The group continued deeper into the mine.
But Chuan Wenwu had fed their only mining lamp to the Shield of the Hero, and he felt that maxing out his proficiency with the Rope Shield to make the "Aura Shield" skill permanently available took priority. His shield was therefore in its Rope Shield form, and he could not switch it to the Lantern Shield to provide light for now, so he had to pick up the less convenient torch again.
The mine had been excavated deep into the earth. After walking for quite some time, they finally left the timber-reinforced tunnels and emerged into a more spacious limestone cave. Here, there was a gently flowing underground river, a small waterfall formed by a drop in elevation, a moderately sized spring-fed pool, and countless pointed stalactites.
A thin shaft of light spilled down from overhead. Looking up, they could see an opening in the cave ceiling dozens of meters above them. The light filtering in from outside made the dust inside sparkle like stars, lending the scene a dreamlike beauty.
Although this area had an outside source of light, the cave was still rather dim. Its terrain was also intricate and confusing, making it easy to get lost with even a moment's inattention. Chuan Wenwu calmly considered which direction they should explore next to find the monsters inside the mine.
"Um..."
Just then, Raphtalia, who had been quietly following beside him, gently tugged at the hem of his clothes to get his attention.
"Hmm?"
"Over here... I saw some strange marks over here..."
Raphtalia's reddish-brown eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Keeping her gaze fixed on something in the distance, she pointed it out to Chuan Wenwu.
Chuan Wenwu peered intently in that direction, but all he saw was darkness. He