Preparations for the Red Moss Cave mission had consumed one more day than Theo anticipated. He'd spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday studying and crafting, turning the small base into a weapons workshop. Now everything was ready for the hunting trip at Thursday's dawn.

  On the table, tactical support items were neatly arranged: two thin Smoke Bombs (worth 2,200 copper), two heavy Sticky Globs (2,400 copper), and one Numbing Smoke Bomb (1,200 copper), marked with a warning red leather cord. Weapons and bow had been maintained and oiled to gleaming; dry rations were ready for the whole team. Swift and Shadow had received full food rations and were sleeping obediently in their pen.

  Al, whose feathers Theo had groomed, looked far more majestic and imposing. Its yellow eyes were sharp and cold as it stood on the oak branch observing, focus and readiness for the new adventure radiating from its wings.

  Looking at Al, Theo suddenly asked G, a bit of curiosity creeping in:

  "G, it seems Al's gotten bigger, right? Or am I imagining things?"

  G's voice rang out, no longer the usual humor, but carrying the incomprehensible objectivity of a data analysis system:

  "Accurate. Over the past 2 weeks, Al has grown 2 cm taller and gained 40 grams—1.15% growth. Al is an adult Pidgey. Its growing this fast is abnormal, following no biological cycle or nutrition pattern recorded in the data repository. System recommends continued close monitoring."

  Theo frowned. Al was the first Pokémon he owned, so he lacked knowledge and experience in these situations. Suppressing internal worry, adjusting his state, he asked G:

  "Does this affect Al's health?"

  G replied: "Health remains normal so far. Muscle mass increase and bone density improvement helps overall stamina enhancement and strength increase by 1%. No signs of cellular degeneration or unstable energy. Progress very good."

  Theo exhaled with relief. Temporarily no time to analyze deeper, but he knew he needed to learn more Pokémon knowledge in the future.

  "Liam, it's time. Let's go."

  Liam was wearing his cowhide armor—a secondary armor set maintained with oil, planned for use in cases requiring maximum flexibility. On his shoulder, he carried the disassembled Zaravand Short Spear with hammer blade removed. Theo and Liam had calculated carefully: if fighting in the cave, the hammer blade would reduce stamina and couldn't maximize speed. Removing it would reduce weight, increase speed and safety for Liam. With the Remnant Wind Method, this was the safe choice, helping him attack or retreat in a flash. Liam nodded, hunting trip excitement replacing all fatigue.

  The whole team was ready to enter Red Moss Cave.

  Morning sunlight gentle, fresh air enveloping the town. Theo and Liam moved quickly, avoiding crowded paths. Liam walked ahead, steps light despite wearing armor. Theo followed behind, bow on back and support pouch; Al soared above, yellow eyes sweeping over dense foliage.

  The 10 km journey northeast of Oakhaven didn't take long. When sunlight began growing harsher, they reached the abandoned Old Stone Mine area—a barren land, stained with industry and forgetting.

  The cave entrance lay behind heaps of rusted coal carts and rotted wooden pillars. It wasn't a natural cave but an artificial mine shaft mouth in arch shape, about two people tall.

  The cave mouth appeared like a brutal crack on the stone flank, wrapped by rough, cold gray granite slabs. On the rock surface, gray-green moss clung in patchy splotches, but most prominent was still the thick layer of red moss covering the entrance—moss colored dark red like dried blood, the origin making this place bear the name Red Moss Cave. Under early sunlight, that red color became more vivid, like an open wound still sullenly bleeding, both gruesome and warning.

  Even before stepping in, Theo and Liam already sensed the bitterly cold air current wafting from inside. It wasn't natural mountain rock coldness, but cold to the point like the breath of something sleeping deep in darkness. The scent of long-damp earth mixed with metallic minerals faintly drifted in the air, and mingled below was a faint fishy smell, very faint but enough to make those familiar with low-grade Beasts vigilant.

  Everything combined created an indescribable uneasy feeling—as if the cave was silently warning those who dared enter it.

  Liam stopped twenty meters from the cave entrance, raising his hand in signal. He said in a low voice:

  "Here it is, Red Moss Cave. I feel a bit uncomfortable, probably from air not circulating for so long."

  Theo nodded, hand touching the Sticky Glob. The plan was about to begin. He immediately requested G analyze the internal environment.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  G's voice rang in his mind, objective and cold:

  "This dark red moss layer like dried blood lives thanks to high Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) concentration in the rock. The combination of moss and humidity creates a surface with extremely low friction coefficient (μ ~ 0.15). Must be extremely careful—slippery. Current air oxygen concentration is 20.8%, within safe threshold (>=19.5%). However, Sulfur Compounds traces are gradually increasing, having locally polluted the air."

  He closed his eyes. In his mind, Liam's charcoal map became a 3D model: narrow passages, dark forks, slippery moss layers.

  Liam was the only one with sufficient strength, speed, and optimized weapons. Theo would manage battle tempo with bow and traps.

  As for Al…

  Taking Al into a place where it couldn't take flight was foolish. It had to stay outside, guarding the retreat path.

  Theo opened his eyes. His and Liam's gazes met.

  "Liam, you go first. Use Remnant Wind to retreat if needed. Remember, no prolonged engagement. I'll follow behind at safe distance, ready to support."

  Liam nodded:

  "I understand. Trapping them inside is just what I want."

  Theo turned to Al:

  "Al, you stay at the cave entrance. Stand guard. If anything abnormal happens, signal immediately."

  Al cried softly, then flew up to perch on a rock near the cave entrance, yellow eyes vigilant.

  The two boys turned their backs to the gradually fading morning sunlight, then stepped into the pitch-black cave mouth. The moment they crossed the boundary between light and dark, temperature dropped noticeably, as if coldness imprisoned for years was spilling from the earth's depths.

  Red moss soft and damp slipped under shoe soles, making an unpleasant squelching sound. Damp musty smell, dense mineral smell, along with faint metallic fishy smell like the breath of something that had lived here very long, made Theo's chest tighten slightly.

  Inside, the tunnel's rock walls were low and curved, supported by rotted wooden beams. Many beams had long since collapsed, leaving dark patchy spaces like time's carvings. On the ceiling, water dripped one drop at a time... drip... drip... echoing in the narrow space, making the silence more tense.

  Light from outside was only enough to illuminate the first few meters then died, leaving behind darkness thick as a heavy cloth covering all senses. A thin mist layer like stone dust floated in the air, reflecting faint light creating scattered shimmering streaks—seemingly beautiful, but evoking an eerie feeling.

  Liam walked ahead, each step light but firm, Short Spear always held in defensive stance. Theo stuck close behind, palm placed near Smoke Bomb and Sticky Glob pouch, each step measured carefully to avoid slipping on the moss layer.

  The only sound accompanying them was dripping water and breathing gradually becoming shorter due to the enclosed space's stuffiness—as if the entire cave was swallowing each breath.

  They had officially entered Red Moss Cave.

  They went deeper into the cave. Natural light from outside was quickly swallowed by dense darkness. Theo's vision dropped to nearly zero. They couldn't use fire because Stone Bugs were very sensitive to fire. He could only grope behind Liam's vague shadow ahead; quite fortunately, since childhood Liam was very sensitive to sound and smell, so darkness didn't make him too hesitant either. The air was cold and damp, carrying dense sulfur smell, raw minerals and thick concentrated fishy smell—the characteristic smell of Stone Bug colonies.

  They were walking on a narrow path, underfoot mud mixed with Red Moss, making each step slippery and requiring high concentration.

  Liam, like a phantom familiar with darkness, walked ahead slowly, Short Spear held firmly. He didn't need to see. He listened.

  Suddenly, Liam stopped.

  Theo immediately held his breath, entire body stiffening. He sensed the change in his friend's breathing rhythm.

  A faint sound, like stone scraping, then the characteristic "clack clack clack" of Stone Bugs echoed from the narrow bend ahead.

  "Damn it," Liam muttered, his voice swallowed by damp air. "I think I just startled one."

  Theo quickly drew a Sticky Glob from the support pouch, finger placed lightly on the activation pull cord. This was a chance to test.

  Then came a loud collision, and a dark object, size of a small dog with rough stone-like outer shell, charged straight at Liam.

  Liam reacted instantly. The Remnant Wind Method helped him dodge to the side, avoiding the first collision strike in an instant. The Stone Bug crashed into the cave wall, sending rock fragments and red moss flying.

  "Solo, just as predicted!" Liam shouted, Short Spear already moved into ready stance.

  Theo knew this was time to act. Liam was pinning down the Stone Bug, creating a fixed target.

  Theo didn't hesitate. He understood that in this narrow space, sound was the most dangerous enemy. Eliminating prey quickly and cleanly without alarming others to collect powder on their backs was the prerequisite for seeking Crystal Fungus Fat.

  He threw the Sticky Glob with moderate force, aiming straight at the cave floor right under the Stone Bug's body.

  Thud—a small, muffled sound, not echoing at all, completely different from stone collision sounds.

  The Sticky Glob exploded, releasing thick organic adhesive layers. The glue with wild honey viscosity stuck to the Stone Bug's rough armor shell and immediately bonded it to the damp bedrock floor. The Stone Bug struggled desperately, its sharp cold clack clack clack choked by the glue layer—it couldn't move anymore.

  Immediately, Liam closed in. The Remnant Wind Method helped him glide as lightly as a phantom. The Zaravand Short Spear with hammer blade removed became a giant trident, used by Liam as a specialized weapon for cave close combat. He used the Short Spear to stab straight into the thin armor gap on its head—the Stone Bug's fatal weakness.

  Swoosh!

  No sound. The Stone Bug stiffened, body paralyzed by sticky glue and died immediately from the precise strike.

  "Done," Liam whispered, not breathing hard at all.

  Theo stepped forward. The path ahead was clear.

  "Very clean. Sticky Glob works perfectly," Theo said. He carefully drew the special bronze alloy knife from the collection toolkit, gently scraping the gray-white powder layer on the Stone Bug's back. This was important material for the Apothecary formula he'd learned.

  At this moment, they stood in silence, listening. The only sound was dripping water and their own breathing.

  "Maybe this is the only Stone Bug at the entrance," Liam said, but didn't lower the Short Spear.

  Theo agreed. "No risks. We need to find signs of the colony."

  "Continue," Theo said, putting away the bronze knife and first Stone Bug powder container.