At the farthest distance the sword could reach, I still hadn't been able to reach the end of the passage or find any particular structure. Before retrieving the flying sword, I concentrated on casting a directional detection spell - this detection method is rather rough and only suitable for obtaining information about the dimensions of space. The cavern extends far beyond my imagination, as if suggesting that it will lead us into the depths of the earth that man has never touched,

Then, I did the same, wielding the flying sword to explore the narrow cavern. The middle of the cave is impassable, the ground is uneven, and the terrifying cracks in the rock face raise doubts about the risk of collapse at any time. And in the shadow of those protruding rocks, lurking the dark caverns that devour people, leading to the bottomless dark abyss below, is obviously not a good escape route.

I informed Tuttle of the results, and as a matter of course, we chose the spacious cave. Although we have practiced our own skills and are not afraid of the usual and treacherous terrain, the relatively gentle ground here still makes us walk very comfortably. The slope of the ground is mostly 30 degrees or less, and there are few stalactites or stalagmites in the cave, which is markedly different from the previous flooded cave, perhaps because the environment here is not suitable for sediment growth.

Along the way, I often saw large chunks of gravel and traces of erosion by the current, and cracked stones were not uncommon. The magic lamp at Tuttle's waist flickered with his steps, the bright light pulling out long black shadows in the backlit direction of these natural creations, changing as we zigzagged forward, enveloping the already strange underground caverns in a sinister and ominous mist.

About an hour later, a "crossroads" appeared before our eyes - another rocky passage crossed by a straight and flat direction, and the cave took on a regular circular outline, not at all like the natural cave we had passed through so far. The top of the passage is so high that the gravel and gravel that are common in caves are barely visible around it, as if it had been cleaned by some living thing.

"It's like a hole made by a giant worm, and it's not small. ”

Tuttle carefully examined the rock walls and ground of the lateral passage and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's been a long time ago, and I've seen similar caves elsewhere. ”

Naturally, we didn't want to continue down the natural cavern that stretched downward, but the underground passage dug by the giant worm didn't have a significant angle, and my exploration wasn't enough to determine which direction it would lead to the surface.

Tuttle tried to light the flames, but the air flow in the cave was extremely weak, and there seemed to be air movement in all three directions, so the attempt to determine the direction by this technique also failed, and we had to choose one of the routes at random.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about divination – in other words, no matter which direction we choose, there's a half chance we'll get lost in the underworld.

"Since there's nothing to choose from, then...... The road on the right. I shrugged at the sight of Tuttle's inquiring gaze on me, "It's a big deal to just turn back." ”

The passage dug by the giant worm is very easy to walk. Along the way, Tuttle briefed me on this huge burrowing creature. They resemble flesh-like worms and are good at burrowing, which can spray corrosive liquids. From some observations, giant worms hate light, but light does not appear to cause them any substantial damage, only to make them disappear during the day. Tuttle also told me that the worm was not a creature on Earth, but was said to have visited Earth for a very short period of time in antiquity, leaving traces in some dark corners of the world.

After about forty minutes of progress, the trend of the channel began to rise, which indicates that we made the right choice. After another twenty minutes or so, the tunnel met with another large natural cavern, and its slope gently descended into the darkness for an unknown distance. I consulted with Tuttle for a while and decided to venture into the natural cave to find a way out.

The place we were at was a corner, and although it was difficult to see the edge of this incredibly large rock cavern, it was a high ground from the point of view, and we were on a platform-like structure.

Walking to the edge of the steep cliff, I leaned down and looked down, and the jagged rocks were dotted like islands rising from the thick dark sea, and the cliff was bottomless just below. The air was damp and cold, indicating a large amount of water in the abyss below—but this substance, which is known as the source of life by ordinary people, is a demon that we cannot avoid.

The silence of my surroundings was eerily silent, without the slightest sound of an underground river, but the unusual calm only stirred the fear in my heart. The whirlpool, the berserk vortex that calmed down, the eerie vortex that nearly swallowed Tuttle......

The dim and oppressive environment of the cave must have had some subtle and strange effect on my mind, making my mind a jumble of thoughts at any moment, and I couldn't help but speculate about what I saw from the most sinister and terrifying angles. I made up my mind and asked Tuttle about my next steps.

"Since we have the ability to fly, I think it's better for us not to go down. This is supposed to be where a lot of caves come together. As he spoke, Tuttle pointed to the top of the cavern, which was very high, and its irregular outline and misty darkness made it impossible for me to determine the detailed structure of the dome, even the location and distance of the rock walls, "If you search with your flying sword, I think you should be able to find those caves, and go up from there." ”

I couldn't agree more. Perhaps my words don't do a good job of conveying the complex emotions of facing the matrom that leads to the abyss, or even the cave system itself resembling some kind of abyssal beast that swallows us, the bizarre, grotesque, and lingering horror, but even though reason tells me that the miraculous creation from [DATA EXPUNGED] can keep me immortal, my intuition kills that curiosity in an unquestionably forceful way.

More than a dozen flying swords scattered in all directions, sending the structure of the cave roof back into my mind. Tuttle's guess is quite correct, and this is indeed a "hall" where many underground pipes converge. I didn't find the river pouring down, which was consistent with my previous perception and speculation, and the water below should have another source, perhaps the slow-flowing groundwater at the bottom, or perhaps from the other side of the abyss......

I didn't dare to think any further, and hurriedly told Tuttle what I had just gotten, trying to forget something by way of conversation—I felt like I suddenly realized something, but instinctively shifted my mind elsewhere before I could really figure out the thought.