Chapter 49

Al stood at the entrance of the cave, which had only partially collapsed to about 2 meters. After crawling through on all fours, he found that the rest of the cave was still intact. Although there was no light, his enhanced perception through magic made it manageable. The inside was eerily quiet, and no one was in sight. There were places that seemed to have been used as beds, with shelves and curtain-like partitions, and Orson's backpack was left there.

"Gabby, only the entrance is collapsed. It seems to be safe inside. Orson's belongings are here, but he's not. I'm going to investigate further, but it will take some time. I want you to go back first."

Al returned to the collapsed area and decided to send Gabby back. Although Gabby seemed worried, there was no guarantee that no goblins would appear during the wait. It was too dangerous for him, who was younger and not particularly strong in combat. Knowing the cave's layout was enough for now.

According to what Gabby had told him, the cave twisted and turned for about 100 meters, but there was no response when he called out. This suggested that Orson might have left his belongings and gone somewhere when the cave collapsed, making the investigation time-consuming.

After seeing Gabby off, Al returned to the cave. Although there was no response, he had to consider the worst-case scenario and check everything. As he moved forward, he noticed several white pebbles scattered on the ground. At first glance, they seemed like ordinary stones, but upon closer inspection, they were fragments of alunite. In a place where sunlight did not reach, it would have been hard to notice without prior knowledge.

Further ahead, a large crack in the ceiling caught his attention. Approaching it, he saw that the crack sliced diagonally through the cave, completely separating it. The crack was about 30 meters long.

Perhaps an earthquake had caused the ground to split. If such a crack had existed before, Gabby would have mentioned it. Orson might have fallen here. Peering down, he saw a pile of rubble about 10 meters below, but there seemed to be some space beneath it. Al secured a rope to a rock and decided to descend into the crack.

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Holding onto a single rope, Al carefully began to descend the crack in the cave. The wall provided support only part of the way, and after a 2-meter hole, the space suddenly widened. With the rope around his waist, Al peered down.

The area was a room about 10 meters on each side. From where Al was near the ceiling, it was about 5 meters to the floor. Two massive figures, about 3 meters tall, stood there. Their faces were white, expensive-looking ceramic masks with only a nose, floating eerily in the air. The figures pointed the black, glowing staffs in their right hands at Al.

Al had a bad feeling and loosened the rope in his hand. His body dropped about 2 meters. Almost simultaneously, the figures released blue-white light from the tips of their staffs, which crossed where Al had been and sparked against the ceiling.

The light seemed to be magical arrows. Al loosened the rope and fell almost freely to the ground. When he landed, he noticed a pickaxe, presumably Orson's, among the rubble. Small stones and sand were scattered around. There were two exits, one of which was closed by a door.

**[Physical Enhancement] - Enhanced Running Speed**

Al ran toward the open exit. It was clearly not a natural cave. He had no time to wonder why the figures attacked or where he was. The figures were larger than the exit. Perhaps he could escape by leaving the room.

The figures released blue-white light again, but it missed Al as he ran. He dove into the exit, which led to a set of stairs about 5 meters ahead. Without slowing down, Al ran up the stairs. The blue-white light hit the floor, sparking. At the top of the stairs, Al collapsed on the floor.

Al took a deep breath and looked around. He seemed to be in a corridor of a stone building, possibly a temple or a castle. The corridor extended further, with a door at the end. The floor and ceiling were made of smooth, cream-colored stone, polished and wet with dew. The ceiling was decorated with intricate carvings.

No sounds were heard, and the blue-white light no longer flew. Al slowly stood up, trying not to make a noise. This might be an ancient ruin. The figures that attacked him could be golems guarding the ruin. He couldn't help but smile, as it was something he had always dreamed of seeing. He looked around, wondering if this was what his grandfather had visited.

After a while, Al realized he needed to return to the room where he saw the familiar pickaxe. That meant Orson might be there. However, if he fell that distance, he couldn't have survived.

Returning would mean facing the figures again. His only option was to try the door at the end of the corridor. The door looked like a carved stone slab with no handle. As he approached, about 3 meters away, the stone slab suddenly slid to the side.

Al stepped back a few steps, bracing himself. But what he saw was a square room about 6 meters on each side, with cream-colored walls. In the center was what looked like a stone coffin and an altar, and in front of it, Orson lay on his back, holding a silver, polished flask, with his arms and legs stretched out.

Al hurried to Orson. He was breathing, and although he was quite thin, his complexion was good. There was a smell of alcohol.

"Orson, Orson."

Al slapped his cheeks. Orson slowly opened his eyes.

"Huh? Al? ... That can't be. Am I hallucinating? I'm in trouble, I must be dying..."

Orson's speech was slurred, like a drunk.

Thank you for reading.

I plan to post twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays at 10 AM. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for correcting the typos. I always appreciate your help.

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On May 24, 2023, I corrected the expression to avoid misunderstanding. I wanted to convey that the surface was smooth and wet.

On May 28, 2023, I revised the description of the crack and the descent.