I gasped as I snapped back to reality, stumbling backward from the sheer force of the memory.

My body trembled and I could feel my arcane reserves plummeting, rapidly draining form the strain of the memory stone.

My vision blurred and for a moment, I felt dizzy, barely able to stand.

I suddenly felt the exhaustion seeping into my bones. Using the memory stone had taken for more out of me than I anticipated.

With trembling hands, I quickly stored the stone away into my inventory, making sure it was safe for future use.

I needed to regain my strength and figure out what all this meant.

The Divine Custodians had been wiped out by something truly powerful, causing their subordinates to turn into what we no know as shadow creatures, and I had only caught a glimpse of their enemies cloaked in darkness. But what were those shadows? And why had they destroyed an entire race?

As the question swirled and lingered in my mind, I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

"What the hell was that…"

»»»«««

My strength was dangerously low and I knew I would need time to recover. But the knowledge I had gained from the stone was invaluable.

This place held far more secrets than I had imagined and I was determined to uncover them all. For now, I needed to rest.

My head throbbed as I forced myself to stand, my body still weak from the immense mental strain of the flashback.

I stumbled through the dark alcove, looking for suitable place to lay rest.

After some staggered wandering like a drunk man, I found a small, hidden room with a stone door half cracked but still offering shelter.

The room seemed to be untouched but the hand of time, a relic of the lost civilization. There was nothing in the room. In time the stone were shaped like bench. With no time to analyze its history, I collapsed on the stone bench and let my body succumb to the exhaustion.

Within a few hours, I woke up, blinking groggily as my mind cleared. I glanced around, disoriented at first, but soon remembered where I was.

The stone bench had left my body sore, and I rolled my shoulders felling the stiffness in my muscles.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. My strenght was far from tiptop functionality but I couldn't afford to wait any longer.

I cant waste a potion, right now. Who knows what kind of danger lies ahead of me in this crazy dungeon.

I knew staying in one place too long could attract some kind of unwanted attention so I decided to move forward.

With a grunt, I pushed myself to my feet and resumed my exploration of the ruins.

The vastness of the place still amazed me, an entire sentient civilization wiped out with their secrets buried within the ancient stones.

As I ventured deeper, the atmosphere grew heavy and the corner shadows seemed to grow darker.

"There's something here," I muttered under my breath.

I came across a narrow passage way between two structures, immediately I stepped into it, a cold chill ran down my spine and I instantly felt the oppressive weight of malevolent energy before I saw it.

Suddenly, a group of shadowy figures emerged from the darkness, their forms flickering like twisted apparitions.

They were different from the everyday shadow creatures, they were exactly like the ones I had seen in the memory the stone had shone me. Their eyes glowed with a faint, eerie light and their movement were swift and unpredictable.

I summoned my new sword, Shadows Edge and the blade shimmered out of the inventory spacial rift as it cut through the air. The shadows circled me with their intent clear as my Divine Thread skill flared up in death alarms.

With a swift movement, the first shadow lunged at me. I dodged, barely evading its strike. But the second shadow was faster, slicing at me with its blackened, hardened claws.

I felt the cold sting as it grazed my arm and blood immediately started trickling down.

"I cant get reckless," I reminded myself, gritting my teeth. My strength was still not optimal and these enemies just kept coming and coming.

The battle continued and I fought desperately, my newest weapon flashing as I clashed with the shadowy forms.

Each strike drained me more and I could feel my strength waning.

The shadows pressed on, forcing me into a corner. Just as my thoughts decided to unleash my arcane pets to finish this battle, the boss appeared , a massive, dark figure with glowing eyes that pierced through the shadows.

It looked like the rest of the creatures that were attacking me, only bigger, and I barely had time to react as it struck.

The blow sent me crashing against a wall.

"You guys just keep coming don't you!!!" I growled, forcing myself back up. My body screamed in protest, but I couldn't let this end here.

With a surge of will power, I activated spacial manipulation and dodged the boss's next attack by a hair's inch. Using the last of my strength, I struck back, slashing through the boss's dark form with a desperate final blow.

The boss let out a low, guttural scream as it disintegrated into nothingness, leaving only a dark mist behind. Surprisingly, there was no magic stone left in it wake and I found that very odd.

Ding!

~Congratulations! You have gained 4 levels~

~Level 59~

That familiar surge of strength as the level up took effect, the energy flowing through my body, healing my wounds and refreshing my stamina.

The notification prompted me to allocate my new stat points.

~You have gained 12 Stat points~

I added plus four to my strength stat and plus four to my agility stat and plus four to my endurance stat.

I could feel my body grow stronger as the points took great effect, my muscles tightening and my speed increasing.

I leaned against the wall, trying to compose myself. I still couldn't help but wonder how this civilization befell this great tragedy, who were their foes and why were they eliminated with little remorse.

"I have to be more careful…" I muttered to myself as I looked around the now silent narrow path.

The urge to uncover more secrets of this place drove me forward and after I left the other end of the narrow path, I came across a small castle with ancient stone walls and algae covered scenery, the air around me was thick now with a musty scent of forgotten times.

As I moved through the dimly lit corridors of the castle, my sharp gaze caught something unusual. At the far end of the hall stood a massive, weathered door made of dark stone, its surface etched with glowing intricate runes. My instincts tole me this was no ordinary door.

I approached cautiously and as I did, a familiar chime echoed in my mind , the unmistakeable sound of the system.

~New Mission Unlocked~

~Open the locked gate: Unlock the sealed door deep within the ruins.~

~Reward: Level 60 promotion and a new skill >Binding Vow<~

~Bonus Reward: 10 Stat points~

My eyes opened widely as I read through the mission details. The rewards were immense, but the mention of a skill allowing me to make vows with anyone piqued my interest.

It was an impossible skill, one that could potentially give me immerse leverage in the future. And if I have learnt something since the day I received this system is that if the system grants me something, there will come a time in which I will definitely need it.

"Lets see…" I muttered to myself as I ran my dry hands over the door, feeling the hum of magical energy that sealed it shut. The door looked like it had been sealed for centuries on end, locked away by the Divine Custodians before their fall.

Whatever lay beyond was powerful and super important for it to be sealed off from the rest of the ruins and only someone with the right key or ability could open it.

I took a calculative step backwards, assessing my options.

I didn't have a key, but I had learned by now that there was always ways around such obstacles.

"Lets try this…"

I activated my spacial apace abilities focusing on the space surrounding the door.

With a few hand movements, I attempted to pry the door open with the space surrounding every atom of the seal, but the magic on it was way to powerful. Frustrated but still determined, I decided to dig deeper into my arsenal.

"Lets try destructive magic…"

"Spacial Manipulation Technique… Attract"

"Spacial Manipulation Technique… Repell"

"Erase…"

The magic resisted at first, but against the destructive and erasing magic of mine the door's resistance broke.

The runes flickered and then shattered like glass, the seal on the door collapsing in on itself.

The massive door creaked as it swung open, reveling a darkened chamber beyond.

Ding!

~Mission Complete~

~You have leveled up~

~Level 60~

~New Skil Acquired: Binding Vow~

~Bonus Reward: 10 Stat points~

I felt the familiar rush as my stats increased and my arcane energy refilled to its maximum capacity.

Satisfied with my progress, I took a moment to examine my newly acquired skill.

"Binding Vow?"

According to the systems description, it would allow me to form alliances or make deals with anyone of any race in this world, binding them to their promises. It could be a powerful tool if used wisely, especially in the dangerous world I now lived in.

I turned my attention back to the chamber beyond the door. Though it was

shrouded in darkness, I could sense the lingering energy of the Divine Custodians.

They had left something here, something that had been sealed away for a reason.

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