Chapter 101: Cave
Nearly half an hour later, the Han River had disappeared behind the endless grey mist.
They had reached the eastern side of the territory, which, unlike the southern plains, was far rockier.
Jagged stone outcrops rose from the ground like broken teeth.
Towering cliffs covered in thick moss stood between patches of ancient forest.
Twisted roots wrapped around massive boulders, while countless vines hung from the stone walls.
The air also felt noticeably colder, like the Eternal Night had descended long before its actual time.
Edgar slowed his horse.
"...We’re close."
A few minutes later, they arrived before a rocky cliff nearly thirty metres high.
At first glance, it appeared completely ordinary, but with his enhanced sight, Andrew quickly noticed it.
"...There’s a cave."
Hidden behind layers of thick vines and hanging roots was a dark opening nearly five metres tall.
Its entrance was shaped like a cracked archway. Cold air continuously drifted from within.
Tiny droplets of water trickled down the surrounding rocks. The ground near the entrance was strangely bare.
Gordon stared at the cave for several seconds.
"...I’ve never seen this place before."
Andrew looked surprised.
"Have you been here before?"
"I have."
The veteran scratched his beard.
"But no one comes this far east."
He pointed toward the surrounding cliffs.
"There’s nothing worth gathering here."
Andrew looked toward the black opening.
"...Looks creepy."
"It is creepy."
The cave looked less like a natural formation and more like the open mouth of some sleeping beast.
Its darkness swallowed everything beyond a few metres.
Even the grey mist seemed reluctant to drift inside.
Edgar quietly dismounted, staring at the mouth of the cave.
He looked around, feeling the presence of the Soul Guardians who had been here just a few minutes ago.
’Guardian Seven.’
Using the Soul Network, Edgar immediately decided to summon one of them.
The skeleton, which had been scouting nearby, instantly received his command and rushed back toward him.
The three watched as the black skeletal warrior emerged from between the trees.
Andrew still wasn’t used to the sight.
"...Every time I see them, I get goosebumps."
Gordon nodded.
"They really do look like Nightmares."
The Soul Guardian stopped before Edgar and waited silently.
Edgar pointed toward the cave.
"Go inside."
Without the slightest hesitation, the skeleton walked toward the entrance.
The moment it crossed into the darkness, Edgar’s consciousness shifted.
He was now seeing through the Guardian’s eyes.
The tunnel sloped gently downward, perhaps because it was far too old.
The air inside was damp and unusually cold.
Blue-green moss covered parts of the walls, giving off a faint natural glow that barely illuminated the darkness.
Soon, it opened into an enormous underground chamber.
Edgar had a hard time looking around the place in the darkness.
But he could tell that the cavern was far larger than he’d expected.
Stone pillars rose from the floor to the ceiling like the trunks of ancient trees.
A shallow underground stream flowed quietly through the chamber.
He let the Soul Guardian move closer to the wall and used it as a guide to move ahead.
The Soul Guardian continued walking deeper into the cavern. Its heavy footsteps echoed through the underground chamber.
Without light, the cave was almost completely dark. Even the patches of glowing moss were too dim to illuminate more than a few metres ahead.
’This would be impossible without the Soul Network...’
The Guardian slowly ran one bony hand across the damp stone wall as it advanced.
The rough surface kept it from wandering into the underground stream.
After walking for nearly a minute, Edgar noticed something unusual.
The markings on the wall the Soul Guardian was using as a guide felt out of place.
He willed the Guardian to turn its head and look at the wall, which was tens of metres tall.
Edgar’s face immediately turned serious when he noticed engravings on the wall that looked like—
’Elves....’
They stood beneath an enormous tree whose branches reached across the entire mural.
Edgar unconsciously took a step forward in the real world.
"...Young master?"
Andrew’s voice reached him faintly, but Edgar didn’t answer.
His attention remained fixed on the ancient wall.
The mural continued. The elves appeared to be kneeling before the colossal tree.
Several reached their hands toward the trunk as streams of light descended from its branches.
’The World Tree...?’
His gaze moved farther along the wall, and the peaceful scene gradually changed.
The great tree was still there, but flames had begun consuming its branches.
The elves who had once been praying now carried weapons. Dead bodies littered the ground.
Towering creatures with unusual shapes surrounded them.
Unfortunately, centuries of erosion had destroyed most of those figures.
Edgar could only make out massive silhouettes with horns and wings.
’Dragons...?’ he thought, not quite certain if they truly were dragons.
Several sections had collapsed completely.
Whatever story the mural once told had long since been lost.
The Soul Guardian continued moving alongside the wall.
More carvings appeared.
Some depicted cities built into gigantic trees. Others showed bridges suspended between impossible heights.
The craftsmanship was unlike anything Edgar had seen in this world.
But before Edgar could understand more, the mural ended abruptly.
The stone looked as though something unimaginably powerful had smashed straight through it.
A massive crack extended across the cavern wall.
’Did someone destroy the place on purpose?’
After another few dozen metres, the passage suddenly widened.
Edgar instinctively froze.
’...What is that?’
Ahead of him stood an enormous pair of stone doors.
Each door was nearly fifteen metres tall.
Unlike the weathered murals, these doors remained almost perfectly intact.
Ancient roots had crawled over their surface, weaving through intricate carvings that covered every inch of stone.
At the center, a massive tree had been engraved.
Its countless branches stretched across both doors, while its roots reached deep beneath the earth.
The craftsmanship was breathtaking.
On the doors were many symbols that looked unusual yet strangely familiar.
It took him a few seconds to understand... those symbols were runes.
Taking a deep breath, Edgar memorized the appearance of every rune he could see.
Only then did he issue another command.
’Guardian Seven, return.’