Enel's mind returned to his current situation, but the memory had put him in a more somber mood than before. He looked at the fire, watching the flames dancing. Then he took a bite from his roasted meat and drank from the water bottle he found at the inn. He had gathered the water from the rain.
"I just wished that things could have gone differently," he muttered to himself. "That's an even bigger reason why I have to survive and not let their sacrifices go to waste... I *will* survive this place and find answers to my existence and the darkness within me."
Then his eyes glinted with realization. "Yes... the darkness." The shriveled husks of the aether beasts appeared in his mind. He felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, and then, almost immediately, it was gone.
"What... what was I talking about again? Yes, yes, I have to survive this ordeal. That was the last request of the Village Head." Unaware of the gap in his memory, he wanted to bring out the map to study it when he heard a creeping sound, like hundreds of feet moving on the rocky ground of the cave.
He turned to look at the passageway that led further into the cave, into the darkness. Then he strained his eyes, activating the altered perception. He saw aether in the air, and he also saw aether residue along the walls of the cave. It was then he saw a huge centipede monster crawling along the wall, its antennae moving around. He deactivated his perception before it took a toll on his brain and instinctively grabbed the knife, not taking his eyes off the darkness.
Then the centipede monster entered the small circle of light the fire cast, and he stood up, ready to retaliate the moment it struck. Its carapace glistened, reflecting the flames. It moved slowly along the walls, its antennae dancing. There was something wrong with the way it moved, and Enel picked up on it almost instantly. It felt strange, but the centipede was dangerously close to him, and Enel had a hypothesis and decided to test it.
He bent down and picked up the map, waiting for it to draw nearer to him. As it did, Enel felt a wave of unease. He didn't want to play this gamble with his life, especially not after promising to survive a few seconds ago. He gulped as it drew nearer, its carapace brushing against his body, but it did not react. He reached his hands out and touched it gently at first, then harder, flicking it before heaving a sigh of relief.
He shifted a few feet away from the beast and watched as it approached his backpack. He observed with curiosity as it thrashed around, spilling the aether gems in the process. The monster curled around them, and after a few seconds, it uncurled and moved forward. "It's blind," Enel said to himself. He knew because it didn't react to the fire, and it also couldn't feel him—or perhaps it couldn't sense him due to his insufficient power.
As it was about to exit the area, Enel drew the knife a bit from its scabbard. Almost instantly, the creature reacted. It lunged toward him with unprecedented speed, and Enel, taken by surprise, was thrown off balance, landing gracelessly on his rear. The creature lunged at him again, and he narrowly dodged it by rolling to the side, avoiding death. The knife slid back into its scabbard as he rolled, ensuring it didn't cause harm to him. The monster returned to its usual blind self, moving slowly along the wall.
Then realization hit him. He stood up, dusted himself off, and picked up one of the gems. He brought it closer to the monster with each step, dread building inside him. He activated his altered perception, seeing the gems give off a faint radiance of aether. When he got close enough, the monster's antennae twitched, and it reacted to the crystal, moving toward it and trying to curl around it. Enel withdrew the gem and threw it far from him. The creature followed the gem immediately.
Enel stood a safe distance away, his perception still active. He could feel the drain on his mind, so he hurried and drew the knife. Its bright light shone in his eyes, and at the same time, the monster lunged toward him again with terrifying speed, as if intending to kill him. Enel quickly returned the knife to its scabbard and sidestepped, causing the monster to ram into the wall, making the cave shake slightly.
He stepped away, muttering, "So it senses by aether. Should've known. I can kill it now."
Enel's hypothesis was correct. The monster was blind and reacted only to strong—or perhaps live—sources of aether. This realization filled him with renewed focus. He walked, unafraid, toward the monster, knowing it didn't react to sound as well. When he got close enough to climb onto its back (though he wasn't planning to), he drew the knife. Barely giving it time to react, he struck at the monster's head in one swift, orderly motion. The blade pierced deep into its head, and black, fetid blood seeped from the hole. After withdrawing his blade and cleaning it with water dripping from the top of the cave, he inspected the monster. It was about six meters long and reached up to his waist.
He looked at the blade in his hand and muttered, "Well, what'd you know." But his satisfaction quickly soured as he realized something unpleasant about the blade.
The knife absorbs aether from its surroundings—one of its known enchantments. But that very enchantment made it dangerous to wield in this environment, filled with beasts that sensed aether. Drawing the knife gathered large amounts of aether to it, and to beasts with aether sense, it was like holding a beacon and yelling, "Here I am!" Enel was unimaginably weak compared to even the weakest of the beasts. This blade was supposed to be his equalizer, but knowing that using it made him an active target filled him with frustration.
"How am I supposed to use you if you can cause my death?" he lamented, bitterness clouding his voice. He had been happy wielding the blade at first. Images of himself slaying countless beasts and monsters had flashed in his mind when he first read the blade's inscription. But now, it all seemed hopeless. Each time he used the blade, it would have to be against a single enemy—and it would require extreme stealth to end the battle with one swift move. That had been his plan from the start, but knowing what he knew now, a single mistake could end him.
"My source of survival could also lead to my death…" he muttered, shaking his head. Then, a bright thought crossed his mind. His resourcefulness kicked in. "If I can't use the blade, why not craft a substitute one? I can't believe I've been so stupid. Luckily, I don't have to search for materials." His gaze fell on the dead centipede, black liquid pooling around its head. "This is going to be ugly," he muttered. "Really, really ugly."
He got to work, cutting the carapace off the creature's body. It was a grueling task, straining his frail, weak body to the limit. But finally, he managed to sever the carapace. Carving it into shape was another challenge—it would have been difficult under normal conditions, but thanks to the knife, it felt like cutting through butter. Even so, he had to focus intensely to avoid cutting his fingers, as the knife could have done so with terrifying ease.
His first attempts were crude and bore no resemblance to a blade. Hours of carving later, he finally crafted one that resembled a weapon. It was long—about as tall as himself, from the ground up to his waist. Though crude, it would get the job done. He tore a piece of cloth from his tunic and tied it around the handle he had roughly carved.
He had lost track of time, but the sound of thunder and the rain outside reminded him that it was still pouring. With nothing to do while testing the blade's durability and sharpness, Enel studied the map, taking bites of his meat in between. The fire was long gone, and he used the lamp for light. The map had changed since the giants' rampage—landmarks had been erased, and one of the southern hills had been destroyed.
"Damn giants, changing the landscape," he muttered. Fortunately, the cave systems remained intact, and the swamp to the east appeared more or less the same. He sighed, crafting the most optimal route in his head. He could continue west, following the cave systems. From there, he could reach the hills, crossing the canyons in the southwest. This route posed less danger and offered shelter, unlike the open fields with nowhere to hide or the unnerving swamp in the east. Calculating the distance, Enel estimated it would take a week to reach the hills—traveling during the day, taking small rests after each mile, and resting in caves at night.
Of course, he knew things would inevitably go wrong. But he'd try to minimize the risks as much as possible. With that thought, he prepared to sleep, though not deeply. He rested lightly, his hand gripping the hilt of his knife, ready to retaliate should any monster wander into the cave. The soft sounds of the rain outside mingled with the faint echoes of dripping water from above, creating a rhythm that lulled him into a precarious doze.
For now, he allowed himself this brief respite, knowing that tomorrow would bring more challenges. Each decision, each step forward, would test the limits of his strength and resolve. But Enel knew one thing with certainty—he had survived this far, and he would continue to survive, no matter what the cave, the monsters, or the vast unknown beyond threw at him.