A deep, muffled rumble echoed from the direction of the crevices they’d just passed. The ground trembled slightly, sending fragments of stone down.
“What is going on?” the guard captain cried out, his voice tinged with alarm as he stared toward the entrance.
The entrance, which had allowed only one person to pass at a time, was now completely blocked. An enormous boulder had appeared there at some point, and no one had noticed it. It was as if an invisible giant hand had sealed off their escape route from the outside.
“Damn it! Our way back is cut off.” One guard rushed forward and shoved against the massive stone with all his strength, only to find it immovable. It was heavier than he could have ever imagined.
Panic spread as the others rushed forward, hacking at it with swords and axes. They managed only a few white scratches on the boulder’s surface. It didn’t look like any ordinary rock and seemed to be bound by some kind of restriction seal.
“It’s a formation! We’re trapped here!” Judith gasped, her composure cracking.
Grace’s heart sank as well. The path ahead was unknown, and the way back was blocked. They were trapped like fish in a barrel.
“Stay calm,” Dustin said evenly. He walked over to the blocked entrance and pressed his hand against the cold boulder.
He could feel the earth and stone energy contained within, along with the faint fluctuations of the restriction seal.
“This restriction can seal the crevice, but its range is limited. Since someone lured us to this place and then blocked our exit, they must have a purpose. The way out may lie beneath that pool”
Dustin’s gaze returned to the clear pool of water. This time, he observed even more carefully. His divine sense probed into the water, extending downward along the direction of the spring’s upwelling.
The pool was deeper than he’d imagined. After diving roughly 100 feet down, his divine sense reached the bottom.
But on one side of the pool floor, he discovered a secret passage hidden behind waterweeds and rocks. Water flowed through the passage, leading toward unknown darkness in the depths. Dustin withdrew his divine sense and said, “There’s a passage below the water.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the deceptively calm pool. A passage ran beneath the water, but no one could tell what dangers it might conceal.
“I’ll go down and scout ahead. The rest of you stay here. If there’s danger, I’ll retreat immediately,” he said, taking a deep breath.
A faint cyan glow flared around his body, shielding him from the water. Then he dove into the pool, his figure vanishing quickly into the shadowy depths.
To the others, the wait felt endless, and silence pressed in around the pool. All they could hear were their own tense breaths and the soft gurgle of the spring. Every second stretched unbearably long.
After what felt like 15 minutes, the group’s unease reached its peak.
With a splash, Dustin’s figure emerged from the water and landed smoothly on the edge of the pool. His true energy had dried his clothes, and his expression remained calm.
“The hidden passage leads to another location. I haven’t discovered any danger for now,” he informed them.
“It’s not a long swim. There’s light at the end, and it appears to be a much larger space. Get ready, everyone. We’ll dive in one after another. Remember to hold your breath, concentrate, and follow close behind me.”
With clear instructions given, no one hesitated any longer.
