Despite the Curse Temple ruins located deep underground, unreachable by the sunlight, Hunting Knowledge reports that the differences between day and night subtly impact the miasma inside the temple.
During the day, the activity of the miasma slightly decreases due to the curse's intrinsic trait.
Thus, Hero set out early in the morning just as dawn broke, leaving the city gates with her team and arriving at a secluded valley outside the city before noon.
This place was seldom visited, but it was still within the influence of the Border City, so no potent Magic Creatures lurked here. None dared approach to disturb Hero and the black cat she held.
Everything progressed smoothly. Although the winter sun was not brilliant, it still illuminated the serene valley. Under the meticulous search of Hero and the soldiers, the entrance to the Secret Realm was soon discovered.
It was an inconspicuous crack on the rock wall, wide enough for a person to pass through, but at first glance, it appeared unremarkable.
One wonders how the initial Adventurer's team decided to enter this crack for exploration.
However, knowing in advance, Hero extended her sharp Perception into the crack and discovered that the darkness within twisted and turned toward an even deeper and unknown part of the ground, endlessly deep.
The deeper the Perception reached, the stronger the cold, strange feeling became, as if a pair of hate-filled eyes were watching her from behind, giving Hero the shivers.
The black cat in Hero's arms also stared at the crack, its fur slightly bristling, making a low rumbling noise in its throat.
[Luck Check: Hero has discovered the Secret Realm: Curse Temple LV46]
"...Yes, this is the place."
Hero withdrew her Perception, stepped back, and nodded to the soldiers.
Although the soldiers could not see anything unusual about the crack, they did not doubt Hero's judgment and immediately began to prepare systematically.
In a short while, the area around the crack was cleared, a small military camp was swiftly erected, and a basic Barrier was set up using scrolls and Magic Stones.
"Lord Hero, preparations are complete." A soldier organized Hero's small backpack, checking that water, food, and Potions were plentiful before reporting to her.
This meant she could leave at any moment.
"Remember, if anything is amiss, return at any time. Even if you simply feel tired, you can come back to rest. If you encounter danger and cannot escape, call for help immediately, and we will try to assist you," the soldier earnestly advised.
Hero nodded slightly, stretched her fingers to her back, and checked the touch of the Magic Scroll at the bottom of her pack.
The Snake-shaped Hairpin on her head—now repossessed by Gleaming Scale Serpent—also twinkled slightly, showing that the Divine Mark was ready.
Hero nodded to the watching soldiers, signaling that she was fully prepared. She took the box handed over by another soldier, snapping the Witch's lent Demon-locking Ring onto her.
As the Demon-locking Ring activated its effects, even though they had communicated beforehand, she noticed the soldiers' expressions turning worried.
Hero smiled at them, indicating she was alright, then took a deep breath and stepped into the dark crack.
The black cat gracefully jumped from her arms onto the ground, and within the crack, a distinctly bordered pool of pitch-black darkness silently hovered, seemingly waiting for a long time.
The eyes of the White Snake Hair Ornament on Hero's head slowly opened, calmly observing the boundless darkness ahead.
"...Alright, let's make a move."
After one last check of her equipment and accompanied by her three teammates, Hero gripped her Finger Claw and advanced deeper into the darkness.
[Lucky Standard, as it is noon, Hero's first Exploration gets 30 Bonus]
[Hero's Exploration (Perception 98, Global d2+30)]
2d98+60=d98(60)+d98(74)+60=194
[Curse Temple environment (difference determines the result of exploration, if exploration is below the environment, Stealth phase initiates, above 46 discovers Hidden Passage)]
D100+46=d100(11)+46=57
In the pitch-black passage, Hero carefully advanced.
As she went deeper, the pathway within the rock walls gradually widened, expanding from a narrow crack, initially only wide enough for one person, to a small tunnel wide enough for two or three adult men to walk side by side.
For Hero, who was just short of average height, this was plenty of space to maneuver.
She navigated through the winding path formed in unknown ways, the slope under her feet growing steeper, extending down into the deep earth.
Gleaming Scale Serpent embedded in the hairpin emitted a gentle light, illuminating the path ahead for Hero.
This wasn't her first time trekking through such tunnels. She had once ventured to the Underground Black Lake to confront the Undead Witch of the deep sea, where she even had to transform into a snake to enter, so comparatively, this pathway was much more spacious.
The air grew stagnant and cold, a scarcely perceptible miasma drifting from ahead, carrying a bewildering, eerie essence.
The power of the Curse had clearly intensified, but as Hunting Knowledge stated, this Negative Energy wasn't very active.
The Demon-locking Ring also performed well, an invisible film isolating Hero from the external Magic Element, and the Wind Moon Night around her neck automatically set up a light breeze Shield, filtering the polluted air of the depths.