Turning around, I discreetly glanced at the interior of the castle, immediatly finding a familiar figure still in the courtyard.
Ducking, I quietly leaped over the railing and entered the suspended pathway that connected the fortress keep to each of its four watch towers.
As I reached the middle of the fortress, a sudden voice echoed from inside the highest floor of the fortress's keep.
"NOTHING UP HERE! I'M COMING DOWN!"
*THUD*
*THUD*
Immediatly dropping to the ground, stomach first, I hid behind the railings as the elf descended the keep's staircase, the sound of metal hitting stone echoing with every step.
They're getting close.
The secret area was located on the bottom floor.
Shaking my head, I crawled onto the open area atop the castle's keep, not daring to head down the staircase.
Was I letting my greed get the best of me?
I had already almost been caught once, yet here I was again.
So, what if I am?
If I can gather items while accomplishing my goal of creating a happy ending, why wouldn't I?
Finally gathering the courage, I crouched and slowly descended the staircase in the keep, passing by the fourth, third, and even second floors without even hearing anyone.
Taking a deep breath, I found an open window on the second floor and peeked out, scanning the courtyard.
He's gone...did they already find it!?
Placing my right hand on my sword, I took a deep breath and jumped onto the windowsill, now crouched atop it like a perched bird.
No lines.
The outside area of the fortress was completely empty.
Not skipping a beat, I leaped out, quietly landing on a field of grass just outside the keep's entrance, which was two large propped-open wooden doors.
Drawing my sword and holding it ready before me, I crept through the doors, immediatly met with a gloomy stone-brick room, devoid of any lights.
With my back to the wall, I slowly side-stepped further and further into the maze-like first-floor of the keep.
And, thankfully, without any problems, I eventually arrived at the art gallery.
Hundreds of elven paintings, inspired by Claude Monet's 19th-century impressionist paintings, lay on the wall opposite me.
*TAP*
*TAP*
But, at that moment, the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching echoed throughout the long corridor.
There was nowhere to hide.
Walking toward the sound, I halted before a familiar painting.
...my luck stat continues on?
A tranquil scene of a lily-covered pond, where soft ripples and the reflection of the sky blended together in a mixture of blue and green, stood before me.
As the footsteps approached, I immediatly stepped forward and dove straight through the painting.
Instead of bouncing off the painting, my body simply passed through the canvas, a small ripple spreading all across the painting on the wall.
*SPLASH*
In the next moment, I landed stomach-first in water, sending a huge amount of liquid flying in every direction.
The previously stationary lilies floated in different directions while the bright light-blue sky, like one out of a fairy tale, with a bright-yellow sun shone above me.
With the hot sun's light landing right atop me and the cool-blue water below me, I felt as if I were in heaven.
Not only that, but the bloody scars on my hands and legs began healing, my skin barrier regenerating without any pain like the elexir.
My body felt weightless in the water, my muscles surging with energy, and thoughts flowing through my head at an exponential rate.
I had been transported into the painting.
Or, in other words, a subspace.
The true treasure of this fortress.
In the original story, an elf had accidentally stumbled into the painting while searching and discovered the treasure.
If I had to guess, that elf was the one I had just heard down the corridor.
After taking a minute to allow my body to heal, feeling all my previous fatigue from dancing for perhaps days vanish, I took a deep breath and gazed down at the clear-blue water below me.
Now...I just had to claim this subspace.
Unfortunately, just like my martial art, I simply added in the prologue that the elf managed to claim the space and escape successfully.
And unlike the "Dance of Ten Thousand Streams," there were no hints or obvious clues to claim this subspace.
It was just...a pond filled with lilies.
So, I simply closed my mouth and stopped passively paddling, allowing my body to sink into the around 7 feet deep pond.
Looking up, I had a pretty clear view of the outside due to the uncomtaminated and clear water, so when a blue flash suddenly appeared, I immediatly lay down on the pond floor.
In the next moment, just as I had less than a minute ago, a body came tumbling out of nowhere, landing stomach-first in the water.
With a large black hooded robe, the jade-green-eyed elf with short white hair, symbolizing his youth, fell into the water, his eyes thankfully not meeting mine.
Holding my breath, I watched as the elf confusedly glanced around for a couple of moments before starting to swim toward the single lilypad in the middle of the lake.
Standing up, I tensed my legs, ready to blast up to the surface at any moment, but...the elf suddenly halted.
Did he notice me!?
No... there are no lines.
After a couple of intense moments, the elf finally continued paddling, seemingly not noticing me right below him.
Grasping the soft lilypad and pulling himself up, the elf left the water and sat atop the pad, which somehow maintained his weight, preventing me from seeing him.
Swimming to the side to get an angled view, I watched as the elf...stood atop the lilypad and raised his hands.
*RIPPLE*
Suddenly, countless bubbles appeared on the water's surface, as the lily pads all around the lake began moving.
From below, I could see them slowly...starting to form a circle around the one lilypad the elf was standing on.