Chapter 677: The Hidden Door.

Thoren had barely taken a few steps when a strange cracking sound suddenly echoed through the chamber, causing him to halt in his tracks.

His body stiffened, and he slowly turned his head toward the source of the noise, confusion marring his face.

Crack!

Another cracking sound rang out, louder than the first, followed by a series of deep, grinding noises that echoed through the empty chamber.

Thoren’s eyes narrowed as he watched the ancient pillar of skulls standing behind the Well of Grief, only to discover that something was happening to it.

The massive pillar, which had remained motionless since his arrival, began to split apart at its base.

Thin cracks spread across the tightly packed skulls, creeping upward through the structure as though an invisible blade were cutting its way through the bones.

The sound grew increasingly louder, and the entire pillar trembled slightly as the separation widened.

Thoren instinctively took a step backward, his attention fixed on the strange phenomenon unfolding before him.

Before he could figure out what was happening, the two halves of the skull pillar began to swing apart, slowly moving toward opposite sides like the leaves of an enormous double door.

The skulls shifted against one another, producing a dreadful scraping sound that made his skin crawl, while the darkness behind the opening gradually became visible.

For a moment, Thoren simply stood there, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.

He had thought the ordeal was finally over after paying the debt demanded by the Tallykeeper.

Yet, the Weeping Ossuary had apparently decided otherwise.

Looking at the scene before him, Thoren was stunned, and his jaw dropped slightly as the two halves of the pillar continued to open.

He could hardly believe that the very structure he had been examining moments earlier had transformed into something resembling a hidden entrance.

When he thought everything was over, a mysterious door appeared at the foot of the skull pillar.

The door stood within the newly revealed opening, its ancient surface barely distinguishable from the surrounding darkness.

’Shit!’ He cursed inwardly.

For a moment, Thoren found himself caught in a difficult dilemma.

Should he approach the mysterious door and investigate what lay beyond it, or should he turn around and leave before the Weeping Ossuary could throw another unexpected danger at him?

To him, that was the sensible choice.

He had already witnessed how dangerous this place could be.

The thought alone made Thoren’s expression grow solemn.

The strangeness of the Weeping Ossuary had gotten to him, and he no longer wanted to take part in any crazy plot the place might throw at him.

He had come here to explore the third floor and find a way out, not to become entangled in the secrets of some ancient burial ground that seemed capable of manipulating his mind and controlling his fate.

There was no reason to risk his life for a mysterious door.

He could simply turn around, retrace his steps, and search for another route.

Even if the ancient passage contained something valuable, it was not worth losing his life over.

Yet, something deep within him was whispering.

’Why should I turn back?’

The question suddenly appeared in Thoren’s mind, causing him to pause as he stared at the mysterious door.

He had already taken several dangerous steps since entering the Weeping Ossuary, and every one of them had brought him closer to something he could neither understand nor control.

Even after paying the debt demanded by the Tallykeeper.

For a moment, he felt the familiar urge to retreat, to put as much distance as possible between himself and this accursed place.

However, another thought soon followed.

’If I’m scared now, I will forever be scared by sinister situations like this.’

Thoren clenched his fists slightly as he considered deeply.

If he began retreating whenever he encountered something beyond his understanding, how long would it take before he became incapable of facing any real danger?

’How can I allow that...?’

His expression gradually changed as he continued staring at the door.

The fear had not disappeared, nor had the uneasiness in his heart completely subsided, but he was beginning to see his situation from another perspective.

’With my talent and strength, if I retreat, I will be nothing but a failure.’

The thought struck him harder than he expected.

Thoren knew he was not invincible, and he had never considered himself someone who could overcome every danger without suffering a loss.

However, he had worked too hard to reach his current position, and he had survived too many desperate situations to allow fear to become the reason he abandoned his pursuit.

’Besides, who knows if this door contains the answer I have been looking for...?’

The various thoughts appeared in his mind one after another, and the confusion and fear that seemed to cloud his judgment gradually receded.

Although the darkness beyond the door remained just as unsettling as before, Thoren’s heart was no longer overwhelmed by the same hesitation.

"When did I become a coward?" he muttered with a solemn expression.

His voice echoed faintly through the empty chamber, but he paid little attention to it.

Instead, he took a slow breath and straightened his back, forcing himself to confront the uneasiness that still lingered within him.

"No matter what lies beyond the door, I must see it," he said firmly before walking toward the entrance.

Unknown to him, he had once again passed the Weeping Ossuary’s test.

The strange place had offered him another opportunity to retreat, allowing fear and uncertainty to decide his next move.

Yet, after struggling with his own doubts, Thoren had chosen to continue forward, refusing to let the terror of the unknown control him.

As he approached the ancient door, the silence around him seemed to grow heavier.

The skulls on both sides of the entrance stared into the darkness with empty sockets, their pale surfaces barely visible beneath the faint illumination of the Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt floating above his head.

Thoren stopped directly before the entrance and examined the skulls, searching for anything unusual.

Unfortunately, he found nothing that could explain the purpose of the door, and the darkness beyond it remained impenetrable to his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Thoren stared into the darkness beyond the ancient door, his expression solemn as he prepared himself for whatever awaited him.