Solo Dungeon Streamer-I Am Overpowered

Chapter 134: Echoes of a Forgotten Past

The silence following the Keeper's defeat felt unnaturally heavy, as though the entire dungeon was holding its breath. The air had shifted, as if the energy trapped here for centuries had been released, leaving behind a strange emptiness. Kijin and Raijuu stood by my side, both of them visibly exhausted, but alert. I took a moment to catch my breath, my eyes drifting down to the object in my hand.

Its faint glow had intensified, the symbols shifting and pulsing with an unfamiliar rhythm, as though awakening in response to the Keeper's departure. A small, almost imperceptible hum vibrated through my fingertips, filling my mind with fragments of images and whispers that felt like distant memories—hints of a story buried in time.

The chat was alive with excitement and anticipation.

: You did it, Tsukasa! That was the most insane battle yet!

: This whole floor feels different now. Like you broke a seal or something.

: What's going on with that object? It's glowing more than before!

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the object in my hand. "Whatever we unlocked… it isn't over. This object feels like it's… guiding us somewhere."

Ahead of us, a narrow pathway opened up in the wall where the Keeper had fallen, revealing a dark tunnel lined with even more intricate symbols. They glowed faintly, as if inviting us to follow. The air inside the tunnel felt ancient and cold, laced with a presence that was at once both eerie and compelling.

"Kijin, Raijuu," I murmured, nodding toward the passage. They moved cautiously, their eyes flicking over every shadow, every faint glow along the walls. The further we ventured down the tunnel, the stronger the object's hum became, resonating with the symbols that lined the walls.

"Chat," I whispered, adjusting the camera to capture the strange, shifting light, "it feels like we're being led somewhere. This entire place… it's reacting to the Keeper's defeat."

: Those symbols on the walls look different. They seem… alive?

: Is this like the next level of the dungeon? It feels like we're stepping into forbidden history.

: I have a bad feeling about this. But I can't look away.

The passageway eventually opened into another large chamber, and the sight that awaited us took my breath away. Massive stone tablets lined the walls, each one carved with scenes of ancient battles, mythical creatures, and figures dressed in armor unlike any I'd seen. At the center of the room stood a towering stone statue—a figure shrouded in a cloak, with a sword held upright, its blade embedded in the ground.

It looked like a warrior, a guardian, frozen in time. The statue's eyes were made of dark crystals, and they glowed faintly, casting an eerie light over the chamber. The object in my hand pulsed stronger, resonating with the statue as if it recognized something in it.

The chat filled with awe and speculation.

: That statue… it looks like some kind of ancient guardian!

: The carvings look like they're telling a story. Maybe about this warrior?

: This is dungeon lore on a whole new level. You're uncovering secrets no one else has seen.

I approached the statue, holding the object out in front of me. As I did, the crystal eyes of the statue flared to life, casting a deep, ominous glow over the chamber. The hum from the object grew louder, filling the air with a vibration that resonated through my bones. I could feel something—an energy, an awareness—awakening in response to the object.

Without warning, the ground trembled, and a voice echoed through the chamber, low and reverberating with age.

"You… who hold the seal… have you come to unlock the legacy of the Forgotten?"

The words hit me like a wave, each syllable weighted with a sense of purpose and finality. The chat was in a frenzy, reacting to the statue's sudden awakening.

: Did the statue just speak?! This is getting crazier by the second.

: Unlock the legacy? What does that even mean?

: Tsukasa, this is beyond anything we've seen. Be careful!

My grip tightened on the object, my mind racing. "Yes," I whispered, barely able to keep my voice steady. "I… I don't know what legacy this is, but I want to understand."

The statue's eyes glowed brighter, and a deep rumble filled the chamber as the carvings on the stone tablets lit up, each scene illuminated in sequence as if telling a story. Images flickered across the walls—battles against monstrous creatures, figures wielding weapons of unimaginable power, ancient cities rising and falling.

As the light reached the final tablet, it revealed an image that made my blood run cold: a figure, cloaked in shadows, standing before a massive door covered in chains—the same door I had seen in the earlier chambers, the very one that had held back the Keeper.

"The Forgotten…"

the voice intoned, softer now, filled with something that sounded like sorrow.

"They are not monsters… but remnants of a past that was erased… sealed away by those who feared them."

The words resonated through the chamber, filling the air with a sense of tragedy and loss. I glanced at the chat, catching fragments of their reactions.

: The Forgotten aren't monsters? They were… sealed away by someone?

: This is insane. It's like you're uncovering ancient history!

: I have a feeling that whatever did this… it wasn't good.

The hum from the object intensified, and a faint glow appeared in the center of the room—a swirling mass of light and shadow that seemed to coalesce into an image, a vision of a city covered in darkness, its streets filled with figures much like the Keeper. It was a memory, a glimpse into a world that had been erased.

The statue's voice grew softer, almost wistful. >

"These were once our cities, our people… they held powers that others feared. And so… they were silenced."

I stood frozen, feeling the weight of the history that had been buried in these depths. Whatever this place was, it held the memories of a civilization that had been cast aside, locked away in the dark. And I had just disturbed their slumber.

Kijin and Raijuu remained alert, their gazes flicking between the statue and the faint images on the walls. The light from the tablets faded, and the vision disappeared, leaving only the statue's glowing eyes fixed on me.

"If you wish to proceed, know this… the path you walk is one of danger and sacrifice. The Forgotten do not welcome intruders, nor do they seek redemption."

The words echoed ominously, a final warning before the chamber fell silent. The object in my hand pulsed one last time, and I felt its weight settle, as if waiting for a decision.

The chat was buzzing with emotions, their messages filling the screen in a flurry of excitement, fear, and determination.

: This is it, Tsukasa. You're unlocking something no one else has ever seen.

: The Forgotten… sounds like there's more than one. This might be a bigger journey than you thought.

: If you go forward, there might be no turning back. But we're with you all the way!

I took a deep breath, the weight of the decision settling over me. This wasn't just about finding treasure or fighting monsters. It was about uncovering a legacy, a forgotten history that had been hidden for centuries. There were risks—unimaginable ones—but the pull of understanding, of seeing this story through to the end, was too strong to ignore.

Silently, I signaled for Kijin and Raijuu to follow. Whatever lay ahead, we would face it together.