[Warrior's Heart]: Tempered by countless years, you have grown into a powerful warrior. The will to fight burns in your heart, making you fearless in the face of danger and unceasing in battle!

Skill effect: Stamina increased by 10%, stamina consumption when casting skills reduced by 10%.

What the—?

Seeing the effect of this class skill, Lin Mo's eyes brightened instantly. This really was like finding a pillow when you're dozing off. He'd been worrying about weak constitution and severe lack of stamina; this special skill called Warrior's Heart increased stamina by 10% and also reduced the stamina cost of using skills.

With that, plus the warrior class's two-point constitution boost, it wouldn't exactly solve everything, but at least he wouldn't be out of breath after two swings and become a "one-hit wonder."

"Hmm?"

Bern, who had been scanning the surroundings, suddenly noticed Lin Mo. For some reason, although only half a minute had passed, Lin Mo gave him the impression of having changed all at once.

It was a subtle, hard-to-describe shift—delicate but unmistakable.

Since this sort of thing is awkward to ask about directly, Bern didn't dwell on it. He quickly shifted his gaze back to observing the current secret realm.

Behind them, that "rift" still existed, but it could no longer be touched.

Just like the bards had said: it's easy to go in, but getting out isn't so simple.

The secret realm had been triggered. To put it in a more technical way, the foreign creatures carried magic from two different worlds that interfered with resonance, causing the passage on this side to seal temporarily.

The duration of the seal was unknown, and they'd never heard of anyone who entered a secret realm and then returned through the same entrance.

Those two cursed-pattern cat demons earlier—no matter how far they'd made them run toward the entrance, they couldn't come back.

"It looks like if we want to leave, we have to explore this secret realm."

Bern walked over and tried touching the bluish-gray wall. He knew this bluish-gray stonework well—the shape and texture were very similar to the walls of Lania City.

"Looks like a small-scale dungeon?" Cody guessed.

Bern nodded. "Most likely. If that's the case, we just need to walk to the end to find an exit."

Among all types of secret realms, dungeons are by far the most common; most bard tales use them as a template.

They're usually much like what lay before them: monsters and traps inside, with corresponding rewards at the end.

Proper danger, satisfying rewards.

For adventurers—whether entering voluntarily or forced—this is the best type of secret realm.

Their luck seemed fairly decent...

"So, shall we set off now?"

Evan waved his sword, looking ready to go.

"Not yet. Rest a bit first."

Bern shook his head. Although it had only been a short time, they'd just fought and had chased after the cursed-pattern cat demons for a while; they'd just gone through a life-or-death crisis and needed time to steady their nerves.

Everything about the dungeon was unknown; before moving, they should get into the best possible condition.

There was no wood here to make a fire, so Bern could only take out some somewhat hard bread from his pack and eat with water and dried salted meat.

Lin Mo did the same—just a simple bite to fill his stomach.

Cody didn't eat the bread, only some jerky. As the team's assassin, he needed to stay sharp to scout for traps. Sweet wheat might bring comfort, but it would also make one drowsy and slow the reflexes.

Evan ate quickly, visibly impatient, while Miriam chewed slowly in small bites, sitting not far from Evan watching him.

It was rare for Evan not to pester her while eating—he usually crowded over the moment they rested and jabbered nonstop.

Miriam would show impatience outwardly, but she listened to every word and occasionally replied.

Today, however, the meal was unusually quiet, which made her a little uneasy.

"You really want it? A skill scroll..." Miriam suddenly asked in a low voice.

Evan glanced at her in surprise—Miriam rarely initiated conversation.

Without hesitation he nodded, "Learning skills, becoming professional—that's how you make more money."

"Actually, those things you talk about, I don't care much about."

Miriam held the bread in her hands. She'd never cared about a big fancy house, wealth, or fame. "A peaceful life like this isn't bad."

Even if she stopped being an adventurer and lived a modest life in town...

"I know, but isn't it better to have them?"

Evan answered carelessly. The passionate youth harbored a childhood warrior's dream and had endured many bleak days without light.

Now that hope was within reach, how could he not be excited?

He could already picture himself dramatically swinging his sword and cleaving monsters in two...

Miriam said nothing more, stuffing the rest of the bread into her mouth.

As she swallowed, she touched the healing scar on her neck.

She didn't want to be a burden, so she practiced archery desperately and eventually joined the team.

But recently, she felt a little tired.

Still, she wouldn't voice that. She couldn't stop the dreams of the one she loved. If he hadn't had a burning heart back then, he wouldn't have seen her in the mud and dragged her out of the abyss.

Besides, they had no choice.

If they couldn't reach the dungeon's end, they'd be trapped here to die.

After the meal, everyone tacitly rested for a bit. Once they'd recovered, they gathered to discuss their next move.

The corridor ahead wasn't wide—only enough for three or four to walk abreast.

Considering the possibility of combat, they decided to travel in a single-file line.

Knight Bern naturally took the lead, assassin Cody accompanied him to scout for traps so he went second, third was Miriam, followed by Evan, and Lin Mo brought up the rear to ensure safety from behind.

With positions decided, they set off. Bern moved slowly with sword and shield, every step cautious.

Cody focused intently on the walls, not daring to miss a single suspicious detail.

"There's a gap on the right wall—watch out!"

At Cody's warning, a few seconds later an arrow shot out and was blocked by Bern's shield.

"There's a crack ten meters from the left wall."

"Above! Watch the rolling logs!"

...

As they progressed, the dungeon was indeed full of traps. Most were discovered by Cody in advance; when something slipped past him, reliable Bern would step in and shield everyone from danger.

Overall, for experienced adventurers, these ordinary traps posed little real threat.

The true danger lay with the monsters hidden within.

Since those two cursed-pattern cat demons came from this secret realm, the monsters inside were probably not as simple as ordinary goblins...