CHAPTER 21— The ILEUM Cavern
"ILEUM?" the man said.
"ILEUM…" Zodac echoed quietly, letting the word settle on his tongue.
A familiar panel instantly flashed before his eyes:
Very rare plant-based gem. Grows in small caverns only under specific environmental conditions. Green in color; solid gem-like shape. They grow from cave walls and ground and can be mined easily.
Use:
Boosts magic efficiency. Enhances weapons. Can be used in jewelry.
Zodac absorbed the information and kept his face unreadable.
"What about it?" he asked, voice flat, cold, giving the trader nothing to read.
"You see… there's an ILEUM cave just south of here. It used to be the lifeblood of the town." The man paused, clearly watching him. Zodac showed no reaction.
"Continue."
His tone was calm… too calm. It made the man's hands shake.
"T–The cave became inhabited by monsters two years ago. People stopped mining. The town almost collapsed."
"When did this happen?"
"Two years ago," the trader repeated nervously.
Zodac turned. "If the cave has been untouched for that long, the ILEUM should have grown significantly."
He began walking toward the southern side of the village.
"Henry!" the trader called out. "Make sure you trade it here!"
Zodac raised a lazy thumbs-up without looking back.
Only after Zodac disappeared around the corner did the trader's expression shift—his eyes sharp with hatred.
"Good riddance," he spat. "Threaten me and think you can just walk off? Fool."
He slid Zodac's money pouch deeper into his pocket and laughed quietly to himself.
SOUTH EDGE OF THE VILLAGE
A rotting wooden sign stood crookedly before Zodac:
KEEP OUT — MONSTERS PRESENT
"This will be quick," Zodac muttered. "In and out."
It was high noon—perfect time for light, even if the cave below would swallow it whole.
He tugged open the ground hatch. The rusted hinges screamed in protest before slamming open with a metallic boom.
A ladder descended into pitch blackness.
He exhaled, steadying his heartbeat.
Then he climbed down.
Each step took him deeper into the dark, the daylight shrinking above until it vanished entirely.
The cold down here felt alive—pressing against him, suffocating, crawling under his skin.
Then—
A faint green glow shimmered up from below.
When he finally reached the bottom, he turned… and his breath caught.
Like a hidden world.
A massive cavern stretched before him, glowing with a soft emerald radiance.
A waterfall spilled down into a dark pool far below.
The walls were studded with ILEUM crystals, pulsing faintly—like stars embedded in stone.
"Beautiful…" Zodac whispered.
But beauty meant danger.
Danger meant monsters.
He reminded himself of that.
Further ahead, five black tunnels opened into the rock, evenly spaced, each one leading into a different darkness of its own.
"Okay… that's creepy."
He spotted an old hammer and a thick mining nail lying abandoned nearby.
"How convenient," he muttered.
He picked them up and approached a large crystal embedded in the wall.
He set the nail against it and struck—
CLANG!
The sound exploded through the cavern, echoing endlessly.
Zodac froze.
Silence.
Nothing.
He exhaled and kept hammering until the crystal finally cracked free.
"Nice." He lifted it—and nearly dropped it.
"Why is it so heavy?"
He knelt, placed it carefully on the ground, and smashed it apart.
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
The sound carried eerily through the tunnels, like someone knocking on hollow bones.
When the crystal finally shattered, Zodac began loading the smaller shards into the green orb on his wrist.
The panel flashed—then violently glitched.
"Oh, not again…"
<6 stored | 6 absorbing>
"Wait—transfer all."
The glitch worsened.
<3 absorbed>
HECTOGON SHIELD
<3 absorbed>
HECTOGON SHIELD — UPGRADED
Zodac's irritation faded, curiosity taking over.
"Hectogon Shield…? What does it—"
He stopped.
His body tensed.
A cold, crawling sensation prickled down his spine.
He was being watched.
Slowly… very slowly… he turned his head toward the first tunnel.
Two faintly glowing red shapes floated in the shadows.
Eyes.
"Are those… eyes?" Zodac whispered.
A deep, low growl answered.
G R O W L
A head emerged from the darkness.
A dog—but wrong.
Its skull was covered in jet-black plating, almost like natural armor. Its eyes glowed red.
Zodac exhaled shakily.
"It's just a dog…"
Relief started to ease his jaw—
Until another head emerged beside it.
His stomach dropped.
"There's two…" he breathed. The fear in his voice betrayed him.
Still, he tried to convince himself.
"They're dogs… I can handle dogs…"
Kogetsu materialized at his waist, and he drew the blade.
Then the creature stepped fully out of the tunnel.
And Zodac felt his heart stutter.
A massive, hulking figure—four thick legs ending in black claws sharp enough to carve stone. Its fur was dark and coarse. Each head dripped strings of saliva, teeth jagged and uneven.
Then—
RRAAAUUUGHH!!
It barked.
The sound was more like a roar—deafening, unnatural, enough to make the cave tremble.
Zodac's face drained of color.
"Oh… my god…"
His breath hitched.
Confidence evaporated instantly.
He stared at the monster—this towering, two-headed beast with predator eyes that seemed to glow brighter with each passing second.
And Zodac realized…
He wasn't fighting a dog.
He was fighting something built to kill.