The passage had long been abandoned, and rubble and creeping vines littered its interior.
Corrupted by darkness, the vines no longer needed sunlight. They thrived on darkness and choked the entire passage.
Adrian, the human warrior, led the way, hacking through the vines with his original fine-quality longsword to clear a path for the Dragon-Hunting Team.
The others followed behind, watching for enemies lurking among the vines-and for the vines themselves.
Some of these vines had been growing for centuries and had developed awareness and intelligence of their own. Just after Shawn and the others entered the secret passage, a vine attacked them, nearly injuring Adrian. Fortunately, Shawn noticed in time and put a mana shield around him, keeping him safe. That unexpected incident had also improved Adrian's opinion of Shawn considerably.
"Be careful of everything in here. I'll be ready to back you up at any moment... Also, let the Crystal Spider and the Lynx Princess go ahead of you," Shawn cautioned Adrian.
Two days earlier, Shawn had met up with the Crystal Spider and the Lynx Princess.
The Crystal Spider had grown noticeably larger, and the sickly green covering its body had deepened, making it look truly creepy. Who knew what the little creature had eaten lately? It had already reached level 9, and its strength had increased considerably.
The Lynx Princess had fared much worse. Her level hadn't changed at all, which hardly did her title justice.
"My royal body is far too delicate! How could I possibly risk my life? Of course, my contribution was enormous. Without my guidance, the Crystal Spider could never have killed a great bear and a leopard. Eating the bear's heart and the leopard's gall was what made it grow so quickly!" the Lynx Princess declared smugly.
But the moment she