So the group went to search for the ancient manuscript around the enemies' hideout. After a very long time, they finally found a room they hadn't entered before. Unlike the previous rooms, this one was very strange, because everyone could feel a mysterious magical energy emanating from it.
After that, Annette walked up to open the door. Strangely enough... no matter what she tried, the door just wouldn't open, which made her confused and unsure of what to do.
- "Huh? Why won't it open no matter what I do?"
Seeing Annette couldn't open it, Riccardo stepped up to her, gently pushed her aside, and said:
- "Move. Let me open it for you."
Then, Riccardo used all of his strength to try to force the door open. But he failed, because he still couldn't open it no matter what, which made him scowl and show his frustration.
- "Tch! Why is this door so damn hard?!"
Seeing that nobody seemed able to open the door, Cẩm Đan volunteered to come forward and suggested to everyone that she should try opening it. This surprised them, as they still doubted whether she could really do it.
- Cẩm Đan: "Ugh, move aside. Let me open it."
Riccardo: "You think you can? I mean, I couldn't even get it open!"
Annette: "Cẩm Đan, are you sure that's okay?"
Katharina: "You're worrying me. Don't push yourself! If we can't open it, there are still plenty of other ways."
Somchai: "Katharina's right. Let's slow down and try to think of another way. Don't rush it."
- Cẩm Đan: "Don't worry! Just trust me."
Right after saying that, she focused all of her strength and gathered energy into her right arm, making her muscles tighten up. Then, she threw a powerful punch straight at the door, which immediately broke open, along with cracks forming all over it. Her punch was so strong that it didn't just affect the door—it also created a huge gust of wind that made everyone's hair fly up.
After witnessing that scene, Riccardo looked shocked and wary of Cẩm Đan.
- Riccardo: "Oh my god! She's insanely strong… That's scary as hell!"
After breaking the door, she turned to everyone and said:
- "Let's go inside!"
Then everyone stepped inside as Cẩm Đan had said. Just as expected, after walking in, they saw the ancient manuscript placed inside a glass case, which made the group extremely excited and cheer:
- Cẩm Đan: "Oh yeah! There it is!"
Katharina: "Hurry up and take it! Let's bring it back to Sister Briona!"
Riccardo: "Hey, wait! I totally saw it first!"
Even though they had found the ancient manuscript, Somchai still couldn't shake off a bad feeling. He thought to himself:
- "There's no way we can get the ancient manuscript that easily…"
While everyone was focused and running toward the manuscript in the glass case—suddenly, just like Somchai had predicted, the ground beneath their feet suddenly turned into a deep pit, making them fall straight down without time to react.
The group was thrown into a panic when they suddenly fell into a deep pit out of nowhere.
Cẩm Đan: Tch! What the heck is going on!?
Katharina: I have no idea either!
Riccardo: Who the hell is behind this!?
Annette: Where did this hole come from? I swear it wasn't here before!
Somchai: Just as I thought... getting that ancient manuscript isn't going to be easy at all!
While everyone was still panicking mid-fall, a mysterious voice echoed through the darkness:
- "Did you really think everything would end so easily? No... you're all terribly mistaken. The real battle is just about to begin."
As soon as the voice disappeared, the group looked down and spotted a raging river below them. The water was flowing rapidly, but more disturbingly—it had a strange purple color.
Cẩm Đan: Huh? Guys, look down there!
Riccardo: Whoa! This is the first time I've seen water in such a weird color!
Everyone stared, somewhat mesmerized by the mysterious hue of the water. Suddenly, a small pouch Katharina always carried—filled with her tools and equipment for research and experiments—slipped and fell into the river.
The moment the items hit the water, they dissolved instantly, melting into steam and disappearing.
Realizing the danger, Katharina yelled out a warning:
Katharina: Hey everyone! Try to find a safe place to land!
That's not normal water below us—it's highly corrosive acid!
If we fall in, we're finished!
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and immediately began scanning for a safe landing spot. Eventually, each person managed to land in a different location around the area.
Meanwhile, beneath the raging acidic river, large bubbles began to rise to the surface. Riccardo spotted the strange movement and quickly pointed it out:
Riccardo: Hey! Look over there—something's moving!
Everyone turned to where Riccardo was pointing—and saw a massive monster slowly emerging from the river of acid.
The creature had a shark's head and a tentacled tail like a giant octopus—its form was bizarre and terrifying.
As it rose and faced Somchai's group, the beast let out a thunderous roar:
- "Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
The scream was so loud and violent that it shook the entire cave. Acid splashed everywhere, causing the team to stumble and lose their balance. The sound was so intense that they were forced to cover their ears, unable to remain focused or stand still.