Enatsu immediately put a hand on Yoichi's shoulder, as if time was flowing differently in his mind. The young tamer paused, looking with questioning eyes at his friend.
The merchant continued to reason in silence while his heart beat hard in his chest: at that very moment, Shioko's foot, the first in line, crossed the threshold of the rocky door.
"Get out of there!" Enatsu violently yelled, dashing to her. Grabbing her quiver with one hand and her leather armour with the other, he yanked the archer backwards.
Shioko and Enatsu fell on each other without suffering considerable damage. The next moment, the large piece of rock soaked in the dark substance broke away from the top of the door, falling to the floor.
*boom* - The rockslide triggered an explosion that caused slippery walls to vibrate and detach small debris from the ceiling. *cough*cough* "What?" Shioko gulped, lying above Enatsu's body, which had cushioned the fall.
With his sudden gesture, the merchant had saved his companion's life, predicting the detachment of the boulder and managing to act in time. For the first time, Enatsu had succeeded to use his insight for fear of doing the wrong thing.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Yoichi gasped, approaching his comrades and helping them get up. He first grabbed Shioko's hand, who nimbly stood up.
"Yes... ouch... I'm all right, I'm all right… I guess…" the merchant murmured, grabbing his companion's forearm. When the dust generated by the boulder's fall dissolved, his gaze crossed with Shioko's, falling into deep embarrassment.
Fortunately, their awkward silence was again interrupted by Yoichi. "How did you do it? How did you know that boulder was going to collapse?" he asked incredulously.
"I... I just looked at the direction of the mud veins on the ceiling and... well, I was able to calculate the time that that boulder eroded by the same substance would take", Enatsu explained. Despite his modesty, he also realized that what he had just done had been incredible.
Under the guise of answering his friend's question, he diverted his gaze from Shioko, still shocked by what had happened. "During your stay at the Dojo, Sada-sensei handed me some great manuals to study to become a wizard worthy of the Nightblades. Fortunately, in the only chapter of the first manual I was able to read in just three days, I found useful information about places like these", Enatsu spoke.
"Manuals to become wizards? That's cool!" Yoichi rejoiced, glad his friend finally showed some determination.
"In those tomes is enclosed the knowledge of the greatest science experts of Lumya. There is information about different biomes, mountain ranges, glaciers and volcanoes. Everything related to the demons that inhabit those places. In a nutshell, I was able to identify in the fractures of that rock substantial structural damage and..."
"Ahem..." Shioko interrupted Enatsu's endless explanation, clearing her throat. The merchant stopped talking, realizing that he looked too nerdy in the eyes of the archer.
"All right. You don't have to say that. We're just wasting our time, I got it. Let's go," Enastu replied, starting to walk behind his teammates again.
After that short break, the bleak atmosphere of the cave increased considerably. The three adventurers approached the entrance to the eastern room, partially closed by the large boulder that had just fallen.
"Mind your step... the rocks may still be unstable", Yoichi advised, walking sideways to enter without touching the large crushed boulder.
Without difficulty, flying into the widest space of the natural door, Nobu brought its light inside the room. It was much smaller than the atrium in which they faced the Komoeru.
Shioko wielded the bow with both her hands, and Yoichi prepared to activate Kenji's upgrade when all three were inside. The light of the Hotasagi highlighted both the sidewalls but not the one in front of them.
The room was a perfect mix between the central atrium of the dungeon and the corridor after the entrance. Extending more in length than width, it forced the tamers to proceed in single file, one after the other.
In that tight and regular space, every creaking of the rock and drop of liquid that fed the puddles on the floor was amplified. Paying particular attention to minimizing the sound of their steps, the three explorers found themselves in front of something unexpected.
Nobu stopped in mid-air, framing the end of the cave. A vertical wall closed that room with no exit, about thirty meters long. In front of it, three headstones were wedged into the ground, next to each other.
"Oh, fuck... is... it's terrifying, holy shit! Enatsu stuttered, hiding behind Yoichi's back and trembling like a leaf. The young tamer silenced him with a hand gesture, trying to focus on that unusual scene.
Shioko approached cautiously. After each step, she moved her foot sideways to the left and right, as if looking for something on the floor. "I have never been in this room... someone may have set traps," she spoke, anticipating Yoichi's question, who looked at her from behind.
"Are you saying you never came in here? Didn't you say you've completed this dungeon so many times?" Enatsu inquired, disheartened by that statement.
"Completing a dungeon means defeating its boss, my naive merchant" Shioko mumbled. "When you find out how many XP points you can receive from killing a boss, you'll understand why I've never paid attention to the other rooms," she added.
"Oh, shit... you could have told us before that you're a speedrunner!" Enatsu barked aloud. That discovery did not seem to please the merchant, who did not stop complaining for a moment.
"A... what? Can't you talk normally?" Yoichi asked, shaking his head. Although ironically, the young tamer never missed the opportunity to learn new technical terms.
"I haven't always been, okay? There are dungeons I know better than others! The Blackvault Mines aren't among them, but it doesn't matter! The battle against the boss is crucial. Is the only thing that really matters!" – Shioko's response sounded particularly irascible. Enatsu's accusation had brought up a sore spot.
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