Chapter 8 – Bat Cave

Bat Cave, normally known as the 'cave at the south of newbie village,' had two entrances. The first one was the front entrance, which led to a large clearing and was the most commonly used to enter this cave.

The second one was slightly hidden. One needed to go through dense vegetation and bushes around the hill where the first entrance was. Even then, the entrance still couldn't be found, as it was hidden behind a large tree.

If one walked slightly to the right, then one would be able to see a hole between the tree and the dirt slope. That was the cave's second opening.

"This is it."

Even for Atlas, finding the entrance in the dark of night took a little bit of time. There was no light source besides the lantern he held in his hand. And it only brightened the area 3 meters around him.

"You go first, Fer. Please make sure that there is no enemy around the entrance."

"Got it. See you inside, At."

Ferin approached the hole and tried to squeeze through. Her bountiful chest was caught on the tree for a second, but she managed to enter without any problem.

Then, she disappeared inside. A little while later, two bunny ears peeked from the hole between the tree and the dirt slope, together with a small face that was smiling happily. 

"It's clear! You can enter, At."

"Alright. Step aside for a little." Atlas mentioned to Ferin and tried to squeeze through the hole. 

His figure was tall and broad, so it was a little bit hard. Ferin even pulled his arm from inside to help him squeeze through. After some struggle, he managed to enter. However, he stumbled upon the jagged rock on the ground and fell.

"Woah."

He fell onto the ground, pushing Ferin with him. She was pinned under him, looking at him with a playful smile.

"Oh my… There is no monster that attacked me, so you decided to become one? Bad, At." She poked Atlas' nose jokingly as she giggled cutely.

"I would do so if this is IRL." Atlas answered and held Ferin's hand. He rose to his feet and helped her to stand up.

Then, he patted her head because she pouted.

"Don't pout, Ferin. You know that no R18 stuff can happen in an open world. The publisher will ban us for a few days if we do a sexual act outside the private area. Even then, we need to register ourselves as a couple first."

"I know… But you're no longer flustered by my teasing, which makes me slightly disappointed."

Both of them stood up. Atlas helped Fering by pulling her hand while chuckling.

"Well, try harder. I can still get flustered every now and then."

Pouting, Ferin punched him playfully before walking away. She entered the cave first before stopping at the intersection.

"Let's go. Before the other players find it, let's kill all the Night Bats."

The cave was really dark. Atlas lit the lantern and chased the darkness away. The light was limited to a few meters around them. It couldn't reach deep into the cave. Even so, it was fine. As long as they could see, that was enough.

They kept walking, moving with purpose as they already mapped the Bat Cave in the past. All rooms where the monsters were located inside their heads.

"I think it's just right around this corner?" 

Ferin, as a vanguard, moved before him and turned first. Her bunny ears twitched slightly, catching a faint sound from a distance. 

"Yes, it should be this way. The Night Bats gathered in this room, At!" She exclaimed as she looked at her lover.

Hearing the information, Atlas took out three sticky traps from his inventory.

"Wait a minute. Let me set this up first."

Saying so, he threw the three balls at the ceiling and the wall. Its size was roughly as big as his palm and stuck easily. The stickiness from the ball proved to be active after a few seconds of exposure to the air.

"That should be enough."

Nodding in satisfaction, Atlas continued walking. He gestured for Ferin to follow him, and she did without asking anything.

Night Bats were a type of monster that flocked in one place, sleeping at sunrise and active at night. At times like this, they usually gathered together to have dinner, which they would gather again soon according to the time.

After walking for a while, they reached a large room. It seemed to be a dead end.

In the middle of the room, fruits piled up. Some of them were already spoiled. And devouring these fruits were a flock of bats as big as someone's head.

At first glance, they didn't seem to be that dangerous. But upon closer inspection, their fangs were sharp and could tear flesh easily.

"Let's follow the plan. Even if they are only level 4, their numbers are too great. At least there are a few dozen of them in this room." Atlas said as he observed the bats while crouching beside Ferin.

"The plan is you scare them away with [Mana Bolt], and I will kill those who passed, right?" 

"Correct. You still remember the guide to hunt Night Bats. Impressive." He said and patted her head.

"Of course. I might act like a stupid girl in front of you, but you do know that I am a little bit smart, no? Something like remembering a guide is easy peasy." Ferin slapped Atlas' hand away and stood up, unsheathing her sword. "Anyway, let's do this."

"That's right." Atlas also stood up and pointed his staff to the pile of fruits in the middle of the room. "[Mana Bolt]."

A blue flash flew toward the flock of bats and pierced one of them right in the head, killing it immediately.

[Ding! Level 4 Night Bat has been defeated!]

[1x Bat Wings obtained.]

The other bats began to cry loudly when they realized there were enemies finding them. Afterward, they flapped their wings quickly, scattering around the room and looking for the exit. For a monster, they were pretty cowardly.

It was the start of the chaos.

"Fer." Atlas called out to his lovely bunny girl lover and grinned, "Go wild."

"Hah! Naturally!"