Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 592 - 59 Skydiving_1

Chapter 592: Chapter 59 Skydiving_1

The passage to the fifth level was unexpectedly different from the sloping or spiralling tunnels of the previous levels. When Ike led them to the end of a tunnel, pointing out their route, everyone was filled with surprise. The place Ike referred to was an underground cavity he had mentioned before, similar to Earth’s Scar, but it was not open-air. Looking up, all they could see was pitch-black rock.

The underground cavity was nearly circular, with a diameter of nearly two hundred meters. Looking out from the end of the tunnel, the tunnel’s exit was on a cliff top, under which hung numerous moss-covered stalactites. The thick points of the stalactites hung downwards, giving one a feeling they could fall at any moment. And as for looking down, they could only see darkness. As if this black hole was a gateway to Hell, waiting for its victims with an open mouth.

"Mr. Ike, are you certain this is the passage down?" Catherine asked standing at the edge of the cavity. She anxiously looked down but her headlamp was too dim to clearly illuminate the surroundings below. Even after turning on her shoulder lamp, its beam couldn’t reach the bottom either. This left them unable to determine the depth, or whether it was safe down there. Catherine sighed and whispered, "Is there a pool of water down there? I feel an unusual amount of humidity here. It’s probably coming from down there."

"A very deep pool. The entrance to the fifth level is at the bottom of it," Ike explained. "There aren’t many entrances leading to the fifth level. This one is the nearest, and also the safest. For all five of the other entrances, there are dangerous magical beasts lingering nearby. After all, they know that hunting one level up is the easiest, so they all compete for this opportunity."

"I wonder, why don’t they simply live above after hunting up there?" Vivian interjected. "I can’t understand this point. By your logic, the creatures on the lower levels are stronger than those above, so why not move up and live there? Why do they insist on staying on the lower levels? Here, they face stronger creatures than the previous level every time they hunt, and they constantly face threats from the sixth level. It seems much less leisurely than living above."

"I don’t know, but some people guess that it’s related to temperature," Ike conjectured. "You must have also felt it— the deeper we go, the hotter it gets. Probably the lower-level magical beasts are unable to adapt to the temperature of the new environment. Perhaps in their perception, the world one level above is as terrifying as if we were to land on the Perpetual Icefield."

"Maybe," Vivian murmured, gazing blankly into the deep underground cavity. "How deep is this place?"

"One hundred seventeen meters," Ike answered precisely. "It’s one hundred twenty-one meters from the top of the cavity to the water surface. From here, it’s one hundred seventeen meters. The pool beneath is incredibly deep. No one has actually measured it, but it’s surmised to be no less than fifty meters deep."

"Whew," Catherine exclaimed, licking her lips. "It’s so high. And I’ve just been checking out the surroundings. There are only a few places where we could secure an anchor point. Mr. Ike, you’re not going to tell us we have to jump down, are you?"

"Hehe, yes, that’s the plan!" Ike said, stroking his beard and laughing heartily at the knight’s reaction. "If we don’t jump, we’ll have a lot of trouble. Though there currently seems to be nothing beneath us, there are countless tiny bugs inhabiting the cave walls. They’re all thumb-sized and seem pretty unimpressive. But their ability to break defenses is exceptionally strong. Even if we form our shield, it won’t hold for more than a few minutes against tens of thousands of these bugs. However, if we jump, we won’t have to worry about them. One, because we’ll be falling at high speeds and they won’t have time to react. Two, they can’t swim, so as long as we’re underwater, we won’t be affected at all. So, adventurers who come here and opt for this path always choose to jump. Don’t worry, there’s nothing to obstruct us down there. There are no creatures, only water."

"That’s exactly the problem - the water!" Catherine laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "Lina, having ventured into the deep sea once, perhaps you’re somewhat accustomed to it now? In any case, we have Vivian’s underwater breathing potion, so we should be alright."

"Maybe...I guess so," Lina answered nervously, her legs wobbly. "I think we should go see Lanna and ask to borrow the Amphibian Beads again. That way, we’ll definitely be fine. Haha, haha, haha."

"You’ve started to talk nonsense," Catherine sighed. "Vivian, distribute one potion per person first. Also, Mr. Ike, after we go under, can we come back up? Or do we have to loiter underwater?"

"No, that won’t be required," Ike answered. "When we take the plunge, we’ll be moving rather quickly, so the bugs won’t be able to fly out and chase us, making the water surface safe. And as such, we can leave the water anytime. However, the passage is underwater, so you’ll have to reenter the water eventually. Alright, I’ll go first. Just keep calm and follow afterward. Just maintain a vertically straight posture in the air."

"Underwater? Seems like we’ve got another upward sloping passage." Watching as Ike plunged into the void, the sound of him hitting water resonating moments later, Catherine tilted her head back and gulped down the Underwater Breathing Potion, "Everyone, take your potions, Lina you..."

"Don’t worry about Lina, I’ve got her." Pannis interjected, "I’ll take her down with me. If you jump down and don’t see us, it means we’ve continued along the passage to the fifth layer. You can just follow and find us."

"How are you going to take her..." Catherine’s words were cut off as Pannis, in a flash, was behind Lina, his left hand sweeping around her waist and holding her against him. His right hand covered her mouth and nose just as he leapt from the cliff cave, directly into the pitch-black underground hollow.

The event happened so suddenly that Lina hadn’t even processed what was happening by the time she was held in mid-air by Pannis, the sound of rushing wind all around her. The view in front of her was lit up by the shoulder lamp, revealing a rocky wall dotted with strange rocks and small uneven caves – possibly the nests of the small bugs that Ike had mentioned. As they descended the pace increased; the rocks on the wall soon blurred into a fuzzy line. Out of nowhere, she heard Pannis’ deep voice, "Shield."

As they got lower, the knot in Lina’s heart had unconsciously unwound. This expansive yet dimly lit space reminded her of the abandoned, decrepit library she once frequented. She almost smelled the scent of decaying paper and ink; tightly held by Pannis, she felt as safe as when she was surrounded by her friends in the books. This familiar feeling of safety allowed her muscles to relax, letting Pannis control their fall. At Pannis’ command, she subconsciously casted a shield over them. The next moment, with a splash, they both plunged into the water.

Due to Pannis covering her mouth and nose, Lina luckily didn’t choke on the incoming water. Instead, they kept sinking, surrounded by countless white bubbles. The water in the pond was incredibly cold. The abrupt change from a humid cave to freezing water would’ve incapacitated anyone with lesser constitution.

As they descended deeper, around ten meters in, their descent slowed. They were adjusting to the underwater environment when Pannis cautiously removed his hand from Lina’s face. Lina held her breath and permitted the Underwater Breathing Potion to do its work, using her skin to exchange gases. Meanwhile, Pannis swam towards a dark cavity that he’d noticed during their descent. Halfway there, Ike could be seen swimming towards him through the curtain of water. Exchanging a series of gestures, Pannis swam past him and quickly slipped into the undersea tunnel.

The tunnel was gentle and deep. They swam for a good five minutes before reaching its end where there was nothing but emptiness above them. Resurfacing, they found themselves in a shallow area and got on their feet. Lina was breathing heavily, looking around in stunned silence until she finally found her voice and pointed at the surroundings, "Wha-what is all this... it’s so beautiful here."

"How would I know? It’s my first time here too," Pannis responds, switching off his shoulder lamp. Their surroundings were bathed in a soft ambient glow, though not as bright as sunlight, it was enough to see clearly. For instance, the strange smile on Pannis’ face while his gaze was fixated on Lina.

Lina met his gaze, and, realizing what he was staring at, quickly looked down. Indeed, her white priest’s robe was soaked, clinging to her skin provocatively. Despite being covered in a layer of leather armor and a skirt, her fair arms and long legs were starkly visible, leaving nothing to Pannis’s imagination.

Lina froze for a moment before suddenly stomping on Pannis’s foot, shouting, "You pervert, face the other way. I need to change."

"Why am I suddenly a pervert?" retorted Pannis, looking innocent as he turned his back to her. "It was an accident, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way."

"An accident? And you staring was also an ’accident’?" screamed Lina, her face burning with embarrassment as she hastily dug out fresh clothes from her waterproof backpack. Just as she was slipping into them, she heard a noise. Turning around, she saw the three girls staring blankly, their eyes equally wide, at the beauty of their surroundings. (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, feel free to support me on qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)