Chapter 58: The Throne Beneath Ashvarn (1)

After twenty-seven full days of relentless, back-breaking excavation .. buried within a suffocating pit choked with dust and earth .. the first ray of light finally emerged beneath Ethan’s feet, crowning his monumental effort.

The moment he saw it, Ethan began striking the ground beneath him with frantic speed, driven by a desperate hunger to reach the end.

With every swing of the shovel, the gap that birthed the light widened further… and further…

Until, at last, the earth beneath him gave way entirely.

Excitement surged across Ethan’s face … but it turned to panic almost instantly as his footing vanished and he plunged downward, falling fast through open air.

Moments later—

He crashed hard onto solid ground after dropping several meters.

Lying there, Ethan grimaced in pain, clutching his back where the impact had struck.

“Damn it… feels like I broke a bone or two…”

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright, his eyes scanning his surroundings carefully.

It was as though he had opened a passage into another world entirely.

Because what lay before him now… was not something that should exist beneath the earth.

It was a vast hall—one that resembled a royal court.

The chamber stretched across an immense expanse, like a silent dominion imposing its authority upon any who dared enter.

Massive stone pillars rose along both sides, towering as though they alone upheld the ceiling. Ancient symbols and faded inscriptions—remnants of a forgotten age—were carved into their surfaces.

A long crimson carpet extended from the entrance to the far end of the hall, as though welcoming those who would walk its path.

The ceiling, too, was carved from the same pale white stone. Ethan could clearly see the hole through which he had fallen.

Standing there, a wide, exhilarated smile spread across his face.

“Its identical… exactly like the image carved into my memory. As if a drawing had taken form in reality.”

But his joy did not last.

Without warning …

A crushing pressure descended upon his body.

He froze.

Swallowing dryly, he turned slowly toward the far end of the hall.

Toward the throne.

A magnificent royal throne, placed with deliberate authority at the chamber’s end—crowning itself as the axis of everything.

Yet it was not the throne that commanded attention.

It was what stood before it.

Ethan stared.

And the creature stared back.

It possessed a humanoid form, yet its skin was deathly pale, bordering on gray.

Its hair was wild and white, its face ravaged by scars.

Crimson eyes burned beneath sunken brows.

Rotten black teeth filled its mouth, foul saliva dripping in slow strands to the floor beneath it.

Its body was completely bare save for tattered black trousers.

It knelt forward, its gaze fixed upon Ethan with predatory intensity.

It looked ready to lunge ..

But it did not.

It could not.

Its entire body was bound by massive golden chains, radiating a sacred glow.

Several swords were driven through its flesh, pinning it in place, making movement impossible.

Ethan began to sweat unconsciously as he stared.

It was terrifying enough that such a grotesque, mutilated being had survived at all.

They stared at one another in silence.

Then one of them spoke.

Unexpectedly …

It was the monster.

“You…”

Its voice was deep, bitter—ancient and monstrous.

“How did you reach this place?”

Ethan did not answer.

He kept his distance.

’A speaking monster… I prepared myself for this encounter… but reality is nothing like imagination.’

A weak smile formed on his face, yet he did not dare approach for several long minutes.

And for good reason.

Speaking monsters were the strongest of all.

They had once been human—but possessed such overwhelming power that even after the curse transformed them, fragments of their intelligence and identity endured.

This was no ordinary monster.

This was a boss.

Like the Ember Hunter he had faced before.

Except…

This one was far stronger.

“Wise Raven’s Insight.”

Ethan activated his visual ability.

Immediately, the creature’s status appeared before him.

Its immense health bar.

Its level.

Its strengths.

Its weaknesses.

Its name.

—

[Matheus — The Unthroned]

Level: 61

Weaknesses: Bleed, Holy, Fire

High Resistance: Dark, Poison, Lightning, Mental damage

—

“Level sixty-one… equivalent to a King-rank warrior…”

Ethan steadied himself and stepped forward.

The being before him was on par with the greatest of the Heart .. save for Asterion.

The imprisoned monster—Matheus—continued staring at him, his gaze piercing.

“I asked you a question, boy of Heart! How did you reach this place?!” the Unthroned roared.

Ethan raised his hand.

“Please don’t speak.”

His voice was calm.

“I have no intention of conversing with a boss.”

His smile deepened.

“As you can see…”

“I came here to kill you.”

Silence followed his declaration.

Then …

Matheus laughed.

A thunderous, earth-shaking laugh that echoed throughout the entire hall.

“Kill me? You?!”

His laughter grew louder.

“Stop spewing nonsense and tell me your secret, boy… How did you reach this place exactly?! How did you bypass my followers and my guards?!” Matheus roared, his voice shaking the entire hall.

Ethan’s expression hardened … but he neither trembled nor stepped back.

Instead, he stood before the raging boss with open mockery.

“Stop posturing. You’re nothing but a chained rat now, Unthroned.”

Ethan walked forward with steady steps, passing him.

Then, calmly … under Matheus’s bulging, disbelieving eyes …

Ethan sat upon the empty throne, crossing one leg over the other as he looked down at him.

“Yes… this is how it should be.”

Ethan’s eyes sharpened, carrying a faint trace of contempt.

He looked like a crowned king.

And Matheus… like a slave kneeling before him.

Something inside the dark boss snapped.

Rage exploded from him, unleashing an overwhelming pressure.

He thrashed violently, trying to break the golden chains.

For a moment, tension gripped Ethan’s chest …

But in the end, the chains didn’t budge an inch.

Matheus’s struggle failed.

Ethan exhaled in relief.

’Ah… I’m so glad. Everything happened exactly as I predicted.’

Looking at Matheus, Ethan’s smile returned.

“I understand your confusion. Your anger. You’re being humiliated by nothing more than a monkey like me—someone who hasn’t even reached level 10.”

He continued, his gaze shifting toward the sealed gate on the far side of the royal hall.

“And that same monkey bypassed all your guards and followers… and reached you effortlessly.”

His smile deepened.

“How pitiful. How ridiculous. Unthroned.”

Each word made Matheus tremble more violently.

’This hall… is the boss room.’

Ethan studied the surroundings.

’And this entire place… is a legacy dungeon.’

A legacy dungeon … hidden directly beneath Ashvarn.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Ethan murmured.

“Ashvarn … the city that houses Lord Vassel. The strongest Bonfire. A city meant to be absolutely safe.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“And yet, the curse didn’t just infiltrate its borders…”

“…it spread beneath it as well.”

When Ethan reached Ashvarn in Ordeal, the city had already been reduced to ash and ruin.

After Ashvarn’s mysterious destruction, this dungeon emerged from beneath the ground.

A legacy dungeon filled with countless monsters and secrets.

And at the end of it …

A merciless boss named Matheus.

’Based on my experience in the game… after exploring this region thousands of times… I was able to pinpoint the exact location of the boss room.’

To avoid every monster.

Every trap.

Every horror lurking in the dungeon …

Ethan had dug directly into the boss room, skipping the entire dungeon in one stroke.

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