System Made Me a Tank [LitRPG-Evolution]

Boran furrowed his brows. "What is this place?"

Noemi, with a cautious expression, murmured, "I don't know what kind of place it is, but it only opens when I hold my light magic," and withdrew the light from her staff. The long tunnel had transformed back into a wall.

Boran nodded. "Whatever it is, we need to check it out. I'll go first."

They moved silently and with cautious steps, stopping at each corner to carefully examine their surroundings. The passage was narrow but unexpectedly high-ceilinged. As they stepped inside, the initially rough stone walls gradually became smoother. The floor was paved with roughly cut but geometrically arranged gray-blue stone blocks; some worn over time, others still maintaining their sharp edges as if new. The corridor soon curved downward with a slight slope and after a few steps, opened into a small but impressive domed chamber from ancient times.

A massive statue standing in the center of the room depicted an angelic being. The figure was kneeling, as if caught in the midst of an endless prayer. Its head was bowed in deep submission or perhaps regret. The face, shrouded in shadows, was barely visible—straight hair, facial features that, though changed over time, still reflected pain and sorrow. The statue's posture of humility and grace further emphasized the depth of its suffering.

All three stood before the statue as if enchanted. Noemi's light magic revealed the details of the statue—the rough texture of the stone, edges worn with the marks of centuries, and fine clothing details that almost resembled real fabric folds.

Boran approached the statue and slowly circled around it. "Look at its back," he said in a low voice.

The most striking thing was the broken marks on its back. Wings... they were once there. Now only two large broken masses and scattered stone fragments remained. The angel had stretched its hands forward; between them was a small parchment, but strangely bent inward, sealed with no words readable.

"Its wings are broken," said Boran, picking up a stone fragment from the ground. "What's the deal with this statue? Why is it standing in a place like this?"

Noemi, circling around the statue, replied, "I don't think this is random vandalism. There's a meaning here. A message."

Boran bent down to the base of the statue and cleaned the dust with his hand. An inscription appeared underneath.

"There's something here," said Boran.

Boran's fingers traced over the inscription, completely cleaning the dust from it.

Finally, he straightened up and read:

My wings once opened to the sky, I carried light, I saw light. Then the skies darkened, the stars fled, And darkness swallowed everything.

Twice I knelt. Twice I offered supplication. Twice I was rejected.

My wings broke as I fell, My prayers shattered as I offered them, My eyes closed as I wept. Then I understood: Those who look upward become blind, The true reality lies beneath dust and stone.

If one day, Broken wings grow feathers again, Shattered prayers come together, And eyes see both above and below, Then the seal will be broken.

But the time is not complete. Forget the light, forget the fall. And wait... In the darkness, until the echo answers.

All three remained silent for a long time, trying to decipher the meaning of the riddle.

"Could it be a puzzle?" asked Noemi.

Boran frowned, touching the parchment in the statue's hands. "There might be information in this. But it's not moving, I can't read it. I'm only getting the notification 'This seal will open when an unheard prayer is answered.'"

Boran couldn't take his eyes off the parchment. He slowly withdrew his hand; there was a strange numbness in his fingertips, as if a pain flowing from within the stone had touched him. As he straightened his back, his gaze slowly drifted to the statue's face. To that face shrouded in shadows...

Suddenly, an indescribable weight from the depths of his heart settled upon him. His throat tightened. He was filled with an inexplicable sadness—it resembled neither a memory from his past nor a familiar pain. This was more like a grief whose source had been forgotten but was still alive. As if this room carried the spirit of something abandoned long ago.

"I... why do I feel so sad?" Boran whispered, his voice barely audible.

He blinked, but tears had already begun to blur his vision. He quickly wiped his eyes with his arm, but it was in vain; something was trembling behind his eyelids.

Noemi turned to him, with curiosity mixed with surprise on her face. "What happened? Did the statue do something to you?"

Boran slowly shook his head. "No... or I don't know. Just... my heart aches. Seeing this face..." He took a step back, but couldn't avert his eyes. "It felt like... someone I once knew. Even though I've never met them. But... it hurts so much."

Boney, meanwhile, maintained his silence and watched them. He hadn't approached the statue much.

Noemi raised her staff again and spread a general light throughout the room. As they approached the upper parts of the walls, faint traces of frescoes appeared on the inner surfaces of the arches rising toward the ceiling. Time had faded the colors; nothing was discernible.

"What do you think about the inscription?" asked Noemi.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just a text describing what happened, or maybe it's part of a puzzle. For now, let's take a photo of the text, then we'll think about it," he said and took out his phone from his bag. He tried to turn on his phone but it wouldn't power on.

"Don't you know?" asked Noemi.

"What?"

"None of the electronic items we brought from the real world work here. I didn't know until we arrived."

Boran sighed. "Can you remember this text then? I want to get out of here right away."

"Of course."

Boney silently passed between them and headed toward the corridor. He motioned toward the exit with his head.

As Noemi led the way, she kept the light magic in her staff active. Like when they came, they proceeded with cautious steps in the narrow corridor. The height of the ceiling gradually decreased, the walls began to roughen again. When they reached the bend in the corridor, the ground had sloped upward.

"There's the exit," said Noemi, pointing to the narrow passage ahead.

Finally, they reached the narrow wall at the entrance. When Noemi intensified the light in her staff again, the wall slowly opened and they found themselves in the main corridor of the cave. After a few minutes of walking, they had exited the cave.

Boran said, "Now we need to defeat 10 Winged Visitors. Do you remember their description?" he asked.

Noemi said, "Let me summarize for you. They are magnificent dragon-like creatures that have migrated from distant crystal mountains. Their most distinctive feature is their semi-transparent, prismatic wings that reflect light in hypnotic patterns. These creatures have adapted to utilize the unique crystal formations in the valley. They use the crystals not only for navigation but also to enhance their innate wind-based abilities. Although not native to the region, they have established a permanent presence in the middle layers of the valley where crystal beds are most abundant."

"And the items they can drop: Crystalline Wing Membrane, Luminous Dragon Scale, and Wind Essence."

Boran thoughtfully said, "We'll check the materials they drop when we get out of here. I'll save up gold for the Alchemy set, then process all the things we've collected."

Noemi, with a thoughtful expression, asked, "Then we should go where crystal beds are abundant, shouldn't we?"

Boran nodded. "Yes, we need to find the middle layers of the valley. Winged Visitors must be concentrated there." He looked around, searching for a clue with his eyes. "Crystal formations are probably noticeable even from a distance. They must be shining, reflecting..."

In the wide plain of the valley, beyond a densely wooded area, something gleaming in the sunlight caught their eyes. Even from a distance, it was evident that the natural formations in that part of the valley were different.

"There it is," said Boran, pointing to the distant glimmer. "Let's start from the low slopes of the valley and move toward the middle parts. Let's pay attention to any crystal traces we might see on the way."

The trio began to move toward the southern slope of the valley. At first, the ground was covered only with grass and sparse rocks, but as they progressed, small, semi-transparent crystal particles began to appear in the soil. These slightly sparkled in the sunlight, illuminating the path they walked on almost like a starry sky.

"These crystals could be scattered pieces from the large beds," said Boran, bending down to examine one. Looking at the density of crystals around him, he nodded. "We're moving in the right direction. As the density of these pieces increases, it means we're approaching the main beds."

They walked for about an hour, with each step the ground adorned with more crystals. Finally, in the middle parts of the valley, they reached a wide plain. The sight they saw was breathtaking.

Around them were massive crystal formations springing from the ground. Some were several meters high and created rainbow-like patterns by reflecting sunlight. While most of the crystals were clear and transparent, there were also some in light purple, blue, and green tones. This enormous crystal garden stretched across the middle of the valley like a natural amphitheater.

"Amazing..." whispered Noemi, looking up at the peaks of the crystals.

The answer had come without waiting. Above the crystal clusters, a figure with six wings appeared in the sky. Its wings seemed to burn as they shone in the sunlight, each wing beat leaving particles of light in the air. They were dazzling creatures covered with semi-transparent scales.