Ch 63 - The First Chamber

Yes, Jester was inside this slime woman's body, but that did not mean he could ignore the feeling of falling. He still felt every second of it, and honestly, his stomach twisted so hard it almost cramped. Even though this was only happening inside a game, damn it, this game felt way too realistic.

Then, after what felt like forever, their bodies finally slammed into the ground! Yet instead of pain, Jester realized his body had landed against something surprisingly soft and comfortable. A warm, gentle sensation wrapped around him, making the impact far less painful than he had expected. At least they had finally landed on solid ground.

How long had they been falling? Was this cave really this deep? Anyone who fell into a place like this would probably die. Maybe someone with a flying skills could survive, but even then, the cave was so unbelievably deep that even they would have to think twice before coming down here alone.

A few moments later, Sliora's wet and warm body finally separated from his as he stepped out of her. He emerged from the front of her body, just like before, so his face naturally passed by her chest, brushing lightly against her smooth skin for a brief moment. It honestly felt strange, especially because Sliora's entire body was actually made of slime.

Now he could finally look around the area. Igrio had already reached the bottom before them and had lit the crystal lamp once again, allowing the surroundings to become visible.

How did Igrio even get down here? There was no way he had simply jumped like they did... right?

"From this point onward, we will continue our journey deeper into the cave until we reach the first chamber," Igrio explained politely.

Without wasting any more time, they continued forward with Igrio leading the group. Ahead of them, Shade, who had transformed into a shadow, occasionally flickered into view not too far in front, scouting the path to make sure everything ahead remained safe.

After walking for a while, Sliora, who had been walking right beside Jester the entire time, finally spoke.

"Your Highness, if you don't mind, you can ride me if you'd like. It'll make the trip much easier, and you won't have to walk."

Ride her? Why did she always phrase things like that?

He turned to look at her. Sliora was smiling far too broadly as she tilted her head at him.

"Would you like to ride me, Your Highness? Or perhaps experience my inside again? It'll be much warmer and far more comfortable in there. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"No, it's okay. I can walk on my own," he replied.

This was seriously taking forever. Damn it, walking like this without anything happening was unbelievably boring. They could have moved much faster by riding Fang. The cave system seemed large enough for Fang to pass through without much trouble, but then the others would have a hard time keeping up.

Well... might as well enjoy the walk.

The silence around them felt almost empty. Every distant drip of water and every small pebble falling somewhere deep within the cave echoed through the darkness, making the place feel even more lifeless.

If this were a real cave in the real world, a normal person probably would not even be able to breathe down here. Yet the farther they walked, the more Jester noticed a faint rotten smell lingering in the air. Was this the influence of the undead Igrio had mentioned earlier?

After walking for so long that Jester had completely lost track of time, the group finally slowed to a stop as Igrio quietly informed them that the cave's first chamber was right ahead.

Igrio then turned off the crystal lamp. A moment later, Shade, who had never strayed far from the group, activated one of her skills. A small domain spread outward from her, and although the cave remained completely dark, Jester's vision somehow became much clearer. He could now make out the outlines of everything around him, as though the skill allowed him to perceive the shapes hidden within the darkness.

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Shade's figure also became much clearer inside that miniature domain.

Igrio led them forward once more, and the instant they stepped into the chamber, Jester finally understood what Igrio had meant by an ancient civilization.

He swallowed hard as the scene before him came into view.

Towering stone buildings stretched across the enormous cavern, with long rows of houses lined neatly beside one another as far as he could see. Even from where he stood, he could already estimate there were hundreds of homes here, and the city continued far beyond the limits of his vision, disappearing into the darkness.

The ceiling of the cavern was just as astonishing. It rose so high above them that he could not even make out where it ended, its upper reaches completely swallowed by the darkness.

"The undead are inside those houses?" he asked quietly.

Jester did not even have the chance to hear Igrio's answer before he started hearing strange noises echoing from every direction around them. The ground began to rumble as something pushed its way up from beneath the earth.

He turned toward one side just as a hand burst through the ground. Moments later, another followed. The withered arm clawed at the dirt, forcing the rest of its body out bit by bit until the entire figure finally crawled onto the surface.

Jester swallowed hard as an undead monster emerged before his eyes. It was a zombie... and not the only one. Nearby, ancient doors slowly creaked open, and more undead began shambling out from inside the abandoned houses.

Igrio lowered his head slightly before speaking.

"Your highness, these are undead-type monsters. However, they are only around level fifty. They should not pose any difficulty for you."

No! Igrio, no!

Jester was not even level fifty yet. Caelan might have been over level one hundred, but he was not Caelan.

The undead continued to appear in greater numbers. At first there were only a few, then more than a dozen, until dozens of figures stood scattered throughout the chamber. Yet strangely, not a single one of them made a move toward the group.

Shade, who stood at the very front, suddenly dashed forward, silently securing the area around them. The moment one undead stepped too close, a blade flashed through the darkness. Its head was severed cleanly and tumbled across the ground, while the headless body dropped to its knees before toppling forward a moment later.

Well... not bad. At least Shade was taking care of the monsters.

Still, this place could actually work as a decent hunting ground for Jester if he ever wanted to farm. The real problem was getting here. Just reaching this cave took far too long, making the whole trip feel incredibly inefficient.

He simply did not have the luxury of spending hours grinding hundreds of monsters just to gain a single level.

Besides, he had already grown spoiled. Fighting enemies far above his own level rewarded him with much larger amounts of experience, making leveling feel much faster.

Yeah... this place definitely was not suitable for him to level up.

They remained where they were for a while longer, watching more undead continue to emerge. Their numbers grew at an alarming pace. Within only a short time, there were already hundreds of them scattered throughout the area.

"There are so many of them. Do they ever stop?" Jester asked.

Igrio lowered his head before replying. "We have never tested their limit, Your Highness. However, I believe their numbers are practically endless. They may even be capable of spawning more undead over time. This would become an excellent hunting ground for players."

"I can see that," Jester said with a nod. "If only we could sell access to this place to players who want to level up. It would make the perfect hunting ground. They wouldn't even need to search through forests for monsters when everything is already gathered here."

He paused to think before adding, "Although... if they all attack at once like this, it could be a serious problem."

The moment Jester finished speaking, Igrio quietly motioned for everyone to fall back. The group slowly retreated into the narrow tunnel leading out of the chamber. Even from there, they could still see the undead shambling after them, while Shade remained at the rear, cutting down any monster that ventured too close.

After a short while, however, the undead gradually stopped at the entrance to the chamber. One by one, they turned around and slowly wandered back into the ancient city.

"They're retreating," Jester muttered. "They're not chasing us anymore."

This was seriously the perfect hunting ground. If only he could somehow turn it into money.

At the very least, if Igrio's assumption was correct and there were even higher-level chambers deeper inside, he could open the lower-level areas to players while charging more for access to the higher-level ones.

Besides, there would definitely be plenty of wealthy players willing to pay if they learned a place like this existed.

Now, all he needed to figure out was how to make it work. It would consume far too much time and resources if he had to rely on Igrio, Shade, and Sliora to escort players into the cave every single time.

He would need them for far more important tasks out in the world.