Chapter 14 – The Jade Cave
What a profound joy it is to see a family reunited, and to be the direct cause of that reunion.. the happiness is doubled.
Strange as it was, I received no reward for that secret quest. Perhaps because I took too long to complete it.. but.. yes, I feel happy for Jo. Life isn't just about rewards; sometimes, knowing you made a difference is enough.
Still.. damn the system. When you perform a quest, you should get your due.
Half a day has passed already, and Jo spent it with his family. Well, no one can blame him; he hasn't seen them for ages. But I didn't stand idly by. I summoned 10 new lumberjacks, choosing 5 of them to receive the cubes that grant combat attributes.
Upon returning from his family, Jo joined Suman in selecting a suitable design for the training hall. They chose a spot far from the center—perhaps because training requires shouting or intense focus.
Suman used his cube and gained combat attributes, as did Lois. Now, only I remained.
I hold it in my hand now, but.. am I truly ready to be a warrior? I've never fought in my life, never been part of a battle. Is it better to let those around me fight on my behalf while I focus on development and amassing wealth?
No... why am I afraid?
I...
I feel it.... inside me.. that thrill to dive into the thick of battle..
The first strike..
The first parry.. the first clever maneuver..
And the first victory...
The feeling that accompanies all of that... I want it.
I closed my eyes. The cube was glowing in my hand; I gave it a mental command. It began to melt like gelatin, and inside my mind, it seemed to merge bit by bit with my body.
Gradually.. it split into many threads.. ten.. a hundred.. a thousand.. a million.. until the threads became too small to perceive... and then...
It vanished.
[ Ding.. Ding.. Ding ]
The system's alert light flashed within me. I opened my eyes slowly. Before me, the system interface displayed something new...
{ Conversion }
I quickly tapped it. It contained only two windows:
{ Weapons }
{ Accumulation }
Above that window, a fixed notification glowed:
{ Windows cannot be opened before entering a Rank }
Once again.. the Rank stands in my way. I must open my Rank quickly, or I won't reap any benefits. I already have 7,000 Accumulation points, but to unlock the Rank, I need ten thousand.
The only way is either to search again for those new items in the two spaces that I haven't seen before, or to open a new space.
Yes.. opening a new space grants me 3,000 points—exactly what I need.
But hahahaha, to open a new space, I must already be in the First Rank!
What a joke...
So, no other choice: a new journey into the unexplored area.
{ 2:00 PM }
"My Lord.. do you truly wish to infuriate me?" Monali whispered.
In truth, her voice was louder than a whisper, but she is a polite woman.. it seems this is the peak of her resentment, haha.
"Listen to me first."
Well.. after much explanation and justification, she was finally convinced, provided I promised to stay far away from the lake.
After a long search, I could almost say we are on the verge of emptying the entire space except for the lake. Yes, I found.. 1,300 points.
My balance reached 8,300 points, but.. the rest? I don't know where to get them.
"My Lord.. sunset is approaching, shall we head back?" Monali was exhausted, and so was I.
"Yes.. let's go. There's no use searching in the dark."
From behind the horizon, the red threads of sunset began to crawl upward, pushing the sun toward its bed.
I took several steps; Monali was beside me. It felt like a journey of two lovers searching for treasure, except we weren't. I smiled for a moment, then cast my thoughts away.
This is not the time to make Monali angry and distance herself again like she did during our first meeting, haha...
I pushed aside a long branch for her to pass. The last rays of the sun hit our eyes.
Involuntarily, I turned my gaze...
And then...
Behind a cluster of trees, several blades of grass were glowing with a different light...
"Look," I whispered to Monali, then stepped forward cautiously. When I arrived, my eyes witnessed something new...
Between the glowing leaves, the earth began to rise slightly, then ascended further and started to crumble,
And then
A gap appeared.. leading into the depths.
[ Ding.. Ding.. Ding ]
{ Hidden Cave Discovered }
{ Only when blood beads dance and chase the yellow heart.. can it be seen }
A cave.. finally, something that truly belongs to the world of survival games, haha.
This inscription.. it must be an unlocking riddle.. but.. it's already open?
We must have been in the right place at the right time. We passed here before at midday, but nothing appeared then.
"Shall we enter?" Monali asked quickly, but she was hesitant.
To prevent that hesitation from growing into a refusal like it did with the lake beast, I moved forward quickly, accompanied by anxiety and fear.
Nevertheless, Monali was beside me. Her sense of danger was acute; she would be like a radar if anything approached.
The path was like a dirt staircase, not very steep, so walking on it was fine despite the darkness.
After more than 50 meters down, lights appeared.. not lights in the literal sense, but bioluminescent insects.
Yes.. exactly as you're thinking, they were like the insects that attacked me during the Lesser Calamity.
I froze, but the insects didn't care about me or Monali; they continued to glow in their places, lighting the area in blue.
The space below was larger than I had imagined. It was bigger than the total area where we built the houses and the Town Center.
In one corner, there were stones of a glowing green color.
{ Green Jade - Accumulation 400 }
What a massive amount.
The dirt path we descended continued forward into the cave. On both sides, green jade surrounded the ground like mushrooms, and on the ceiling...
The ceiling was about 3 meters high. After several attempts and searching for a high point, I reached it and finally grabbed the second component in the cave.
{ White Jade - Accumulation 400 }
In just a short time, I managed to get 800 points. I feel I'm nearing the 10,000.. less than a thousand left.
But...
We reached the end of the cave. It was truly large, yet it was just a damp cave containing two types of jade. I don't really know what they are used for.
Finally, we left the cave. I wasn't satisfied, but when we reached the end of the tunnel, I finally inhaled the fresh air.
The outside air felt a thousand times better than before. It seems entering a cave makes you miss the outside dearly.
"What refreshing air.. what do you think, Monali?"
"..."
"Why don't you ans—"
Monali was sprawled on the ground, like a doll.
She wasn't moving.
No blood.. no sound.. she was just like ice upon the earth.
Right and left, I saw nothing. The moon lit the forest dimly, and my vision was good.
There was no attack or anything...
Why don't I go to her... my body??
My body....
It...
Is not moving at all...
"Shhhhhh..."
The sound of a faint wind was coming, but I didn't know from where.
My head was moving, but I didn't move it... if I did, perhaps I would see what I fear.
"Shhhhh..."
My eyes were fixed on Monali, and the sound began to increase...
{ Dream Lake Frog - Accumulation 500 }
{ Dream Lake Turtle - Accumulation 500 }
What is happening??? What are these? The system is calculating...
The air!! Cold.
A weight on my shoulder...
It's increasing..
A piercing cold invades my body from behind...
Am I going to wet myself???
"Monali.. wake up.. please..."
My mind screams, but my tongue dares not.
Death... is near...
My right shoulder, something slimy?? And my left shoulder as well...
I try with all possible courage to glance out of the corner of my eye...
A green frog the size of a medium watermelon, slimy as a disgusting green substance, settled on my right shoulder.
On my left shoulder, something like a small turtle, incredibly heavy, a turtle the size of half a palm.
Its weight felt like 50 kg. Fear made me endure it for moments, but?
It didn't last...
My body finally collapsed downward.
And before I hit the ground...
Two large hands, with razor-sharp claws, lunged at me from above and flew away with me in an instant.
My body was hitting the wind high up, my eyes catching glimpses of the tall trees looking like ants beneath me.
Then, a rapid descent in moments toward the ground..
A violent impact of legs on the earth.
The beast has landed...
Once again, it threw me...
But for a certain distance.
I could no longer feel my body at all, nor the pain.
My eyes could only glimpse what was before them.
The Lake....
And the sound of the birds...
Had vanished.