From the moment I was chosen by the holy relic

The monster's body was as heavy as a rock, its eyes glowing with a scarlet light and exuding an inviolable killing intent. Suddenly, it raised its huge front claws and slammed them down at Eric. Eric quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the attack, but the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck. He lost his footing and almost fell over.

"This guy is really strong!" Eric muttered through gritted teeth, gripping his sword with both hands and quickly adjusting his stance.

The guardian beast roared and pounced on Eric, its massive claws slamming down on him with a biting wind. Eric calmly dodged to the side, instantly spotting a crack in its joint. His gaze sharpened, and he swiftly drew his sword, thrusting it into the crack! The longsword pierced the beast with a piercing metallic scraping sound, and a tiny crack appeared at the guardian beast's joint.

"Seems to work!" A hint of smugness flashed in Eric's eyes. He quickly withdrew his longsword, aimed at the joint again, and thrust it down fiercely.

The guardian beast, in pain, let out a low growl and staggered backward. Its massive body began to sway, and finally it tripped and fell to the ground, its boulder-like limbs crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Eric turned and waved to Eileen, laughing, "See? It's not as difficult to deal with as you thought!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, the guardian beast's body began to slowly recover. The shattered joints healed, the cracks on the rock surface gradually disappeared, and it stood up again, staring at Eric with even greater anger.

Eileen said coldly, "Severing the joints won't work, Eric. This guardian beast has regenerative abilities. You must find its core, otherwise no matter how many times you break it, it will recover."

"Can you find its core?" Eric asked eagerly.

Eileen didn't reply. Instead, she focused intently on raising her staff and softly chanted a spell. A pale blue light began to gather at the tip of the staff, transforming into a straight beam that pointed directly at the guardian beast's heart.

"Its heart is its core!"

Eric looked at the rock-hard skin and sneered, "Great, but aren't you forgetting something? Its skin is as hard as rock."

Ignoring his taunts, Eileen said firmly, "I will use the rest of my magic to tear open its skin. Just wait for the right moment, and then plunge your sword into its heart!"

Eric paused for a moment, then dropped his joking expression and nodded, saying, "Okay, leave it to me."

The guardian beast's anger was almost tangible. It roared and lunged at Eric with its massive claws. Eric nimbly dodged, and taking advantage of the gap in its attack, he circled behind it, trying to draw its attention.

"Come on! You big guy!" Eric shouted tauntingly, brandishing his longsword. As expected, the guardian beast was enraged and turned to charge at him.

Eileen took a deep breath, gripped her staff tightly, and rapidly chanted a complex incantation. The magical energy in the air grew stronger, and a dazzling light gradually condensed at the tip of her staff. Finally, she raised her staff, let out a low shout, and the light transformed into a blade-like beam, shooting directly towards the guardian beast's chest.

The beam of light pierced the guardian beast's chest, instantly creating a deep gash, which made the guardian beast's movements slightly sluggish.

"Eric, now!" Eileen cried out in a hoarse voice, her face pale and weak from exhaustion of magic.

Without hesitation, Eric gripped his longsword, leaped into the air, and thrust it towards the guardian beast's chest. The tip of the sword traced an arc in the air, aiming directly at the gaping wound.

The guardian beast seemed to sense the danger and suddenly swung its massive forepaws, attempting to block Eric. However, Eric swiftly twisted his body in mid-air, dodging its attack, and using the momentum of his fall, plunged his longsword deep into its chest until the blade disappeared into the blazing light.

The longsword pierced the core of the guardian beast. In that instant, the air in the entire temple seemed to freeze. The guardian beast let out a painful roar, and its rock-like body trembled violently, as if it had lost its supporting strength.

Eric released his longsword, took a few steps back, and stared solemnly at the guardian beast. Its body began to twist and contort, its enormous form gradually shrinking, and the light from the cracks dimmed. Finally, the guardian beast vanished completely, leaving only a key, gleaming with an eerie light, lying silently on the ground.

Eileen slumped to the ground, managing a weak smile: "It's finally over."

Eric picked up the key from the ground, gazing thoughtfully at its faint glow. Eileen, meanwhile, meditated nearby, slowly recovering her magical power. Her complexion gradually regained some color. As she rubbed her numb arm, she looked at Eric, a determined glint in her eyes.

"Feeling better?" Eric asked, handing the keys to Eileen. "Once you've recovered a bit, we'll return to the palace and report the situation to the King."

Eileen took the key, but didn't nod. Instead, she stared at the key in her hand, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "No, Eric, we can't leave like this."

Eric frowned slightly: "Can't we leave? The guardian beast has been destroyed. We need to bring back news; this is a great opportunity to make a name for ourselves."

Eileen shook her head, her expression serious and calm. "Eric," she said, her voice tinged with urgency, her eyes fixed on him, "you know I'm not like you. I'm not a Nosterian, and if this gets reported, I could face imprisonment or even imprisonment." She paused, a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Is this how you treat your savior?"

Eric was stunned, his expression complex and hard to decipher. He knew Eileen was right, but his sense of responsibility and loyalty were overwhelming, and he was torn.

Seeing his wavering, Eileen continued, "Besides, even if we don't take it, what about those tomb raiders? Without the guardian beasts to stop them, they'll be back here soon. With their skills, they should be able to easily steal the treasure here. Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain then?"

Eric was silent for a moment, then finally sighed and nodded: "Fine, I owe you."

Eileen smiled slightly and nodded in satisfaction: "Don't worry, I'll give you a chance to make a contribution."

After getting their gear ready, the two headed deeper into the temple. Along the way, the walls were covered with ancient scripts and mysterious symbols, exuding an ancient and majestic aura, as if silently telling the story of those forgotten years.

Finally, they arrived at a huge, dark stone coffin. Eileen walked to the side of the coffin and gently ran her fingers along the groove on it: "This fits the key perfectly. It seems we've found the right place."