The goblins gripped Noa's single free arm tightly and began dragging him toward a narrow crevice at the base of a hill.
Sara remained behind, anxiety etched across her face.
In the depths of the forest stood a barely noticeable hill, roughly fifteen meters high. Noa stopped in front of it.
The opening was tiny, barely wide enough for one goblin to squeeze through.
Noa turned to the goblin beside him and spoke in a cold, commanding tone:
"You go first."
The goblin faltered, clearly unhappy, but offered no resistance. With a dejected air, it crawled into the crevice first.
Noa had no choice but to follow on all fours.
Inside was a cramped, house-like tunnel.
The ceiling was so low that sitting upright was impossible; only crawling was allowed.
Noa sighed heavily, his mood souring.
"One arm tied, the bone still not fully healed… Can I even manage a tunnel like this?"
Even as he complained, he pushed himself forward with his one good arm and began moving.
Taking a deep breath, he muttered under his breath, irritated:
"Why does it always turn out like this for me? Nothing ever goes smoothly…"
After ten to fifteen minutes of crawling, the tunnel began to slope downward.
This made it even harder. His upper body dipped lower while he propelled himself forward with just one arm.
After a while, Noa stopped.
His arm was exhausted; his strength was fading.
"I thought this was a cave, but it doesn't feel like one… We've been crawling for over twenty-five minutes and still nothing."
X replied in a calm, steady voice:
"Keep going. It's just normal fatigue. We can't give up the crystals; you know that."
As Noa continued crawling, he lowered his voice:
"Shut up. I'm not in the mood for stupid motivational speeches right now…"
A little later, faint sounds began to drift from ahead.
The tunnel gradually widened.
Noa slowly straightened his neck from his hunched position; now it was possible to walk while stooping slightly.
Breathing heavily from exhaustion, he whispered:
"Finally… it's getting wider."
He shook his arm, gathering what little strength remained.
"I'm completely drained…"
He walked along the tunnel and finally reached the end.
The space here was much larger; it truly resembled a proper cavern.
Noa looked around, but since he couldn't see, his expression soured again.
"Even if I can't see, at least my perception is working… I've started to understand how it functions along the way.
It's like it wraps around me in a vacuum… as if I'm walking inside a giant sphere.
Everything inside appears in my mind as shapes. What I sense turns into visual images…
This is actually far better than I expected."
X gave a dark smile.
"Looks like your brain is finally starting to work.
One more thing: I can see the images you're seeing."
Noa, slightly surprised, rubbed his chin.
"So you can see too… That's good. It'll help a lot with searching and staying alert."
X laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha, don't overthink it. If you think too much, you'll forget the cave itself."
Noa frowned in annoyance.
"Right. There are more important things right now."
Noa walked slowly through the cavern. The walls were thick, damp, and pitch black; any normal creature would see nothing here.
The two goblins who had entered with him shuffled fearfully beside him, whimpering as they went.
He reached the far wall and stopped.
Noa whispered in quiet awe:
"Do you see this, X?"
X answered, unable to hide his excitement:
"Yes… more than twenty crystals. Excellent haul."
Noa took a deep breath and relaxed slightly.
"Finally. Now all that's left… is to break them. I wonder how much it'll hurt this time?"
X's tone turned serious:
"Try to enjoy it. The pain passes more easily that way."
Noa raised an eyebrow.
"Enjoy the pain? I'm not that crazy yet."
He took a crystal and squeezed it hard in his palm, but the crystal didn't even budge.
"Why won't it break? It wasn't like this before," he said, disappointed.
X thought for a moment.
"Maybe strike it against another crystal?"
Noa did.
A sharp echo rang throughout the cavern.
Still, the crystal remained intact.
Noa lowered his hand and fell into deep thought.
"How do I release the mana inside?"
An idea struck him.
He held the crystal in his palm and directed his dark mana into it.
Tiny cracks instantly appeared on the crystal's surface, and the mana inside began seeping out slowly, like flowing water, before turning into vapor and dispersing moments later.
Noa immediately sat down.
"Good… now I'll direct it into my body. First control it, then circulate it through my body. Once it passes through my heart, it becomes mine. Just three steps."
He gripped the crystal firmly with both hands and covered the cracks with his palms.
The dark mana began flowing along his arms into his body. Although one arm was still bound, his left palm was open; the veins on his left arm slowly turned black. Noa felt something icy entering his body.
Intense pain pierced through him; instinct urged him to let go of the crystal.
Noa clenched his teeth.
"It's entering my body… slowly. Now the control phase," he said.
As the mana coursed through him, sharp stings erupted in various places, as if dozens of snakes were biting him.
"The pain is minimal… I can still endure it. It just feels like snakes biting me, that's all…" he told himself, trying to stay calm.
Ten minutes passed.
Sweat poured down his face.
The mana had now fully circulated through his body.
"And finally… the last step." He exhaled in slight relief.
He directed the flow of mana toward his heart.
This time the pain was true torture, like needles stabbing his heart.
"If I go slowly, it'll take forever…"
Noa took a deep breath.
"Better to push a large amount through at once. One intense burst of pain is better than dragging it out."
X shouted in panic:
"No, Noa! Don't rush this stage! This is where you have to be smart!"
Noa gave a faint smile.
"Luck has never smiled on me. Maybe it will now? I'll try."
He forced the entire flow of mana through his heart in one go.
X screamed in horror:
"Stop! Idiot!"
Within seconds, Noa began coughing.
Hot liquid surged into his throat; his lips trembled.
He covered his mouth with his hand.
Droplets fell to the ground between his fingers.
Noa stared in shock.
"This… is blood? I can't distinguish colors, but the smell is unmistakable; it's blood."
X roared in fury:
"That's what happens! Your heart isn't ready for that kind of pressure yet! If you keep torturing yourself, you'll die!"
Noa swallowed the blood in his mouth and wiped his lips with his sleeve.
"We continue anyway. We need this mana."
X's voice trembled:
"If you die now, who needs the mana?! Revenge, power; everything will be gone! Rushing only brings you closer to the grave, not to strength!"
Noa fell silent, breathing deeply. After several minutes of thought:
"…Fine. We won't rush."
He tossed the crystal aside. It was already spent.
The full absorption process took another hour.
Finally, Noa stood up.
"X, check the Abyss Stone… how much did our mana increase?"
His breathing was heavy, exhaustion visible on his face.
X approached the stone cautiously.
The inscriptions had changed:
Artifact: Abyss Stone
Name: Noa S. Dragon
Age: 5
Strength: 10
Endurance: 5 → 16 (+11)
Speed: 12
Mana: 5 → 18 (+13)
Ability: False Aura
Rank: Beginner; Stage 2
X smiled.
"Mana increased by thirteen. Not bad."
Noa clenched his fist in disappointment.
"All that pain… for thirteen points?! Over an hour… pain like dozens of snakes biting me… and that's the result?!"
X added:
"Your endurance went up by eleven as well. That's very good."
Then he suddenly stared at the stone.
"But one line… has disappeared."
Noa, surprised:
"Which line?"
X, suspicious:
"There used to be a line that said 'Intelligence Level: 120'… it's gone now."
Noa slammed his fist in anger.
"Is this stone showing us whatever it wants or hiding whatever it wants?! Is it mocking us?!"
He looked back at the crystals.
"If we continue at this rate, it'll take an entire day."
X replied calmly:
"We're not in a hurry. Take your time and finish it."
Noa suddenly remembered the goblins.
"Where are they? Two goblins came in with us…"
But the goblins' whimpering had vanished. Noa couldn't see beyond five meters, and inside the cave there remained only the sound of dripping water and an eerie silence.
Noa reached for another crystal.
"Whatever happens… we need to finish this quickly."
Hello friends! What do you think about this chapter? Share your thoughts in the comments and support the story. Drop a Power Stone and save it to your Library to show your encouragement