Chapter 48: Chapter 48 - The Abandoned Cave
Crowne and the others had already returned to Stromhall City. They had even arrived at the inn. The day had turned dark, so they decided to rest for the night before doing anything else.
Tomorrow morning, they would head to the adventurers’ guild to sell and complete the missions they had taken earlier.
However, when Crowne arrived at the guild, it was unusually crowded. Several adventurers were gathered, nodding as they listened to instructions from the guild master.
Crowne had no idea what was going on. He ignored the commotion and continued walking toward the counter, meeting the receptionist and immediately handing over his mission paper.
"Can I retake the test?" asked Crowne.
The receptionist stared at Crowne for a moment. "Give me your guild card," she said, stretching out her hand.
Without hesitation, Crowne handed over his guild card. The woman took it and examined it carefully. After a short while, she nodded.
"You can, but you’ll have to wait three days. The guild is currently very busy, so we can’t hold any tests right now," the receptionist explained.
Crowne nodded. "That’s fine. I’ll wait." He turned around to leave, but then stopped and faced her again. "Can I sell more Gorthaks?" he asked.
"How many do you have?"
Crowne glanced at his inventory. He planned to sell at least thirty percent of his stock. He nodded, already deciding on the number.
"How about one hundred more? Would that be possible?"
The receptionist’s eyes widened. She even swallowed hard. "One hundred Gorthaks? Are you sure you didn’t say that by mistake?"
Crowne checked his inventory again and counted carefully. He was certain that one hundred was the number he wanted to sell. He nodded firmly.
"I didn’t make a mistake. I really want to sell one hundred Gorthaks. Is that too little?"
The receptionist shook her head quickly. "N-no, that’s plenty."
She stepped out from behind the counter and gestured for him to follow. "Come with me. There isn’t enough space at the front for this."
Crowne nodded. "Alright."
**
Meanwhile, several adventurers were exploring the forest, specifically near the cave from before. They moved around the area, collecting anything that looked useful or could serve as a clue.
Dorian was leading the entire operation. He now stood about sixty meters from the cave entrance, his sharp eyes fixed on the dark opening.
"What is this place? Who used to live here? And who fought here yesterday?"
Those were the questions in his mind, questions with no answers. Dorian had been thinking hard but found nothing that could explain it.
The only thing he was certain of was that the cave had been the lair of a lich. That was all. Whether the lich was still alive, who it was, or why it left—Dorian had no idea.
Who fought against the lich? Who won between them? Dorian didn’t know either.
As for the underground chamber, he hadn’t entered it yet. It was too dangerous. He was waiting for envoys from the central guild to investigate it. For now, that chamber was guarded so no one could go inside.
Dorian was still deep in thought, stroking his chin repeatedly. "Since when has this place existed? I never received any report that a cave like this was here."
He was puzzled. He felt as if he had failed in his duties. If only he had been more thorough, this wouldn’t have happened. He slightly blamed himself for everything that occurred.
As he pondered, suddenly someone ran toward him. "Leader, I found something!" the man shouted.
Dorian turned to look. The man was holding a torch in his right hand. Dorian frowned, confused why the man was so excited over a mere torch.
The man extended his hand, offering the torch he had found. "I found this over there!"
Dorian frowned again. "What’s so important about this torch? If you’re just fooling around, this isn’t funny," he scolded.
The man waved his hands quickly. "No, sir, I’m not joking!"
He immediately poured water over the torch. But instead of extinguishing, the fire didn’t go out. The water curved unnaturally, avoiding the flame.
Not only that—the torch was struck with a large rock and even stabbed into the ground, yet the fire didn’t die at all. It was strange.
Dorian frowned deeper. "How can this torch not go out?"
"That’s what I’m saying. It’s really strange. This torch is truly unique."
Dorian took the torch and held it himself. The moment he did, he felt mana being absorbed continuously into the flame.
He instantly understood why the torch remained lit. However, this wasn’t ordinary, it was the first time he’d seen a torch that used mana as its fuel. Moreover, the handle of the torch didn’t burn or shrink despite the flame burning for so long. That meant the fire and the wood weren’t actually connected.
It was as if the fire and the handle were two separate entities. Dorian had never seen anything like it.
"I’ll keep this and study it further," he said.
The man who had found the torch stood silently before Dorian, staring at him for a long moment. Dorian noticed and frowned.
"What now?" Dorian asked.
"Didn’t you promise a reward for anyone who found something valuable? I believe this torch is something special," the man said.
Dorian sighed and nodded. "Fine."
Reluctantly, he handed over fifteen bronze coins. The man’s expression showed clear dissatisfaction. He squinted at Dorian.
"Is that all?"
"I found a torch that doesn’t go out! I’m sure it’s an important artifact. You should at least give me five silver coins," he complained.
Dorian wanted to scold him, but he sighed again and finally gave the man what he asked for. After that, he immediately dismissed him.
With a big, greedy grin, the man left, satisfied with his payment.
"They’re really money-hungry," Dorian muttered. He looked at the torch in his hand again. "What are you, exactly?"
A second later, he suddenly felt a terrifying dark power invading his mind. He quickly threw the torch away.
His heart pounded twice as fast, and his hands trembled with fear.
"What was that?"
He swallowed hard. A faint whisper echoed in his head for a few seconds, urging him to take his own life. It was horrifying.
For Dorian, the branch guild master of Stromhall City, to be struck by a psychic attack.
"What did I just witness? A demon?" he muttered.
Dorian cautiously picked the torch up again, but this time, nothing happened. Even after several minutes of holding it, there was no reaction. It puzzled him deeply.
"Was that just my imagination?"