Chapter 157

To reach the back of the waterfall, Zich and his companions had to cross a narrow pathway on the cliffside, connected to the area behind the waterfall. No, it was an overstatement to call it a path. Its surface was barely wide enough to fit half of a small foot, and it was more like a long rock that stuck out of the cliffside. However, Zich and his companions were able to cross the path with ease.

Masses of boulders floated up and stuck to the cliffside, creating a new path for them. As soon as Zich and the others passed the boulders, the rocks returned to their original positions as more rocks rose up and made another path in front of them. This continued until they reached the back of the waterfall. Although the waterfalls water had soaked his clothes, Zich was satisfied with his leisurely walk.

Good job, Zich complimented Snoc and Nowem.

Yes, sir! Koo! Snoc and Nowem answered loudly. Snoc was at a stage where he didnt need to concentrate much to exert this level of control.

A magical beast of the earth. Its my first time seeing one.

Even Leona, who was an elf, had never seen a magical beast before and was very curious about Nowem. She stretched out her finger to Nowem, and Nowem sniffed her finger for a bit and stuck out a bit of his tongue. Leona made a sound that was between a shriek and a laugh. While she did this, Snoc completely froze in place. He still felt a bit awkward towards Leona since she was an elf, an existence that he had only heard of from stories.

Its here. At Zichs words, everyone stared in the direction he was pointing.

As Zich had said, there was a cave with a wide mouth behind the waterfall. Everyone gulped. A cave behind a waterfallcould there be anything that sounded more romantic and fairytale-like?

Lets go in. Zich took the lead and went inside the cave. Following him, the others began to enter the caves entrance one by one.

* * *

Perhaps because they were behind a waterfall, the insides of the cave were very humid and made their bodies feel damp. The humidity persisted and even seemed to grow worse as they went deeper inside the cave. Yet, the damp sensation eventually subsided. The caves bumpy floor was soon replaced by slabs of stone that made it easier for them to walk on, and the air suddenly changed.

I think these are the ruins from here on out.

A large door appeared in front of them. Strange symbols were carved into the door, giving it an ominous look.

Wow~! Leona exclaimed and approached the stone wall. She placed her hand on it and examined it all over. I feel like there will really be a treasure in there.

Zich asked, Did you doubt me?

N-No! Leona quickly denied it and hesitated. Then, she said while glancing at him, T-To tell you the truth, a bit

Its fine. It was a pretty suspicious story, after all.

Leona smiled slightly at Zichs forgiveness. Even if she was extremely gullible, she hadnt believed in Zich completely. Of course, it was ridiculous that she had followed him all this way even while not fully trusting him, but a part of her had trusted in her own skills.

I suppose she was sure that she could at least escape, Zich thought. Then, he walked to her side and placed his hand on the stone wall. He felt a chilling sensation on his palms and put more strength into his arms.

Sliiide!

The thick stone wall began to open. Although it was very heavy due to its size and material, there were no other obstacles blocking their path. There was no lock or magical barrier.

Crash!

Between the gaps of the open stone wall, they saw what was inside. A huge path continued to connect to other passages and puzzlingly felt quite familiar.

Dont you think this place is similar to the ancient ruins in Violuwin, Senior? Snoc asked Hans. He was a bit worried because he remembered how frustrating it had been when the ancient ruin sealed his earthly powers.

Hans agreed with him. However, they couldnt be certain that this ruin was the same kind as the one in Violuwin at this point.

Zich went inside first and withdrew Windur from his back, saying, Be on your guard. There will be enemies.

Stomp! Stomp!

As soon as Zich finished his sentence, they heard footsteps ahead. With the way the floor rang, it didnt seem like those approaching were humans.

Lyla asked, What kind of enemies?

See for yourself, Zich said and backed off so that Lyla could see better.

They saw its glittering red eyes first. The creature made no attempt to conceal its existence inside the darkness, and stomped towards them.

Its a golem, Lyla concluded.

Are you talking about those, Ms. Lyla? Hans asked. Since it was his first time seeing a golem, his voice was filled with curiosity. It was even