The group spent about thirty minutes outside the cavern to recover their mana, and after that, they were set to go in.
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Level: [6] (690/770)
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Callum noticed he had reached Level Six after clearing the Ghoul Warriors and Ghoul Hunters with the group, and it was quite good progress. Just a few more kills and he'd be Level 7.
He couldn't wait to reach Level 10, when he would finally get the chance to carry out his first Gacha Pull.
"You guys ready?" he asked.
"Yeah," Jon replied with yet that trouble-free smile he always wore.
Alexa and Lira nodded in response as well.
"We need torches. The cavern is dark," Lira said.
"I've got some." Alexa pressed the button, and four electrical torches suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Whoa, never thought you could also summon torches from nowhere. That's... impressive," Jon let out a slight laugh.
"Actually, you shouldn't be impressed. Wait until Callum pulls one item from his Gacha," Alexa said and handed one torch to him.
"Well, can't wait," Jon nodded as he collected the torch.
After Alexa shared the torches, they all headed forward.
Callum and Alexa led the way, and they made sure their weapons were out in case of any ambush.
Literally, they expected to encounter an ambush the moment they reached the entrance of the dark cavern, but shockingly, they saw no Ghoul around.
The area was totally quiet and deserted, and it almost felt like there was no sign of life there.
"Maybe the Ghoul Lord and the rest truly escaped," Jon gave a cheeky smile and said.
"Shut up, Jon. Do you expect them to just stand at the entrance? Unlike Zombies, Ghouls are not stupid," Alexa said and continued walking.
"You know Zombies? I thought only people on Earth knew Zombies?" Jon furrowed his brows.
"We do know Zombies, Jon. As a matter of fact, we know Zombies never existed on Earth. But here in Glory Expanse, Zombies exist," Alexa replied.
"Oops... Guess we all on Earth had our fantasy ideas from Glory Expanse. Goblins, Ghouls, now Zombies too. I'm gonna love to see more," Jon laughed.
"Sure you are," Alexa said after a soft sigh. "Don't run when you see a red dragon as colossal as a mountain," Alexa said.
"Trust me, I won't," Jon shook his head.
Callum and Lira didn't join the talk and just walked closely beside each other. The alley in the cavern was pretty wide, and they had decided to walk near the walls.
As usual, Alexa and Jon were on one end, while Callum and Lira were on the other.
Thanks to the torches, they were able to detect dangerous structures on the way, as the cavern alley had jagged holes and caved stone paths on most sides.
After over ten minutes' walk, they found nothing other than bones and stones in the cavern. The alley seemed endless, as it stretched forward into the dark length.
"Perhaps they escaped," Jon said again.
"I'm already starting to believe that," Alexa's face darkened.
They both stared at Callum, who didn't let out a word, and then at Lira.
"No, we're just going the wrong way," Lira hesitated and said.
"What do you mean?" Alexa asked with a doubtful look. "There is only one clear path in the cavern, which is the one we've taken."
"You're right, there is only one clear path. How about the narrow ones?" Lira responded, her voice confident.
"You mean we should take the holes?" Callum decided to break his silence.
He had been studying the surroundings as they walked, and truly, he had also been doubtful that they'd find the Ghoul Lord by taking this path.
Lira nodded. "Yes. The Ghouls can't live in an area that can be easily accessed. At least if they do, we can't say the same for their leaders," Lira explained.
"So you mean we should go through those holes... We are gonna die, man."
Jon shook his head.
"No, we aren't, unless we choose to," Lira said.
"When we get close to the right hole where the Ghouls are, I'll be able to sense their exact location," she added.
"That's good then. We have to hurry up. We don't have to spend the whole day in here," Callum said and took the lead as they journeyed back to every spot where they had noticed holes when heading in.
Lira took her time to study each spot, but it was quite challenging for a while since she didn't detect anything.
They even tried exploring some holes at times but still found nothing. And just like that, forty more minutes passed.
"Here!"
But finally, they succeeded.
Lira successfully detected the right hole, and there were many things that didn't make them doubt.
Unlike the others, this one was less sloppy and had stone steps all over, though it was still dark.
"This definitely must be the right one," Callum nodded.
"Okay. So, what's the plan?" Alexa turned to him.
"Well. We dash in, fight the Guardians and Elders because they definitely will try to defend the Ghoul Lord. After we kill them, we face the king of the cavern," Callum said.
"Cool... Simple plan though," Alexa smiled at him after a nod.
Callum smiled back.
You asked for my opinion, Callum thought.
The team quickly stepped into the narrow tunnel and readied their weapons. The steps were quite a long one, which directly revealed that they were entering a deep territory.
But they stayed strong, vigilant.
There were more than ten thousand people inside the First Ground facing the same trial as them. If they couldn't pass this early test, then there was actually no hope for their success.
"Eighty percent of entrants who enter the First Ground succeed every time. There's always a high chance," Alexa muttered.
Callum, who was walking close, heard her, but he didn't react hopefully to that like Jon did.
"Yes. That's because they run from killing higher-ranked monsters and the Ground Boss," he replied.
"They don't have to," Alexa said.
"I know. Perhaps someone will just have to try," Callum nodded.
"It's crazily difficult. Really."
Alexa was trying to explain it the way she had been told, because she knew she also hadn't fought the Ground Boss before. She was literally just entering the First Ground for the first time, just like them.
"I know it's difficult, but what if someone becomes more difficult than it?" Callum said in a mutter.
Alexa gave him a suspicious stare for a while.
"Don't tell me you are planning to..."
"No, I'm not," Callum interrupted her.
"Good. My dad gave his orders. We aren't going close to the inner areas of the First Ground," Alexa warned as her look sharpened.
However, Callum just didn't say another word.
Your father is not here with us, he said inwardly as they continued.
Soon, they reached the end of the steps and noticed a plain floor across the entire area. It was a large room of different stones—bigger, yet less jagged.
At that instant, a familiar sound rose from the distance, as a red light began to approach them, casting a giant shadow of four moving figures.
"Well, time to fight."
Jon smiled and rolled the titan chain.
.
.
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[A/N: The book id now contracted! Let's help support with Golden Tickets. We'd get extra chapters if we get up to 20 golden tickets!]