The cave swallowed sound.
Even his footsteps — soft, careful, almost apologetic — seemed to vanish as soon as they happened. The air was thick with dampness and the faint metallic tang of iron. A drop of water fell from the ceiling, echoing like a heartbeat in the silence.
Lucas took two steps in, then immediately reconsidered his life choices. "Alright," he muttered, gripping his lantern. "We're officially past the point of good decisions."
The flame flickered, throwing shadows that danced like nervous ghosts across the walls. He raised it higher, squinting into the darkness.
That's when he noticed something strange.
His pajamas — specifically, the little yellow ducklings patterned across his pants — were glowing.
Not a bright glow, but enough to see the faint outlines of his legs in the dark. At first, he thought it was his imagination, until he lifted the fabric closer to the lantern light. The faint shimmer of that green sap he'd smeared on himself earlier was still there, absorbed into the cotton. The ducks now pulsed faintly with a sickly luminescence, like tiny bioluminescent lanterns.
Lucas stared at them for a few seconds before sighing. "Fantastic. My pajamas are radioactive. But hey, at least I'll never lose myself in the dark again." He paused, glancing down at his glowing legs. "You know, these ducks might actually be the most useful thing I own right now. Congratulations, pants. You're officially part of the adventuring party."
He started walking again, chuckling softly under his breath. "Okay, glowing ducks, floating screens, monster rabbits… this is either a dream, an isekai, or some sort of post-death tutorial level." He rubbed his temple. "If this is the afterlife, whoever designed it has a twisted sense of humor."
He glanced down again, still amused by the gentle glow. "At least I won't trip over my own feet. Imagine dying in another world because you can't see your shoelaces." He looked down at his bare feet. "Oh right… no shoelaces."
He tightened his grip on the lantern and took another cautious step forward. The air grew colder, the ceiling lower. The flicker of light revealed streaks of mineral in the walls — veins of copper or iron, glittering faintly like distant stars.
He reached out to touch the rock, feeling the rough texture under his fingertips. His voice came out in a whisper. "Alright, no monsters yet. Ten out of ten for cave atmosphere, though."
As he ventured deeper, the walls began to change. Scratches, or maybe carvings, ran along the stone — looping symbols, lines that spiraled into circles, and claw marks gouged deep enough to crack the rock. He traced one with his finger, then quickly pulled back when he realized it wasn't old dust that stained the grooves — it was something darker.
He swallowed. "Right. So definitely not a tourist cave."
---
The passage sloped downward, the ground becoming uneven. He slipped once and barely caught himself before his lantern could shatter. "I'm going to sue whoever's responsible for this world's OSHA violations," he grumbled.
Eventually, the narrow tunnel widened into a small cavern. The air opened up, and his light flickered across the remains of what looked like… a campsite?
He blinked. Scattered crates, a few rusted tools, and an old wooden frame that might've once supported mining rails lay half-buried in dust. The walls bore faint tool marks — someone had mined here long ago.
Lucas exhaled slowly. "Okay, so this used to be a mine. That's… less creepy, actually."
He stepped carefully among the debris, peering at old crates that had long since fallen apart. A few nails stuck out of the rotted wood, glittering faintly in the lantern light. Then, half-hidden beneath a collapsed plank, something caught his eye — a dull metallic shape.
He crouched, brushed away the dirt, and pulled it free.
It was a **mining pick** — but unlike the ones he'd seen in pictures, this one had only a single curved head. The other side was just a smooth, reinforced shaft. The metal edge gleamed faintly under the soot, and the handle, though cracked, felt solid in his hand.
The tool was surprisingly well balanced, almost too well. The grip fit his hand comfortably, and the curved head shimmered faintly when the lantern light hit it — as though it reflected more than just light. The edge wasn't sharp, but it looked capable of doing serious damage.
Lucas swung it gently, feeling the weight shift. The head whistled faintly through the air. "Not bad," he murmured. "Kind of like a pickaxe and a weapon had a baby. A very sharp baby."
A soft *ding* echoed in his head.
> **[Item Acquired: Mining Pick]**
> Damage: +3
> Durability: 62%
He blinked at the text, then looked at the pick again. "Okay, that's… awesome." He gave it another experimental swing, the curved head slicing through the air with ease. When it hit a nearby rock, sparks flew — and for a brief moment, he saw something glowing underneath the stone.
He knelt down and brushed the rock surface. Embedded in the wall were thin, luminous veins of blue crystal, glowing faintly. "Huh. So the cave's got night lights too. Guess I'm not the only one glowing anymore."
Another chime appeared:
> **[Skill Acquired: Bladed Tool Handling — Lv. 1]**
Lucas froze, staring at the floating text. "Wait… I just got a skill for *picking up a pick*?" He chuckled. "Guess the bar for hero qualifications is nice and low around here."
He swung again — a little too enthusiastically — and smacked the rock, sending a shockwave up his wrist. "Ow! Okay. Still counts as progress."
He rubbed his wrist, shaking out the sting, then smiled faintly. "Still… this thing might actually save my life."
He added it to his inventory, watching it vanish in a pulse of blue light. The system window flickered briefly before closing, and he straightened up, glancing deeper into the cavern.
---
The silence had changed.
Before, it was the stillness of an empty place — now, it *listened back.*
Lucas stood perfectly still, eyes darting toward the shadows. He could've sworn he heard something — not movement exactly, but a low vibration in the air. Like a growl muffled by stone.
He slowly reached for his lantern, which had started to flicker. "Hey, hey, no. Don't you start."
The light dimmed, the flame sputtering weakly. The faint glow from his pajamas pulsed in rhythm with it, ducky silhouettes shimmering faintly in the dark.
"Yeah, this is definitely how horror movies start," he muttered. "The idiot protagonist keeps walking, and everyone yells at the screen, 'Go back!' but he never listens."
He took a few steps backward, keeping his eyes on the tunnel ahead. The sound came again — this time closer, deeper, like something breathing behind the walls. Pebbles rattled loose from the ceiling, dust trickling down his shoulders.
He turned toward a branching passage and froze. For a moment, he thought he saw a faint blue light flickering deeper inside — like veins of crystal pulsing in time with a distant heartbeat. The glow illuminated the tunnel just enough for him to see shapes — old mining carts, broken rails, a collapsed wall.
He leaned forward slightly. "Nope," he whispered. "Absolutely not. I've seen this episode. It doesn't end well for the guy with the glowing pants."
A soft tap echoed behind him. He spun, lantern raised — only to see a small pebble roll down the slope where he'd entered. He exhaled shakily, forcing a laugh. "Just gravity. Totally normal, everyday gravity."
But the air didn't feel normal. The longer he stood there, the heavier it got, pressing on his chest like invisible hands.
Lucas forced a shaky grin. "You know what? I'm good. No need for human interaction just yet. I can figure this out on my own. This mining pick and my ducky pajamas are all we need."
The sound deepened — a rumble that vibrated through his shoes. The lantern flickered again, and this time the flame went out completely.
Lucas froze.
For a second, the only light came from his glowing pajama ducks — ridiculous little shapes glowing defiantly against the blackness. "You guys are doing great," he whispered. "Keep it up."
He turned, ready to head back the way he came. But then he saw it.
---
A shape moved ahead — barely visible, but there. Something hunched and humanoid staggered into the dim green light from his legs.
Lucas's breath caught. "No, no, no…"
The figure stumbled forward, one arm dragging along the wall for support. Its armor was cracked and dented, the metal corroded with rust. As it drew closer, Lucas saw a faint blue glow leaking through the seams of the plates — like light trapped under the skin.
The figure dropped to one knee. Its head lifted slowly, eyes glowing faintly through a battered helmet. The sound that came from it was a ragged, broken rasp — a voice crushed under exhaustion.
Then, in a tone that didn't sound entirely human, it spoke a few words — low and guttural, in a language Lucas didn't understand.
He took a hesitant step back. "Hey, man, I don't speak… whatever that is, but you're, uh, leaking light. Should I… call someone?"
The figure tried to stand again, but its legs gave out. It collapsed forward, landing hard against the stone. For a second, everything went still. Then, a faint chime echoed in Lucas's ears.
> **[Quest Updated: The Fallen Explorer]**
Lucas stared, mouth open. "Oh, fantastic. It's not enough that I find the undead, glowing knight of doom — now it's a *quest*."
He looked down at the fallen figure, then at the tunnel stretching deeper into darkness. "Alright," he said quietly. "Guess the ducks and I aren't getting out of this one easy."
The faint blue glow of the figure's body pulsed once, casting their shadows long against the cavern walls — and somewhere far below, something growled back.