The dust had settled, and a cold wind blew upward from the mouth of the abyss, sending shivers down everyone's spine. Kael spoke in a grave tone:
"We shouldn't risk moving right away. Rest, and then we'll figure out a safe way down to the bottom."
No sooner had he finished than Sivall collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest with trembling hands. Bright red blood gushed from his mouth, spattering the ground in thick streaks. Sill cried out and rushed to catch him, but when she pulled up her brother's sleeve, the whole group froze in horror.
Around the wound on his arm and the gash across his cheek, his skin had turned a blotchy, dark purple-black. Veins of sickly green crawled under his skin like tangled roots. A foul, damp stench of fungus wafted from him.
"No… no, this can't be…" Senki stammered, stumbling back a step. "The spores have already seeped into his blood!"
Sill clutched her brother tightly, tears streaming down her face:
"No! He can't die here! Please—someone save him!"
Senmi trembled as she placed a hand on Sivall's shoulder, her wind magic swirling thinly to push back the stench and the toxic mist, but the wound only oozed more blood. Renar stepped back, his heart pounding, his hand shaking helplessly. He had never seen a human body twist into something so horrifying.
Kael tightened his grip on his sword, his voice cold yet edged with rare worry:
"We don't have much time. If we can't purge it, the spores will kill him… or turn him into something else."
Senmi forced her dwindling mana, a thin veil of wind wrapping around Sivall to push away the foul air. His bleeding slowed, and his breathing evened out just a little.
"At least… this will hold for now…" she whispered shakily, sweat dripping down her temple.
She staggered to her feet, managed three steps, and suddenly collapsed sideways. Kael darted forward to catch her, and everyone gasped when they saw her bare arm. The long cut she'd suffered fighting the goblins earlier was now festering, pus pooling yellow, and along its edges tiny white fungal threads were sprouting.
Renar froze, his heart plummeting. "No… no way…"
Senki's face went pale, his lips quivering:
"It's not just Sivall… anyone with an open wound in this forest can be invaded by spores."
Kael laid Senmi down beside Sivall, his eyes flashing with fury and worry. His voice was iron:
"We have no choice left. We must find a way up to the rim and get the cure… or we'll all die here, rotting into mushrooms."
The violet mist pressed down around them, the wind whistling in long mournful howls like laughter rising from the abyss itself.
Before they could collect themselves, a sharp "thwip!" cut the air above. From the top of a giant mushroom, a small figure shot down, gripping a wire-gun. The steel cable latched onto a nearby stalk, slinging him across the gap before he landed hard before the group.
The ground cracked, purple dust billowed. Renar's instincts flared—he drew his sword. Kael stepped forward instantly, shielding the group with a cold glare. Senki and Sill raised their hands, mana crackling, ready to unleash.
The newcomer was small, about Renar's height, clad in a short gray cloak stained with spores. A steel mask hid half his face, leaving only sharp eyes exposed. Strapped to his back were tubes, canisters, and spools of cable—like a hunter hardened by years in this fungal deathland.
"Easy," he rasped, his gaze sliding to Sivall and Senmi, both gasping for breath. "You've been spore-struck. You don't have long."
Kael lowered his blade slightly but kept himself in front of the others, his voice gravelly:
"Who are you? What do you want?"
The stranger shrugged, spinning the wire-gun lazily.
"You can call me the Rope-Swinger. I know the way to what can keep the spores from devouring you."
The group froze, the air tightening—hope and danger balanced on a knife's edge.
Renar bit his lip, never breaking eye contact.
"Is it true… or just another trap?"
Suddenly Sivall convulsed, his body bowing before he vomited another mouthful of thick black blood. The stench made everyone flinch.
"Brother! Stay with me!" Sill screamed, holding him desperately.
The dark veins spread further, his body trembling violently. Senki, normally steady, was now pale with panic:
"There's no time! If we delay even a moment… he won't make it!"
Renar gripped his sword hilt, his heart hammering. He looked at Kael, waiting for him to decide.
Kael turned to the masked stranger, his voice low and sharp as ice:
"Can you be trusted?"
The stranger didn't answer. His eyes gleamed faintly, lips curling in a sly smile. From a side pouch, he pulled out two small glass vials filled with glowing green liquid.
Without a word, he drew out a long needle and moved with practiced ease. Before Kael could react, he knelt beside Sivall and plunged the needle deep into his vein.
The green liquid drained in. Black sludge bubbled out of Sivall's mouth, steaming as if burned away. The purple spread along his arm slowed, his breathing easing.
Quickly, the stranger turned to Senmi, unconscious. He repeated the injection. Her body jolted, then gasped, the tiny fungal threads shriveling and burning back into her wound.
Renar's eyes widened, torn between awe and suspicion.
"It… it actually worked?" Senki stammered.
Kael kept his sword raised, glaring, his voice heavy:
"Who are you? Why save them?"
The stranger only chuckled, eyes gleaming behind the mask.
"I told you… call me Rope-Swinger. If you want them alive, you'll follow me. That shot will only hold them for now. For the real cure…"
He pointed at the abyss.
"…we have to go down there."
Sivall stirred, eyes clouded but alive. He managed a weak smile for Sill, his voice hoarse:
"…I'm… still here."
Senmi, pale with sweat, blinked awake. She couldn't stand, but squeezed Senki's arm weakly.
The stranger said nothing more. He stood, boots crunching spores, walked to the edge of the abyss, and lifted a hand in a crisp beckon.
Sill braced herself and lifted Sivall. Senki hooked Senmi's arm over his shoulder. Both pairs moved, unsteady but determined.
Kael and Renar shared a look. Kael gave a short nod, then they too followed.
Only a few steps from the edge, the air shifted.
A powerful wind screamed upward, rattling the giant mushrooms. The sound was like a colossal beast howling from below. The gusts slapped cold against their faces, carrying a strange, moldy tang.
Renar's hand flew to his sword. Sill and Senki froze, eyes wide. Kael's shoulders tightened, blade ready to leap free.
But the masked stranger didn't flinch. He half-turned, lifted a finger to his lips. Silence.
They all obeyed, holding their breath. The wind keened around them, like a funeral dirge rising from the abyss.
Then, from the depths, faint lights stirred.
Renar swallowed hard, eyes widening.
"What… are those?"
From the dark rose giant jellyfish, translucent bodies spanning ten meters each, drifting upward in slow, ethereal grace. Their tendrils glowed with blue-violet light, breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying in their scale.
Kael signaled caution, but the stranger stepped onto a jutting mushroom, calm as ever. He raised his wire-gun and fired. The hook embedded in the largest jellyfish, cable pulling taut until the creature floated closer.
Without hesitation, he vaulted onto its back. Turning, he gestured sharply: "Climb on."
Kael gritted his teeth, but with no choice, helped Renar up first. Sill hauled Sivall, Senki supported Senmi. One by one, they stepped onto the jellyfish's cool, soft body.
Once all were aboard, the stranger pressed his boot gently against the creature's head. It shivered, then began to drift downward into the abyss.
The chill wind blasted their faces, hair whipping wildly. Beneath them, the glowing swarm moved like an inverted night sky.
Then the stranger pressed harder. The jellyfish quaked, then surged forward, gliding swiftly through the abyssal air.
Before long, a towering cliff emerged from the darkness, draped in moss and tangled roots as thick as towers. Amid the vast green-black wall, a tiny golden speck flickered.
As they drew closer, the group gaped. The speck was a small house, wedged among the roots vast as mountains. The scale was absurd—like a grain of sand against the heavens.
Renar's jaw dropped, his voice trembling:
"That's… actually a house?"
Kael was silent, his sharp eyes betraying shock.
The stranger stood tall on the jellyfish, eyes glinting behind his mask.
"Welcome to the gate of the Underforest."
The jellyfish drifted to a massive root broad as a street. Atop it sat the humble golden-lit house—little more than a shack of wood and stone, patched between the roots, a dim crystal lantern glowing on its porch.
The stranger hopped down onto the creaking wooden platform. He gestured firmly:
"Off. The jellyfish will return to the swarm."
Kael narrowed his eyes, still wary, but seeing Sivall and Senmi's weakness, he nodded. One by one, they dismounted, feet unsteady on the damp root.
The stranger whistled low. The jellyfish rippled, then drifted away, glowing tentacles trailing as it rejoined its kin.
Silence fell. Up close, the shack was humble indeed—mossy planks, a roof of thick fungus leaves, a rough wooden table and stacked metal crates outside. Clearly more shelter than home.
The stranger opened the door with a creak. His tone was flat, but carried a touch of courtesy:
"This is where I live. Not much, but it's safe enough. Come in."
Sill guided Sivall inside. Senki bore Senmi's weight. Renar hesitated, looking to Kael. Kael gave a curt nod, sword still in hand, following the stranger inside.
The door shut behind them, cutting off the abyssal howl. Only heavy breathing filled the cramped space.
But inside… it was different.
Warm golden light glowed from a magical oil lamp on a shelf, its smokeless flame radiating comfort. The entire shack glowed with clean warmth, as if dawn had seeped into the abyss.
The rough furniture gleamed from care, animal pelts softened the floor, jars lined neatly along the walls. Small, simple, but astonishingly tidy and inviting.
Renar sank onto a bench, exhaustion melting under the lamp's glow. His heart slowed, his breath eased. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt peace.
The masked stranger walked to the center table, turned, and faced them. Slowly, he raised his hand… and pulled off the steel mask.
Every gaze locked—and froze.
Not a scarred survivor's face, but the round cheeks and bright eyes of a young girl. Big eyes with long lashes, fair skin flushed pink, lips curving in a shy smile. She looked no older than Renar—perhaps even younger.
Renar flushed scarlet, whipping his gaze aside, ears burning.
The girl's voice was clear, gentle—nothing like the rasp from before.
"Hello. My name is Ly. Like you, I am an adventurer."
Renar blinked, stunned.
"You… you're an adventurer too?"
Ly nodded, her gaze confident beyond her years.
"Not just that… I am one of the top five adventurers of this continent."
The group stared, stunned.
Inside, Sill's heart pounded. She bit her lip, unable to speak, as a memory whispered back:
"The top five adventurers of the continent… all died. That was over seventy years ago."
The golden lamplight suddenly felt less warm, a shiver crawling down her spine.