"No, you fool!" he snapped back sharply. "Haven't you become more of an idiot lately?"
"I was just joking. But you don't actually intend to go down there, do you? What if the Soul Crystal isn't even there?"
"If we don't go down, how will we know?" he replied.
I scratched the back of my head, though I wasn't really itchy. It was perhaps an expression of frustration at understanding Dimas's point. On the surface, his actions seemed reckless. Even though I saw a vast room below, I wasn't certain what kind of space it was.
The best-case scenario was that the Soul Crystal was there, but the worst-case scenario? It could be a den of underground monsters. When I used my Super Sense, I could only see the earth walls and the roots of the giant Hanarusa tree. Even so, it was still dangerous down there. There could be nests of centipedes, worms, or other giant monsters hiding.
But I was curious.
After thinking for a moment, I decided to descend into the hole. I stepped to the edge, crouched down, and tried to put one foot in before Dimas pulled me back up.
"What do you think you're doing?" he cried sharply, his eyebrows shooting up like the wings of an eagle preparing to swoop. His large hand gripped my wrist tightly. "Don't just go down there, fool! Are you planning to go down there with all your stuff?"
Ah, he was right! I was still carrying that large bag. If something went wrong, it would only hinder me.
I took off my leather bag and cloak and handed them to Shella. After discussing the situation with the team, we decided that only Dimas and I would go down. Shella would stay on the surface to guard our belongings.
For precaution, I brought a dagger to hang at my waist and the Viglet of Hope, which I kept in my tunic pocket. I had considered bringing my bow, but it seemed unsuitable for underground combat. Moreover, my stock of arrows was running low; I had to use them wisely. I hoped I could visit the human city soon to replenish my arrows, as there was no way I could buy them in the Elvian city.
I rolled my eyes at Dimas, who had a short sword hanging at his waist and was holding a small lantern. It would be dark underground, so that lantern seemed essential for an ordinary human like him. As for me, with my special senses, darkness wasn't an issue.
"Be careful, you two! Make sure you come back quickly if you don't find anything down there!" Shella called out, waving her hand. "Take this just in case." She handed over some painkillers and wound-drying ointment. So if anything bad happened, we could quickly deal with it.
"Thanks, Shella! Don't worry, we'll be back soon," I replied gently, trying to calm her worries.
"Wow, it's so dark down here!" Dimas's voice echoed from below the hole. I had no idea when he had gotten down there.
Ignoring Dimas's chatter, I waved goodbye to Shella once again. I approached the hole, which was just wide enough for an adult human. At first, it was just my feet, but soon my body was sinking in up to my waist. I began to squirm as the hole narrowed and became more difficult to pass through. After struggling for a while to go deeper, I felt my feet floating in a larger space.
I tried pushing myself down further, but I couldn't. The hole seemed to be narrowing. Why had Dimas managed to get through while I didn't? As I ruminated on my useless thoughts, suddenly my feet were yanked downward with great force.
"Ouch! That hurts!" I winced in pain as my body scraped against the hole, but it helped me free myself from the tight passage.
I tumbled onto the hard ground and tried to rise. I rubbed my left hand, which had been my support during the fall. It was a bit sore, but the pain faded after a moment. With Dimas's presence, I looked up. He was offering me his hand with a slightly worried look but still holding back a grin.
"Are you alright?" Dimas asked, not holding back his laughter now. His chuckles echoed through the narrow underground corridor.
Dimas helped pull me up as I accepted his hand. "Damn! Could you pull me up a little slower?" I grumbled, brushing off the dust and dirt from my clothes.
"You took forever just to get through that hole? You even got stuck! Are you getting fat?" he teased.
"You see for yourself! My body isn't much different from yours. I don't know why I'm the only one who got stuck in that hole!"
My childhood friend studied me from head to toe. "Well, yeah, you're not fat. But..." For a moment, his gaze stopped at one point. I crossed my arms and turned away, uncomfortable with his stare. "I think I know why."
At once, I turned my palm toward him, signaling for Dimas to stop talking. I already knew what he meant.
"That's enough! I don't want to hear it anymore!" I said, walking away from him, heading deeper into the underground corridor, unsure where it would lead me.
"Hey, weren't you so curious just now? This kind-hearted Dimas will tell you the results of my investigation!"
"I don't want to hear it!"
"Seriously, you don't want to know?" His voice grew more annoying in my ears, and I wished he would learn to shut up. "So, here's the thing, Anggi. The reason you got stuck in the hole was because of—"
In an instant, I drew the Viglet of Hope from my tunic and aimed it right at Dimas's nose. He looked startled and stepped back, raising his hands.
"I swear, Dimas! If you don't shut up, I'll knock you out with Esze!" I threatened, my tone cold.
My talkative friend was left speechless. He looked frightened, though he knew I was just making an empty threat. Maybe he realized that his joke had gone too far and made me uncomfortable. For whatever reason, I was grateful that Dimas had decided to stop talking.
I led Dimas through the underground corridor, which was swallowed by complete darkness. To me, the place seemed bright. My eyes could clearly see all around me, even without the help of a lantern, unlike Dimas, who was trailing behind me with his light.
The corridor was about three meters tall and two meters wide, sometimes narrowing and widening. In some sections, there were tree roots of the giant Hanarusa intertwining with the earth.
I paused for a moment to examine one of the protruding tree roots. This was odd. When I touched it, the root seemed to expel air. My fingers felt a cool breeze. When I sharpened my senses, I realized that the entire surface of the Hanarusa root was indeed expelling air. Perhaps that was why the air here felt fresh and cool, even though it was underground.
But this was strange. Based on the knowledge I had from my previous world, tree roots were supposed to absorb air from the underground, not expel it. After thinking for a moment, I decided not to dwell on it. All logic and science from Earth couldn't be applied to this world entirely. Perhaps the Hanarusa tree was a special species with a different respiratory system.
Ignoring the oddity, I continued down the path, which sloped downward. I glanced at Dimas for a moment. He still hadn't said a word. Normally, he'd be complaining by now if I was walking too slowly. But now, I preferred this quiet version of Dimas.
The further I went, the more I heard the sound of water growing louder. After more than an hour of walking through rocky paths and tree roots crossing the way, I finally reached a vast room. This was the place I had seen earlier with my Super Sense.
My eyes widened as I looked around in awe. It turned out the sound of water I had been hearing came from a waterfall above. I looked up, and the ceiling of this vast room seemed to stretch about a hundred meters high. The water fell, forming a river that flowed around the room, eventually leading into a cave whose destination was unknown. In the center of the room stood a wide platform made of brick, with an altar positioned in the middle. Several trees grew lushly around the platform. Some parts of the altar's pillars were peeling and moss-covered, and the bricks along the small path leading to the altar were cracked and pocked with holes.
"Unbelievable! This place is much more beautiful than I imagined!" I exclaimed, awestruck.
"Awesome! This room is glowing. It's beautiful!" Dimas shouted, equally stunned by the sight.
"Glowing?" I asked, curious.
"Don't you see the stones that are emitting a bluish-green light all around the room?"
Looking closely, I noticed many small stones clinging to the walls and the ground. They were about the size of a fist, and I couldn't tell if they glowed or not. To a human's eyes, these stones seemed to glow in the dark. Perhaps that was why Dimas had placed his lantern on the ground, no longer needing it.
"How can a place like this exist underground?" I asked, still frozen in place, staring at the room in amazement.
"One thing's for sure, this wasn't formed naturally," Dimas replied.
"Could the Elvians have built this?"
"I don't think so. Do you remember what Elzhar said? The Elvians use the Giant Hanarusa tree for their rituals during their holidays. That means they don't know anything about this underground room. If they did, the rituals would surely be held here. Perhaps there are some Elvian elders who know about it, but not most of the population. Besides, look at this place! It looks neglected, doesn't it?"
I narrowed my eyes, carefully inspecting my surroundings.
"You're right. If the people of Arnest City knew about this place, they would have kept it clean and probably stationed some guards here. So, who do you think built this place?"
"Hmm, just my theory, but maybe there's a race older than the Elvians."
"Hah? The Elvians live for such a long time. If there was a race before them with such a long history, it would mean this place could be millions of years old, right?"
"I don't know, maybe. Maybe it's even older, or perhaps this place has existed since the very creation of this world, Juiller. Who knows?"
I paused for a moment. If that was true, it meant this world had a very long human civilization. Strangely, I hadn't found any such information in the Glafelden library. When I spent time reading there, all the books mentioned that the Elvians were the only race with the longest history in this world. It was even said that the Elvians had existed since the time of the Gods.
Could there be something wrong with the information?
After thinking for a while, I decided to push that aside. It was just a theory without proof. It was better to focus on what needed to be done now.
Before Dimas, still in awe of the surroundings, could speak, I moved closer to the altar. A large platform stretched before me. It was probably twice the size of a football field if combined. The path to the altar was lined with stone pillars about five meters tall. On the sides of the path were stone tables arranged at intervals of a few meters. I wasn't sure what they were for, but they were likely connected to the altar in front of me.
I walked slowly down the path, getting closer. When I was near enough, I could clearly see the structure of the altar. It was supported by four thick stone pillars. The roof was made of broken stone tiles, aged and cracked. In the center of the altar, there was a podium and a small statue.
I crouched down to get a better look. The statue was no longer intact; some parts of it were shattered and missing, like parts of the body, wings, and part of the head. With a little imagination, I tried to reconstruct it in my mind, envisioning it in its full form.
It didn't take long before I identified the original structure of the statue. I recognized it immediately because it looked very familiar. The statue depicted a bird perched on a branch. Its body was similar to most birds, but the defining feature that made me recognize it immediately was the shape of its head. The statue had a pair of large, forward-facing eyes, and the feathers on its head were arranged in a circle. With just those two details, even a fool would recognize the statue as an owl.
But... what was the function of this owl statue here?
Now I was pretty sure that the Wind Soul Crystal was here. I remembered that Prince Keylan had told me the crystal was somewhere beneath Arnest City. He had probably never come here himself, so he couldn't give me the exact location. That meant, according to Dimas, only a select few knew about this place. This underground room held something very valuable, which is why this information hadn't spread to the common folk. They purposely hadn't stationed guards here to avoid raising suspicion. At least that was what I thought.
"Where is the Wind Soul Crystal if it is indeed here? Should we start digging like archaeologists looking for dinosaur fossils?" Dimas groaned skeptically. He walked around the altar and observed the area, perhaps trying to find one or two clues about the crystal's whereabouts.
"I already told you this wouldn't be easy, didn't I? You think the Soul Crystal is just going to appear before us?" I retorted with a critical tone, my emotions stirred. I didn't think this was the time for complaints.
"Dammit! I'll try investigating over there!"
Dimas walked away from the altar and moved to the other side. I wasn't sure what kind of investigation he was planning, but at least it got him away from his incessant whining, which was making me annoyed. Meanwhile, I still wanted to stay here, observing the shattered owl statue.
Looking closer, I noticed the owl had two pairs of wings. I only realized this now because all its wings were folded. An owl with four wings? For some reason, all the strange things here seemed perfectly normal to me, given the world I was in now. If I were still on Earth, I'd probably laugh it off and think it was a joke.
I would love to see this creature in real life if I could. An owl with four wings would definitely look cool and majestic. If it truly existed, I'd want to capture one and keep it as a pet. Without realizing it, my hand reached out to gently touch the head of the half-destroyed statue.
What happened next was completely unexpected. Suddenly, the owl statue's eyes lit up with a pale blue glow. A small whirlwind began to form around the altar and enveloped the statue. Slowly, the stone statue began to reconstruct itself, starting from the wings, then the body, and finally the head. In the blink of an eye, the owl statue was fully restored. There was one difference, though: it had originally folded its wings. Now, it spread its wings wide, majestically.
"Are you okay, Anggi?" Dimas asked, sounding concerned, and helped me stand up. Apparently, I had been startled and had fallen to the ground without realizing it.
"I'm fine, just fell down." I grabbed his hand and stood up. Then, I noticed several whirlwinds reaching the ceiling outside the altar. "We should head back up. I have a bad feeling."
"Good idea!"
Dimas and I hurriedly left the altar and headed back down the corridor. It was quite a distance from the altar, and I had to cross the vast platform to get there. As we reached the middle of the clearing, I immediately felt a chill run down my spine.
How could I not? On one of the walls of the room, cracks appeared, starting from the ceiling. The gap quickly spread downward, growing larger, causing the earth wall to crumble, sending rocks and pebbles falling. Fortunately, Dimas quickly pulled me away, preventing us from being hit by the debris.
But that was nothing compared to the terror I felt next. From the gap in the earth wall, I saw flashes of glowing light. Fear spread up my spine, freezing me in place as I stood motionless. I could only watch the pair of glowing blue eyes staring back at me from the crack.
"W-Wh... what is that...?"