Chapter 271: The Vasta Waterfalls (2)
Ruvian slowly walked deeper into the hidden space behind the waterfall. His eyes swept across the walls one by one, searching for anything that looked different.
Cracks, shadow, and any uneven surface caught his attention for a brief moment before he moved on. If there really was a hidden path here, then it had to be hidden well enough that no one had stumbled upon it by accident.
"Alright... where exactly are you hiding? Don’t make this hard for me."
Honestly, the novel never went into detail about how Zian found the pathway. It only mentioned that the entrance was hidden somewhere behind Vasta Waterfall, so there was little Ruvian could do besides search every corner through sheer persistence.
He scratched the side of his head as he looked around again, his lips slowly curling into a helpless smile.
"This is going to take a while..."
*****
And indeed, it did take a while.
After nearly an hour of searching, Ruvian finally found the hidden pathway.
It was nothing more than a narrow gap in the rock, concealed beneath thick vines and swallowed by the shadows. Had he not checked it himself, he would have walked right past it without a second thought.
In truth, he had only found it through trial and error.
There were several other spots that looked almost identical, each one raising his hopes before ending in disappointment.
Fortunately, this one turned out to be the real entrance.
Ruvian let out a long breath.
"Finally..."
A glance toward the fading light beyond the waterfall told him the day was slowly slipping away. In just a few more hours, evening would arrive.
"Alright, let’s be quick."
Ruvian stepped into the narrow gap, immediately turning his body sideways as the stone walls closed in around him.
The passage was barely wide enough for a single person, forcing him to press his chest against the cold rock while carefully shuffling forward one step at a time.
The rough stone scraped softly against his clothes.
The deeper he went, the cooler the air became, carrying with it a strange freshness that hadn’t existed near the waterfall.
A faint blue glow slowly appeared ahead.
Ruvian narrowed his eyes as the light grew brighter with every step.
Then, he emerged from the passage.
"...Woah..."
The sight before him stole the words from his mouth.
In the middle was a pond of crystal clear water, still enough to look like polished glass rather than water.
Silently thin rivulets of water dripped down the walls into the pond beneath. The gentle sound reverberated through the cavern, and the roar of the falls gave way to a peaceful melody that soothed the mind.
Soon the source of that light became clear.
Clusters of translucent crystals jutted out from the walls, the ceiling, and the ground. They shone with a blue light, soft and bathing the whole cave in a dreamlike light.
Ruvian stood there for a long moment. His eyes moved slowly about the secluded cavern.
’It’s beautiful....’
For a brief moment, Ruvian simply admired the breathtaking sight before him.
Then, something caught his eye.
"Hm?"
Nestled between a cluster of translucent crystals was a small flag. His eyes widened slightly before a quiet chuckle escaped his lips.
’Looks like... I can get some points today as well. Why the hell is this thing here?’
He had been fully prepared to end the day without earning a single point. After all, his entire plan today had revolved around reaching the Great Spirit.
Yet somehow, fate had decided to throw him a small reward. As much as it loved making his life miserable, it occasionally showed a little kindness too.
With a smile still lingering on his face, Ruvian walked toward the hidden flag to claim it.
After he had claimed the flag, he inspected his bracelet.
[Ruvian’s Points: 1,540 Pts]
[Squad’s Points: 3,940 Pts]
’Hmm... only that much? I guess they either haven’t found any Bronze Dungeon Prototypes yet, or they’re still hesitant to challenge them.’
Ruvian could roughly tell the other four progresses just by looking at his Personal and Squad Points. Judging from the numbers, today’s increase since yesterday’s announcement seemed to come only from the two flags that had already been secured.
That also meant he still believed no squad had discovered their hidden flags yet.
A faint smile appeared on Ruvian’s face.
’Just hang in there, guys.’
He silently hoped everything was going well for the rest of Squad 69. His gaze soon drifted toward the tranquil Crystal Pond.
’Alright... before I meet the Great Spirit, I’d better make sure I’m in the best condition possible.’
He had no idea what awaited him tonight. The Great Spirit might welcome him peacefully, or it might decide to test him the moment they met.
Either way, walking into that encounter while exhausted would be nothing short of foolish.
With that in mind, Ruvian decided to spend the remaining time resting both his body and mind. He also planned to train his Mana Essence a little while waiting, since there were still roughly three hours left before nightfall arrived.
*****
Just a few minutes before nightfall arrived, Ruvian stopped what he was doing and began making the final preparations to open the gateway.
First, he reached into his dimensional storage and took out the fifty grams of Nocturne Berries he got from Silvena.
Using his water spell, he slowly crushed and compressed the berries into a concentrated liquid before carefully pouring it into an empty potion vial.
He sealed the vial, then held it up against the soft blue light filling the cave. The dark crimson liquid inside swirled gently before settling into complete stillness.
’Alright... that’s done.’
Now, all that was left was to drink it when the suppressive darkness arrived.
It didn’t take long, though.
Through the narrow gap he had entered from, Ruvian watched the last traces of daylight slowly disappear, drawing closer to the secluded cave.
Even though this was already the fourth time he had witnessed the suppressive darkness, the sight still sent a chill crawling down his spine.
A few seconds later, nightfall arrived.
The suppressive darkness swept over the world. It swallowed the waterfall, the forest, and everything outside.
Only the secluded cave remained untouched.
Ruvian watched the black tide stop just beyond the entrance.
It was like an invisible wall separated this place from the rest of the world. Outside was an endless sea of darkness, while inside, the crystal pond continued to glow with its gentle blue light.
Ruvian let out a small sigh, then he pulled out the vial containing the crushed Nocturne Berries, uncorked the vial and emptied it into his mouth in one go.
"...Blegh."
The moment it touched his tongue, his entire face twisted.
"Damn... that’s so bitter."
He clicked his tongue a few times, hoping the awful taste would disappear, but it stubbornly clung to the back of his throat.
Still, there was no turning back now.
Ruvian walked over to the edge of the crystal pond, carefully lowered one leg into the water, then the other. A pleasant chill wrapped around his skin as he slowly eased himself deeper until the water reached his waist.
Finally, he leaned back against the rocky edge of the pond and let his body relax.
For several long breaths, nothing happened, and the cave remained as peaceful as before.
Then his brows slowly drew together.
An indescribable feeling spread from the depths of his soul, something that words could never capture it....
But something was reaching straight for his soul.
His breathing grew uneven; his heartbeat became strangely loud, thumping inside his skull instead of his chest.
Ruvian tightened his grip against the rocky edge of the pond.
His vision suddenly blurred.
’Ugh...’
The glowing crystals seemed to bend for a split second. Sometimes, even the entire cave seemed to sway almost hypnotically before returning to normal.
Then, slowly, the blue light radiating from the crystals faded one by one... until darkness consumed his vision.
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[Chapter 271: The Vasta Waterfalls (2)]
Plot Points= 43,000