Venti: "Arthur, run!"
"And don't stop!"
Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the boy's hand again and started running at full speed toward the tunnel.
BBBBBBBBBBbbbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The ground still vibrated beneath their feet, the heat from the creature behind them rose, and the sound of its pincers hitting the sand resonated like a war drum.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
Each step was a struggle between fear and survival, but Venti knew they couldn't turn back until they'd made it through that narrow passage, their only chance to get out alive.
Venti ran breathlessly, his fingers gripping Arthur's wrist, feeling with each stride the fragility of the little boy he was dragging along with him.
The sandy ground slipped slightly beneath their feet, the hanging seaweed whipped through the air as they passed, and behind them, the creature's deep roar echoed once more.
The Emperor of Fire and Iron had recovered from the impact.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The stone hurled earlier had indeed struck its eye, leaving a dark crack in its white carapace, but the beast was far from defeated.
On the contrary, the pain seemed to have fueled its rage.
The heat rose abruptly in the cavern, the air becoming heavier, drier, almost scalding with each breath.
Venti: "Faster… just a little more…"
Arthur, breathless, struggled to keep up.
His little legs trembled, but he didn't give up.
He felt fear knotting his stomach, yet he kept running, driven by the certainty that stopping meant death.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Behind them, the giant crab darted into pursuit.
Its claws pounded the ground, making the entire cavern vibrate.
With each step, grains of sand and fragments of shells flew in all directions.
Jets of smoke billowed from the crater on its back, accompanied by orange glows, as if the magma inside was trying to escape.
Thirty meters.
It seemed like nothing, but in this desperate race, every meter snatched from the brink of death counted.
Finally, the narrow passage appeared before them.
An irregular opening, barely three or four meters wide, with tightly packed, damp walls.
The bioluminescent algae were less abundant, giving way to a bluish twilight.
Without slowing down, Venti pulled Arthur into it and plunged inside.
At the same instant, the Emperor tried to follow them.
His colossal bulk crashed against the tunnel entrance with a deafening roar.
BBBBBAAAAMMMMM
The rock trembled, shards of stone ripped from the ceiling, and a furious rumble shook the entire cavern.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr
The crab, too large, became stuck, its shell shattering violently against the narrow walls.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
It roared.
A deep, bestial cry, filled with anger and frustration.
The creature then extended one of its enormous claws into the passage.
SLASH
The white claw, the one adorned with the orange orb, slithered dangerously between the rocks, scraping at the stone, trying to seize Arthur, who was still only a few meters away.
Arthur: "V-Venti…"
Without thinking, Venti pivoted, grabbed Arthur by the shoulders, and yanked him roughly towards him, pressing him against his chest.
The claw snapped against the void just inches away, crushing the rock with terrifying force.
Venti: "Don't look! Keep moving!"
He forced Arthur to start moving again, almost pushing him ahead.
His heart was pounding.
The heat, the noise, the fear… everything swirled in his mind.
But as they finally moved out of the claw's immediate reach, a thought struck him.
This tunnel wouldn't be enough.
The crab couldn't get in, but it could wait.
Or worse, try to collapse the cavern, or even send magma inside.
They needed more than just temporary shelter.
They needed time.
And suddenly, a memory resurfaced.
A mundane memory, almost ridiculous compared to the current situation:
The day he tricked a dog with his illusions.
Back then, he hadn't been stronger.
He had been smarter.
An idea took root.
Venti slowed slightly, keeping out of the monster's reach, and placed Arthur behind a thicker rock.
Venti: "Arthur, stay here."
"Whatever happens, don't move until I tell you to."
Arthur looked at him, worried.
Arthur: "You... you'll come back?"
Venti forced a smile, despite the tension crushing in his chest.
Venti: "I promise."
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, inhaled deeply, and concentrated.
His anemo energy stirred faintly within him.
He was tired; his skills had already been tested several times, but he had no choice.
Illusion Creation
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffffffffffffffff
A silent gust of wind unfolded around him, laden with greenish luminous particles.
Before his eyes, the air warped, wrinkled, and then a figure appeared.
A double of Venti.
A humanoid form with the same height and features.
The illusion immediately began to run out of the tunnel, toward the great cavern.
The moment the double became visible, the Emperor of Fire and Iron reacted.
GGGGRRRRRRRREEEEEEEE
The creature abruptly turned its head, its orange eyes locking onto the moving figure.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
An even louder roar erupted, accompanied by a burst of magma from the crater on its back.
BAM
The claw withdrew from the tunnel and slammed heavily to the ground, as the monster shifted to maintain the illusion.
PAM PAM PAM PAM PAM PAM PAM
Venti, for his part, staggered slightly.
Venti: "....".
Maintaining the illusion required considerable effort, especially at this distance.
A familiar migraine throbbed in his skull, but he gritted his teeth.
Venti: "Come on... take the bait..."
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
The double ran through the cavern, deliberately visible, dodging attacks, luring the beast further and further from the tunnel entrance.
BAM
The Emperor struck, hurling shards of magma, destroying sand and shells in its blind rage.
Meanwhile, Venti returned to Arthur.
Venti: "Now. Let's go."
They plunged deeper into the narrow passage.
The bluish light grew fainter, replaced by a darkness punctuated by damp reflections on the rock.
The ground became more stable, less sandy, and the air, finally, seemed more breathable.
CCCCCRRRRreeeeee
Behind them, the roars faded into the distance.
The illusion finally dissipated after a few dozen seconds.
Venti felt the connection break, like an invisible thread snapping cleanly.
A few minutes later:
He stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall, panting.
Arthur: "He... he's still following us?"
Venti shook his head slowly.
Venti: "No."
"He was distracted."
"But we mustn't linger."
He looked at the tunnel stretching out before them, dark and unfamiliar.
They might be safe for the moment, but Venti knew: they had just entered territory where the slightest mistake could be fatal.
Yet, deep inside him, a strange determination was growing.
He had protected Arthur.
He had survived.
And as long as he breathed, he would keep moving forward.
Venti and Arthur advanced cautiously down the narrow gallery, their footsteps echoing softly against the damp walls. The escape had taken its toll: their breaths were still uneven, their muscles tense, and the adrenaline refused to completely subside. Yet, as they moved further away from the main cavern and the roars of the Emperor of Fire and Iron, a growing sense of relief began to settle in.
Venti took a deep breath and let out a quiet sigh.
If I hadn't gone through that whole thing with Deith… he thought.
The memory came back to him with astonishing clarity.
That time Deith had begged him to help find her missing cat. A ridiculous task, almost humiliating in his eyes at the time. And yet… that cat had hidden in a dark alley, pursued by a rabid dog, growling, foaming at the mouth, ready to attack. Venti hadn't been strong enough to face him. He had survived only thanks to cunning, illusion, and distraction.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
It just goes to show… even the most foolish missions can save lives later on.
Arthur, who was walking slightly ahead of him, turned around.
Arthur:
"Are you alright…? You're smiling to yourself."
Venti shook his head.
Venti:
"Nothing important. I was just thinking how lucky I was."
They resumed their walk.
The cave they were moving through was narrower than the previous one, but still passable. The ceiling dropped in places, sometimes forcing Venti to lean over slightly. The walls were covered with fine, translucent algae that filtered through a soft, greenish-blue light. Water seeped slowly down the rock, forming small puddles that they carefully avoided.
Despite the danger they had just escaped, life seemed surprisingly peaceful here.
Several times, they came across crabs, smaller than the giant creature, but similar to those they had seen earlier. Some carried seaweed coiled in their claws, others transported small pearly shells or fragments of coral. They moved slowly, methodically, paying no attention to the two boys, as if following an invisible path carved into the rock.
Arthur watched one of them curiously.
Arthur:
"It looks like... they're working."
Venti nodded.
Venti: "Yes. Like a colony. As long as they're not disturbed, they're not aggressive."
This reassured Arthur somewhat, even though fear still lingered in his eyes. They continued like this for several long minutes, the silence broken only by the scraping of their footsteps and the distant clatter of crab claws.
After about ten minutes, Venti estimated they had covered between 150 and 200 meters. His sense of direction wasn't perfect, but he mentally noted every fork in the path, every change in slope, every variation in light. Getting out of here without a map would be impossible.
He finally slowed down and stopped near a drier wall, where the rock formed a kind of natural alcove.
Venti: "Take a break, Arthur."
Arthur immediately sat down on the ground, relieved. Venti, however, remained standing for a few more seconds, his gaze lost in the tunnel ahead.
Venti: "Illusion Creation…"
He thought.
Even at level 2, this skill had just saved their lives. Against wild beasts, guided by instinct rather than intelligence, a well-placed illusion could be devastating. He was beginning to understand that not all skills were meant for direct combat. Some were for survival. Others for protection.
And that was precisely what he needed right now.
Venti placed a hand on his adventurer's crystal and activated it.
A familiar light flashed before his eyes, and the information appeared, visible only to him.
[Venti's Stats — Visible only to him]
Name: Venti
Level: 21/100
Max HP: 8400
ATK: 1300
DEF: 860
Elemental Mastery: 310
Identified Skills:
Telekinesis — Level 2/10
Stat Boosting — Level 3/10
Intangibility — Level 3/10
Flight — Level 2/10
Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 2/10
Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 4/10
Illusion Creation — Level 2/10
Resistance Reduction — Level 5/10
Stat Reduction — Level 3/10
Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 2/10
Teleportation — Level 4/10
Wind Communication — Level 2/10
Venti studied the numbers for a long time.
Venti: "I'm level 21…"
He had recently gained four levels at once, but against a level 50 monster, it was nothing.
His raw power was insufficient. Even with all his buffs and debuffs combined, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few exchanges.
His gaze drifted to Teleportation — Level 4/10.
Venti: "Teleportation…"
He murmured.
Venti continued his analysis.
Flight — Level 2/10
Venti: "Too unstable."
"Too uncontrolled."
"And useless in such narrow tunnels."
Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 4/10
Very versatile.
He could use it to propel himself, move air, repel small objects… even slightly influence the environment. But not enough to dig a tunnel or move a large mass of rock.
Telekinesis — Level 2/10
Short range. Low power.
Useful for distractions, triggering a mechanism… or throwing a rock at someone's eye, as he had done.
Venti frowned.
There's nothing here that lets me get out directly…
His gaze fell on Wind Communication — Level 2/10.
He had never really explored this ability.
Until now, it had mainly allowed him to better coordinate his allies, to convey intentions, sensations, sometimes even vague emotions.
But here… he had no allies.
Or rather…
His gaze fell on the crabs passing in the distance, indifferent to their presence.
Venti: "Arthur... tell me."
"Do you hear anything?"
Arthur concentrated, straining his ears.
Arthur: "Just... water."
"And little noises. Crabs, I think."
Venti nodded.
These tunnels are alive.
There were air currents.
Vibrations.
Sounds.
And where there was wind... he might be able to hear.
He didn't activate the ability immediately.
He was thinking. Getting out of these tunnels meant either reaching the surface, or a point connected to the sea... or stumbling upon something far worse.
He looked at Arthur, small, tired, but incredibly brave for his age.
I have to get him back to town.
Venti put away his crystal.
Venti: "We'll keep going."
Arthur: "Do you know where we're going?"
Venti smiled, without immediately answering.
Venti: "Not yet."
"But as long as there's wind... there's a way."
They both stood up and resumed their walk, venturing ever deeper into the tunnels, unsure whether each step brought them closer to the exit... or to even greater danger.
The tunnel stretched before them like a living, breathing vein, its rhythm dictated by the water flowing through its depths.
Venti and Arthur walked side by side, their cautious steps sinking slightly into the damp sand.
The light from the hanging seaweed cast shifting shadows on the walls, sometimes giving the illusion that something was watching them from the depths.
The immediate danger seemed to be behind them, but Venti's mind refused to calm.
His gaze fell once more on the worker crabs they still encountered from time to time.
Always the same methodical movements.
Always this complete lack of aggression.
Nothing like the brutal violence of the creature they had fled from.
This inconsistency troubled him deeply.
Venti: "Arthur… something's bothering me."
Arthur looked up at him, attentive.
Arthur: "About the big crab?"
Venti nodded.
Venti: "Yes."
"Its attack."
"It didn't make any... sense."
They continued walking in silence for a few seconds, then Arthur spoke again.
Arthur: "Maybe it's just mean."
Venti gave a tired smile.
Venti: "Wild animals are almost never 'mean.'
"They act for a reason."
"Even if we don't understand that reason."
He slowed down slightly, observing the ground, the tracks left by the crabs, the repetitive patterns of their movements.
Venti: "I'm trying to understand why it attacked us without hesitation."
Arthur thought for a moment, frowning with an almost adult seriousness.
Arthur: "So... what are the possibilities?"
Venti took a deep breath.
Venti: "Okay."
"Let's think calmly."
Venti: "Perhaps the other crabs... those we saw carrying seaweed and shells... are his children."
Chapter 51: Level 21
The End