Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive

The cavern I stood in was dimly lit by the crystal jutting out of the walls. I barely recognized them as Mana Crystals. 300 grams of these were priced at 5 Gold or higher. Expensive stuff.

It was too bad they were high on the wall, almost near the ceiling. I wouldn't be able to climb that, nor would I be able to leap that high.

"What am I thinking?" I shook my head to refocus on the task before me. The wealth didn't matter if I didn't make it out of here alive.

I felt the roughness of the floor beneath me. It was cold but not cold enough to bother me. In the distance I could make out a few entrances leading into the dark. They could be my way out, or they could very well lead me to my doom.

I had fallen inside the Rapture Event, so I was worried this might turn out to be a monster den. Still, I wasn't going to stay in one place and wait for my death.

Pushing myself to my feet, I drew out my dagger, finding assurance in the sharp tool within my hand. My mana had recovered somewhat, but it had yet to hit peak.

As cautiously as possible, whilst keeping my breathing calm, I approached one entrance and peered inside.

Darkness. Nothing but darkness.

Unlike the cavern I stood in, the cave-like tunnel lacked any source of illumination. I wondered if I should strive for a single mana crystal for the sake of an improvised lantern, then decided against it.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the ceiling sky high, and any effort on my part would only be an exercise in frustration.

I decided to check out the other tunnels, also.

Nothing.

All of them lacked even the slightest bit of light. And none of them particularly had even the slightest breeze.

This was bad. Bad on a whole lot of levels. There were six tunnels in total, all dark and with the likelihood of housing monsters. I had to choose one, and it would all depend on my luck.

Taking a deep breath, I calmly assessed each tunnel and ultimately decided on one at random.

Darkness wasn't unfamiliar to me, having worked in the mines in the past. Rosenthal County in particular had rich deposits of iron, and I had earned much from there for the current talent in my possession.

The tunnel had a few inches on my height, and I was grateful for that. While trudging deeper, I kept my ears open to listen for even the slightest sound.

At first I thought the tunnel might go on forever, but then I saw a flicker of light near a curve. My eyes brightened, and I hastened my pace slightly.

What greeted me upon taking the curve was the end of the tunnel and the cavern it led to. I would've pondered whether I was in a cave system or something, but my attention was entirely captivated by the scene before me.

If the cavern I had landed in had mana crystals in sparse quantity, then this one was brimming with them. It wouldn't be wrong to say that this entire system was made of the mana crystals.

"Holy shit!"

There must be tons of mana crystals in this cavern.

I walked out and glanced at the floor littered with crystal in the formation of blooming flowers. Each had to weigh a few kilograms, and there were hundreds just sprawled on the ground around me.

The walls, on the other hand, had mana crystals literally growing on them.

"Wow!"

I couldn't keep the amazement from seeping into my voice. This was absolutely phenomenal. The amount it would fetch might be in millions. I doubted even the nobles had earned that much in their entire lives.

As I was admiring the scene before me, I heard the clang of a stone hitting the ground. I stilled, my eyes going wide while my heart beat a mile a second.

What was that? I questioned. Did something fall? Is there someone else here?

I realized the wall before me curved around the edges. The cavern I landed in must've been the innermost part, while the one I stood in wrapped around that one. It would explain the crystals I saw on the wall.

The only question was—was there a way out of here?

One part of me was hopeful and almost praying that someone else was trapped with me. The other, more reasonable part of me told me to be cautious.

I used my basic stealth to make my way over to where I had heard the sound. Just as I was peeking around the corner, my heart leapt into my throat. There were goblins. Not a goblin. Goblins, plural!

Shit, what the hell do I do?

Goblins were monsters, much like the wolves we had fought above. If they found me, they would stop at nothing to tear me into pieces. On the other hand, this represented a chance at survival.

As an E-Rank hunter, I still had a need for sustenance like food and water. If the monsters lived here, then that meant both food and water in whatever form were available.

Hope.

That was the only thing I could rely on right now. Hope that I could survive this and get out of here alive.

I quietly slipped back, avoiding any crystal bits scattered near my feet. The goblins I just saw seemed to be collecting these things. While my curiosity desired answers, my brain thought better than to throw myself amid monsters.

Slipping back into the tunnel, I found solace in the darkness. I needed to get my thoughts in order.

Tunnels. Cavern. Monsters. Mana Crystals. And the weak me.

The first priority was to find an exit. I could use my current location as an emergency shelter. This place was as good as any.

Food and water were also important, but the search for those could be incorporated with the exit-finding task. Monsters were the only problem I was apprehensive to deal with.

It was too bad I lacked any discerning gaze that could peer at someone's profile. I have heard of people that possess talent like that, but never met one.

My mana reserves had already been restored. I was feeling a bit tired, but I could shoulder the burden. Time to get started.

The goblins were to my left, so I decided to take right. While walking, I kept to the corners to avoid attention. In case a monster did appear in my path, I would see it before it saw me.

It took me around five minutes before I came across another tunnel. I was fairly sure this tunnel led to the same cavern from earlier. But I continued forward after a single fleeting glance.

My heart was in my throat all the while, my shoulders tense and my legs stiff. Even the slightest noise made me skittish.

Again I peered from around the corner and hurriedly ducked behind. There was a lone goblin there with its back turned to me.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, then firmed my resolve. My entire apprehension stemmed from the fact that my existence would become known and I would be hunted throughout these tunnels. But if I had the chance to silence one monster and earn some XP while I was at it, I wasn't going to let the chance slip away.

Holding my dagger in a vice grip, I peeked once more, finding the monster busy poking at a mana crystal. Just to be sure, I glanced around and was relieved to find the monster alone.

I moved out of my cover, held my dagger ready, and advanced forward. One step, two steps, three steps. The goblin didn't turn. A smile stretched across my lips, and I activated my Sprint.

With a burst of speed, I arrived before the monster within a heartbeat. The poor sucker had no chance to retaliate or even cry out before the blade stabbed deep into its head.

The monster fell forward and atop the crystal with a light thud. I let out a sigh of relief and noted my XP go up by 4.25%. Not much, but I would take what I get.

I turned the goblin over and rummaged through its rucksack, finding rotting bones and half-eaten pieces of fruit. I brightened at the latter, feeling the hope bloom in my chest.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of my discovery. I then looked at the mana crystal the goblin was poking at and found it interesting.

It had a light purple sheen coating it, unlike the normal blue mana crystal. And it didn't let out as much glow. The goblin seemed to have loosened it from the ground, so I helped myself by pulling it out entirely.

It didn't weigh much, so I tucked it within my belt. All of my belongings were attached to that bag Theodore had taken from me, so I had nowhere else to keep it.

I resumed my search shortly after, but this time kept a close eye on distinct mana crystals. They might be useless to me, but if my intuition was correct, I might be able to use them to bait the goblins.