"An invader has been determined!"


    The voice, a conglomeration of ten obelisks speaking at the exact same time, echoed loudly throughout the entire hall as Nn''s moved, his dagger revolving in his palmz with an experienced precision.


    "Elimination process of the invader will now start!" they allpleted in unison.


    In the next instant, Nn watched as they began moving. The air around them started quivering from the release of an invisible power.


    [Quest: Survive the Whispering Mammoths has been sessfullypleted!]


    [New Quest Issued.]


    [Fight through the Ten Fundamental Obelisks and free the Chained Faeries!]


    [Reward: ???]


    [Power level of invader is being determined…]


    [Stage Twomand will now begin!]


    The voice rang out once more as Nn winced.


    He watched the runes on the 5-meter-tall, four-sided, tapering structures rise to a pointed top.


    With caution, he observed as five out of the ten obelisks in the room uprooted themselves from the ground, fusing with the remaining five.


    Instantly, the surface of the remaining five obelisks, covered in intricate runes, began pulsing with energy—energy that Nn could easily identify.


    The first obelisk had a deep crimson color, radiating a faint red glow.


    Itt was covered in runes that pulsed with heat, moltenva leaking along its surface. At the top of it, a constantly burning me twisted and writhed, sending sparks into the air.


    The intense wave of heat surrounding the structure made the air shimmer, and Nn was able to instantly sense that it was a ming obelisk, whose power definitely had something to do with mes.


    The second obelisk had a sleek, jet-ck appearance that absorbed light, making it appear like a void in the room.


    Dipped within its center was a pulsating silver sphere that emitted an ominous hum.


    Tiny metallic objects orbited around it, and Nn''s brow furrowed as he felt something different about its surrounding air.


    It was like it could manipte the gravity around it!


    That was the only exnation for the fact that the objects orbiting it were floating in the air as if there was no gravity in the room.


    The third obelisk was translucent, made of a swirling mixture of ss-like material and storm clouds.


    Lightning crackled along its surface, and ethereal winds whipped around it, creating a stormy presence.


    At the center of it was a core that glowed with unstable bluish energy, flickering in and out.


    "That one probably has something to do with storms or lightning..." Nn mused before turning his gaze to the fourth one.


    The one that made his heart tighten with a sense of impending doom.


    It was an ancient-looking obelisk, covered in deep fractures, as though it had aged for millennia.


    A clock-like symbol constantly shifted and evolved across its surface, with gears that turned at random speeds.


    In certain ces, parts of the obelisk appeared frozen, while others moved almost too fast for Nn''s eyes to follow.


    "Don''t tell me..."


    He mused out loud, and a notification panel appeared, confirming his suspicion.


    [It can control time!]


    ''This might just get harder than I thought...'' Nn thought, his resolve hardening as his gaze moved to the final obelisk in the room.


    It was made of deep obsidian-ck stone, covered in chains that seemed to grow out from its surface, writhing around like snakes.


    These chains extended from the obelisk and tangled into the walls, floors, and up to the suspended tform where Nn knew the Chained Faeries were being held.


    Looking at its chains, he could easily guess that this obelisk was responsible for keeping the faeries imprisoned—his main target.


    Once he severed those dark chains, he should be good to go.


    But it seemed this fact was known by whoever built this ce because the obelisk was situated behind the remaining four, almost as if it was being guarded by them!


    In the next instant, Nn''s left hand shot to the side.


    A dark and heavy crimson chain shot out from his palm, mming hard on the ground but soon lifted by Nn, who wrapped the chain around the hilt of his dagger. It coiled around his right arm.


    "This can''t stop me..." Nn mused, his eyes bing cold and focused.


    BOOOOOM!


    The area where he was standing exploded, as Nn soared away from it with incredible speed.


    Instantly, he moved forward, trying to bypass the ming obelisk and reach the chained one.


    However, his danger bells rang in his head as Nn stopped for a second before shifting backward.


    In the next moment...


    BOOOOOOM!


    A powerful pir of mes mmed down on the ce where Nn had stood just a second ago, scorching the ground and reducing it to a meter deep crater.


    "What the—?" Nn thought as he looked up and noticed something.


    Across the room, there were runic symbols floating in the air, in the shape of gateways.


    One of those runic gates had spewed out that pir of mes.


    Without needing to think about it twice, Nn knew that if he stepped beyond any of those ming red lines, he would be instantly devoured by a simr pir of fire.


    The runic lines had effectively reduced the space where he could move.


    "I just have to make sure not to get under them..." Nn affirmed to himself before once again bursting forward with speed.


    This time, he made sure to move away from the ming runic symbols in the air.


    He could feel himself sessfully closing in on the ming obelisk, but in the next instant, Nn''s eyes picked up the second obelisk, pulsing with strange light, and then...


    RIIIIIPPPPLLLEEE!


    A strange shockwave undted from it, covering the entire area. Once it mmed into Nn, his face changed.


    BAAAAAANG!


    The next step that Nn took caused the entire ground to shatter into pieces. But it wasn''t from Nn''s strength.


    Right now, he felt incredibly heavy, so heavy that he struggled to lift his single leg off the ground.


    The only exnation was that the gravity in the room had been increased by almost triple!