Chapter 34: The Luminous Lake Forest

“Something’s ahead.”

Elara lowered her voice, halting Hilvyn. This time, it wasn’t her spatial perception that gave the warning, but an abnormally high concentration of magic seeping from the darkness before them.

It was as blatant as a streaker sprinting down a street, blasting music from a boombox—even a blind person couldn’t help but notice.

Elara’s spatial perception was unfamiliar with the creature’s outline.

“It resembles a crocodile, but with something on its back.”

Even with their glow lamps, they couldn’t illuminate it. Thick vines dangled from the cave ceiling, completely obscuring their view.

“Is it a lizard?” Hilvyn whispered, guessing from Elara’s description.

“Most likely.”

Spatial perception wasn’t precise enough to discern the monster’s specific, minute features.

Identifying the creature beforehand was the optimal approach; only then could they devise an effective strategy. The monster remained motionless in her perception, either hibernating or patiently lying in ambush.

Elara and Hilvyn retreated a short distance to avoid disturbing it. Hilvyn remained vigilant, keeping watch, while Elara rummaged through her materials to find information.

“Spiny Lizard… no. Dark-Venom Lizard… not that either. Ugh, why can’t the illustrations be placed with their descriptions?”

The layout was frustratingly illogical, separating text descriptions from their corresponding images, forcing her to flip back and forth.

Elara vowed to lodge a fierce complaint if she ever discovered the designer, though she might mercifully retract it if the designer proved to be more powerful than herself.

“Did you find it, Master?”

“This should be it.”

Hilvyn leaned closer to look.

“Windwing Dracolisk.”

An A-rank monster. Its digits allowed it to cling to walls, and its wings granted it brief glides. It could also unleash wind-element magic.

A note below added: ‘Drakes are born from the intense magical overflow of pure-blooded dragons, while Dracolisks are a result of minor immersion. Some individuals can even manifest Dragon Breath magic.’

“The one we encountered, it wouldn’t have Dragon Breath magic, would it?”

Dragon Breath magic could be simply understood as an enhanced version of fire magic, yet it was unique to dragons.

“Let’s hope not,” Elara murmured, though she couldn’t help but prepare for the worst-case scenario. Caution was always prudent.

Knowing the monster made things considerably easier.

Elara stepped forward alone. Once her spatial perception pinpointed its exact location, she conjured two [Dark Arrows], sending them directly toward the dracolisk’s forehead.

The arrows pierced through the air, their distance drastically shortened by [Void Step], striking with lethal precision.

A gigantic, three-meter-long lizard with twin wings on its back plummeted from the ceiling.

It hit the ground with a resounding *thud*, remaining as still as before. It hadn’t even woken up yet. (It wasn’t.)

That was it? It was dead?

Elara had expected it to block the attack, then rage, then charge at her, with Hilvyn protecting her with a cage, and her using Void Step to evade any Dragon Breath magic…

So what exactly had they been worrying about?

“Uh…” Hilvyn scanned the Windwing Dracolisk’s head—blood still seeped from the two arrow wounds. She managed to stammer out, slightly dazed, “Alright, we won…”

Ultimately, it was Elara’s powerful spatial perception that made the difference. Anyone else would have only been able to outline a vague area based on the magic overflow. Coupled with the subtle [Dark Arrows], which were hard to detect, and [Void Step] reducing their flight time, their attack was devastating.

And they had the good fortune of encountering a hibernating dracolisk.

Elara harvested the valuable parts, storing them in her spatial ring.

The two continued their journey, collecting more sellable materials along the way and dispatching a few B-rank monsters. Yet, by the end of the 51st floor, they hadn’t encountered any water sources.

Elara’s hair had dried into matted “dreadlocks,” making her resemble a disheveled scavenger. ‘Ugh, I could die,’ she thought.

Still, she wasn’t worried, knowing that the 52nd floor would have water.

“Master, why are we setting up camp at the entrance to the 52nd floor?”

Elara and Hilvyn erected their tent at the end of the 51st-floor cavern.

“What is the 52nd floor?” Elara asked, driving tent pegs into the ground with stones, testing Hilvyn.

“Emm…” Hilvyn recalled, “It’s the Luminous Lake Forest.”

The 52nd floor consisted of numerous caverns, each containing one or several glowing lakes surrounded by forests.

“It’s too open there, and still unknown. We’ve just cleared this cave, so it’s definitely safe.”

On the 52nd floor, one had to beware not just of the monsters on the shore, but also the hidden dangers within the lake. As for washing herself, she would simply have to fetch water back to camp.

With the tent pitched, the two officially entered the 52nd floor.

The first impression upon exiting was the intense brightness. The sole light source was the lake, encircled by the forest, its waters emitting a strong, cerulean glow. It was the most powerful natural light they had encountered since entering the dungeon.

Elara first used her full perception to scan for any anomalies or magic overflow in the surroundings. Only after confirming it was safe did she crouch by the shore and scoop a pot of water.

From the lake’s surface, the light was still blinding, hurting her eyes after just a couple of seconds, making it impossible to see the bottom.

Hilvyn, meanwhile, was gathering branches for firewood.

“Why does this lake glow?”

Hilvyn stared at the dancing flames. Whenever these moments arose, she would be full of questions.

“Some kind of mineral, perhaps.” The guild’s records didn’t specify, only stating, “Do not enter the water.” It was also possible the dungeon’s inherent power caused the lakebed to glow. In this world, many things simply couldn’t be explained by logic or scientific principles.

Elara ran a hand through her hair, growing increasingly disgusted and impatient with its state. While she had been moving, her attention had been diverted, but now, her hair felt like an increasing swarm of ants crawling in her mind.

“Forget it, no more boiling.” She took the lukewarm water. “I’ll just wash like this.”

Before heading around the corner, Elara didn’t forget to remind Hilvyn, “No peeking.”

“Oh…”

Her body only needed a wipe-down, but her hair required a thorough wash. ‘So troublesome, so troublesome,’ she thought. ‘If either Hilvyn or I had fire or water attributes, it would be so much simpler. Water attribute could just wash directly, and fire attribute could melt Hilvyn’s ice, achieving the same effect.’

—*Humans always complain about this and that when facing trouble.*

The cavern was quiet, save for the crackling of the burning firewood and the occasional splashing sound from the corner.

Elara finished quickly and sat by the campfire to dry off.

“Ah—the feeling of being completely refreshed is wonderful.”

Her face practically screamed, “I’m alive again.”

“Master,” Hilvyn said, staring at the meat stew simmering in the pot again, “how much money do you think we’ll earn this time?”

“Haven’t calculated it,” Elara replied, recalling their gains from the trip. “It should break a thousand, though.”

This was before taxes. Truly, the dungeon was worthy of adventurers flocking to it; its resources were abundant, and power meant finding gold. Moreover, Elara and Hilvyn benefited from the convenience of spatial rings, eliminating the need for return trips to unload and resupply, though their lack of numbers somewhat reduced this advantage. It was just a pity about the taxes…

“Let’s eat.”

Elara had decided to push to the 55th floor and then return. Going any deeper, she feared unforeseen accidents. After all, why risk one’s life just to earn some money?