Chapter 193: A New Area.

After sorting themselves out, Jake and Aria finally began moving through the dimly lit tunnel.

The tunnel was narrow and strangely quiet.

Their footsteps echoed against the stone walls, occasionally mixing with the distant sound of water dripping from the ceiling.

Jake didn’t keep the sword of light active, since he wanted to conserve his energy.

Instead, they relied on the faint light coming from deeper within the tunnel to see their surroundings.

However, Aria kept glancing at Jake’s short sword.

And her appearance had changed slightly from earlier.

Since his shirt was no longer in a state she could properly wear, she had tied it around herself to keep her large chest covered, leaving her toned abdomen exposed.

Combined with the sword firmly held in her hand and her calm, focused expression, she no longer looked like an ordinary maid.

She looked like a female warrior who had just stepped out of a battlefield.

Her long blue ponytail swayed naturally around her shoulders, while her exposed arms and toned figure gave her movements an even more agile and athletic appearance.

Yet Aria didn’t seem bothered by her unusual appearance at all. She simply walked beside Jake, completely focused on the path ahead.

However, every few steps, her eyes would drift toward Jake’s short sword.

She didn’t say anything, but her expression made it obvious.

She wanted to see the sword of light again.

Jake noticed her gaze and sighed.

"You really like swords, don’t you?"

Aria nodded seriously.

"Yes. They are the most beautiful things in the world."

At those solemn words, Jake glanced sideways at her for a moment without slowing his steps.

Seeing that look on her face, he couldn’t help thinking,

’She really wasn’t joking.’

Jake glanced down at the ordinary short sword in his hand.

Compared to the sword of light he had created earlier, there was nothing particularly special about it.

It was simply an ordinary blade, yet Aria’s words suddenly made Jake look at it differently.

For her, a sword didn’t need to be powerful or possess some extraordinary ability.

She simply loved swords, and perhaps that was why her understanding of them was becoming more natural.

A sword was only as good as the person wielding it.

Jake glanced at Aria again.

’Maybe that’s what being a swordsman is really about.’

It wasn’t about having the strongest sword, nor was it simply about strength or speed.

In the end, what mattered was the person wielding the blade and how well they understood it.

Jake smiled faintly as he looked ahead into the darkness.

’Interesting.’

He had never really thought about swords that way before.

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They continued walking for several more minutes before the narrow tunnel finally began to widen.

Jake noticed the change almost immediately.

The air was moving as a faint breeze brushed against his face from somewhere ahead.

His eyes brightened.

’Airflow?’

He slowed his steps slightly and focused on the sensation.

After being trapped in the narrow tunnel for so long, feeling air coming from ahead could only mean one thing.

There was a much larger space beyond the tunnel.

Soon, they reached an entrance where the narrow passage suddenly opened up.

Jake looked ahead, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Finally!"

Aria looked at him.

"What is it?"

Jake stepped toward the entrance and looked into the darkness beyond it.

"The tunnel is about to end. And there’s a large space ahead."

His expression became noticeably more relaxed.

At least they wouldn’t have to keep squeezing through that miserable narrow tunnel anymore.

Jake took a deep breath of the fresh air coming from ahead.

’Ahh~ Much better.’

Behind him, Aria quietly followed.

She glanced at the wide entrance, then at Jake.

"Should we go in?"

Jake nodded.

"Yeah. Let’s see what’s waiting for us."

With that decided, they both headed out.

But the closer they got to the entrance, however, the more Jake’s expression changed.

The relaxed look on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a frown as he focused on what was coming from the other side.

Something was wrong.

When they were only a few steps away from leaving the tunnel, Jake suddenly stopped.

Aria, who had been following behind him, almost walked into his back.

She looked at him with confusion.

Jake didn’t say anything.

Instead, he turned toward her and raised one finger to his lips.

"Shhh."

Then he lowered his body slightly and made a clear gesture for her to stay low.

Aria’s expression immediately became serious.

She didn’t ask any questions and simply nodded.

Then Jake carefully moved closer to the edge of the entrance, keeping his body low as he cautiously looked toward the space beyond.

Aria followed his example and quietly lowered herself beside him.

Neither of them made another sound.

Whatever was waiting on the other side, Jake clearly didn’t want it to know they were there.

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Soon,

Jake carefully peeked past the edge of the entrance and the sight before him made his eyes widen slightly.

The narrow tunnel opened into an enormous underground cavern that stretched far beyond what he could see.

The ceiling was so high that it disappeared into darkness, while massive stone pillars rose from the ground like natural columns, supporting the ancient cavern above.

And a faint underground river flowed through the middle of the cavern, its surface reflecting the dim blue light coming from clusters of strange crystals embedded in the walls.

Compared to the cramped tunnel behind them, the space ahead felt almost like another world.

There was enough room for dozens, perhaps even hundreds or thousands of people to move around freely.

But the vast and almost surreal beauty of the cavern wasn’t what shocked Jake.

His gaze slowly moved downward.

... And what he saw below made his expression change completely.

The entire cavern floor was occupied by a massive scene that was even more overwhelming than he had imagined.

Jake’s eyes narrowed as he stared at it.

"...Damn."

For a moment, he simply remained there, silently taking in the sight.

Then he finally realized what he was looking at.

It was... Nagas.

A lot of Nagas.

Countless Nagas were moving across the cavern floor.

They poured out from the various tunnels and spread across the enormous space like a living swarm, their bodies weaving between one another as they moved in the same general direction.