Obsidian Bastion

[Forbidden Forest-Shadowveil Cataomb]

After the uneventful night, everyone woke up in the morning. Heizen also fulfilled his duty for the rest half of the night by keeping watch.

Though it was his first time being a guard, it did give him a novel feeling of being an adventurer. 

The fleeting light that escaped from the crack on the catacomb made the path dimly visible. Moreover, everyone had adapted to the chilling atmosphere on their first day. So, waking up in this forsaken place wasn't bad. 

After everyone completed their morning schedule, Bernard gathered everyone. He took out a simple map that was full of lines and symbols that Heizen couldn't understand and said, 

"This is the map of the catacomb I bought from the Seeker Adventurer team." Bernard marked a location and continued,

"We have already explored the Wailing Vault. Next, let's go to the Gloomspire Ruins. This path leads to a junction from where we can travel to another path." He said. 

Everyone had no objection as they were following Bernard's lead in this adventure. 

Seeing that everyone agreed, Bernard told them to pack up. After a while, the group began to walk on the narrow corridor again. 

While they were walking, Heizen caught up with the girls and said,

"Hey, Sophie, I am sorry for what happened yesterday. I shouldn't have been stubborn." 

After thinking half the night when he was keeping watch, he finally understood why Sophie was angry. Though, her being scared of the unknown played a role, ultimately he thought too lightly of their team and safety. 

He thought he would go explore even if his teammates didn't agree. However, how can they agree? After all, they were already life-and-death friends. So, his decision almost dragged his entire team. 

"Don't worry. I was also scared and poured all the frustration into you." Sophie said after seeing his serious look. 

"Hehe, you don't need to worry too much. The fact that she even scolded you means she thinks of you as a friend." Sarah said to mend their relationship. 

"Yeah, I shouldn't have been willful without caring about anything else." Heizen rarely said something serious. 

If possible, he didn't want to lose these friends as they were his first friends in this bizarre world. He would think of other ways if he heard such prompts in the future. 

After traveling the corridor for half an hour, they finally arrived at the junction. The place wasn't anything special as it only connected multiple paths around the catacomb. 

Bernard picked up his map and went to one of the corridors to check. After looking at something, he returned and said, 

"Our plan needs to change. Another party had already gone to explore the Gloomspire ruin. I saw the mark on the wall."

The Seeker Adventurer team had many groups. However, at the end of the day, they were on the same team. So, they have many communication methods at their disposal to avoid confrontation. 

The mark on the wall that Bernard saw was one of them. It was to inform their team member that this path was already taken. 

Bernard looked at the map and finally made a decision. 

"Let's explore the Obsidian Bastion then. Though it is a little deeper into the catacomb, we won't encounter much danger with our strength. And the Obsidian fragments are as valuable as spirit crystals." 

After thinking about other options, everyone agreed. There were still many days left and wandering around aimlessly wasn't an option. 

So, they went along a steeper path on the Shadowveil Catacombs. Besides the air getting colder, there weren't many anomalies yet. 

After walking for a few hours and fighting some stray monsters, they finally arrived at the Obsidian Bastion. From the trail on the path, no other groups were exploring ahead. 

Obsidian Bastion as the name suggests looked like a fortified place. The massive archway as a gate with walls covered with intricate obsidian carvings, etc., gives it a heavy feeling.

The chamber was also tall and didn't look like it was inside a catacomb. However, looking at the ruined structures, it looked like some kind of stronghold. 

"Let's be careful. The area is vast unlike before and we can get ambushed if not careful." Bernard said, taking the lead by entering the archway. 

When Heizen followed the team inside, he noticed that the chamber walls were completely made up of obsidian which was dark yet reflective making the chamber more eerie but beautiful. 

After walking along the chamber, it didn't take long for them to find monsters. The shadow of a large Golem and their towering figures were visible from anywhere in the ruin.

[Name: Obsidian Golem]

[Race: None (Construct)]

[Level: 13]

[Potential: None (Fixed entity)]

[Skills: Seismic Stomp, Obsidian Armor, Crushing Blow]

[Limitations: Low agility]

[Seismic Stomp: A powerful attack that can cause area damage 20 meters around it. Applicable only on the ground.]

[Obsidian Armor: A full-body passive armor that protects it while fighting.]

[Crushing Blow: Melee attack that can perform a powerful slam attack double its strength stats.]

Heizen had just read all the information when he heard Beranrd shout. 

"Bowen, you stay at least 25 meters away from the Golem and try to attack their joints or exposed places with your arrow." 

Bowen nodded and quickly distanced himself. The girls also distanced themselves appropriately.

Since they were exploring such ruins, Bernard had already made preparations. So, he knew how to use the weakness of Golem. 

While Heizen was also preparing to distance himself, the Gollen had already noticed their presence. 

"Roar," with an incredible roar, a nearby Golem jumped from his place and slammed the ground hard. The area around Heizen and Bernard began to shake violently. 

Bernard was prepared. He thrust his sword at the crack in the ground and stabilized his body quickly. But Heizen wasn't so lucky. 

He was disorientated and took time to gather his body. 

"Boom," suddenly a huge hand made up of stone cast a shadow in his head and it slammed the ground with incredible force. 

"Ghost Step," almost reflexively Heizen used his skill and appeared behind the Golem. Well, it was more appropriate to say behind its legs. 

"Cling," suddenly a semicircular white light flashed.