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“…Hm?”
“The walls look really different around here…”

After facing countless attacks from tentacles, as well as strange fish-like creatures with realistic limbs—such as pikes and mackerels—Lua Cheia pressed on through the cavern. Eventually, they reached a new section of the floor, where the walls were made of golden stones.

“It’s obvious there’s something here…” Sara mused.
“Nyahahah, let’s take a closer look,” Jade chimed in.

Sara and Jade immediately began examining the area, while the rest of the group spread out, covering as much ground as possible.

“Hey, Crim, come here for a sec.”
“Hm? Did you find something, Frey?”
“Yeah, I think so.”

Curious, Crim made her way over to where Frey was examining a section of the wall.

“Is that… a keyhole?”
“It is.”
“Yep, that’s definitely a keyhole.”

Crim blinked, a little puzzled by the sight, and Hinagiku and Lycoris, who had followed her over, quickly nodded in agreement. Indeed, there was a keyhole in the wall, though there was no visible door to accompany it.

“Hmm… Do you think it could be for that key?” Freya asked, voicing the thought that was on everyone’s mind.

“Maybe. There’s only one way to find out,” Crim replied, already pulling out the key they had retrieved from Bonithunnus (the tuna). She hesitated for a moment, then slid the key into the keyhole.

“Hm? What is it, Nord?” Crim’s attention shifted to the chat as she noticed the familiar name pop up among the viewers.

“A-Anyway, let’s see if the key works!” Crim announced, realizing that her friends were all watching her. She turned back and pushed the key into the hole.

“Woah…”

To her surprise, a soft green glow began to radiate from the keyhole. The light spread vertically through the wall, tracing the outlines of the stone bricks, which began shifting and reshaping. After a minute, an entrance revealed itself.

“It’s… it’s just a corridor?” Crim observed.

The corridor was wide enough for two people to walk side by side. From somewhere ahead came an unsettling sound, like a low whistle—the wind, signaling a large open space further in.

“L-L-Let’s go! D-D-Don’t fall behind!” Crim stammered, her feet trembling as she cautiously stepped into the dark passage, feeling as though she was walking straight into the jaws of a monster.

“…Hah, wheee!”
“GHYHAYAAAAAAAA?!”

Unable to resist, Hinagiku mischievously rushed up behind Crim and gave her a playful push, making her scream in surprise as she stumbled forward.

◇◇◇

“This descent is taking longer than I expected.”
“Yeah, I’m getting tired of all this walking,” Hinagiku sighed, trailing closely behind Crim.

The light was dim so far underground, so Crim had used a spell to make one of her throwing daggers glow, illuminating their surroundings. The monotony of the spiral corridor, which had been winding downward for more than five minutes, was clearly wearing on everyone.

“Alsooo… Master, can I take it off yet?” Hinagiku asked, gesturing to the sign around her neck that read, “I needlessly scared my Master.”

“No. It’s staying on a while longer,” Crim responded flatly.

“Ookay…” Hinagiku sounded disappointed, but Crim’s blunt tone made it clear that she wasn’t ready to forgive her just yet. Still, the sign was the least of their worries at the moment.

“Oh, it opens up here,” Crim called out as the corridor finally broadened.

“Is it finally over?” Hinagiku muttered in relief, and the others behind them shared the same sentiment.

“Woah, this place is huge…” Crim said, marveling at the sight ahead.

They had emerged into an enormous cavern, housing an ancient temple at the bottom of the spiral descent. The sheer size of the place made it hard to believe it could fit within the island.

“How in the world did they build all this down here?” Freya asked, stepping forward to take the lead as the group’s tank. She looked up in awe at the towering structure.

“…Frey, did we descend all the way to the third floor?” Crim asked, glancing at their surroundings.

“…It looks that way. The map says we’re on the third floor, but the name of this location is glitching out, so I can’t read it,” Frey said, scanning the display with a frown.

As the group’s mapper, Frey had been keeping track of their progress, and Crim nodded in acknowledgment.

“Still, this place is sooo pretty!” Freya gushed, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the opulent golden structure ahead.

“Is… is all of that really gold? How much would something like that even cost?” Kasumi added quietly, her humble background showing as she looked around, clearly overwhelmed.

The golden temple glimmered under the faint light, drawing the eyes of everyone, its beauty almost hypnotic. But amidst the awe, Crim couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling that gnawed at her.

“Still… something feels off…” Crim muttered under her breath.

“What’s wrong, Crim?” Frey, noticing her unease, stopped and turned to face her.

Crim hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. “I just… I can’t help but feel like someone’s watching us.”

“Ugh, don’t say that… Every time you mention something like this, it ends up being a bad omen!” Frey shuddered. He had known Crim long enough to take her feelings seriously, especially when it came to foreboding premonitions.