Arriving before the deep, dark cave entrance, Raine raised a hand, signaling his teammates to halt.
His hawk-like gaze swept across the dirt, bushes, and rock crevices. He then crouched down, brushing his fingertips lightly against the ground. His nose twitched slightly as he discerned the lingering scents in the wind.
He quickly confirmed his findings. Aside from the traces of small rodents and insects, there were no signs of any large beasts.
"It seems this place hasn’t welcomed a new ’master’ yet," he said, standing up and dusting off his hands. "Let’s get ready to start."
Hearing this, the group focused their minds and made their final preparations before entering the cave.
Just as Raine was about to take out a torch and light it, a pale, slender hand gently tugged at the edge of his Leather Armor.
"There’s no need to go to that trouble," Winnie said, her voice thin and soft, carrying her usual timidity.
She extended her other hand from her robe’s sleeve. In her palm lay three Copper Deer shimmering with a soft white light, which she handed to Raine, Kaelin, and Sodden in turn.
Raine took the Copper Deer, looking down at it curiously. A soft and steady white halo circulated across the coin’s surface, as if a small fragment of moonlight was imprisoned within.
Winnie softly explained that she had applied the Light Technique to them. They could continuously emit light for nearly an entire day, and she could extinguish or reignite the nearby Copper Coins at will.
"Having a Caster around is indeed convenient." Raine raised an eyebrow slightly, then nodded at the group. "Let’s move out."
"Leave the vanguard to Old Sodden!" Sodden patted his sturdy chest, which was covered by a Chain Armor Shirt. Without hesitation, he raised his Shield and took the lead, stepping into the Shadow of the cave.
The Horned Battle Helmet on his head gleamed with a deep luster under the Magic light source. His broad, solid back looked like an indestructible Steel Fortress. Kaelin took a deep breath, keeping her hand on the hilt of her sword as she followed closely behind.
Winnie quietly tagged along like a silent shadow, her gaze under the hood cautiously scanning the path ahead. To avoid drawing attention in a group, she clearly knew how to minimize her presence.
Raine brought up the rear. Half-turned, he walked backward into the cave, making one final check to ensure no one was tailing them.
The group maintained a tight formation as they slowly delved deeper into the cave. The Effect of the Magic light source was immediate. The steady white light emitted by the Copper Coins easily dispelled the profound darkness, illuminating an area far wider than a torch could reach. The light was soft yet clear. The water droplets on the cave walls, the uneven rocks on the ground, and even the distant corners of the passage were completely visible under the Magic radiance.
Watching Sodden’s burly figure marching steadily in the light, sensing Kaelin’s aura, which was as piercing as a Sharp Sword, and feeling the Magic Power fluctuations constantly brewing around Winnie, Raine felt an increasingly strong sense of reassurance.
He couldn’t help but think, "Now this is more like it."
Everyone in the adventuring party had their own role, complementing one another. The sense of security brought by this kind of teamwork was far more reassuring and efficient than fighting alone.
The cave remained cold and damp, permeated with the smell of dirt and stale mildew. Following the familiar path, Raine and his teammates smoothly navigated through the winding passage, the antechamber, and past the skeleton of the Razor Beast, finally arriving at the first destination of their trip.
The Screaming Main Hall.
Under Kaelin’s guidance, the group soon reached an inconspicuous corner of the main hall. Half-kneeling on the ground, she quickly brushed away the loose dirt with her fingers, revealing the stone door engraved with the Five Griffin Emblem.
"The Magic Barrier is right beneath this. We need to lift the stone door first," she said, her voice carrying uncontainable urgency.
"Let me." Sodden stepped forward and spat into his palms. His hands firmly gripped the edge of the stone door, and the thick muscles of his arms suddenly bulged.
"HNG-YAH!" Accompanied by a deep Dwarf battle cry, Sodden abruptly exerted Power from his core.
RUMBLE.
The heavy stone door was hefted up and sent tumbling away as if it were merely a piece of wood, ultimately crashing to the ground a few meters away with a heavy THUD.
As dust filled the air, Raine couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. This Power was probably at least 7 Points, maybe even 8 Points. Judging by such Divine Power, it was highly likely that Sodden was also approaching the threshold of a Professional.
With the stone slab removed, the bizarre console embedded in the ground was revealed once more. A layer of silver-white Magic radiance shrouded the surface of the console. Faintly visible within was that indestructible Curse Barrier.
"That’s it." Kaelin’s voice was urgent. She stepped aside to let Winnie forward, her eyes full of anticipation.
Winnie took a deep breath and crouched down in front of the barrier. She extended her pale hands, hovering them just above the light. The Shadow of her hood concealed her expression; only subtle Magic fluctuations rippled outward from her fingertips.
A moment later, she looked up and softly explained, "It is indeed a barrier of the Curse Series. Its essence is an ’Activated Water Wall’ summoned from the Water Elemental Plane, composed of pure Water Elements.
"It is immune to all physical attacks, and when struck by a high-speed object, it will reflect the attack right back to where it came from."
Hearing this, Raine nodded thoughtfully. No wonder Kaelin’s rather powerful Curved Slash had been completely useless against it earlier.
"Is there a way to open it?" Kaelin’s fair face was filled with tension, appearing somewhat pale as her gaze locked tightly onto Winnie.
"I-I’ll do my best." Winnie once again hovered her hands in front of the barrier, her mouth slowly chanting low and profound syllables.
This time, pale blue Arcane Radiance lit up in her palms, lunging toward the silver-white barrier like tentacles. However, the layer of silver-white light merely fluctuated violently for a moment before quickly returning to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
Winnie’s chanting paused, and her hood shook slightly, as if she had run into a difficult problem.
"Is it not working?" Kaelin’s heart leapt into her throat.
Even Sodden, who was standing to the side, looked over with a face full of urgency. He clearly couldn’t wait to see what this fortress, hidden behind the barrier for five hundred years, actually looked like.
"Its ’lock’ is very complex." Winnie reached up to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead and said softly, "The Caster who constructed it was incredibly powerful. Please give me a little more time."
She took a deep breath and changed her Casting strategy. Her hands traced out a series of intricate Arcane Runes. The blue light no longer tried to crash against the barrier but instead spread slowly across its surface like a trickling stream.
Time ticked by, second by second, and soon, only Winnie’s increasingly rapid breathing could be heard in the cave.
Finally, the silver-white barrier light began to change. Its originally stable surface rippled violently, alternating between dazzling brightness and dimness. Magic Patterns resembling shattering ice crystals soon emerged on the surface of the barrier, rapidly spreading outward.
A moment later, with a crisp CRASH, the entire barrier shattered completely, swiftly vanishing without a trace.
With the dissipation of the Magic Barrier, the deep blue Crystals on the console and the bizarre vertical pupil pattern in the center were presented to the group without any obstruction.
"Thank you, Winnie!" Kaelin let out a long sigh of relief, a liberated smile appearing on her face.
Sodden gave an excited low growl and eagerly leaned forward, inspecting the mysterious console. But the Dwarf soon discovered a new problem. He raised his head, his face full of confusion. "Armless, this looks like a keyhole. The outer barrier is open, but do you have the key to open the fortress?"
"I am the ’key’."
Kaelin took a deep breath and slowly reached her palm toward the bizarre vertical pupil pattern.