Chapter 294 294: No Alternative Remaining
Huh! Huh!
Thoren gasped heavily while struggling to steady his breathing.
His chest rose violently while every breath sounded rough and uneven.
Fear still lingered visibly across his face.
His expression remained pale while traces of panic continued flashing through his eyes.
"W What was that?" he muttered hoarsely.
His dry voice echoed faintly throughout the silent chamber.
Slowly, his gaze shifted toward the strange ancient book lying upon the floor nearby.
The instant his eyes landed upon it, his heart skipped violently.
For several long moments, he remained completely motionless while listening to the loud pounding of his own heartbeat against his ribs.
Then finally, he opened his lips once more.
"I was too careless."
The realization struck him deeply and there was no room left for denial anymore.
Ever since defeating the Dust Naga, part of him had unconsciously relaxed.
Even though his undead servants still guarded the surroundings carefully, he had already lowered his mental vigilance significantly.
He foolishly assumed the danger within the sanctum had already ended.
That complacency nearly killed him.
Then came the ancient skeleton.
The moment curiosity took hold of his thoughts, rational caution began slipping away gradually.
Even after discovering the horrifying abnormalities hidden within the skeleton itself, he still failed to wake himself from that dangerous state of carelessness.
Instead, his curiosity only deepened further.
He wanted answers desperately. Wanted to unravel the mysteries hidden within the sanctum completely. And because of that obsession, one mistake led directly toward another.
Considering how mysterious and terrifying the skeleton already appeared, he should have immediately suspected hidden dangers surrounding the ancient book.
Yet he completely overlooked such an obvious possibility.
More importantly, he had already witnessed the strange vision earlier.
That alone should have warned him clearly that nothing within this sanctum could possibly be ordinary.
Everything hidden here possessed terrifying secrets.
The more Thoren reflected upon his actions, the more disgusted he became with himself.
His reckless curiosity almost cost him his life completely.
If his spirit had not evolved previously, the horrifying soul attack hidden inside the ancient book would have destroyed his soul instantly.
His body would already be lying lifeless beside the throne by now.
"This is a bitter lesson," he muttered quietly beneath his breath.
"I need to control my impulses whenever I discover something mysterious."
He understood his own weakness better than anyone else.
Whenever something ignited his curiosity strongly enough, he tended to lose focus on everything else around him.
That flaw was fatal inside a place like the Abyss. One careless decision here could easily lead toward death. And unlike ordinary mistakes, death inside the Abyss offered no second chances.
As these thoughts circulated repeatedly within his mind, Thoren gradually regained control over his emotions.
At the very least, he had already recognized the problem.
That alone was important.
Once a weakness became visible, it could eventually be corrected.
Still, Thoren understood something clearly. Such flaws could not disappear overnight.
The process would require constant awareness and discipline.
Slowly, he exhaled deeply once again before focusing his full attention back upon the strange ancient book.
This time, he approached the situation far more cautiously.
After learning from his previous mistake, he no longer dared touch the book personally.
Instead, he immediately commanded one of his undead servants forward.
"Pick it up," he ordered coldly.
The undead servant obeyed instantly.
Slowly, the skeletal warrior bent downward before lifting the ancient tome carefully from the floor.
Afterward, it carried the book closer toward Thoren while maintaining a safe distance between them.
Even now, Thoren remained extremely vigilant.
If anything dangerous occurred again, he intended to retreat immediately without hesitation.
Only after ensuring enough distance separated himself from the book did he finally issue another command.
"Open it."
Shua.
The ancient book opened slowly beneath the undead servant's grasp.
However, contrary to Thoren's expectations, no blinding light erupted outward this time.
Likewise, the terrifying soul attack from earlier failed to appear again.
Everything remained strangely calm. The unexpected outcome confused Thoren immediately.
Even so, he still refused to lower his guard carelessly.
Instead, he waited patiently while observing the ancient book carefully.
One minute passed slowly.
Nothing happened.
Gradually, Thoren began suspecting the hidden soul attack might have been some form of one time defensive mechanism.
Realizing this possibility, he finally released a faint sigh of relief.
Still, another strange problem quickly caught his attention afterward.
The inside of the book appeared completely pitch black.
There were no visible words.
No symbols.
Nothing at all.
Thoren frowned deeply while staring toward the dark pages. He instinctively understood that such an ancient book could not possibly be meaningless.
Something valuable had to be hidden within it. The secrets buried inside this sanctum might very well rest within these pages.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed slightly.
At the bottom edge of the dark pages, he noticed something unusual.
Certain portions appeared uneven.
Almost torn.
"Could those have been pages?" he muttered thoughtfully.
The possibility immediately caused his heartbeat to quicken.The ancient book was likely not empty after all. Instead, most of its contents may have been deliberately removed long ago.
Perhaps someone tore away the important pages intentionally. That possibility only deepened the mystery further.
Thoren slowly stepped closer while guiding the Illusory Floating Lantern nearer toward the book.
If hidden text existed somewhere upon those strange dark pages, perhaps the lantern's ghostly light could reveal it somehow.
And unexpectedly, something changed.
At the edge of the pitch black pages, Thoren finally noticed it clearly.
The book was not completely empty.
One page still remained hidden inside.
If not for the unique light emitted from the Illusory Floating Lantern, he might never have discovered it at all.
A flicker of excitement appeared within his eyes immediately.
However, he restrained himself carefully this time.
No reckless actions.
No impulsive decisions.
He had already learned his lesson painfully enough.
"Turn the page," he ordered calmly.
The undead servant obeyed instantly while attempting to flip the hidden page carefully.
Yet nothing happened. The page remained completely motionless. It was as though some invisible force held it firmly in place.
Thoren frowned slightly.
"Again."
The undead servant attempted once more.
Still nothing changed.
The page refused to move entirely.
Eventually, Thoren ordered several different undead servants to try instead. One after another, they attempted flipping the mysterious page.
Every attempt failed identically. The hidden page simply could not be moved by the undead.
Gradually, Thoren arrived at a conclusion.
His undead servants were incapable of opening the remaining page. That left only one option available.
Himself.
Although he disliked the idea greatly after what happened earlier, there was no alternative remaining.
Slowly, Thoren inhaled deeply before calming himself once more.
His sharp gaze remained locked upon the mysterious ancient book. Then cautiously, he extended one hand toward the hidden page.