[Chapter 31. Burrowing Depths]

  The walls were made of tightly packed soil and roots, the air was thick with the smell of damp earth. The narrow passage forced him to walk hunched over, the rough stone scraping against his shoulders as he moved deeper into the tunnel. Summoning two assault drones, one defensive drone and one recon drone.

  With a mental command he send the two assault drones up ahead together with the recon drone. They sped up and vanished in the low light of the cramped tunnel, mere seconds after the sounds of their twin magitech cannons filled the tunnel their crimson lights flashed in the distance. Following them at a steady pace, he noticed that the ground was littered with the bodies of giant beetles their black chitin shattered and smoking. His magitech rifle in hand he crouched down and looked at one of them the system window appearing in front of his vision.

  `I have expected them to be lower level but Level 3, well... no wonder my drones blaze through them.′ He thought as he kept walking through the low tunnel, his back bend as he moved.

  Kicking the occasional corpse of a beetle out of the way after slipping over one of them and almost falling as an result of it. After a painful walk with a hunchback for over five minutes the tunnel widened slightly, enough that he could stand upright without hitting his head.

  On one side of the tunnel was a large cluster of pulsating, greenish-purple fungi that cast a faint, eerie glow on the surrounding walls. Their caps were covered in a sticky, translucent slime that dripped slowly onto the floor, creating a soft, sizzling sound as it hit the stone.

  The air here was heavy with the scent of decay, the ground a mess of mud and beetle parts. The glow was almost blinding after the near pitch black of the tunnel behind him. His eyes scanned the cavern, taking in the details.

  He noticed that the fungal growth was not uniform, some areas were denser than others, their light more intense. He also saw that the walls were covered in scratch marks, deeper and more numerous than before.

  "ahhh~" he exhaled as he stretched his back, shouldering his rifle loosely.

  There were no more crimson flashes at the end of the tunnel, it was also very silent, the only reason he knew that his drones were still active was his mental connection to them.

  It took another five minutes before the path opened into a massive cavern, its ceiling high above thick roots penetrating it while weaving in on themselves. Forming a stable ceiling of roots and dirt, from witch the corpse five meter long centipede was dangling.

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  Strange, pulsating fungi cast an eerie glow across the stone walls, their light dancing in shades of sickly green and deep violet. The ground beneath his feet was uneven, littered with jagged rocks and slick patches of dark, glistening slime.

  The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and something sweet, his focus went on the centipede that was slightly swinging. It was dead a single, large hole in its head, from witch black fluid was dripping. As he examined the corpse the system window opened in front of him again.

  `An elite on Level 4? Hmm... well my drones took it out without me even seeing it. This makes me wonder what the boss will look like.′ He thought while walking past the corps.

  Back in the tunnels he kept an eye out for anything that could jump him at any moment, his rifle was always ready to shoot but all he found were dead beetles. As he wandered the tunnels he stopped and turned towards the wall to his left, it was a patch that his recon drone pinged him a while back.

  Striking it with the bud of his rifle it sank slightly into the loose earth, leaning his rifle against the wall behind him to have both his hands free. Searanox started digging in the loose earth, shortly after it fell in on itself and revealed a small out cove behind the dirt. In its center was a small chest, not bigger then a shoebox made out of light colored wood.

  It was not sealed or locked the lid lifted with ease, the inside of the box was rather empty. Just a small coin pouch with six silver coins and a short dagger in a sheath, after fixing them both to his belt he draw the dagger from the sheath.

  The blade was about 20cm long with a serrated back, the handle was simple black wood with no ornaments. The steel was dark, almost black with a faint green sheen to it, it was sharp as he tested it on a nearby root.

  "Not bad for a random find in a wall, it's better then nothing." mumbling softly as he placed the dagger back in its sheath.

  `This is a nice bonus, but I still prefer a gun over a knife.′ He thought while pulling the rifle from the wall and continued walking down the tunnel, the end of it was not far away. The walls started to become smoother and the roots thicker, the tunnel itself seemed to be carved instead of dug.

  The air was warmer, the smell of earth was replaced by a faint, metallic scent. The pulsating fungi became more frequent, their light brighter and more intense. The tunnel ended in a large, circular cavern. The walls were almost barren except for the few occasional patches of fungi and yet this was the brightest place he has been since entering this place. Littering the floor were massive pits filled with bright orange liquid which glowed, a wave of heat washed over him, the air was so hot it felt difficult to breathe.