Chapter 151: The Cave of Screams (2)
Chapter 151: The Cave of Screams (2)
After descending into the valley, I looked around and saw a familiar landscape. In my first run, we hadn’t been able to descend so gracefully. Back then, our caravan was being chased by a horde of undead, and we’d all thrown ourselves down here while a single archer was caught. We were scratched, wounded, and broken, but driven by the sole desire to survive, we scrambled to our feet and searched for a place to escape. And what the caravan leader found was the Cave of Screams.
“Oof. This is steeper than it looks. Kim Soohyun, so this is where you said the Cave of Screams is?”
With Vivian being the last one down, the entire party had landed safely. She dusted off her dirt-stained cloak and asked me.
“That’s right. Keep your eyes peeled, just in case. If you see a spot where the trees and bushes are denser than elsewhere, there’s a high chance that’s the cave entrance. Sol, you can return to your original position in the formation now. You did well. And when we return after this expedition, let’s have a talk with Oppa.”
Ahn Sol looked a little disappointed, but she obediently let go of my collar. (She had a habit of grabbing onto my clothes whenever she got the chance.) I could see the curiosity on her face, but this wasn't something I could discuss with everyone gathered here. I’d have to think it over carefully, but I was leaning toward raising her Luck stat to 101 points.
Trickle, trickle.
A quiet stillness filled the valley. The only sound was the flow of water. The valley formed a V-shape lying on its side, gradually narrowing to the right. I remembered there being a decent amount of space in front of the entrance to the Cave of Screams, so I decided to head left.
We saw no undead as we marched. Just as I had expected, undead were visible above the valley, but strangely, the area below was filled only with a desolate aura, with not a trace of them to be seen. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed in my first run because we were running for our lives, but I don't think we encountered any undead down here back then, either. Considering that bastard was here, it would make more sense for there to be more of them down below. Was there something I didn't know?
About twenty minutes later, I reached my destination. I stopped and veered to the side without a word, feeling the puzzled gazes of my party members. Ignoring them, I focused on a cluster of trees and bushes gathered in a circle, as if protecting something. I quietly drew my sword and pushed my way through the dense undergrowth. And there, for the first time in a long while, was the gaping entrance to the Cave of Screams.
To be honest, discovering ruins or dungeons didn't excite me much anymore. I was ecstatic when we found the Ancient Alchemist Vivian’s Dungeon or the Ruined Laboratory, but now I’d come to take it for granted. Perhaps it was because this was a place I already knew well.
Still, it was true that I felt pretty good. The party members who followed me in all gasped in awe at the sight of the cave entrance. This marked our third consecutive successful discovery (though it was the second for Shin Sangyong and Jung Hayeon), so it was by no means a trivial achievement.
“Ha. Is it really okay for us to find it this easily? Isn’t it just a normal cave?”
“That’s because our Sol is such a lucky charm. I’m sure it’s not.”
“Hmph. You’d be less annoying if you kept your mouth shut.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Of course there is…”
Ssssssssssssssssss.
Ko Yeonju, who had been about to speak with eyes full of suspicion, immediately shut her mouth at the chilling sound that echoed from within the cave. She wasn't the only one. The excited mood of the party was doused with cold water, and the atmosphere quickly grew heavy again. I cleared my throat a couple of times and spoke in a reassuring voice.
“The undead in the Cave of Screams probably won’t be much different from the ones we met in the Blue Mountain Range. It’s not like we can turn back now, and judging by the width of the valley, the cave doesn’t seem that long or wide. If we hurry a little, we might be able to get out by tomorrow morning.”
My words seemed to bring them back to their senses, and one by one, they straightened their backs and squared their shoulders. After getting the party in formation, I immediately led them into the Cave of Screams. The thought that this was our final expedition made me want to finish it as quickly as possible and return.
We had only taken a few steps inside, but the cave was already pitch-black and exuded a gloomy aura. Moss clung to the walls, and the air was thick with a damp, unpleasant smell. I turned my head to glance at Jung Hayeon, and she nodded once before quietly chanting a spell.
“Light.”
As she cast the spell, the area around us brightened. With the orb of light floating ahead of us, we began our exploration into the depths.
It went without saying, but the Cave of Screams had no distinct floors. Once we left this long passage and entered the branching area, we would find numerous diverging paths like a mouse warren, and we had to choose carefully. I’ll confess now, our first clear of the Cave of Screams could hardly be called complete. We had lost our archer before even entering the cave, so we wandered for a very long time, which unintentionally resulted in us clearing out every nook and cranny. However, we failed to deal with that bastard at the end and had to flee, so it was debatable whether it was a 100% clear. (Later, that bastard was defeated by an investigation team formed based on our expedition report.)
I had no desire to explore every corner of the Cave of Screams this time. So, my plan was to move according to my calculations once we reached the branching paths at the end of this passage.
“It’s hard to breathe. Why is this cave so humid? It’s so damp and sticky.”
“I know. I think I preferred it outside.”
Listening to Lee Yoojung and Ahn Hyun’s quiet conversation, I slowly expanded my senses. Even before the branching paths, there was always a chance a monster could jump out, so rushing in would be foolish. After walking for about fifteen minutes, I felt something brush against the edge of my Sensing before vanishing.
The presence kept appearing and disappearing, appearing and disappearing. The action, as if it were teasing me, made my anger flare, but I quickly composed myself and stopped walking.
“I’ve detected a strange presence 80 meters ahead. I don’t know what it is, but I think it would be best to proceed with heightened caution.”
The party members responded with silent nods. I slowed our pace even more and resumed our advance. After some time, we approached the point where I had detected the strange presence. The area was shrouded in complete darkness, but occasionally, a blue flame would flash in the center of the passage before extinguishing again.
“I’ll send the Light orb further ahead.”
With a wave of her hand, Jung Hayeon sent the orb floating forward. The moment the orb entered the central area and brightly illuminated our surroundings, countless statues lined up on both sides came into view. Upon seeing the statues, every member of the party let out a stifled gasp. I, too, furrowed my brow.
All the statues looked similar. They resembled human skeletons cut in half at the waist, leaving only the upper torso. But their form wasn't the problem. I was certain that in my memory, we had never fought statues like these before the branching paths. As I struggled to understand what was happening, I heard a crackling sound, like a spark tearing through the air.
Fzzt!
“Uh…!”
I heard Jung Hayeon’s panicked voice as white light and a blue flash mingled and flickered ahead. Sensing something was wrong, I reflexively activated my Third Eye. After confirming the phenomenon before me, I immediately shouted.
“Cancel the Light magic! Hurry!”
“Can—!”
Fzzt! Fzz-zzt! Fzzzzzzzt!
Her response was quick, but unfortunately, it seemed she was a step too late. I regretted not using my Third Eye sooner. I had been overconfident, thinking I knew everything, and was completely blindsided. The Light spell exploded with a sound like a firecracker, and at the same time, the flickering blue flames erupted violently. Since things had come to this, it was best to clear my mind of all other thoughts. The battle was what mattered now. I immediately raised my right hand and shouted.
“Something’s not right. Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Fwoooooosh!
The moment I finished speaking, the blue flames split into multiple streams and shot toward each of the statues. The statues struck by the flames began to twitch and transform. Soon, with a cracking sound, their surfaces fractured as they emitted a pale, spectral light from all directions. The light was so intense that the party members had to squint.
When we opened our eyes again, we saw them—skeletal upper bodies floating in the air, wreathed in flickering blue flames. There appeared to be about ten of them. They were Wraiths.
Haaaaah. Haaaaaaaah.
Hyaaaaaah. Hyaaaaaaaaah.
The Wraiths flapped their wings of flame and let out chilling screams at us. The rest of the party was getting into position. Come to think of it, had we ever fought spectral-type monsters before? Before they could panic, I quickly issued orders.
“Ahn Sol! Cast Holy Strike on Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung. Ahn Hyun, Lee Yoojung, draw on your magic power and fight until Sol’s spell takes effect. Never attack them with an ordinary weapon that isn’t imbued with magic. Understood?”
“““Yes!”””
Hearing their energetic replies, I swung my sword hard, sending a powerful sword wave forward. My intention was to buy us some time to prepare. Fortunately, the invisible, fan-shaped wave caught several of them, and I watched them shatter into pieces. For a moment, I thought this might go better than expected.
“They’re not dead yet.”
At Ko Yeonju’s low voice, flames once again erupted over the shattered remains. The flames were then sucked toward the center before flowing back over the fragmented bone pieces. The scene that followed proved her words right. The fragments, and even the bone dust, began to reassemble, and with a bloodcurdling scream, the Wraiths rose again. It was a resurrection spell exclusive to the undead.
The ones that had been out of range and the ones that had just revived slowly began to close the distance. It wasn't that I couldn't think of a solution. In fact, too many possibilities and their corresponding answers were flooding my mind.
Even among spectral monsters, the degree of damage they took from magic varied, and Wraiths were among the most resistant. Shin Sangyong pushed them back with Gust of Wind, and I even combined the Anti-Magic spell from my ring with Jung Hayeon’s Overlap spell, but the bastards defiantly resurrected and continued to torment us.
Given the circumstances, the others were unlikely to have a solution either. No matter how many times they were struck down, even with holy spells, the Wraiths would stubbornly rise again, flapping their wings. This was why undead monsters were said to be so tricky to deal with. The formula for hunting safely in the midst of undead was to have a perfect counter for every possible situation. But since that was realistically impossible, all I could think was that we were in a filthy mess. A bitter smile formed on my lips at the thought that I had no choice but to use Eternal Flame.
“User Kim Soohyun. Wait a moment.”
Just as I was about to unleash Eternal Flame, I felt a hand on my shoulder. As I turned my head, a pair of blue wings grazed past my cheek. I was a little annoyed to be spoken to in the middle of this chaos, but I took a step back and listened to her.
“Listen carefully. I’ve had a similar experience before. To get straight to the point, I need you to take care of all the Wraiths the party is fighting right now. But you have to kill the last one after you kill the first one, and you must finish them all before the first one you killed resurrects. Can you do it?”
“I can.”
Ko Yeonju seemed to have figured something out. I had skimmed over the information from my Third Eye while focusing on the phenomenon earlier, and I was tempted to read it again. However, I decided to trust her for now and took a deep, calming breath. When a Wraith was defeated, it took about three seconds for its flame to die down and be drawn back in. Then, it took four seconds for the internal process, another three seconds to emerge and fully reform its shape. That meant a total of ten seconds. With ten Wraiths, that meant I had to kill one per second.
But I didn't necessarily have to kill one every second. I shot forward like the wind toward the four Wraiths Ahn Hyun was fighting.