Hal and the other wizards looked around, appreciating nature as they walked.

They sensed a few beasts and monsters around, but none dared come closer.

It was understandable.

After all, just the mana fluctuations of the escort force alone were already terrifying, and there were still the tribal folks, all of whom seemed to know wizardry as well.

It was impossible to tell exactly how strong they were without fighting them.

However, based on the presence of high-ranking monsters the escort force sensed earlier, the tribal folks weren't pushovers, especially their chief.

Even Raiz wasn't sure if she could take the man in a duel.

Fortunately, they were merely being escorted to the ancient temple, and soon, a clearing in the middle of thick shrubbery and ancient tall trees came into view.

There was an archaic entrance made of now-mossy blocks, vines, and a few insects crawling all over the stone jambs, and there were faint vermilion runes lining the sides.

Hal's heart skipped a beat. He instantly felt a connection to the pulsing runes!

If he wasn't mistaken, then this location might be deeply tied to the powers granted to him by Primordial Chaos!

The black-haired, brown-skinned tribal chief had already stopped advancing, saying something to his master while pointing at the entrance with his elemental staff.

The man then bowed and made way for them.

"We're here, Hal." Isolde turned and said to him in a stern, somewhat grim tone.

Hal nodded. He knew what to do.

Without hesitation, he moved closer to the entrance, with Loki following right behind him.

The two then scanned the entrance for a while.

There seemed to be a thin, translucent azure barrier blocking anyone from just entering, but Hal didn't feel like he was being stopped.

It was even beckoning him to enter.

Perhaps this was due to his being within what his master said was the acceptable age range.

Hal turned, nodding at Isolde. He drew a deep breath, then, at his master's urging, stepped forward.

"Go."

Loki also entered after him.

Fortunately, it seemed that the pup was allowed inside, too.

Hal didn't know what to feel.

On one hand, he didn't want the pup to go with him, as he didn't want to put Loki in danger, but on the other, the pup's sharp instincts would help a lot.

Loki was already inside, though. There was no room for hesitation.

Naturally, Hal planned to advance carefully, since there was no time limit, anyway.

The two of them shall explore the forbidden location with safety as a priority.

After all, he would have to be alive to enjoy whatever it is he would obtain inside.

Shifting his attention to the ancient, moss-filled, descending stairway in front of him, Hal took another deep breath.

He then began to go down with Loki.

The surroundings weren't too dark, as glowing mosses dimly illuminated the surroundings, giving Hal just enough vision not to trip.

He couldn't see the end of the staircase, though.

The atmosphere was certainly a bit unsettling.

However, Hal wouldn't be stopped by such a minor thing.

He continued descending.

Soon, he even began to appreciate the ancient murals, even though he couldn't understand what they meant.

Hal and Loki finally saw the end of the staircase around ten minutes later.

There was a huge arch entrance with faintly pulsing vermilion runes similar to the ones outside, and beyond it, a wide stone bridge with a dark abyss on both sides, connecting the entrance to another part of the underground temple.

Soon, the wolf-human duo arrived in front of the arch.

A notification then popped up in front of Hal.

[Welcome to the Temple of Chaos, Chosen!]

He was, of course, petrified, not expecting that this location would be proof of the entity's existence in this world.

Hal grew both nervous and excited.

Was everything planned by Primordial Chaos?

What were the odds that, out of all the rewards he would obtain from the eastern battlefield, he would acquire the map to this temple?

Hal was sure this was more than just a coincidence.

'Will I get some sort of inheritance here…?'

In any case, he was sure he would obtain something today. He even had a feeling that he would gain something that would boost his powers tremendously,

However, Hal also knew that Primordial Chaos doesn't give anything for free.

He would have to work hard for it.

Steeling his resolve, Hal entered the arch with Loki, not noticing that the runes glowed brighter the moment they did.

This informed a certain entity inside the temple that Chaos' Chosen had entered.

The duo crossed the stone bridge warily.

It would be normally impossible to fall to the abyss with how wide the pass was, but Hal knew better than to expect nothing would go wrong.

Their footsteps echoed through the deafening silence and the biting darkness as they advanced, one foot in front of the other, while carefully watching their steps and the abyss.

Fortunately, the trip to the other side was peaceful, and they reached the condensed soil ground with overgrown flora without much trouble.

Hal couldn't help but gulp at the sight of faintly glowing herbs he didn't even recognize.

His greed took over him for a moment, and he harvested a few, just in case they turn out to be valuable later, especially after being left untouched for probably centuries.

What he didn't notice was that a translucent vermillion barrier now blocked the arch entrance behind them.

The duo didn't have plans to return anytime soon, though.

Taking one deep breath, Hal summoned his trusty [Spirit Sparrow], willing it to fly ahead to scout the surroundings.

He could see much clearly through its vision.

Based on what the avian summon could see, it seemed they were in a…misty indoor jungle?

How could that even be possible?

It was then that the "sun" rose—faster than usual—revealing the entire area.

To Hal's bewilderment, he could suddenly hear the sound of waves crashing against rocky cliff walls behind him, and in front of him was indeed a jungle.

He was...back to Tiki Island?