?
Erik resumed his journey with the metal bucket in hand, its flaming glow casting swirling shadows on the tunnel walls.
The flickering flames illuminated the road ahead of him and dispelled the approaching darkness that threatened to devour the tunnel, but they couldn't show everything. The area was mostly dark, and the young man had to be aware of his surroundings because thaids might attack him anytime.
<System, scan the surroundings for thaids; I don't want to be a sitting duck. If something approaches, tell me immediately,> Erik said to the biological supercomputer.
[UNDERSTOOD,] the System replied with its usual robotic voice.
Erik's senses intensified as he went further in, alert to the slightest changes in his surroundings. The tunnel seemed to stretch into the depths indefinitely, its walls a tapestry of texture, and bugs scurried on its surface.
The rhythmic sound of his footfall echoed across the vast space, threatening to draw thaids to him. The warmth flowing from the bucket provided comfort and illumination in the bleak underground but could also attract creatures.
Erik's gaze strayed, taking in the architectural details of the tunnel. The smooth curves and mild undulations of the walls suggested that this was not a naturally formed cavern but that these tunnels were created by some type of enormous worms, which terrified him, as there were only a couple of thaid races that could have done something like that, and as much as he knew, they shouldn't even be on this continent.
The occasional rough area hinted at the presence of minerals and rock formations, but he hadn't seen anything useful or uncommon until now.
Erik took each step farther into the unknown, guided by the flickering light that accompanied him. His thoughts were filled with dread and vigilance, and he was desperate to discover a way out of this cave. If things went wrong, he had to return to his starting point and ascend the hole from which he had fallen.
He didn't have to worry about getting lost because the biological supercomputer had mapped the cave, but that wasn't enough to put him in a good mood.
On the other hand, the young man's head swirled with thoughts, each spilling over the other in a never-ending waterfall of questions, possibilities, and worries. His steady and repetitive breath bounced off the tunnel walls, a continual reminder of his isolation in this deep maze. His fingers tightened on the metal bucket's handle, the heat throbbing repeatedly in tune with his heartbeat.
The prospect of fighting thaids here wasn't good; he was aware that usually, bug-like thaids were not particularly powerful, but there were many of them, and in a place like this, with no apparent way out, fighting that many thaids was dangerous.
Moreover, he'd already had a taste of a similar predicament on the grassland, where everywhere he went could be a Venomstrike Packstalker hiding location, and the situation only worsened when the Galewings arrived.
Generally speaking, Erik could hold his own against most enemies in the open, thanks to his multiple brain crystal powers, and he was slowly accumulating more and more brain crystal powers and increasing his mana. Furthermore, he had an advantage over his colleagues because people at his level would never be as strong as him.
He was still nominally a RHO ranked individual but had far more neural links than most people at his age or level. The problem was that he was at a disadvantage down here in the earth's depths.
Here, thaids not only could be a lot, but with their heightened senses and familiarity with the dark, they held the advantage. The bucket's narrow beam of light looked absurdly inadequate to help him fight, but he could do nothing about it.
He could only look at the fire-generating long, frightening shadows that danced and twisted around him and reflected onto the rocky walls around him.
He thought about his sword, the comforting weight resting against his hip. But the narrow confines of the tunnel and the lack of light would make a sword fight tricky. He would have to rely more on his agility, his ability to dodge, to listen, to anticipate, and to the system.
He wished he had more information, a stronger weapon, and a chance to level the playing field. He could maybe stop and place on the ground the thaid repelling plant, but that didn't make sense in this cave. However, if he wasn't able to find a way out, he would be forced to do so, at least to sleep.
But hoping was not a viable tactic. Erik shook his head, wishing the anxiety away. He resolved to face whatever came his way. He'd escaped Galewing, Packstalkers, and even human attacks. He'd find a way to get through this as well.
For the time being, he had to keep going, be aware, and prepare for whatever lay in the guts of this subterranean beast.
He added more wood to the bucket as he went deeper, and the flaming glow brightened, chasing away the engulfing blackness. It was as if the flames shared his will, opposing the abyss and refusing to go out. The tunnel was the realm of the thaids, but Erik was not going down without a fight.
As he walked further, the young man's steps slowed as his eyes caught sight of an ethereal glow emanating from deeper within the tunnel. The light was pulsating softly, casting long, dancing shadows on the tunnel walls illuminating everything with white-blue hues. The sight piqued his curiosity, offering a welcome distraction from the dread of potential dangers lurking in the shadows.
Erik moved cautiously closer to the source of the light. The radiance grew stronger over time, showing clusters of sharp rocks lodged in the tunnel walls. Their surfaces glistened with an inner light, lighting the surroundings with enticing splendor.
"WHOA!"
Erik was overcome with awe as he recognized the source of the light—chunks of Aclaitrium ore. These were not ordinary stones but veins of one of the most powerful mana-conductive materials ever discovered. Aclaitrium had the unusual characteristic of absorbing and retaining mana inside their crystalline structures, making the ore glow with an ethereal light.
If words about the Aclaitrium being here spread to New Alexandria, the young man was sure the government would rush here to mine it all.
After all, this was a precious material, good for making fine weapons, and that was sold at a high price on the market.
Erik extended his hand, his fingers brushing against the gleaming ore. The stones hummed as he touched them, sending a pleasant tingle up his arm. He could feel the intense mana energy pulsing rapidly through the rock, like a heartbeat.
He felt as if he could reach out and touch the very essence of the ethereal material, the fundamental force that powered the world around him.
He stood there for a few moments, transfixed by the ore's beauty and power. This underground passage was more than just a dark, wet labyrinth; it held one of the world's most valuable ores.
Erik resumed his journey, guided by the luminous Aclaitrium veins that spread across the cave walls and fueled by newfound curiosity and interest. His heart beat with excitement and expectation as he headed toward the growing lights.
The magical stones' appeal and latent potential seemed to have supplanted the terror of the thaids.
Erik couldn't help but marvel at the mesmerizing sight as he proceeded farther into the tunnel. The Aclaitrium's gentle glow lit his route, putting a comforting light on the rough cave walls and making the young man relax a little.
As he walked, Erik's calmness increased thanks to the pulsating glow and the whispers of mana energy. With its mysteries and perils, the underground world also had a strange beauty, which Erik had the rare opportunity to observe.
However, the young man had no idea where the ore led to. He had no alternative to follow the glowing trail for now, but that didn't necessarily mean he was going in a safe place. In the end, Erik emerged into a large cavern, the blazing Aclaitrium veins throwing an ethereal light across the vast space. The young man's eyes were taken aback by the scene in front of him.
"Seriously?"
The vestiges of structures appeared from the shadows as his eyes acclimated to the shimmering illumination, portraying a picture of a period long past.
Rusted metal beams, crumbling stone wall fragments, and the skeletal remains of timber supports suggested a once-bustling human community under the ground. It was now in ruins, reclaimed by nature and time, a ghostly echo of humanity's fight against the thaids.
He was certain of this since there was a towering metal structure in the middle of what Erik could only describe as a subterranean city, and painted on it, albeit worn and ruined, there was a symbol the young man knew well. The one he saw frequently in the history books that counted the tails of the world before mana and superpowers. It was the symbol of the united earth.
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