Chapter 9

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After entering the cave, Celia took out a white candle and lit it.

Since there were no plants in the cave, they could only use the white candles by lighting them normally.

After placing the candles, Celia observed the cave with the help of the candlelight.

George noticed this and flexed the hand that was holding Noxkaius briefly.

The darkness was instantly dispelled and the entire cave became clear as day.

Seeing this, Celia turned to George and said,

“Quit wasting your energy.”

George smiled reassuringly Celia.

“Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

George then looked past Celia and into the depths of the cave. Assessing the direction of the tunnel, he said,

“From the looks of it, this place leads directly into the interior of Boneyard Range.”

“If that’s the case, there should also be an entrance at Boneyard Range.”

At that, Celia paused, then continued anxiously,

“Then shouldn’t this place be discovered long ago?”

“It’s hard to say. Boneyard Range is prone to earthquakes, so there are often landslides and the like. So even if there is an entrance there, it’s very likely that it’s been buried.”

It was a sensible explanation, but Celia quickened her pace regardless.

However, before long, they saw light coming from the end of the tunnel.

“George, look! There’s light!”

“Be careful. Maybe there really is someone here.”

Sensing that there might be something up ahead, George immediately pulled Celia behind him.

Passing through the tunnel, what greeted them was a vast, bright cavern.

On the walls of the cavern were all kinds of glittering, translucent ores they couldn’t name. The ores emitted a colorful light, illuminating the entire cavern.

Swish~

A gentle breeze blew past, and the sound of leaves rubbing against each other could be heard.

Patches and patches of trees appeared before George and Celia.

Whoosh!

Rushing rivers could be seen forming a net of Intricate tributaries that wove in and out of trees.

Who would have thought that there would be another world hidden under this massive mountain range?

“There’s an underground forest here?” The sights before her gave Celia quite a shock.

“It feels like we’re in another world,”

George said, admiring the magnificent, dreamlike world before him.

Celia’s attention was suddenly drawn to a very special tree.

“George, look! That should be what we’re looking for.”

George looked in the direction that Selia was pointing at. And there, amidst the forest, stood an enormous tree that towered above the rest.

Apart from being much taller than the other trees, the tree itself was emitting a dark green light. It was also surrounded by white mist..

It stood out so much that they couldn’t have missed it even if they tried.

“If the Fruit of Gifts really exists, then it’s gotta be there.”

George nodded in agreement.

He turned away from the tree and took a look at his surroundings. They were in the upper half of the cavern, a considerable distance away from ground level where the tree was.

There were no roads connecting the two sections.. To get to the forest below they would have to either fly over or jump down.

George thought about it for a moment, then moved to hold Celia by the waist.

Sensing George’s movement, Celia understood what he wanted had in mind wrapped her arms around him.

“Hold on tight.”

With that, George leapt into the air and descended to the lower-levels in free fall.

In George’s arms, Celia began casting magic barriers to protect them both.

George tightened his hold around Celia. “There’s no need,” he said.

“Just to be safe.”

Celia knew what George meant, but she didn’t stop what she was doing.

Just as the two of them were about to crash into the ground, George turned his right hand so the tip of Noxkaius was pointed towards the floor.

Light bloomed around them.

Then, a light beam shot towards the ground.

Boom!

Using the recoil from the beam, the two of them landed safely.

George put Celia down and looked around. They didn’t notice it when looking at it from afar.

But now that they were actually in the forest, George and Celia realized that this forest wasn’t your average forest

Every single tree that surrounded them was extremely tall. At least ten times taller than the ones they usually saw.

And it wasn’t just the trees. All plant-life here were much larger than those on the surface.

Being in this forest made it feel as if the entire world had become bigger, and them, smaller.

“George, do you think we’ve arrived in the territory of the giants?”

“Who knows? Maybe there really are giants here.”

This forest was unexplored territory for them. They knew nothing about this place, which meant anything could happen.

Ceilia knew this as well. Which was why she took out two bottles of the precious stamina potion and made sure each of them had one on hand, just in case.

Having completed preparations, the two of them continued deeper into the forest, towards the giant glowing tree..

“George, look at how big this Ruro Fruit is! And it’s not even the biggest one. That one is even bigger. Oh my god. George, this place is like paradise for you.”

Ruro Fruit was what apples were called in this world. Be it in flavor or in appearance, there were no differences between the two.

He looked in the direction that Celia was pointing at and saw a large number of Ruro trees.

They had no idea what caused this, but every single Ruro Fruit on the tree was enormous in size and looked absolutely delectable. Even from below the tree, they could smell the rich fragrance of the fruit.

George swallowed, hard. Even though he had just eaten, he felt hungry again.

Seeing this, Celia suggested,

“Why don’t we take a break first. I need to replenish my magic anyway, and you should eat to replenish your strength too George.”

Celia had some understanding of George’s constitution and knew that he could become stronger by eating.

Therefore, if George was to eat all the fruits here, he would grow stronger. Which would make the rest of their journey a little safer.

One of the rules of survival for adventurers was: To ensure their own safety as much as possible. Adventurers should never put their own lives at risk. After all, you only had one life.

Thus, it didn’t matter even if it slowed them down a little. It was worth it if George could become stronger.

George did not refuse this suggestion. Instead, he aimed Noxkaius at the fruits on the tree.

Next, fine laser beams shot out from its tip.

The laser beam pierced through the branches and the Ruro fruits fell onto the ground one after another.

Once the fruits were on the ground, George and Celia finally got a better sense of the actual size of these fruits.

“They’re huge!” Even though she had already said it once, Celia couldn’t help but exclaim again upon seeing the fruits up close.

A single fruit was the size of a millstone. It was basically impossible for an adult to hold a second one after taking a first.

“I can finally have a full meal…”

Looking at the fallen Ruro fruits, George smiled happily. He then opened his mouth and pounced at the fruits gleefully..