Chapter 189: Ch 189: Rift in the Sky - Part 4

"It’s cold. But the temperature difference is not that different compared to outside. It is still manageable inside here."

Noah walked toward the center of the dungeon slowly and allowed his feet to guide him through the irregular floor. He could feel the pressure this place was trying to put on him as an outsider.

However, he was not too worried about this place.

A few monsters tried to jump him, but he raised his artifact and it turned into a staff. He used that to jab the monster in the stomach, causing it to wither in pain and die.

Luckily for him, these monsters were not that great so he could easily kill them off even with his mediocre strength.

The real problem was the core of this dungeon. He could still not sense it which was a huge problem. So he continued to walk around, hoping to find the core somewhere close.

Noah eventually decided that wandering around without a proper method was not going to get him anywhere, so he took out another small artefact from his bag and held it in front of himself.

It was something Erin had left behind, and although Noah had never used it before, the instructions were simple enough for him to understand.

The artefact was supposed to react to the energy coming from a dungeon core and guide the user towards it, which meant that Noah could finally stop wasting his time walking around aimlessly.

"That should make things easier."

Noah poured a small amount of guiding into it, and the artefact immediately started glowing.

However, the moment it activated, Noah felt something inside his body become disturbed, as his guiding started moving strangely, almost as if it was being pulled in several different directions at once.

"Ugh..."

His vision blurred for a moment, and Noah quickly grabbed the nearest wall to steady himself before he could fall.

The energy output from the artefact was interfering with his guiding, which was not something Noah had expected. He took a deep breath and waited for the dizziness to disappear, but his head continued to feel heavy.

"This is annoying."

He could stop using the artefact, but that would mean returning to wandering around aimlessly, and Noah did not want to do that.

He had already come this far, and something inside the dungeon was still calling him, so he decided to ignore the discomfort and continue forward.

The artefact’s glow became stronger whenever he moved in the right direction, and Noah slowly began to understand how it worked.

He just needed to follow the strongest reaction and keep moving deeper into the dungeon.

Unfortunately, the deeper he went, the worse his body started to feel.

His chest felt heavier with every step, and his breathing also became slightly more difficult. There was a strange pressure around his heart that made him want to stop and rest for a while, but Noah ignored it.

He had experienced worse before.

Compared to everything that had happened at the academy, this was nothing.

Another monster suddenly rushed towards him, and Noah raised his staff to block its claws before striking it across the face.

The monster stumbled backwards, but Noah followed up with another strike and finished it off before it could recover.

Noah looked at the dead monster for a moment before continuing.

His movements were becoming slower, and his head felt like it was floating, while his legs occasionally felt as if they were about to give way beneath him.

However, the artefact was still glowing, which meant that he was getting closer to the core.

"I can do this."

Noah tightened his grip on the staff and continued walking.

He fought several more monsters along the way, using the staff to keep them away from his body.

Normally, these monsters would not have been much of a problem, but Noah’s unstable guiding made everything more difficult.

Every time he used his power, the artefact reacted to it, and every time the artefact reacted, his guiding became more chaotic.

The more chaotic his guiding became, the heavier his chest felt, but Noah continued to ignore the warning signs.

Eventually, the artefact began shining so brightly that Noah had to narrow his eyes.

"We’re close."

He could finally sense a powerful energy was coming from somewhere ahead.

The dungeon core was closed.

Noah quickened his steps despite his exhaustion, but before he could reach it, the entire dungeon suddenly shook.

The ground beneath his feet trembled violently, and pieces of stone fell from the ceiling.

"What?"

Noah immediately stopped and looked around.

Another powerful wave of energy passed through the dungeon, but this one was different.

Someone else had entered.

Noah could feel multiple presences moving through the dungeon, and some of them were incredibly powerful. There were espers and guides inside now, which meant that the people outside had finally entered the dungeon.

Noah stared at the path ahead of him before letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

"So I am not the only idiot who came inside."

He almost laughed at the thought.

This was actually good news. If there were powerful espers and guides inside, then there was no reason for Noah to worry about dying here.

At the very least, someone would eventually find the dungeon core, and if he was lucky, they might even deal with the remaining monsters for him.

Noah continued forward, following the artefact’s light until he finally saw a faint glow coming from the darkness.

The core was just ahead.

Noah reached out his hand, but before his fingers could touch it, something suddenly slammed into him from the side.

"Ah!"

Noah was thrown across the ground, and his staff slipped from his hand as his body crashed into the stone floor.

For a moment, he could not breathe.

The monster stood over him, roaring as Noah struggled to move his aching body.

But the dungeon core was right there.

Noah gritted his teeth and forced himself to reach towards it before the monster could attack again.

His fingers finally wrapped around the glowing core, and the moment he touched it, the entire dungeon shook violently.

Noah’s eyes widened as another wave of pain spread through his chest.

His expression twisted as he struggled to remain conscious, but he refused to let go of the core.

"...That hurt a lot more than I thought it would."