Lord Of The Lost

The Lost Maze Guide warned of forbidden zones—

Places where death was inevitable.

Only a few adventurers had ever entered and survived.

Among them were:

The Central Temple

The Dwarven Capital

The Demonic Lands

The Dragon's Lair

These were places where the fallen powers of ancient beings still lingered.

Dragons, giants, demons—

And the battlegrounds of the gods themselves.

Right now, they were not prepared to face such threats.

If they had stumbled into one of these forbidden zones, the entire team could be wiped out.

Metatron's frustration grew.

No matter how hard he pushed his ability—

[God's Perspective] returned… nothing.

It was like watching a silent movie.

No warnings.

No predictions.

No consumption of energy.

It was as if nothing had happened at all.

And that terrified him.

Because that meant something was actively blocking his visions.

Something or someone, was preventing them from seeing the truth.

And that could only mean one thing.

They weren't just in danger—

They were already caught in the trap.

A Glimpse into the Past

Metatron's vision flickered, revealing a single ray of light piercing through the endless darkness.

It was like a movie screen lighting up in an otherwise pitch-black theater.

The scene rushed toward him, so vividly detailed that he instinctively took a step back.

Then, he opened his eyes and froze in shock.

The ruined town around them had changed.

The crumbling walls, scattered rubble, and collapsed buildings had all been restored to their original state, as if time itself had been rewound.

Dust was swept away.

Stone mended itself.

Buildings stood tall once more.

It was as if an invisible hand had meticulously pieced everything back together.

And then, life returned.

Thousands of glowing lanterns illuminated the streets.

Dwarves real, living dwarves, walked along bustling roads, chatting, laughing, and going about their lives.

The entire town, which should have been lost to history, now stood before them, vibrant and full of life.

A system prompt appeared.

[Map Notification: You have arrived at Gushan Changhu Town.]

[Gushan: A dwarven town from thousands of years ago. The future is an illusion, and so is the past.]

William exchanged glances with his team.

Sophia's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth slightly open.

"This… isn't a dream, is it?"

Before they could process what was happening, the dwarves noticed them.

A group of armed guards approached swiftly.

At the front was a short but sturdy dwarf, no taller than 1.2 meters, with sharp eyes and a thick beard.

His tone was gruff and accusatory.

"Humans? Where did you come from?"

William kept his expression neutral.

"We're lost. What is this place?"

The guard snorted, unimpressed.

"Lost? In Lonely Mountain? Do you take me for a fool?"

His glare intensified.

"Your kind stole from us before, our power, our secrets. And now you're here again, trying to fool us with lies?"

William's eyes narrowed.

This dwarven warrior was a Sequence 9 combatant.

One of the few extraordinary professions that could match knights in raw power.

In fact, knights originated from warriors—evolving into a more structured path due to the sheer difficulty and cost of training true warriors.

Even if William could defeat this dwarf, it was unlikely he was alone.

And there was another problem.

His Demon Wolf intuition whispered that if he attacked, it wouldn't trigger [Killing to Prove the Way].

Which meant one thing—

This dwarf, like the Fallen Vampire, wasn't real.

The Forum Master stepped forward with an easy smile.

"Ah, a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! We're just travelers who heard Gushan was particularly lively these days. We wanted to see the festivities firsthand!"

He casually pulled out two gold coins and slipped them into the guard's hand.

The dwarf's eyes flickered as he inspected the gold.

It was genuine dwarven currency, though notably ancient.

Without hesitation, he pocketed one coin, then reached into his pouch and pulled out a few bronze badges.

"Smart move." He tossed the badges to them.

"These are temporary ID passes. You can stay in Town for a few days, but once the event ends, you're leaving."

Then, he scowled.

"Sneaking into Lonely Mountain… You must have a death wish."

The Forum Master nodded respectfully, offering an apologetic grin.

With that, the tension eased.

The gathered dwarves, losing interest, dispersed back into the streets.

The Forum Master turned to William and murmured,

"Wait here a moment."

Then, he subtly gestured at Alex before vanishing into the crowded streets.

Meanwhile, Metatron and the Gambler moved in the opposite direction, blending into the town.

They were gathering intelligence.

William remained where he was, watching them go.

Then, he looked up.

Above him, the night sky stretched endlessly, dotted with twinkling stars.

A full moon hung overhead, casting its soft glow over the mysterious town.

Something about this place…

Felt unsettling.

A Subtle Yet Alarming Shift

The underground labyrinth never had stars. Yet here, under a vast night sky, they twinkled brightly, as if the group had truly stepped back into an era thousands of years ago.

Despite the instinct to stick together, the Forum Master and Metatron had gone their separate ways to gather intelligence.

William wasn't worried about them. At worst, they'd get wiped out and respawn.

But then: a sharp, stabbing sensation pierced his brain.

Like a needle digging deep into his mind.

His Demon Wolf instincts flared up, sending him an urgent warning.

Something was very wrong.

Yet, no matter how he scanned his surroundings, he couldn't pinpoint the danger.

A deep irritation settled in his chest, gnawing at him. His fingers dug into his palm, his mind racing.

The threat wasn't external.

It came from within himself.

William bit down on his knuckle, his eyes flickering with unease.

What was wrong with him?

His three-dimensional attributes were high. His control over his body was exceptional. Even a Sequence 8 Nightmare couldn't force him into a dream without resistance.

And yet, something had slipped past his defenses.

If he was affected, then the entire team might already be compromised.

I need to figure this out.

Even if he couldn't stop it, he at least needed to understand what was happening.

"Hey! Hello!"

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He didn't react. His mind was too tangled in figuring out the crisis.

Then—bam!

A small foot kicked him square in the shin.

William winced. "What the hell?! What was that for?"

Sophia stood there, arms crossed, face turned to the side like a pouting child.

"Hmph!"

William sighed. Great. Now she's mad.

He knew her well enough by now. Sophia was the type who needed gentle coaxing, otherwise, he'd just be in for more trouble later.

Plus, he owed her.

Not just for what she had done, but for Iris, too.

William wasn't the type to forget kindness.

Even small gestures earned his loyalty and by now, Sophia had at least 70 points out of 100 in his book.

So, softening his voice, he asked, "What's wrong, Sophia?"

Sophia just huffed.

Then, in a very serious tone, she declared:

"I'm hungry."

William blinked.

He followed her gaze and noticed a pub nearby.

The warm glow of lanterns flickered behind the curtains. Inside, the lively chatter of dwarves drinking and feasting mixed with the rich aroma of barbecue.

Only then did it hit him, Sophia hadn't eaten in days.

In the labyrinth, food was scarce. They were constantly on the move, with little time to stop and prepare meals.

Sure, as a supernatural being, Sophia could last four to five days without food. But that didn't mean she wouldn't feel the hunger.

William himself had [Devour], which allowed him to absorb energy from the void. Theoretically, he could survive indefinitely without eating.

But that didn't mean he wanted to.

He was still human, and hunger felt terrible.

So, every time he logged out, he made sure to eat plenty in the real world to compensate.

Now, looking at Sophia's determined little face, he sighed.

"Alright, let's eat."

The two walked into the dwarven pub.

The room was filled with short, stout figures, all engrossed in their meals and drinks.

A few dwarves glanced their way, intrigued by the sight of a human and a young witch, but quickly lost interest.

William ordered several plates of food, mostly meat dishes, knowing Sophia's carnivorous nature.

As soon as the food arrived, Sophia lowered her head and dug in, her small mouth munching away with focus.

She wasn't picky at all. Despite being a witch princess, she adapted well to the eating habits of the dwarves.

Seeing her eat so enthusiastically, William suddenly realized how hungry he was too.

So, he ordered a second round and started eating as well.

Halfway through the meal, William paused.

A strange unease slithered up his spine.

His instincts screamed that something wasn't right.

He swallowed his bite and opened his game panel.

Then, his pupils contracted sharply.

[ID: Breeze Blowing Over the Hills]

[Level: 15]

[Status: True Form]

…What?

What the Hell Does "True Form" Mean?

William's heart pounded.

He had never seen this status before.

His Demon Wolf instincts howled in alarm.

Something had changed.

And he had no idea what it meant.