Chapter 123: The Mutated Cavern
Seeing that his previous attack had worked, Saul cast two more Arrow Shots.
The sharp projectiles shot into the shrinking cavern and quickly disappeared from sight. Soon after, green mucus gushed out once more.
The suction force from the cavern gradually weakened.
Saul let out a small sigh of relief.
His Soul Borer spell was constructed with soul fragments filled with lingering resentment. Unless absolutely necessary, he preferred not to use it.
With three senior students present, he didn’t need to go all out.
Sure enough, just as Saul managed to hold off the mutated cavern’s attack, the battle on the other side concluded.
Two more earthen spikes emerged from the ground, piercing into the mountainside opposite Saul. From the side, they penetrated the cavern in front of him.
The cavern convulsed violently twice before finally sealing shut completely.
Saul kept his gaze fixed on the hole. Seeing that it remained unchanged for a long moment, he finally turned around.
He caught sight of Light raising his eyebrows at him. Saul immediately understood—both the spike he was clutching and the final attack that sealed the cavern were Light’s handiwork. He quickly expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you, Senior Wright.”
Wright looked relaxed, clearly unfazed by the battle.
“No need to thank me. If you’d been sucked in, we’d have had to figure out a way to pull you out.” He laughed heartily. “And trust me, you wouldn’t want that. We’d be losing a damn good guide.”
For some reason, his own joke made him laugh even harder.
Now that all the mutated caverns had sealed shut, Saul finally realized something—this wasn’t a fork in the path after all, just a wider section of the tunnel.
There were only two real paths—one ahead and one behind. All the other tunnels and cavern holes were fake.
“What kind of monster is this? The disguise was nearly flawless.” Bill stomped on the foam-like remains on the ground. The once-liquid foam had solidified into a plaster-like substance, crumbling into dust underfoot.
“There’s no record of this type of creature in past reports. It could be a new mutation from the past year or two,” Byron said gravely.
After inspecting a few of the sealed cavern holes, Byron found nothing of value.
Clapping the dust from his hands, he spoke. “It’s getting late. I suggest we head back to the surface.”
Bill clicked his tongue.
“We didn’t get much this time. Going back and forth takes too much time—why not just camp here for the night?”
Byron shook his head. “Spending the night in a place with wandering wraiths? Too dangerous.”
But Bill’s expression made it clear—he wasn’t going to give in so easily this time.
Saul, still holding the spike Wright had lent him, stayed in the background and watched the argument unfold.
After all, strategic decisions like this weren’t something a mere Second-Rank Apprentice like him had a say in.
Just as the dispute was about to escalate, something unexpected happened.
A large hole silently opened in the wall beside Saul.
“Hiss—”
A chilling, bone-piercing cold seeped out.
Before the icy air could reach him, Saul instinctively turned his head and caught sight of the gaping hole.
At that moment, a ghastly, pockmarked head shot out from within, its gaping mouth clamping down on Saul’s raised right arm.
The creature had messy chestnut-colored hair, its pupils absent—only empty, glaring white eyes peered through strands of disheveled locks.
Its face was riddled with holes, resembling a beehive. The largest hole was its mouth, lined with sharp teeth.
Yet, despite the vicious bite, it failed to pierce Saul’s glove.
There was no pain in his right arm, but he felt an immense pulling force.
The moment it latched onto him, the ghastly head began retreating, trying to drag Saul into the newly opened hole.
The immense force jerked Saul’s body forward. Panicked, he tightened his grip on the spike with his left hand, anchoring himself.
“Crack!”
Saul’s face twisted—under the tremendous pull, he heard the sound of his own bone dislocating.
Everything happened in an instant.
Fortunately, Byron’s support arrived just in time.
A giant net materialized out of thin air, ensnaring the pockmarked head in one swift motion.
The creature was restrained.
As the net constricted, a sizzling sound—like burning flesh—filled the air.
It finally let out a pained shriek and released its bite.
Saul quickly pulled his right arm back.
However, his arm now hung limply—completely useless. It might not be broken, but the bone was at least dislocated. He cradled it with his left hand.
Meanwhile, Byron attempted to drag the creature out with the net.
But before he could succeed, the ghastly entity abruptly severed its own neck.
The rest of its body, still inside the hole, withdrew at an alarming speed.
Seeing the hole about to close, Byron didn’t hesitate—he jumped straight in.
At the last moment, Wright conjured a massive stone hand from the ground, pressing it against the cavern walls to keep the hole open.
Saul watched anxiously, unsure if Byron would make it back.
“Dislocated?”
A sudden voice behind him made Saul jump.
“Maybe just a sprain…” He hesitated, slightly shifting his arm.
Bill, grinning, didn’t wait for a response—he grabbed Saul’s injured arm and gave it a firm yank.
A searing pain shot through Saul’s elbow.
His face twitched, but he gritted his teeth and endured it without making a sound.
Bill exhaled a puff of white smoke, covering Saul’s arm with a misty glow. Soon, the pain faded.
Then, without warning, Bill yanked off Saul’s glove.
Underneath, his forearm’s translucent, grayish skin revealed faintly visible bones beneath.
Bill raised an eyebrow, flipping Saul’s arm back and forth.
“Your modified arm is damn sturdy. Even after that bite, not a single scratch.”
The injury wasn’t from the bite—it was the joint between his artificial skin and his upper arm that had been torn apart.
After a brief examination, Bill let go and tossed the glove back to Saul.
Saul caught it with his left hand and simply stuffed it into his pocket instead of wearing it again.
“That glove of yours isn’t very durable. If you’re interested, you could check out the exchange market for a sturdier one.”
“I’ll look into it when I get the chance.”
Saul replied casually, not wanting Bill to pay too much attention to his glove’s unique properties.
He flexed his fingers—his right arm was already fully functional again. It seemed Bill had genuinely healed him, not just numbed the pain.
Saul hadn’t expected him to be a healer.
Just then, Byron emerged from the hole.
Wright immediately dispelled the stone hand, and the opening sealed shut in an instant.
“How’d it go?” Wright asked.
Byron smirked, lifting a round-bottomed glass vial and shaking it before them.
“A vengeful spirit?” Bill walked over.
“A transitioning spirt, but still technically a vengeful spirit.”
Inside the bottle, a murky gray mist swirled, making it impossible to see what was trapped inside.
“A vengeful spirit? That works.”
Though not a full-fledged vengeful spirit, a spirit in the midst of transformation still held significant value.
Whether they traded it for academic credits and money at the Wizard Tower or kept it for research, it was worthwhile.
Plus, since it wasn’t a vengeful spirit, the spoils belonged to the whole team, meaning Bill and the others would get a share of the profit.
Wright clapped his hands. “Alright, we’ve got a decent haul this time. Let’s head back.”
This time, Bill didn’t object.
Byron stowed away the vial and turned to Saul.
“How’s your arm?”
“Senior Bill treated it—it’s fine now.” Saul lifted his right arm and moved it around for Byron to see.
After making sure they hadn’t overlooked anything, the group retraced their steps.
The deepest part of the tunnel posed the biggest challenge on the way back.
Wright and Bill had their own methods of ascending, while Byron opted out of inflating like a balloon and instead had Saul’s algae-familiar pull him up.
As they climbed, Saul suddenly glanced downward.
The now-dark tunnel below echoed with the sound of rushing water.
For a fleeting moment, he had the eerie sense that something was flooding the passageway.
The water level was rising.
Chasing their retreating steps.
Night was falling.
Just like the Wizard Tower, the underground of Hanging Valley might become an entirely different world at night.
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