Chapter 376: The Pool Beneath the Roots

By the following morning, the hidden passage had become the most interesting thing in the entire hot spring basin.

Kong had asked about it six times during breakfast.

The seventh time came while Professor Roland was explaining the inspection plan.

"So," Kong asked, leaning forward, "are we going to find another pool?"

"We are going to determine whether the passage is safe," Roland replied.

"And if it is?"

"Then we will investigate what lies beyond it."

"And if there’s a pool?"

Roland rubbed his forehead. "Then we will determine whether that pool is safe."

Kong nodded thoughtfully. "That’s a very complicated way of saying yes."

Melo covered her mouth to hide a laugh. "You should be grateful he’s answering you. I would have sent you to carry the equipment."

"I can carry equipment and ask questions at the same time."

"I’m sure you can. The problem is that you usually ask questions about food."

"Food is important to every successful expedition."

"Finally," Sun declared, rising from his seat. "Someone understands the priorities of a warrior."

Mithra glanced at him. "You spent yesterday demanding a rematch because a floating stone defeated you."

"The stone relied on deception!"

"It was floating."

"Exactly!"

Arthur shook his head, smiling as he adjusted Star on his shoulder. The little Starborn Slime wiggled excitedly, its surface reflecting the morning sunlight.

"Let’s see what’s actually down there before we start arguing about it," Arthur said.

Vedas rose beside him. "That would be sensible. Which is why I suspect it won’t happen."

"Have a little faith in us."

"I have experience with you."

Professor Scolding clapped his hands, ending the discussion. "Everyone, listen carefully. We inspected the entrance yesterday and found no immediate signs of collapse, but that does not mean the entire passage is stable. Leon and Metapholes will check the stonework first. Athena will compare the markings with her previous readings. The rest of you follow instructions and keep your hands off anything you don’t understand."

Kong slowly lowered the hand he had already raised.

Scolding pointed at him. "Especially you."

"I hadn’t even asked anything!"

"You were going to."

Kong sighed. "These professors are frighteningly perceptive."

The Passage Beneath the Roots

The group gathered beside the small pool where the water had drained the previous day. In the morning light, the revealed opening looked less mysterious and more like an entrance that had been forgotten for centuries.

Leon crouched beside the stone channel while Metapholes examined the surrounding walls. They checked the joints between the stones, looked for cracks, and carefully tested several sections with their tools.

Arthur watched them work. "What do you think?"

"Old," Leon answered without looking up. "Very old. But the construction is better preserved than I expected. The roots have grown around the passage instead of crushing it."

Metapholes tapped a section of stone and listened to the sound. "There are damaged areas farther inside, but the main support structure appears intact. We should still avoid putting weight on the edges."

"So we’re not walking into a collapsing tunnel?" Melo asked.

"Not if everyone follows the marked path."

Melo turned toward Kong. "You heard him. No climbing on the walls."

"I wasn’t planning to!"

"You climbed a tree yesterday to see whether the waterfall had a second level."

"That was research!"

Athy adjusted her glasses. "If we continue calling everything research, Kong will eventually claim that stealing lunch is an academic discipline."

"It could be," Kong muttered.

Athena had meanwhile compared the entrance’s markings with the notes she had taken during the games. She pointed to three branching lines carved above the opening.

"These are consistent with the pattern around the largest pool. The channel wasn’t built to carry ordinary spring water alone. It seems to have been designed to respond to changes in the surrounding mana."

"Then the mechanism was connected to the network?" Arthur asked.

"Possibly. I don’t want to claim more than the evidence supports, but the arrangement suggests that the passage served a specific function."

Professor Roland nodded. "We’ll proceed slowly. If anything changes, we return immediately."

With the professors leading, the group entered.

The passage sloped gently downward. Pale roots threaded through gaps in the ceiling, and tiny drops of water fell from them onto the worn stone floor. The air grew cooler as they moved away from the main basin, though the walls retained a comfortable warmth.

There were no monsters waiting in the darkness, no traps, and no sudden threats. The route simply continued through the earth, following the curve of the enormous roots overhead.

Kong looked around, visibly disappointed.

"It’s just a corridor."

"What were you expecting?" Vedas asked.

"Something impressive. Ancient treasure. A secret kitchen. A room full of rare ingredients."

"You’ve described three different kinds of treasure."

"They’re all valuable."

Sun examined a carved pillar as they passed. "A hidden route beneath an ancient spring is impressive enough. One must appreciate the craftsmanship."

Mithra smiled. "Are you trying to sound scholarly because the corridor hasn’t given you anything to boast about?"

"I don’t need a reason to sound scholarly."

"That’s true. You usually don’t have one."

Arthur laughed, and even Leon glanced back with an amused expression.

A few minutes later, the passage widened. The roots overhead grew thicker, spreading apart like the branches of an enormous tree. Beyond them, a pale light shimmered across the stone.

Roland raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop until Leon and Metapholes had checked the threshold.

Then he stepped aside.

"Take a look."

The passage opened into a cavern beneath the southern roots.

And for once, even Kong had nothing to say.

The Pool Beneath the Roots

A clear pool rested in the center of the cavern, its surface so still that it reflected the roots above like a second world beneath the stone ceiling.

Pale light filtered through narrow gaps between the enormous roots. It touched the water in scattered patches, illuminating faint lines of mana that moved beneath the surface like distant stars.

The pool was smaller than the main springs, but it possessed a quiet beauty the larger basin could not match. There were no waterfalls roaring nearby and no crowds filling the terraces. Only the gentle dripping of water, the soft rustle of roots, and a steady rhythm that seemed to come from deep beneath the ground.

Luna stepped forward, then stopped at the edge of the marked path.

"It’s beautiful," she whispered.

Melo’s usual teasing expression softened. "You know, I thought the main springs would be difficult to beat. But this place feels completely different."

"Because it isn’t trying to impress anyone," Athy replied. "It doesn’t need to."

Kong leaned around Arthur’s side. "I think it would be a wonderful place to eat lunch."

Vedas closed his eyes briefly. "There it is."

"What? I can appreciate scenery while eating."

"You can appreciate almost anything while eating."

Star wiggled on Arthur’s shoulder, its surface catching the pale reflections from the water. It bounced once, then stretched into a little rounded shape as if trying to imitate the lights moving beneath the pool.

Arthur gently steadied it. "Easy. We don’t know whether the water is safe yet."

Star settled against his shoulder, still watching the shimmering surface.

Professor Scolding surveyed the cavern before allowing anyone closer. "Remember, stable mana does not automatically mean healing properties. Nobody drinks the water, and nobody jumps in before we understand what we’re dealing with."

Sun looked mildly offended. "I wasn’t going to jump in."

Mithra raised an eyebrow.

"I was considering a controlled entry," Sun amended.

"Your definition of controlled is concerning," Vedas said.

Leon and Metapholes completed their inspection of the surrounding stonework. Once they confirmed that the marked viewing area was stable, the professors permitted the group to approach the water’s edge.

Athena began recording the temperature and mana readings. She placed her instrument beside the pool and waited for the readings to settle.

"The mana is remarkably consistent," she reported. "There are small changes near the roots, but the pattern repeats at regular intervals."

Eden stood quietly beside Luna, listening rather than reaching for her power. She had been resting since the World Tree crisis, and the group had agreed that she would not push herself unnecessarily.

After a while, she spoke.

"This isn’t the same kind of connection we found in the village. The water seems to carry the rhythm of the southern roots without being part of the main circulation."

Arthur glanced at her. "Like a reflection of the network?"

"Something like that. I can recognize the rhythm, but I can’t tell you exactly how the pool works. We should let Athena finish her measurements."

Athena nodded appreciatively. "That would be best."

Luna looked down at the water. "The stories from my village mentioned a resting place beneath the southern roots. I always imagined it was somewhere above ground, surrounded by flowers and old trees."

"Did your grandfather ever come here?" Arthur asked.

"I don’t know. He never described this place directly. He told me stories about the southern springs when I was little, but most of them were about the paths people used to take before the old network weakened."

She smiled faintly.

"I thought they were just stories meant to make the region sound more interesting. I didn’t realize places like this were still here."

Eden looked at her. "Perhaps your grandfather wanted you to know that your homeland was more than what happened to it."

Luna’s expression softened. "Maybe. I wish I could ask him about this place now."

"You still can," Arthur said. "Once we return, we can compare what we found with his records."

Luna nodded, holding on to that thought.

A Memory in the Water

While Athena continued recording the readings, Athy and Luna examined the markings along the cavern wall. The carvings were worn, but their arrangement was deliberate: several branching lines converged around a circular symbol, with smaller marks positioned at regular intervals.

Athy traced the pattern in the air without touching the stone.

"These resemble the diagrams from the village research site. Not exactly, but the structure is similar."

Athena came over to compare them. "The markings here might represent separate observation points. Look at how the branches converge. If each branch corresponds to a section of the southern network, the central symbol could indicate where their conditions were recorded."

"Meaning this place wasn’t simply built for people to relax," Arthur said.

"It could have served both purposes," Athy replied. "A resting place with a practical function. Ancient people were perfectly capable of appreciating a warm pool while doing useful work."

Kong brightened. "Finally, an ancient civilization with sensible priorities."

"You’ve understood approximately one sentence of the discussion," Vedas observed.

"And it was the most important sentence."

A sudden change in the water caught their attention.

The faint lines beneath the surface began to align. One after another, the moving lights settled into a clearer pattern, following the same steady rhythm Eden had described. The glow traveled from the roots overhead toward the pool’s center, then spread outward along the submerged channels.

No violent surge followed. Nothing broke, and no mysterious force washed over the group.

Instead, several markings on the cavern walls illuminated with a soft golden light.

Athena checked her instrument. "The readings have changed, but they’re still within a stable range. The pattern is becoming easier to distinguish."

Eden listened carefully. "The pool is responding to the restored circulation. The rhythm was always here, but the damaged network made it harder to follow."

"Can you tell what it means?" Roland asked.

"Not completely. I can recognize the connection, but understanding its purpose will take more investigation."

Scolding nodded. "Then we record what we can verify and leave the rest for later. No experiments with the water."

Sun, who had been staring at the illuminated carvings, finally spoke. "I must admit, this place has a certain majesty. The lighting is excellent. It brings out the strength of my profile."

Mithra glanced at him, then at the cavern.

"The lighting is doing all the work."

Melo snorted. Athy turned away to hide her smile, and even Athena’s careful expression cracked.

Sun placed a hand over his chest. "I offer a sincere observation, and this is how I’m treated."

"You’ll recover," Arthur assured him.

"I shall recover magnificently."

Meanwhile, Luna had stopped in front of a particular carving. She studied its branching lines, then took a step back to compare them with the other markings.

"I’ve seen this symbol before."

Athena immediately joined her. "Where?"

"In my grandfather’s records. There was a partial drawing, though the edges were missing. We couldn’t identify where it came from."

Luna pointed toward the central circle. "I remember him saying that some old markers were used to watch for changes in the regional network. He wasn’t sure how many survived."

Athena examined the carving closely. "That fits what we’ve found. This site may have been an observation point for the southern springs, allowing people to monitor changes in the surrounding roots."

"So the pool wasn’t just hidden away," Arthur said. "It was part of how they understood the network."

"That’s our strongest explanation so far," Athena replied. "We’ll need to compare these symbols with the surviving village records before drawing a final conclusion."

The group fell quiet for a moment, looking at the illuminated walls and the stars moving beneath the water.

The discovery felt different from restoring the village or saving the World Tree. There was no immediate danger to overcome, no desperate struggle, and no reward waiting at the end. They had simply found a place that had survived long enough to tell them something about the people who came before.

For Luna, that was enough to make the journey worthwhile.

Then one final symbol began to glow more brightly than the others.

Luna’s smile faded as recognition crossed her face.

"That’s the same mark that appeared beside the old root chamber."

Eden turned toward her.

"Then the village and this spring may have been connected long before the corruption began."

Athena looked from the glowing symbol to her notes, already considering how the two locations might fit together.

Above them, the ancient roots continued to rustle softly.

And beneath them, the hidden pool held another piece of the region’s forgotten history.