Chapter 8: Hidden Chamber
"Run!"
They bounced backward as the center of the chamber gave way.
RUMBLE!
A cloud of dust shot up from the opening, and stones fell to the depths below.
It continued for several seconds, until the dust settled, and the noise stopped.
Tanaka cautiously edged to the edge.
The little slime stuck to his side.
He peered over the edge.
Blue light.
Dim, but constant.
It flowed up from some distance below.
"That wasn’t there before."
The Stone Guardian was right above it, and it was guarding it.
Tanaka’s curiosity got the better of him immediately.
"We’re taking a look."
The little slime hesitated.
Boing.
"I know it could be dangerous."
"Which is exactly why I want to know what’s down there."
The little slime bounced once.
Resigned.
They found a suitable place to descend.
Fortunately, some of the rocks had formed a slope.
It was a slow process, but they eventually reached the bottom.
Every few meters, some of the stones slid down the slope into the darkness.
The blue glow grew stronger, and cooler.
After several minutes, they got to the ground. Tanaka looked around. He was silent for a moment.
"Beautiful."
The hidden chamber was nothing like the rest of the dungeon.
It was covered in blue crystals, from which small streams of pure water emerged.
On the floor, flowers made of crystal grew from the ground. Even the air was light; his mana regenerated noticeably faster than before.
"This place..." Tanaka murmured. "is overflowing with mana."
The little slime happily bounced toward one of the crystal flowers. Tanaka followed after it. Before they could reach it, however, a voice echoed in the chamber.
Not from a person, but rather, it resonated in their minds.
Unauthorized destruction of the Guardian detected.
Tanaka froze.
"Who’s there?"
Silence.
Then, the voice returned.
Guardian replacement unavailable.
Dungeon integrity stable.
Reward protocol initiated.
"Reward?"
A faint glow appeared in the center of the chamber.
It took shape as a floating orb of light, barely bigger than an apple.
It slowly floated down to Tanaka’s eye level.
The light dispersed, revealing a silver ring.
"A ring?" He said suspiciously.
"No mimics, right?" He asked.
Nothing happened.
The little slime gently nudged the ring toward him.
"You’re braver than I am."
Tanaka took the ring into his body.
Unlike food, or magic cores, it did not dissolve.
It simply hovered next to his crimson rabbit core and the dark-gold guardian core.
His Soul Record opened up.
[ Reward Obtained
Storage Ring
A magic tool capable of storing non-living objects. ]
Tanaka blinked.
"That’s incredibly useful."
He immediately put the ring to a test.
The shiny blue pebble he had been carrying since the beginning vanished.
After a moment of thought...
It reappeared.
"It works!"
The little slime bounced excitedly.
Tanaka spent the next few minutes throwing random rocks at the ring, and retrieving them.
"This is amazing."
Eventually, he noticed the little slime watching him.
"Don’t judge me."
The little slime bounced twice.
Definitely judging him.
Once his excitement had died down, Tanaka took a look around the hidden chamber.
Apart from the crystals and flowers, there was not much else.
No treasures, no ancient relics, no mysterious swords.
Just... nature.
Peaceful, and pure.
Tanaka knelt by one of the small streams.
The water was unbelievably clear.
Everything here was enriched with mana.
His gaze slowly moved up the stream, following its path.
At the end of it, high above the rest of the chamber, hung a single large blue crystal.
It was bigger than the rest, and pulsed slowly. Every time it pulsed, the chamber was filled with mana.
"That’s the source."
He did not intend to touch it.
The Stone Guardian had taught him a valuable lesson; some things were best left alone.
Destroying that crystal would most likely destroy the entire chamber, and he had no desire to do that.
The little slime suddenly stiffened.
Its body tensed.
Not in fear, but rather, in caution.
Tanaka turned his head.
"What is it?"
Scratching noises echoed from the tunnel.
More than one.
The sound grew louder, and closer.
Tanaka moved in front of the little slime.
Small shadows appeared in the tunnel.
Stone creatures.
Ordinary ones, at that.
However, they did not stop at ten.
More came.
Then more.
Dozens of them filled the tunnel.
Tanaka frowned.
"The Guardian was controlling them."
Now that it was destroyed, they wandered mindlessly.
One of the creatures squeaked, and the entire swarm charged.
"That’s a lot."
Tanaka raised his hands.
Stone Body.
The little slime bounced to his side, rather than behind him.
Tanaka smiled.
"You’ve gotten brave."
Boing!
The first creature leapt at him, but Tanaka was ready.
Earth Impact!
His body slammed into the creature, shattering it instantly.
CRACK!
Tanaka blinked.
"Much stronger."
The next creature jumped, and he smashed it as well.
The chamber grew louder, as the stone creatures shattered.
The little slime fought beside him, distracting enemies, and throwing them off-balance, and occasionally stealing one of Tanaka’s openings.
Their teamwork was perfect.
Back in the settlement, they had barely known each other.
Now, they fought as if they had been partners their whole lives.
Still, the enemies kept coming.
Tanaka’s mana steadily decreased.
"This is bad."
There were simply too many.
Even though they were not strong individually, their sheer numbers were overwhelming.
The ground behind the swarm suddenly shook.
The small stone creatures halted.
They quickly moved aside, making space.
A heavy sound echoed from the tunnel.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Tanaka’s smile vanished.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
Another guardian.
This one, however, was not like the first.
Its stone body was black, rather than gray.
Its glowing eyes were crimson.
Unlike the first guardian, this one wore a massive stone axe on its back.
It stepped into the chamber, and the swarm fell silent.
The Black Stone Guardian slowly raised its axe, and glared at Tanaka.
Then, it charged.