Cave

A couple of days into our expedition, Xia Tao's perspective:

Overall, I was worrying unnecessarily. We had already collected 35 out of the required 40 Strengthening of Foundation Beast Cores for him. Things were going well, except that out of the 5-7 beasts we killed, only one had a core. Since these were low-level cultivation beasts, not all of them had fully formed cores.

Then there was the matter that after 2 days, the Blue Balls had reached 7/20. I don't understand what's happening, but it seems like the discomfort and their size are growing not exactly as I expected.

In fact, it's becoming quite inconvenient to use movement techniques as something has swollen and is hindering my normal movement.

Have you ever walked like a penguin? No? Well, I'm doing that now. Just to feel as little discomfort as possible.

As a result, we found ourselves in the middle of the desert, roasting the meat of a giant scorpion, one of our last catches. The day had been hectic, and I sat there enjoying the coolness that descended upon the desert.

It's a shame that the comfortable temperature will soon disappear and it will get cold. I understand that we can protect ourselves with spiritual energy, but it's not the most enjoyable thing to do. And now is just the perfect moment when it's still fairly warm, and the warm air is blowing on you, cooling you down.

Ah, lovely. Who would have thought it gets cold in the desert at night? For me, it was a revelation. I wonder if it's a local anomaly or if it's like that everywhere.

We were sitting by a small rock near a little oasis. While Ye Chen was grilling the meat, boasting about being a great cook – spoiler alert, he's not really – I admired the evening desert.

"Well, Xia Tao, you were worried for nothing. We found the flower I needed, we've almost collected the required number of beast cores, and you've gathered a bunch of plants. I don't really get why, but that's your business. You worried so much, and look how well everything is turning out."

I chewed and swallowed before replying:

"You're right, but I still wouldn't relax. We haven't returned yet, and who knows what could happen."

"Come on, what could possibly go wrong? We're in the desert, there's nobody and nothing here."

And then, boom, crashing sounds, and even the ground trembled. We both jerked up and peered into the distance, from where sounds of struggle and strange squeaks were spreading.

Despite it being evening, it wasn't so dark that we couldn't notice a giant mouse begin fighting a giant scorpion in the distance.

Judging by what was happening, this could become a problem.

Damn it, we had to run. If those rascals disturb the local fauna, things will become really unpleasant for us.

We sprang to our feet and sprinted away from this turmoil. Damn it, it's so uncomfortable for me to run using my techniques, every movement is a pain, damn it, why did we venture into this desert?

Have you ever seen penguins running in the desert? No? Well, you could be witnessing that right now.

Even Ye Chen was staring at me and asking what this strange movement technique was and what its advantages were. I told him it's a family secret and started cursing the situation under my breath. The protagonist just nodded as if he understood.

The most annoying thing was that even with this method of movement, every step was accompanied by sharp pain, and it was simply torturous.

As we ran, I began to gradually calm down. People get used to everything, and I was getting used to these flashes of pain and the discomfort of running. But I was becoming fearful of what would happen if it reached 20/20. In short, I needed to get back home.

While we were running, the protagonist started looking back more and more frequently, observing the fight between the bat and the giant scorpion.

As a result, Ye Chen tripped over a stone, stumbled, and fell.

While he was getting up, I decided to help him, and then another impact on the ground occurred in the distance, causing a mini-earthquake. The ground under us cracked and gave way, and we plummeted downward somewhere below the surface!

Damn, I knew it, I knew it! After flying for some time, we landed quite uncomfortably at the bottom of a cave system. And then I realized there was a problem. While we were falling, Ye Chen hit his head and broke his arm.

How did I figure it out? A lump on his forehead and bones sticking out of his arm made it rather obvious. Damn it!

What to do? Looking upward, I noticed that the passage we fell through was blocked and sealed. Judging by how much we fell and hit the ground, digging upwards wasn't an option. We'd either be buried alive or suffocate.

"Fuck" I muttered. Taking out the first aid kit, I set his arm as best as I could, applied ointment, and gave him a potion to drink. The main thing was not to panic. Glancing around, I noticed that the cave we ended up in was practically made up of glowing stones. I wondered if these stones were valuable. Considering the protagonist brought us here, they probably were.

Breaking off a few pieces, I stashed them in my ring, just in case. Then I dragged the unconscious protagonist along, cursing him under my breath.

What a protagonist he was, a sack of problems and trouble! How could he not realize that going to the desert was a bad idea? As we walked—or rather, as I walked and dragged this unlucky fellow along—we seemed to be ascending, but after a while, it became difficult to determine whether we were going up or down.

The only saving grace was that the air was relatively fresh, and breathing wasn't a problem.

After a while—hours, maybe—I realized that we were hopelessly lost. The stones in the cave had been replaced entirely by mushrooms that emitted a soft glow in the darkness. It was suspicious that we hadn't encountered much wildlife except for small creatures.

Especially considering the cave was clearly artificial, though not made by humans. It was massive. Whatever we stumbled upon next, it was likely to be a problem. And oh, how tired I was. I needed to rest.

Realizing I couldn't go on any longer, I decided that I needed some sleep. Sitting down on a relatively flat surface and placing a signal array about 100 meters away so I could react in time, I simply passed out.