Ding!
• Defeat 10 opponents of similar strength with at least 70% personal contribution (2/10)
Wiping his blade on the grass beside him, Zhang Wei looked down at the hole in front of him.
A cave?
That girl had vanished here, and the bandit-looking man he was chasing had stopped at this very spot.
So… she should be inside?
His eyes followed the scuffed dirt at the edge. The marks looked like someone had rolled, or been dragged, down into the opening. The pattern was uneven, with a few broken twigs caught in the soil. It was enough to make him certain of his guess.
But.
Should I go inside?
He hesitated, staring into the deep hole. Who knew what was waiting down there? Wild beasts, traps, or worse… something he couldn't even imagine.
Still, after a moment, he let out a breath.
Since I already saved her once, I can't just leave her now. It would be a joke if she died in that hole after all my hard work.
As they say—send the Buddha to the west.
He tightened the strap of his sword, placed his foot on a thick root sticking from the side, and began to descend. The roots were damp and slippery, but they gave him enough grip to lower himself down.
Zhang Wei's silhouette was soon swallowed by the hole beneath the tree.
Outside, the forest continued on as if nothing had happened. A bird landed on a branch above, a fat insect in its beak. It pinned its prize with one claw and pecked at it, fluffing its feathers as it made a soft, contented chirp. Morning light filtered through the leaves, calm and warm—completely at odds with the tension below.
Cough! Cough!
The damp smell of earth filled his nose as he made his way deeper. To his surprise, after a few steps the darkness began to fade. The walls ahead glittered faintly, and soon the cave opened into a space that shone with soft, colorful light. Crystals—red, blue, green, and gold—jutted from the walls and ceiling like frozen flames. Their glow washed the stone in a strange beauty.
The cave was enormous, far bigger than he'd expected. Wide tunnels branched off in several directions, their ends disappearing into shadow. Below him, perhaps ten paces down, a river of blue and violet light flowed, the water glowing as if touched by starlight. The sound of it was gentle, almost like a lullaby, and the air here was…
Surprisingly fresh. It carried a faint, sweet scent—like flowers blooming somewhere deep inside.
Where is she?
Zhang Wei looked around, searching for any trace.
Then he saw it—in one of the tunnels to the left.
A small piece of fabric, torn and lying on the ground.
Did she take that path?
Zhang Wei took a step forward.
Suddenly—
Something flickered at the edge of his vision—faint trails of pale gold and violet light curling in the corner.
Huh?
Alert, Zhang Wei clenched his sword and looked in that direction intently, then slowly relaxed.
Loosening his grip, he shook his head.
It's just the light. Now that I think about it, isn't it normal for the luminescent river to reflect like that?
Shaking his head, he turned back to the tunnel with the torn fabric and stepped inside.
As he passed by, one of the crystals glowed brighter.
"Someone…?"
The voice was barely more than a breath, curious and soft, as if it came from somewhere far away.
Then the crystal's glow dimmed back to normal.
Zhang Wei kept moving. The tunnel curved, and soon he came to a stop.
In front of him rose a wall of crystal, cracked and spilling out drifting particles of light. The sight was beautiful—dreamlike.
But that wasn't what made him pause.
A strange pull pressed against his chest, like something precious was waiting just beyond that barrier.
What is this?
Confused, he stepped closer. In the center of the wall, faint markings caught his eye—symbols or words carved into the surface.
There's writing? Wait… this looks—
Looking closely and brushing away non-existent dust, Zhang Wei revealed the marks.
He understood their meaning.
One of his skills was "Language Expert." When Ethan was still considered normal and promising, he had taken an interest in reading and studying strange, sometimes scammy, books he bought when they went to the city.
One of those books had a language similar to this. Although Zhang Wei thought it was the same, he couldn't be completely sure.
Thanks, Ethan! Zhang Wei was overjoyed—he never expected to see it used here.
Reading it with difficulty, Zhang Wei pieced the words together and got this message:
"My favorite… Elarae… storage…"
Elarae? Storage?
Meanwhile, in another part of the cave, plants of different colors and shapes grew wildly, and strange insects flew up and hid down under, making a small ecosystem.
Mei Yan was in the small grass beside a strange-looking plant with apple-like fruit—but in golden color.
"I should have already gotten rid of them…"
Mei Yan thought this cave was so intricate and complex that she didn't even know how she would get back up.
"How about the flower I picked?"
Pat!
Missing.
Suddenly, she felt as if her pouch on her waist was empty.
She felt a pang of regret—she couldn't accept that the valuable flower, the very reason she was in this situation, was gone.
Does that mean I'm making a losing deal this time?
No!
Looking left and right, she found it beside her, lying on the grassy floor.
Fortunately~
While she was caressing it and carefully putting it back to the safety of her pouch, she suddenly felt her wound from the fall getting itchy, and her fatigue fading away.
What's going on?
She turned to look and saw her bruises slowly healing, the itchiness coming from her skin closing up.
"I healed you~"
Suddenly.
Faint footsteps sounded, along with the scent of flowers in the air, which became stronger. The air grew calmer and more breathable.
"Who are you?!"
Mei Yan shouted nervously, grasping whatever she could—and it was the flower.
On the ceiling, tiny droplets of water changed color and became bright and colorful.
"Me? I'm Elarae, the owner of this place."
Owner?!
Mei Yan quickly let go of the fruit she had just picked up. "I'm doomed!" She despaired. Caught in the act of stealing and trespassing, she could already imagine her fate. As for resisting? Just looking at the aura before her made her realize it was better not to embarrass herself any further. Surrender, and maybe the owner would pity her.
"I-I just got lost while looking for herbs to support my family! I didn't intend to trespass on your holy land! Please, show mercy on me, great master!"
She hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy, her forehead banging the ground.
There was no shame in doing so. As a commoner, she had already realized that being shameless was sometimes the only way out. Not to mention, there was only the two of them here—as long as she was let go, no one would know what she did.
She bowed under the eaves, trembling pitifully.
"Eh? What are you doing?"
The voice was confused—she obviously hadn't done anything, so why was this creature that looked like her suddenly bowing down?
Am I that scary?
"Why are you bowing? Get up now."
Mei Yan followed, and when she lifted her head she saw a beautiful girl with an otherworldly vibe—one that she knew at first glance she could never compare to.
Golden hair caught the glow of the cave's crystals, each strand reflecting a soft, warm light like sunlight caught in water. It fell straight to her lower back, smooth and fine, without a single strand out of place.
She was young—perhaps a year or two younger than Mei Yan—with skin so pale it seemed to softly drink in the surrounding light rather than reflect it. Her eyes were a muted shade of lavender-gray, deep and unreadable, as though hiding something vast behind their calm surface.
Her clothing, however, was nothing grand. A simple, long-sleeved tunic of cream-colored fabric hung loosely over her frame, tied at the waist with a plain cloth sash. The hem reached her knees, covering all but the edges of the dark, fitted trousers beneath. She was barefoot, her fair feet pressing into the grass. Nothing about her attire suggested wealth or high status.
Yet, despite the plainness of her clothes, there was something… different. The way she stood, the quiet weight of her presence, the faint shimmering aura that clung to her like a memory of sunlight—it was as if the cave itself leaned toward her.
"You…"
Mei Yan's voice faltered as she took a small step back.
The girl tilted her head, watching her with an expression both curious and faintly amused. "You don't need to be afraid."
Her voice was soft but clear, carrying a resonance that didn't quite belong in this world.
Mei Yan swallowed, unsure if she should believe her. The scent of flowers in the air deepened, mingling with the faint coolness of the underground stream.
"I'm Elarae," the girl said again, this time with a small, almost human smile—as if trying to bridge a gap neither of them could yet see.