"The power of the Abyss is not something that can easily be controlled, or subjugated," Rainer said with a solemn look on his face. "If your will isn't strong enough, it will take over your senses and its seed will bury itself in your heart, giving birth to a monster with a human face.
"Nero. No matter what happens, you must strengthen your will, and not allow the power of the Abyss to take root in your heart. Many have already fallen victim to its whispers filled with temptation and promise of power. Do not let yourself be one of them. Do not let the Power of the Abyss control you. You must always be the one in control, do you understand?"
"Yes, Master," Nero answered. "I will keep your teachings in my heart."
—---
"Guild Master, the gate is showing signs of opening," one of Nero's Guild Members informed him. "If everything goes according to schedule, it will open in less than an hour from now."
"Understood," Nero nodded. "Thank you for your report. I will be there shortly."
The Guild Member respectfully bowed his head before leaving the makeshift tent that served as Nero's personal quarters while waiting for the Gate of the Hidden Domain to open.
The Hidden Domain was a treasure-trove of resources, and the Sacred Dungeon was only one of them. Unfortunately, many strong monsters guarded the locations where extremely rare herbs, fruits, and flowers—that were highly sought out by alchemists, and pharmacists—could be collected.
Several attempts had already been made in the past, but this only led to countless deaths, which made the various factions reconsider their strategy.
Any deaths in the Hidden Domain were permanent. Meaning if they died while collecting treasures inside, they could not be resurrected. Only those that died in the Sacred Dungeon would respawn outside of the Hidden Domain, in front of the Silver Gates.
Because of this, all the Apostles from Grade C to Grade A were strictly ordered to not wander around the Hidden Domain, and simply focus on challenging the Sacred Dungeon.
That way, even if they died, they would just be kicked out of the Domain, and keep their lives intact.
Nero took several deep breaths in order to calm himself before looking at the mirror.
"Nero, you're strong," Nero said firmly as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. "A single loss doesn't mean anything. It is just a way to remind you that you still have room to grow. Just continue to work hard, and strive to become the best. One of these days, everyone will know that you are the strongest person among your peers."
After lightly clapping his face with both of his hands. Nero once again took a deep breath before leaving the tent.
He was the Guild Master of the Silver-Ranked Guild, Storm Dragons.
His Guild Members looked up to him, and respected him. He had already proven himself to be a capable leader and, with him at the helm, he would lead the faction of the Wildgarde Stronghold and complete their mission without fail.
—--
"Can you feel it?" Keane asked Lux who was standing beside him with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes," Lux replied. "The Gate is about to open."
Keane shook his head. "I am not talking about the gate. I am talking about the people gathered here. Do you feel it?"
Lux scanned his surroundings, and looked up at the people around him.
As his gaze landed on Iris, the blue-haired beauty waved at him with a smile. She was currently with her Guild, Serenity, and the purple-haired beauty that was standing beside her gave Lux a challenging gaze, as if she wanted to challenge him to a duel.
Lux ignored her and glanced at the other teenagers that had gathered to explore the Hidden Domain together.
The Four Kings and the Five Overlords were present, each leading their own Guilds. The presences they were radiating were very different from the ones they had during the Lionheart Tournament, which made Lux wonder if all of them had increased in rank during the time he hadn't seen them.
"Now, do you feel it?"
Keane's inquiry broke Lux out of his daze, making the Half-Elf nod his head.
"There is this kind of tension that is hard to explain," Lux frowned because he finally understood what Keane was talking about. "It's like everyone here is heading to war, making the air around us heavy."
Keane nodded because his senses were extremely sharp. When the Silver Gate had shown signs that it was about to open, the auras of everyone, including the members of their group, had suddenly flared up.
Even the usually chatty Cai was silent, and the hairs on the back of its body were standing on end.
Iris, too, had a solemn look on her face as she gazed at the Silver Gate whose radiance was getting stronger with each passing minute.
Only Lux and Keane had relaxed expressions on their faces, making them feel out of place.
The reason why the two could still remain calm was quite simple. This was their first time entering the Hidden Domain, while the others had entered it a year ago.
They had already experienced firsthand, what kind of terror lay beyond the Silver Gate, and knew that, the moment they entered it, their lives would be in danger.
The Sacred Dungeon was located at the center of the Hidden Domain. This meant that they had to travel for at least an hour before they could reach it.
They couldn't use any flying mounts, because this was a very risky move. It might make the local beasts inside the Domain attack them because they felt that their territory was being challenged by a newcomer.
In the past, all the Guilds would travel towards the Sacred Dungeon separately, however after losing more than half of their members before they even reached their destination, the decision makers of Barbatos Academy, the Six Kingdoms, and the Rowan Tribe decided that all factions must work together to reach the Sacred Dungeon.
With such a large force that was made up of Hundreds of Apostles, even Deimos and Argonaut Ranked Monsters needed to think twice before they engaged them in battle.
The Hidden Domain was a place where the "Survival of the Fittest" was always in effect. The Beasts here were very intelligent. They would not hesitate to kill the other local beasts to eat their meat and beast cores, once an opportunity presented itself.
This was why no Beast would take the initiative to attack a large group of Apostles, in fear that another one would attack its back the moment it received a serious injury from the foreigners that entered their Domain.
Suddenly, a creaking sound was heard as the Silver Gate that had been shut tight earlier, opened wide, showing a purple portal at its center.
"Storm Dragon, Follow me!" Nero ordered.
"Serenity, by my side!" Henrietta shouted.
"Saber Kings, lead the charge!" Ackley, the Barbarian whom Lux had fought in the tournament, roared.
"Silent Forest, keep your eyes open," Vall, the Spider Boy, stated.
"Noblesse, with me!" the Elf Prince, as well as the one that Gerhart fought during the tournament, Enlil hovered in the air as he led the Elves to enter the portal.
One by one, the Guilds that represented the various powers that gathered to challenge the Hidden Domain entered the portal.
"Let's go," Lux ordered.
The Rowan Faction was the last guild that entered the portal. Before the Silver Gate fully opened, the leaders of each guild had gathered to talk about the roles they would play in the journey to the Sacred Dungeon.
The Barbarian Guild, Saber Kings, and Nero's Guild—the Storm Dragons—would be the Vanguard.
The Silent Forest, led by Vall, and Noblesse, led by Enlil, would be the scouts.
Serenity would be at the center, that would immediately support the Vanguard or the Scouts if they were attacked along their journey.
Lux's Guild served as the rear guard to prevent any Monsters from sneaking up behind them and launching a surprise attack.
As the hundreds of teenagers marched towards their destination, various shrieks, roars, and chirping sounds were heard in the forest that surrounded them.
Everyone braced themselves for the first phase of their journey, where death was permanent, and their safety lay at the whims of the Monsters that inhabit the Hidden Domain that had been around for thousands of years.
