The flames at the cave entrance quickly died out, and the smoke dissipated faster than expected.
The group cautiously stepped into the cave, immediately glad they hadn't chosen to charge in recklessly.
The entrance was three meters high, but the farther they went, the lower and narrower the passage became. Some of the side tunnels were less than one and a half meters tall.
As He Xi walked through the passage, he could clearly feel the wind blowing inward from the cave entrance.
He realized there had to be other vents deep inside the cave. No wonder the smoke had filled the entire cave so quickly.
As they went deeper, the light was almost completely cut off, and darkness swallowed their surroundings.
[Light Spell]!
A soft white orb of light appeared at He Xi's fingertips, driving back the darkness ahead.
"Hey, this is really handy!" Belt grinned, putting away the torch he'd prepared. "It's great having a mage in the party. We don't even need to worry about lighting."
Hulk wasn't about to let his guard down. He studied the rough cave walls by the light. "Don't get careless. Most of these tunnels were dug by kobolds themselves. They're just the right size for them, but they're an obstacle at every turn for us. Watch your heads and your feet."
The main passage wound downward. The air was thick with tar, blood, and the distinctive rank smell of reptiles.
Bruce's black nose twitched incessantly. He stopped and looked deeper into the main passage. "Woof! The blood smell is coming from that way!"
After about five or six minutes, they passed through a narrow opening barely two meters high, and the space ahead suddenly opened up.
A spacious natural cavern stretched out before them.
The ceiling was much higher than in