It took half an hour for Eight Head to destroy the three golems. The battle wasn't easy, as the golems were quite strong. Among the entire party, except for Souta, Eight Head was the only one capable of taking down the three golems alone.

Eight Head expended a significant amount of mana during the fight, leaving him somewhat fatigued. His elemental energy was depleted, but he still had plenty of stamina remaining.

After the battle, the key appeared in front of them. It emerged from the remains of the golems, taking the shape of a magatama.

Souta smiled as he looked at the key. They had acquired it without expending any of his own energy. It had been relatively easy.

He checked the progress of the quest.

Exploration Progress: 21%

Even after thoroughly exploring the entire ancient city, the progress was only twenty-one percent. It hadn't even reached halfway. Based on this, it seemed they would need days before the progress hit one hundred percent.

"We've finished our job here, so let's go back and meet the rest,

" Souta said before turning around.

...

The group arrived in front of the House of Herbs. They found the other groups already waiting for them.

"What took you so long?

" the Sixth Head asked.

"Acquiring the key in our location was a bit tricky. Eight Head fought three golems before the key appeared,

" Souta shrugged.

"Anyway, now that we've gathered the four keys, it's time to open this building,

" Alexander said, looking at the huge structure before them.

At the same time, Souta heard a familiar sound in his mind.

*Ding!*

Congratulations for completing the Quest

"Four Keys

"!

You've gained 3 skill points, 5 free attribute points, and 1,000,000 experience points! *Ding!*

You've leveled up!

Level 74 > 75

'Oh, my level increased,' Souta noted with raised eyebrows. It was within his expectations since he was so close to Level 75.

The experience bar was now less than one percent. He still needed a lot of experience points to reach Level 76.

Souta opened and closed his palm, savoring the sensation of his strength increasing. He was at the late fourth stage, but the power he wielded now far surpassed that of any typical fourth-stage individual. Even a peak fourth-stage Gerxuz could not match his current level of strength.

While Souta was occupied, Alexander had already opened the door to the House of Herbs.

A wave of mana surged out, brushing against their faces.

Suddenly, Alexander's expression shifted.

"Wait!

"

He immediately dashed forward as arrows began flying towards them from inside the building. Alexander gathered his mana into his hand and slammed his palm onto the floor.

Swoosh!

The space rippled, causing the arrows to vanish and reappear behind the ground, losing their momentum.

Erkigal turned her head and raised her eyebrows with interest. She noted that the arrows were coated with a dangerously potent poison.

"Don't lower your guard,

" Alexander warned, exhaling. He then pointed at the arrows and continued,

"That poison is extremely dangerous. It's called Withering Bond Poison, and it's powerful enough to harm an expert who has broken a great shackle.

"

The mention of the poison caused a stir among the experts, especially those below SSS-rank. Given their strength, they were accustomed to resisting many toxins, but this one was different.

"Withering Bond Poison... I've heard of it before. I think many factions banned its production because it involves the refinement of people,

" Erkigal said.

"You're partly correct. This poison was banned because creating it required experts to refine lower dimensions at the Boundary level, resulting in the deaths of countless people,

" Alexander explained, his face reflecting his disapproval.

Numerous universes had fallen in the past just to create a poison like this. When the major factions discovered its creation, they banned its production and hunted down those involved. The most potent Withering Bond Poison could even harm Seventh Shackle experts.

Though the poison appeared ordinary, its potency was extraordinary.

Souta looked at the arrows coated in poison and suddenly remembered someone.

"Poison, huh? If Yenxa were still alive, I wonder how powerful she would be today. Her potential was immense,

" Souta murmured, recalling the little goblin who had always been by his side.

The group decided to collect the arrows. The poison was incredibly potent, and its recipe had been lost to time.

The interior of the House of Herbs was much larger than its exterior suggested, thanks to spatial manipulation. Various herbs were neatly arranged along both sides of the room, and the air was thick with the scent of precious materials.

Everyone entered, their eyes widening in amazement at the sight before them.

So many herbs.

They could harvest them.

Of course, no one intended to monopolize the resources. They planned to divide the spoils fairly, acknowledging that everyone had contributed to gaining access to the building.

The House of Herbs consisted

floors, each dedicated to different types

herbs.

After thoroughly exploring the House of Herbs, the group proceeded to the Northern Library. This time, they were especially cautious as they opened the door. They were aware of the traps, having anticipated them, and easily avoided any danger.

The Northern Library was vast, spanning twenty floors, with each floor as large as an entire city block. Books of all kinds were neatly arranged on the shelves.

Among the books were those on combat arts and spells, alchemical recipes, forging techniques for blacksmiths, as well as simpler texts on agriculture and languages.

The group explored the library, marveling at the vast array of knowledge contained within.

Most of the books on combat arts and spells were located on the fifteenth floor and above. Eilish stood by one of the shelves, picked up a book, and opened it. She murmured,

"Understanding Tier 3 spells. Hmm... I see.

"

The others also began perusing books that caught their interest.

The House of Herbs and the Northern Library exceeded their expectations. The contents of the

two buildings alone were already worth a fortune.

The Heads of the Dragon Council were pleased with their discovery; it was a significant haul

for them.

Souta checked their progress.

Exploration Progress: 29%

This indicated that there were still many areas to explore within the ancient ruin. They had yet

to reach the halfway point.

Half an hour later, the group exited the building and gathered to discuss their next move.

Alexander pointed to a massive stone monument at the center of the city and said,

"That's our next destination. We've gathered all four keys, so we should be able to open the passage to

the other side.

"

"There's more?!

"

Everyone's eyes were drawn to the towering stone monument, which reached a height of

three hundred meters.

"Yes,

" Alexander confirmed with a nod.

Without delay, the group arrived at the stone monument.

The four keys floated in the air in Alexander's hand, each emitting a faint glow. A surge of

energy emanated from the monument, as if it were resonating with the keys.

Ohm!

The stone monument trembled, and a passage opened beneath it, leading downward.

"This is?!

"

The group was astonished, despite Alexander having already mentioned the existence of a passage within the monument. Witnessing it in person was quite different from merely

hearing about it.

Alexander glanced at them and said,

"Let's go.

" He then added,

"Keep your guard up.

"

The group cautiously entered the passage leading into the unknown. The air was thin but manageable for them. The passage was pitch black, and the floor felt slightly damp. The passage stretched out before them like a gaping maw, with rough and uneven walls that seemed to have been shaped by ancient, forgotten beings. Eilish, Eilan, Erkigal, and the others peered curiously at the seemingly endless path ahead.

Erkigal reached out and traced her finger along the wall, discovering it was coated with a greenish, sticky substance. She examined it and found that it was a type of weak poison, which would only affect those below A-rank.

As they ventured deeper, the passage seemed to close in around them, the walls narrowing

slightly as if the earth itself were trying to swallow them. The silence was nearly suffocating, interrupted only by their footsteps, the occasional creak of armor, and the rustle of cloth. Every sound felt amplified, and the darkness ahead was impenetrable.

Time passed swiftly.

It had been thirty minutes since they entered the passage, and they had yet to catch a glimpse

of what lay on the other side.

Souta checked the exploration progress and noted that they had reached thirty-five percent.

This was quite surprising to see.

Soon, they sensed a change in the atmosphere; it grew heavier. They also noticed that the

floor had turned to sand, and the walls on either side had become dry.

The Fourth Head opened his palm and sensed the energy in the air.

"It's similar to a specialized environment,

" he said.

"The mana here has a specific attribute. It's particularly suited for those who practice the earth element.

"

Everyone understood what he meant, as they too could feel the change. This passage was indeed peculiar. The seemingly endless path alone could be intimidating to ordinary people.