Chapter 40: The Descent into Doubt

With their hunger sated, the two women began to seriously contemplate their return.

Their immediate concern was the oasis itself.

Elara peered out from the cave entrance, extending her spatial perception to scout the surroundings. Only after confirming it was safe did she venture forth.

“Master, this forest is surprisingly bright.”

Hilvyn rather enjoyed the luminous ambiance.

They returned to the dark river where they had fallen. Gazing upwards, they saw a vertical shaft, impossibly dark and indistinct. Elara recalled the duration of her descent, estimating the shaft to be roughly 200 meters deep.

‘If I had used [Void Step] before hitting the water, could I have reset my fall height?’

Elara replayed the moment of her fall. Her mind had been utterly incapable of thought then; she hadn’t even considered using that spell.

However, she quickly dismissed the idea. ‘Being within a spatial rift still feels like solid ground. If I had used [Void Step] right before hitting the water, I likely would have just slammed into the spatial rift and died instantly.’

‘Forget it,’ she mused, ‘no point dwelling on it.’

Observing the oasis, they noted the trees were lush, surrounded by numerous ores, and several glowing berries emitted a soft, dim yellow light.

“Identify.”

[Name: Yellow Lantern Fruit]

[Effect: Glows, edible, no special effects.]

Elara pointed at the Yellow Lantern Fruits.

“Let’s collect some of these fruits.”

Uncertain how long their remaining food supply would last, it was prudent to prepare in advance.

The two harvested most of the Yellow Lantern Fruits within sight, leaving only a few faintly glowing young ones behind.

“Let’s head back to the cave.”

“Mhm.”

This particular cave was identical to those found on the 53rd floor: not a single blade of grass, just endless rock.

An unsettling thought struck Elara. She estimated their current location to be around the 60th floor, possibly even deeper.

Walking further into the cave might lead them to another level of the dungeon, from which they could use guild records to find their way back.

Yet, Elara harbored a faint suspicion that the cave was a dead end. If it genuinely connected to another floor, the records would surely have mentioned it.

Nevertheless, venturing deeper into the cave was their only option now.

Sleepiness washed over Elara. It had been an eternity since she last closed her eyes, her previous sleep having been before the Luminous Lake, at the very end of the 51st floor.

Too much had transpired since then, her nerves constantly taut. Now, with the sudden onslaught of exhaustion, resistance was futile.

She forced her eyelids open, pulled out a mat, and spread it on the ground.

“Hilvyn, I’m so sleepy.”

With those words, Elara had already pulled her blanket over herself, falling into a deep slumber.

“Good night, Master,” Hilvyn whispered in response.

Approximately five hours later, Elara awoke. Opening her eyes, she immediately saw Hilvyn watching her from nearby.

“How long did I sleep?”

“About five hours.”

Elara quickly sat up and stretched, then packed away her bedding and mat.

“Let’s go.”

The two officially began their exploration into the cave.

They had barely taken a few steps when the first fork in the path appeared.

Elara sighed inwardly, ‘This is bad.’

Maze-like caves were far more troublesome to explore and consumed more time. Randomly choosing a path was simply not an option.

They would have to explore every single route.

There were three paths: left, middle, and right. They marked them, then took the right path.

Fortunately, the right path quickly led to a dead end.

The two retraced their steps, noting the mark, and then explored the middle path.

Further along, the middle path presented two more forks.

“Master, should we go back and take the other path first?”

“No.” Elara shook her head. “We must follow one path to its absolute end. Only when it truly leads nowhere do we return to try a new route.”

This was the most efficient method.

“As long as we mark our path, we won’t get lost on the way back.”

They continued in this manner: marking paths, entering forks, and cycling between hitting dead ends and encountering new branches.

This continued until someone’s stomach let out a rumbling “Grumble––”

“Let’s eat something first.”

This time, however, Hilvyn didn’t anticipate the juicy, sizzling wolf meat skewers. A layer of unshakeable worry was etched in her eyes.

Elara noticed but remained silent, then produced a small handful of Yellow Lantern Fruits and offered them to her.

“Have some fruit first.”

“Thank you, Master…”

Hilvyn’s anxiety was mirrored by Elara’s own. Throughout their journey, not a single monster had appeared in the cave, which meant that once their food ran out, they would have no choice but to forage in the oasis.

But this was not yet the ultimate death knell. If they remained for thirty days without finding an exit, they would be trapped when the dungeon closed.

Serene had mentioned that in the past, there were instances of living people not emerging after the dungeon closed. Without exception, when the dungeon reopened ten years later, no trace of them remained; it was as if they had vanished completely.

This was the most terrifying prospect: the dungeon might undergo a massive reshuffle on its own. No one knew what happened inside during the days it remained closed.

A faint scent of charring drifted into Elara’s nostrils.

“Ah, it’s burnt.”

Having been momentarily lost in thought, Elara quickly flipped the meat skewer.

“Master, do you think we’ll find an exit?”

Hilvyn popped the glowing fruits into her mouth one by one, as if wanting to savor the taste, to imprint it in her memory.

“We will.”

Elara’s voice was resolute, though it carried an almost imperceptible tremor.

“Okay.”

Hilvyn returned a smile, her faith in Elara unwavering.

A warmth spread through Elara’s heart. Her fingers gently hooked a strand of Hilvyn’s silver hair that had fallen by her ear, tucking it behind her long ear.

She then turned and offered the less-burnt skewer of roasted meat.

“Thank you, Master.”

Hilvyn’s earlobes were faintly red, though the glow of the fire made it less noticeable.

With their strength replenished, the two continued their exploration.

They still entered forks, encountered dead ends, or found new branches. Still, no living creatures appeared. What was even more despairing was that they were constantly descending. Though the slope was gentle, they were undeniably moving downwards.

‘Didn’t they say the lower levels had stronger and more monsters? How deep have we gone already? It seems the guild’s information isn’t all that great after all,’ Elara mused, attempting to mock something to lighten her mood.

Suddenly, a warm touch met her hand—it was Hilvyn’s. Their hands instinctively intertwined, gripping tightly. Once their hands were joined, much of the pressure seemed to dissipate.

“Master, have you ever liked someone before?”

Hilvyn’s voice echoed through the empty cave.

“I’ve liked Father, Mother, my teachers…”

“I mean, liked someone in a way that you’d want to be together.”

‘To want to be with that person every day. To wake up and see them, eat with them, walk with them, and have them be the last thing you see before sleeping.’

“No, I haven’t.”

Elara shook her head.

Hearing this, Hilvyn’s grip inexplicably loosened a little, as if she, too, had simultaneously let out a breath of relief.

“Ah, another dead end.” Elara turned. “Let’s go back.”

Her spatial perception hadn’t detected any hidden paths.

Over the next few days, to conserve time, they rested simultaneously when they slept. Eventually, they returned to the original left, middle, and right cave entrances.

Elara felt a sense of disorientation. The path they had initially identified as the middle route had spawned dozens of forks, all of which ultimately led nowhere.

They replenished what resources they could at the oasis, then entered the final, left path.

Not long after, three new forks presented themselves, striking Elara with another blow.

As Elara was about to mechanically take a step, Hilvyn suddenly lunged at her, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“Master, are we not going to make it out?”

Hilvyn was pressed against Elara, her hands pinning Elara’s down, the glow of her lamp illuminating her face. A look of fierce determination was etched upon it.

“We will g—”

“Master,” Hilvyn interrupted Elara, “since we can’t get out anyway…”

She left the rest of the sentence unsaid.

Hilvyn’s face slowly drew closer to Elara’s.