Chapter 2 – Applause, Chains, and the Monolith

The sky.

There had never been something this vast, this open, this… high above in Hope's life.

When he lifted his head, his eyes filled with tears.

The light burned his pupils, and he couldn't fit into his mind that the thing called blue could have this many shades.

Dungeon ceilings could be high too, but this… this was something else.

There was no boundary here.

The wind gently brushed against his face. After the suffocating humidity of the dungeon, such a free breeze…

It was as if the sky was embracing him, wiping away years of darkness.

The clouds drifted slowly, changing shape like piles of white cotton – was that a dragon, or a castle?

Dungeon monsters appeared in Hope's mind. But these ones were harmless, even inviting.

"Wow…" he muttered involuntarily.

He didn't even care about the shackles.

The cold metal wrapped around his wrists, the stone roads shaking the carriage, the armored men standing around him…

All of it faded into the background. The sky refused to give first place to anything else.

"Look, look, look," Hope said, throwing his head even further back. "Is it always like this?"

One of the guards grunted.

The other one was clearly the type who lost patience faster. He adjusted his shoulder armor.

"Lower your head," he said.

"Why?" Hope asked. "Will it fall?"

Silence.

Hope didn't stop.

"Uh… your sword is really cool, by the way." He pointed at the sword on the guard's belt.

"Does everyone use swords like that? Or are you special? Are you a hero too?"

"Shut up."

"Okay, so where are we going?"

"—"

"Will there be a lot of people there?"

"—"

"Can I become a hero too?"

The air inside the carriage grew tense. The other guard cleared his throat.

"I just saved a girl's life," Hope added proudly. "I think that counts. You know. Heroism."

"Heroism?" the first guard laughed mockingly.

"You're a rat that lived in a dungeon."

"Heroes go on adventures with the kingdom's permission, hunt monsters, collect treasures."

"Idiots like you… are nothing but trouble. You're good for nothing except causing problems. You were there without permission and joined a fight without authorization."

Hope's eyes narrowed. But his curiosity outweighed everything.

"Then how do you get permission? Is there an exam? Or a spell?"

"There was nothing like that in the dungeon – surviving was enough there."

The second guard intervened. "That's enough. If you don't shut up, I'll tighten the shackles."

Hope fell silent. But questions kept spinning in his mind.

Was the outside world really this complicated? The dungeon was simple: set traps, survive, repeat.

The first guard turned sharply.

"You are a criminal."

Hope's face froze for a moment.

"A criminal?"

"Unauthorized interference with royal property, disruption of dungeon order, unauthorized rescue."

"Unauthorized?" Hope rolled the word around in his mouth. "Where do you get authorization? Is there a form?"

No answer came.

"Are these shackles because of that?" he asked, looking at his wrists. "I didn't hurt anyone."

"Lower your head," the guard said again, this time harsher.

Hope's shoulders drooped. He looked at the sky one last time.

The blue was still there. It wasn't angry at him.

As the carriage rattled forward on the stone roads, Hope kept watching the outside through the window.

Trees… real trees! Even more beautiful than in books.

There were only mushrooms and moss in the dungeon.

But these were tall, green giants swaying in the wind.

In the distance, a river shimmered. The sound of water could faintly be heard.

"This world… feels endless," he murmured to himself.

The guards didn't hear him.

But one of them – the older one – sighed.

Maybe Hope's innocence affected him. Or maybe he was just tired.

As the journey went on, Hope's excitement slowly turned into unease.

Why was he considered a criminal? Was saving Lypin wrong? Why would saving someone be wrong?

The carriage slowed.

Voices began to rise from outside.

Shouts.

Applause.

Hope raised his eyebrows.

"Uh… why are these people shouting?"

The door opened.

Light struck his face once more.

But this time it didn't come from the sky.

It came from people.

A crowd.

Banners.

Flowers.

"LONG LIVE!"

"ROMANTIC REBEL!"

"HERO!"

One banner had a crooked heart on it. Inside, a hastily written sentence: 'We're glad you exist.'

Hope's mouth fell open.

"Me… are they cheering for me?"

The guards pulled at him, but Hope had already started jumping.

He raised his shackled hands into the air.

"I LOVE YOU TOO!" he shouted. "Everyone looks so bright!"

The crowd grew even more excited.

People surged forward like waves.

A child – a small boy with a dirty face – threw the flower in his hand toward Hope.

The flower caught on the shackles. Hope laughed. "Thank you!"

"Is this… is this a flower? I've never seen one in the dungeon!"

Women waved handkerchiefs, men raised their fists into the air.

"You saved her! You're the real hero!" someone shouted.

The guards tried to push the crowd back.

But as the noise rose, the tension thickened.

Hope's heart was racing – this love, this enthusiasm…

After the loneliness of the dungeon, it felt like a dream. Things he had never felt before… but he could get used to this very quickly.

But one of the guards yanked him harshly. "Move. Don't make a show."

Hope stumbled. But his smile didn't fade.

"Why do they love me? I just… did what I did."

Among the crowd, a man waved his banner: 'Long Live Unauthorized Heroes!'

That turned Hope's crime into a rebellion.

One guard angrily pressed down on the back of Hope's neck.

"Bow your head."

Hope's forehead lowered. Stone floor, iron gate, darkness.

The applause stayed behind.

The prison was different from the dungeons.

Narrower.

Quieter.

And it smelled worse.

That was the first thing Hope noticed when he was chained to the wall.

Damp stone, old blood, rust.

"Hm," he sniffed. "This feels familiar."

But it wasn't.

In the dungeon, the smells were organic – monster droppings, mold, fresh blood.

Here, there was a man-made decay: sweat, urine, forgotten food scraps.

The walls were smoother. But cold – ice-cold compared to the warm caves of the dungeon.

Hope tugged at his chains. The clinking echoed.

"At least there are no monsters," he thought.

But the guards… they were a kind of monster too.

Outside, in the corridor, two guards were talking.

"What's with this kid? Why was he in the dungeon?"

"Could it be because of that old legend?"

"Shut up. You know the king doesn't like hearing about what his father did."

Hope listened closely. But he didn't understand.

What legend? Was there a legend in the dungeon?

The door opened.

Lypin stepped inside.

Hope's heart sped up.

That warmth.

Something that radiated from her skin, something that never existed on the cold stone of the dungeon.

"Are you okay?" Lypin asked.

Hope smiled.

"I'm fine."

"They locked you up here," she said. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Hope shrugged. The chains rattled.

"It's not important," he said. "I'm used to dark, closed, bad-smelling places."

Lypin's face tightened. A pained smile appeared.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it."

Hope tilted his head. Lypin gently stroked his lowered head with her hands.

"You're very warm," he suddenly said. "You're different from me."

Lypin blushed.

"If… if I could touch you again," Hope added softly. "Or hug you. What I felt in the dungeon… it was nice."

Silence.

Lypin stepped closer. But the chains stood between them.

"I… I felt it too," she whispered. "Your hands… they were cold, but they made me feel safe."

Lypin's face turned completely red, but she continued. "Do you know the legend? They say humans once had four arms, four legs, and two heads. One day, the Evil God, also known as the Black Architect Sulfus, grew jealous of this perfection and split humans into two… and those two separate parts would spend their lives searching for each other."

"That's a beautiful story," Hope said, looking at Lypin with surprise and admiration. "But I've never heard it."

"Really? It's a very well-known tale." Lypin was just as surprised, her mind full of questions, wanting to start with one. "Where are you from? Why were you in the dungeon?"

"I was born there."

Lypin hadn't expected that answer. She started to stutter.

"What do you mean? You were born in a dungeon?"

Hope didn't understand her shock.

"I think so. I don't remember my past, but as long as I can remember, I've been in that dungeon. All day I set traps, raise bosses, and train."

"Why?" Lypin couldn't make sense of anything. "Why do you do those things?"

Hope froze at the question. Why did he do all of that?

"Well… I don't know. I was told to do these things. I've done them for as long as I can remember.

But why…"

Hope fell into thought. Seeing him like that, Lypin wanted to comfort him.

But the door opened again.

An old man entered. He was dressed like a priest. The back of his hair was long and white, but the top of his head was bald. His beard was thick and snow-white.

"Take the young lady outside."

At the command, the guards came to escort her out.

"One day… if we're free, out there, let's hug again," Lypin said one last time.

"Greetings, young man. I've come to test you." The old man ordered the chains to be removed with his eyes. "Place your hands here."

Hope placed his hands on a thick stone slab. He felt a strange warmth in his palms.

"There are some rumors about you," the old man whispered. "Let's see how true they are."

The hall was wide. But suffocating – high ceilings, yet no windows.

"What are we doing right now?" Hope couldn't suppress his curiosity. "I feel a strange warmth in my hands."

The old man smiled.

"This monolith, we call it the heart of the kingdom. It determines your class, draws your fate."

Hope stared at the monolith in awe.

Hope nodded. But a strange feeling spread inside him.

He had no class in the dungeon, and it felt like whatever came out would bring trouble.

"What if it's something bad?" he asked.

The old man laughed. "Bad? Classes are fate."

"Warrior, Mage, Healer… but the rare ones… they bring danger."

Hope swallowed. But he didn't hesitate.

The stone glowed.

A system voice echoed.

CLASS DETECTED: ARCHITECT

The room froze.

The guards stepped back.

"Inform the king," the old man said in a trembling voice. "Immediately."

The monolith shook. Runes flared.

The old man staggered back. "Architect… not seen for centuries."

"The ones who build, who create… but also who destroy."

"In the kingdom's histories, Architects founded empires. And then… they tore them down."

The guards rushed to the door. Whispers rose. "Is it dangerous?"

"What will the king do?"

Hope didn't pull his hand away from the monolith. But he felt an energy – as if the stone was speaking to him.

Designs, structures formed in his mind.

"What… does this mean?" he asked.

The old man didn't answer. He only trembled.

The doors opened.

A crowned silhouette entered.

"Welcome, King Kharonos!"

Everyone bowed and saluted the king.

"So you're the famous Architect."

Hope lifted his head.

The king approached. His golden armor matched his golden hair. He looked down into Hope's eyes from above. His crimson eyes, coated in death, were like murder weapons.

"So you lived in that dungeon all these years, huh…"

The king began circling Hope.

"So the Great Architect legend was real, and inside my kingdom… Father, father, father."

The king stopped. He turned to an empty wall and stood silently. His hands moved for a split second and punched the wall. The entire wall, even the trees outside, shattered to dust.

"So my father hid this from me."

Hope was deeply impressed. His eyes sparkled with excitement before such power.

"You are a legend… even if you don't look like one. But you didn't follow my rules. You interfered with a dungeon operation. I don't tolerate rule-breakers like you."

The king took a deep breath and continued.

"But if my father locked you there, he must have had a reason. Killing you right now would be a very foolish decision." The king paused. "But allowing someone who doesn't obey me to live would be an insult to my authority."

Suddenly, the king began to smile. A horrifying grin spread across his face.

"Maybe we can make a deal. After all, you're just a rat trapped in a dungeon. Fight in the gladiator arena two days from now. If you win, I'll grant you freedom."

In Hope's mind, the sky appeared. Trees, flowers, the cheers of the people… was this freedom? He wanted it more than anything.

"Yes! OKAY! I'LL FIGHT!"

Hope accepted the offer without thinking.

"Will that girl be there too? Lypin."

The king didn't understand the question.

"The entire kingdom will be there. Everyone."

Hope's eyes sparkled once more.

It would be the turning point of his life.

Everyone would be watching him.

If he won, he could be with Lypin forever.