of the fire, that fresh blood was flowing from the deep marks he had made on the coffin's surface.

It was as if he hadn't been chopping wood, but human flesh. This eerie sight made Irving even more convinced that whatever was inside the coffin was no ordinary thing.

Now, the coffin before him was covered in the blood that had flowed down. Worried that continuing to hack might cause more trouble, he forcibly wedged the sharpest part of the axe into the coffin's seam, intending to pry off the lid.

After much effort, with a crisp sound.

The sharp edge of the high-tier ★★ [Flame Dragon Broad Axe] snapped off, but the coffin lid finally opened a crack. He then gave it a strong push.

As the coffin opened, Irving's heart inexplicably started pounding. He glanced inside.

Hiss! Seeing what lay inside, Irving gasped.

Inside was the corpse of a woman... No! To be precise, it was a monster. Her face was deathly pale, like paper, yet showed no signs of decay. In fact, at first glance, there was an eerie beauty to her. But atop her head coiled hundreds of venomous snakes, lying limp as if devoid of life.

"Was this altar built for her?" Irving speculated. At this moment, he wasn't sure if the woman's corpse still counted as a monster.

Anything that appeared in the Other World Game certainly wasn't a human corpse... but why did she look so human?

Irving thought of the murals around him, feeling an ever-stronger sense of unease as he sensed a connection between the coffin's contents and the paintings.

His goal in entering the altar was merely to find something useful to face the upcoming second wave of the cataclysm.

"This place is too strange. I need to leave quickly." Irving thought, his eyes scanning the contents of the coffin.

He noticed that the woman's corpse, with her head full of venomous snakes, seemed to be holding something—a green stone, covered in mottled patterns and inscribed with ancient runes. Under the dim light from the corner of the chamber, it glowed with a faint green light...

Irving gritted his teeth, fighting back the disgust at the corpse in the coffin, and grabbed the green stone. At that moment, a prompt sounded in his ear.

[Notice: Player has unlocked the secret of the altar!]

["The Source of Plague" will arrive in the Other World ahead of schedule...]