With a dull grinding of massive stone, the temple's hidden passage to the underground slowly opened.
Led by Elder Twilight Star and several other elders, the four players followed closely as they descended underground.
The path was a spiral staircase. Glowing crystals powered by psionic energy were embedded in the surrounding walls, lending the place a deep and mysterious air. The stairs wound downward, and with every step they took, the concentration of psionic energy in the environment actually increased!
After spending this time communicating with the Scientific Research Team, Bro Don't and the other three had long since cast aside their carefree attitude of playing a virtual online game.
Once they became certain that the world beneath their feet most likely truly existed, and that the natives before them were flesh-and-blood intelligent beings, the joys and sorrows of the Star Spirit Race—whom they had once regarded as NPCs—seemed to carry far more warmth.
Their attitude toward the current events had also shifted from playful mockery to the same solemnity as the elders.
—Though such expressions looked rather out of place on the faces of these four troublemakers.
"We're here."
Elder Twilight Star stopped and heavily struck the ground with his staff.
In an instant, layer upon layer of soft starlit-blue halos illuminated the vast space ahead.
The four stared ahead, then sharply sucked in a breath.
Before them stood an incomparably magnificent Underground Altar!
The altar's foundation was built from some unknown material that exuded an ancient aura. A sacred, archaic presence washed over them. Its upper surface was covered in complex inscriptions.
At the very center of the altar stood a figure in silence.
It was a humanoid creature with a dark golden sheen across its entire body. The texture of his skin and the lines of his