Heart Ace's Unlock Condition: Reaching the Cave

The night was quiet.

Inside the wooden cabin at the foot of the mountains.

A group of people gathered around the stove, each holding a cup of milk and discussing the adventure that awaited them tomorrow.

Li Dan leaned in a corner, a cup of milk in his hand, quietly listening to Sam, Sarah, and Juno recount their past experiences exploring caves.

Every adventure was like a rebirth.

Sam, Holly, and Beth were considered novices. They pestered Rebecca, listening to her stories of past expeditions, their eyes filled with curiosity and longing.

Humans always found novelty in their first experiences.

Much like how many high schoolers felt when they first encountered dungeon crawling or mining.

The only one unfazed was likely Li Dan. If it weren't for the Ghost Card, he wouldn't have entered this underground cave with them on a whim.

Similarly, if he hadn't already contained two Mutated Ogres, he wouldn't have come exploring caves.

The main reason was that the places his other classmates were going were even more terrifying...

In comparison.

The monsters within The Descent didn't seem as frightening anymore, they could even be considered cute. At least they were visible and could be killed.

The places others were going included places like monasteries, deserted islands, mental hospitals... and some were even preparing to go to Southeast Asia, Thailand, and similar locations.

Putting aside other dangers, the sorcerers in Southeast Asia alone were enough to make Li Dan hesitate.

Li Dan paused his thoughts and placed his hand on the body of his M16. Juno had been right about one thing: sneaking through a cave with a rifle strapped to your back was an utterly foolish act, and it was highly likely to get stuck halfway.

If only he had a storage space.

Then he could find an arms dealer and trade for an entire arsenal of equipment, or even a tank...

Only then could he soothe his uneasy emotions and his insecure little heart.

As if sensing Li Dan's thoughts, one of the fifty-five Ghost Cards flew out of its sequence.

"Heart Ace"

"Function: Containment Item"

"Unlock Condition: Contain a Vengeful Spirit / Witch / Demon / Evil Spirit /"

"Contain any existing entity to unlock."

Li Dan hadn't expected one to exist, but the unlock conditions seemed overly harsh. Just hearing the names suggested they wouldn't be easy to contain.

It would have been great if ordinary ghosts counted towards the unlock conditions.

He then found the thought laughable; the idea of finding an ordinary ghost to occupy a card seemed even more foolish.

Note: Contained items within Ghost Cards are not fixed; they can be replaced upon death.

Wait.

Li Dan suddenly thought of another method.

He excused himself to use the restroom and went outside the cabin. He released the leader of the Deformed Persons and handed him the M16, telling him to wear it.

Although the leader of the Deformed Persons had low intelligence, he knew how to use weapons.

After the leader of the Deformed Persons put on the weapon, Li Dan contained him back into the card and discovered that it worked.

However, there seemed to be limits and restrictions.

Only equipment that the leader of the Deformed Persons himself could use could be contained together into the Two of Hearts.

If he tried to contain a fighter jet, it was highly unlikely to work.

Expecting a low-intelligence Deformed Person to pilot a fighter jet.

He might as well expect a sow to climb a tree.

Hmm, Li Dan's mind was racing. He wondered if outfitting the Deformed Person with a set of heavy armor wouldn't significantly boost their combat power?

After all, as long as the heavy armor could be worn, it would count as equipment.

The combat power of a Deformed Person wearing heavy armor and one without was not on the same level.

If he equipped the leader of the Deformed Persons with heavy armor and a fully automatic submachine gun, while his second-in-command, with slightly less strength, wore light armor.

With two monsters guarding him, one in front and one behind, what else would he have to fear from underground monsters?

Wouldn't that be a direct sweep?

What a shame.

Since he was already here, going back now to craft suitable heavy armor for the Deformed Persons would likely mean the holiday would already be over.

Back in the wooden cabin.

The group of women were still tirelessly chatting about their adventures.

Li Dan sat back down in the corner. Sam noticed Li Dan, who was keeping to himself, and had considered several times to pull him into their conversation and meeting.

However, besides Beth, the school teacher, the others didn't really get along with Li Dan, and Li Dan had no intention of fitting in with them.

He casually found a comfortable spot and fell asleep.

Eleven o'clock.

Sam sat next to Li Dan. They were still chatting, having completely forgotten their promise to sleep early and rest up.

Li Dan woke up once but quickly fell back asleep.

There was nothing much to talk about. He'd rather practice soccer with Police Chief Joe than chat with them.

The next day.

It was barely dawn, and mist swirled in the mountains, limiting visibility to a hundred meters. As the sun rose, the mist gradually dissipated.

However, the newborn sun didn't offer much warmth.

Everyone gradually woke up and finished breakfast.

Sam suggested taking a group photo.

Li Dan wasn't interested in having his picture taken and volunteered to be the photographer. After all, in almost every horror movie, the photographer was safe.

Except for found-footage horror movies.

In those, the cameraman really did die.

As the six women gathered and posed, Li Dan decisively pressed the shutter.

Juno unexpectedly praised Li Dan this time, as she thought his photography skills were genuinely good.

Ten o'clock.

Juno, the leader, drove the jeep deep into the mountains, stopping at the foot of the mountain.

The road ahead was blocked by dense jungle and narrow paths, making it impossible to drive further. They had to walk.

Li Dan put on his gear and jumped out of the car. He surveyed the environment and noticed that the trees by the dirt road were significantly taller than those on the outskirts. There was also a small stream beside the narrow path.

In a desolate place like this, resembling a primeval forest, didn't the professional explorer Rebecca find anything amiss?

Perhaps she did, but she just didn't say anything.

For a seasoned explorer, sticking to the beaten path and familiar places could no longer provide her with any thrill.

Juno, as the leader, and Rebecca walked at the front, leading Sarah, with Holly in the middle.

Beth was a teacher at the Round Clam Town school. Li Dan and Sam were her students, so as their teacher, she naturally had to look after the two children.

This was Beth's second time participating in an expedition. Just like in class, she taught Li Dan and Sam about her previous expedition experiences and instructed them to stay close to her once they entered the cave.

Li Dan couldn't help but grumble.

"Looks like the teacher's maternal instincts are running wild."

Sam chuckled, "What maternal instincts? Teacher Beth has always treated us like her own children."

The group walked along the mountain path until noon.

In the middle, they discovered the carcass of a wild deer. It was in a gruesome state, half-eaten, but its antlers were intact.

A wild animal wouldn't just eat half of it, and poachers wouldn't leave the antlers behind.

In fact, something was already amiss here.

The leaders, Juno and Rebecca, excitedly led the others to take photos with the wild deer's carcass.

Li Dan calmly took pictures of them.

After taking the photos, they continued forward.

Li Dan also saw the source of the small stream beside the narrow path: a clear river flowing down the mountain, babbling over moss-covered rocks.

The group followed the stream for a while longer and finally arrived at "Bolehan Cave."

The cave was located on a flat area, surrounded by withered, solitary trees, a stark contrast to the lush green jungle at the foot of the mountain.

The cave entrance was oval and irregular, covered in moss.

Li Dan stood by the side and glanced at it. The cave went straight down, bottomless. The dark, gaping entrance looked like a man-eating abyss, waiting for its destined visitors.

An ordinary person would have a hard time finding this remote place.

Clearly, Li Dan and Juno's group were the destined visitors this time.