Ethereal Ascendance: A Journey of Transformation(Vol 4)

Vol 4/ Chapter 71: Initial Exploration

"Tsk tsk, this is my first time inside a cave. No amount of descriptions or books can truly recreate this scenery!"

Cysper excitedly looked around, levitating some magic light orbs. The sights before him were an eye-opening novelty that he couldn't stop marveling at.

"Our purpose is search and rescue, don't let your guard down."

I quickly reminded him. Though unique, these formations were still within normal bounds - I'd seen similar scenes on TV and videos back on Earth, of course.

"Ah yes, of course!"

Cysper snapped out of his reverie.

"I sense an abnormal light elemental aura here. Logically, this sunless place should have very little light essence. There must be something amiss in this cave!"

"You're right, and it's not just light essence..."

Accounting for the pool below, the water elemental levels still seemed unusually high. I suspected other elemental anomalies we couldn't detect lacking the respective affinities.

If Nicola were here, she could have clarified the wind elemental situation.

This space didn't seem natural, with signs of artificial excavation - the suspiciously smooth rock walls alone were peculiar enough. But the circular stairway descending gently to the pool's edge from where we stood was truly bizarre.

Though heavily eroded, the stairs' existence alone raised many questions.

"Let's proceed!"

Cysper noticed too but didn't comment, simply nodding before heading down the stairs to explore further.

The cavern floor was littered with intricate footprints, confirming our predecessors had passed through here. For now, we seemed in relatively safe territory, though clearly not the final destination.

"Perhaps Brennan and Yulanda could take shelter here if needed. Even if we also run into trouble, at least the phoenix won't be a worry."

I suggested thoughtfully.

"Let's explore further before deciding..."

Cysper pondered briefly before pointing ahead without objecting.

At the pool's edge, we found another small opening - the only exit from this cavern besides the entrance tunnel.

"From the looks of it, the path ahead isn't complex. The others must have gone through here."

Exchanging a glance, Cysper and I unhesitatingly entered, trailing the safety rope.

The passage was better than expected - narrower than before but not treacherous. Aside from occasional water dripping on our necks, nothing was particularly uncomfortable so far, with our precautions proving unnecessary yet.

However, the smooth going didn't last long. Illuminated by our magic lights, we soon reached a fork where the rope also ended its stretch.

"With only two paths, how could they possibly get lost..."

Staring down the branching tunnels, Cysper seemed perplexed, referring of course to Ron and Mike.

From what we'd explored, the cave didn't appear overly complex so far, making their unexplained disappearance all the more bizarre.

"Mike! Ron! Can you hear me?"

After hesitating, Cysper took a deep breath and shouted ahead. The deafening echoes reverberated slowly down both pitch-black tunnels, fading into silence.