Chapter 77: The Underground Passage

On the way, I followed the instructions of the two Rogue archers and headed straight for the entrance of the underground cave. Before long, I encountered a massive obstacle. Standing before me was a continuous mountain range, with steep cliffs and peaks stretching into the clouds, seemingly dividing the entire Misty Forest into two parts.

This must be the Mahalath Mountains that Cain mentioned, separating the Stone Wasteland from the Dark Forest. Given their height and danger, it's no wonder people spent over a hundred years building an underground passage.

Since I've already reached the foot of the mountain, the entrance to the underground passage shouldn't be too far away. I tried to command Lazy Crow to fly up and look for it. I didn't really expect it to complete the task, but to my surprise, after a while, as I was wandering at the foot of the mountain, it "cawed" and swooped down from the sky, proudly calling out to me. I was overjoyed, thinking that the training in the Rogue Camp had paid off, and the bond between Lazy Crow and me had grown even stronger.

With Lazy Crow leading the way, I quickly found the entrance to the underground passage. However, to my surprise, there was a small group of Moon Clan at the entrance, led by an elite Moon Clan and its five subordinates. My eyes lit up; the only regret of coming to the Stone Wasteland was not encountering any elites. Now, what I thought of came true.

As I approached, my presence was detected by the Moon Clan group. They roared and charged at me.

No, how fast they are!!

Seeing their running speed, I was shocked—it was no slower than the Dark Hunter. Especially the elite leader, who was incredibly fast. Damn, could this be the particularly fast attribute, which is even more troublesome than lightning enhancement? My luck is really that good, encountering such a rare attribute in a beginner's training ground.

The particularly fast attribute, when combined with the Moon Clan's high attack speed, was like adding wings to a tiger. Fortunately, I had already developed the habit of transforming before fighting elites, so I wasn't caught off guard.

By the time my Bearman transformation was complete, the elite had already led its subordinates to attack. The large cleaver in its hand slashed down, with increased attack speed and accuracy. I didn't back down either. I roared and raised my massive paw, claws extended, and struck the elite Moon Clan. The Bearman, known for its strength, hit the elite so hard that it staggered back several steps, almost falling on its butt. The Venomous Vine and Ghost Wolf each chose their own opponents, and with their strength, they should have no problem. As for me, well, just kidding, I now have the health of a level 30+ Paladin and the defense of a level 20+ Paladin. As long as it's not elemental damage, even a small boss in the entire Rogue Camp isn't a match for me, let alone an elite monster.

When the Venomous Vine and Ghost Wolf finished off the subordinates, the elite didn't last long under our combined attack. It was soon defeated, and when we cleaned up the battlefield, the elite boss unexpectedly dropped a blue javelin.

Rotten Measuring Javelin:

Throwing Damage: 9-14

One-Handed Damage: 4-5

Quantity: 56

Required Level: 10

Javelin Level: Rapid Attack Level

+3 Minimum Damage

+12 Poison Damage, lasting 3 seconds

What a powerful javelin. The one-handed attack is already quite good, and at a distance, it can be thrown, with high throwing damage. The added poison attribute makes even the regular attack more powerful than any weapon I currently have. However, the only drawback is that this type of javelin is limited in quantity and cannot be repaired, which is a significant difference from the game.

Regarding throwing, Sister Sharla once taught me that it's much simpler than archery. I mastered the basics in less than half a morning, though it wasn't very accurate, it was enough for a class changer.

The underground passage was not naturally formed like the previous two caves. Everywhere showed signs of human construction, but these signs had become blurred over time. Clearly, the monsters here were stronger than those in the Stone Wasteland. There were ranged attackers with higher damage than Black Wanderers—Skeleton Archers, and the ugly and disgusting Crippled Fiends, as well as the evolved version of the Dark Hunter—Evil Hunters, which would ambush passing travelers.

These monsters' names sound terrifying. Skeleton Archers have high attack power, and their skeletons are hard to spot in the dark. When they ambush you from the corners, you often can't see them. However, they have a significant weakness—since they are not fast, they don't run away but stand still, continuously shooting. Even if you discover them and approach, they won't run.

Crippled Fiends, these ugly and vicious creatures, are indescribable. They are even uglier than the fictional bio-monsters from the original world, making even corpses seem cute in comparison. Their attacks are quite terrifying for some class changers, especially in close combat—assuming you can tolerate their disgusting mouths. However, if they feel they are at a disadvantage, they will immediately run away, spitting out a round lightning ball from their mouths as they go. For class changers without lightning resistance, the damage is significant, and there's a 1% chance of paralysis, though it's only for a moment. If several of them do this together, it can be quite frustrating.

However, these small monsters are not enough to make me use the Golden Leather Armor. After the cave experience, I now understand the value of durability. Although the Golden Leather Armor has a durability recovery attribute, it's still not enough for the frequent use of my clothes. I won't use it unless I encounter a powerful monster. The Bearman transformation's health and defense, and the Wolfman transformation's speed and agility, are more than enough. Besides, I'm not fighting alone; the Venomous Vine and Ghost Wolf are even more capable than I am. These Crippled Fiends don't pose much of a threat to me, but I need to be careful not to attract too many. If dozens of them spit lightning balls together, it would be like a machine gun, which is quite terrifying to imagine.

Evil Hunters, there's not much to say about them. They are similar to Dark Hunters but with yellow leather armor and improved defense and attack. Like Dark Hunters, they like to hide in dark corners and ambush lone travelers, surrounding them. However, with my five Ghost Wolves and the Venomous Vine, and the ability to summon four crows if necessary, it's not clear who will be surrounding whom.

On the way, I killed all the monsters I encountered, especially elites. I didn't encounter any small bosses, but among the elites I defeated, the most valuable item was a Skeleton Cap.

Deep Red Self-Repairing Skeleton Cap

Defense: 9

Durability: 18-18

Required Level: 12

+25% Fire Resistance

Restores 1 equipment durability per day

Another piece of equipment that can automatically restore durability. Given the frequency of helmet durability consumption, it's almost equivalent to never wearing out. The level is just right, so I immediately replaced the white Skeleton Cap I was wearing.

In the early stages, unless it's a Paladin-specific Knight Shield, equipment that increases all resistances or has two or more resistance attributes is very rare. I don't expect all resistances to be very high, but I need to prepare several sets of equipment to counter specific elemental monsters. This is a basic concept in the early stages, but it's not easy. Currently, I only have two resistance items, including the helmet, providing 25% fire resistance and 29% lightning resistance. It's enough to handle elites, but small bosses are a bit more troublesome.

Although I haven't encountered a small boss yet, with the experience from the previous two caves, I'm not taking any chances. Caves are synonymous with small bosses, whether it's the Evil Cave or the Icy Plain's cave, both have small bosses guarding them. There's also a less pleasant reason—both bosses have made me very embarrassed...

However, in the following six days, until I found the exit to the Dark Forest, I didn't encounter any small bosses. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Although each small boss drops good items, to be honest, I don't want to fight a strong enemy in a cave.

In these six days, there wasn't much to note, except for one accidental discovery. The day before yesterday, as I followed the markers (the passage is man-made and designed like a large maze, so there are markers), I suddenly saw a peculiar symbol. Curious, I followed the direction it pointed, not too worried about encountering danger. The symbol didn't look like something a monster could draw, and I didn't believe that any adventurer in this era would have the time to play international jokes.

It was a very secluded small passage, which would be hard to notice if you weren't paying attention. Following the passage for a few minutes, the cave became increasingly damp and narrow. At the end, there was a small cave that could only accommodate a few people. The walls were very damp, and the top had a half-meter-long stalactite with a small amount of water. However, the rate of dripping was so slow that it might take an hour to drop a single drop. Below the stalactite was a small pit, filled with a milky white liquid, probably from the dripping water.

Could this be the "ten-thousand-year-old stone milk" from novels??

The adventurer who discovered this place seemed to be concerned that others might not trust the milky white liquid, so they carved "drinkable, effect equivalent to vitality potion, cannot be carried" on the wall. What a considerate person.

From my vague memory, this should be equivalent to the well water in the game. However, thinking about well water, I also remembered that there were many temples in the game, such as the experience temple and the combat temple, which were often encountered. I wonder if they will appear in this world.

I gently scooped up a small mouthful and drank it. The liquid was incredibly delicious, and before I could savor it, it had already slid down my throat. I immediately felt refreshed, better than the Clear Spirit Water from Akara, and all my fatigue disappeared. Although it didn't have the effect of rejuvenation or increasing a hundred years of power, it was still a rare and valuable item here.

Seeing that there was still three-quarters of the liquid left, I wanted to bottle it, but I remembered the "cannot be carried" warning on the wall and decided against it. If it could be carried, this item, which is better than a vitality potion, would have been harvested long ago.

Although the liquid was delicious, I didn't take the remaining three-quarters. Someone might need it, so I left it. It's not that I'm particularly kind, but in this harsh environment, the idea of mutual support naturally arises, just like the adventurer who marked the passage and carved the instructions on the wall.

When I finally stepped out of the underground passage, I had spent at least eight days inside. The experience from the underground passage monsters was excellent, and with the second-tier skill—Ghost Wolf, and the combination of Magma Rock and Arctic Storm, my efficiency improved several times, making my leveling speed faster. I am now level 13, and I have killed several elites. The most abundant rewards were gold and potions, along with a few shattered gems. I obtained a total of seven pieces of equipment, including the Skeleton Cap, two of which were blue, and one was a serrated wolf club with a 20% damage increase and a damage value of 6-10, only slightly inferior to the javelin I obtained at the entrance of the underground passage.

After tallying my gains, I finally stepped out of the underground passage. Before my eyes were countless towering trees, forming a vast and dense forest...