Chapter 111: Cave Exploration 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
Join the discord! Here
Kaiden, Irene, and I hadn't changed much.
For Kaiden, her swordsmanship was less an issue of equipment and more about adaptation.
Irene's divine energy wasn't affected by her gear.
So, most of the equipment we bought with the rewards from the Magic Tower and gold coins went to Grace and Han Se-ah.
Han Se-ah got a red mage's cloak that reached her thighs.
It was the kind of cloak that made an adventurer look flashy, making them easy to spot.
The cloak seems to have numerous stats attached... She probably wouldn't trip over something of that length.
Grace got a magical arm-guard and a new quiver.
They were said to prevent arrows from slipping during battle and allow for applying potions to arrow tips.
Han Se-ah and Grace rushed to the market and bought various potions from an alchemist to apply to the arrow tips.
"Did everyone rest well? I'm not sure if you heard from Hanna, but we got a gathering request from a mage at the Magic Tower. So, today we'll be roaming the 21st floor, both hunting and gathering. We need to test Hanna's new spell and Grace's arrows."
"Is the gate already built?"
"From what I heard, they built it in advance during the negotiations. They only need to embed the mana stone to activate it."
As usual, for the player's convenience, the 20th-floor gate was constructed just a day after receiving the quest reward.
While it was built next to the 10th-floor gate for easier management, I was somewhat concerned.
If they continue this trend up to the 100th floor, we're looking at around 9-10 gates.
How will they construct and manage all of them?
I briefly worried about space for new gates, but thats for the Magic Tower, which profits from these gates, to figure out.
After accepting a few more gathering requests from the guild, we headed out.
It seemed word about the 20th-floor gate had already spread, as we saw adventurers heading in the same direction.
"Look over there, those girls"
"This is their second time, right? It must not be luck, but skill."
"I wish their party had an open spot."
Most of the adventurers heading toward the 20th-floor gate were intermediate adventurers, so they seemed to recognize Han Se-ah.
A beauty with black hair was already a rarity, and it was even more evident when she walked alongside a gray-haired beauty and a nun.
With today being the opening day of the gate, there's a noticeable influx of people roaming the city.
Regular citizens open their shops, while adventurers flow towards the tower and gate, a typical morning scene.
After showing Han Se-ah's badge to the mage guarding the gate, we entered as if we were familiar with the process.
We breathed in the city's air and exhaled.
And as we inhaled again, we were met with the refreshing air of a forest.
While it's not comparable to the Blessed Forest, compared to the cave, this place is paradise.
Ah, the air feels so fresh. I better take deep breaths now while I can.
Youll need to get used to the cave's air as well. The next area is marshland, and the damp air there isnt exactly refreshing.
Ugh, thats quite the mood-killer...
Grace seemed disheartened, likely thinking about what's next.
She naturally took the lead, and I followed, adjusting my shield.
Even if its just a short trek from the 20th to the 21st floor, monsters could jump out at any moment.
On the way, we took down two Moss Wolves we found lying in ambush.
The only differences this time around were that we entered the 21st floor much earlier, thanks to the gate, and Han Se-ah had learned a new spell.
Let's keep the same formation as last time. We need to get used to the new equipment and magic. So, on the 21st floor, instead of moving up, well explore around the passage.
We want to record the different paths we pass, right?
With Han Se-ahs brief instructions, I led the way in a different direction than before.
In one hand, I held my shield, and in the other, a baton-shaped magic tool.
Its faint glow barely illuminated the pitch-dark cave, guiding our path.
Han Se-ah probably wanted to test her new skill and update the vicinity of the 21st-floor passage.
It's impossible to walk everywhere and update the mini-map to 100%.
But she seems keen on thoroughly mapping the area around the 20th to 21st-floor passage.
Wow, this cave is intense. If a horror game was made with this quality, wouldn't streamers get actual heart attacks?
-Giant bats and spiders alone are scary enough.
-Seriously, if it was ghosts instead of monsters...
-The realism is incredible, maybe they got it from aliens?
-If you had no scout or rogue and a spider dropped on your head... ackk.
-Thank goodness the first VR game is fantasy. Seriously.
Kekekeke
From deep within the cave, it sounded as if a group of goblins had perhaps encountered a group of cave spiders, creating an eerie reverberation.
Meanwhile, Han Se-ah chatted with her viewers.
The surrounding darkness made her talkative, perhaps to dispel her own tension.
After all, even when watching a horror movie and knowing it's fake, don't we still get startled by what's on the screen?
In this world, you can feel everything on your skin, from the musty air entering your nostrils to the distant cries of kobolds or goblins echoing.
It stimulates all your senses.
It's only natural for a modern person to feel tense in such an environment.
Up ahead, there's a group of cave spiders. Looks like there are about seven of them.
I'll try out the new spell I learned. Shoot your arrows after I use it.
Got it.
After passing several crossroads, we encountered cave spiders again.
They were so large that they couldn't all cling to the narrow cave ceiling.
Three were on the ground, two on the walls, and the remaining two were on the ceiling above.
The long and delicate legs of the spiders moved in a disjointed manner, scratching against the cave walls and producing a peculiar noise.
The women's faces contorted in unease.
Seeing a 1-meter-long spider move its elongated legs in such a way was more repulsive than frightening.
"Air Blaster!"
-Just use explosive magic next time.
-Every time I see this, I'm thankful I didn't become a mage.
-Darker than dusk, redder than blood.
Han Se-ah, her face flushed, loudly proclaimed the name of her newly acquired skill.
Unlike the Magic Missile, a pure mass of magic, a gust of wind, difficult to see in the darkness, whirled forward, grazing the cave's ceiling.
Whoosh!
The power of an intermediate spell was clearly different from basic ones.
The gust didn't hit the spiders directly, but the swirling wind scratched their exoskeletons, making them fall from the walls and ceiling.
As expected, when it comes to firepower, mages are unparalleled.
Among characters of the same level, no one would choose to be a mage if they got outdone in damage by an archer.
"They're all tangled up!"
"Finish them off with arrows now, right?"
"Of course."
From the ceiling, spiders fall, the others slide and tumble down the walls.
Seven of them, each about a meter in size with elongated legs, cluster in the tight space of the cave.
They trampled over each other, legs entangled.
It's, undeniably, a gruesome sight.
Seeing this, Grace quickly readied her bow.
Arrows whizzed past our shoulders, cleanly breaking through the spiders' pincers and embedding in their heads.
"We probably don't need to coat the arrow tips for these."
"The magical energy consumption is much higher. Maybe more than double that of a Magic Missile?"
"The damage seems to be about five times more, so it's not an issue."
"We shouldn't use it against goblins or kobolds, though."
The cave spiders, though massive and equipped with strong, piercing pincers and venomous fangs, don't put up much resistance and transform into seven mana stones.
The power of a well-coordinated adventurer party was truly remarkable.
With a 6 tank and a 5 priest, a single mage and archer could effortlessly hunt down a group of monsters.
"Let's gather the mana stones and move on. Are you good on mana?"
"I only used it once, so no worries. If I use it continuously... I think I can cast it about five times. My cloak replenishes mana."
Though exhausting all her mana could knock her out, being able to cast an intermediate spell consecutively five times was incredibly efficient.
It's no wonder mages use a mix instead of just offensive magic.
Han Se-ah's ability also surpasses that of an average mage.
Entrusting everything to one's starred companions might not sit well with everyone's temperament.
In a fantasy world, the real meaning of adventure comes from claiming victories with your own strength.
For the cave spiders, we knocked them to the ground, and for the vampire bats, we disrupted their flight so Grace could aim at their bodies with paralyzing arrows.
Using Han Se-ah's newly acquired magic, we circled around the passage of the 21st floor.
"This gathering quest, are they talking about this kind of moss? No specific details about its color or features?"
They just said to collect any moss. Not sure if they have a particular type in mind.
We were filling our inventory with mana stones and moss,
[TheresAMarkOnTheCaveWall donated 10,000 won!]
There was a strange pattern on the wall you just passed, can you please check it?
"A pattern, on the wall?"
Until someone made that intriguing donation.
---
Foll𝑜w current novels on fre(e)w𝒆bnovel