章節 60: In the underground caverns – II

Hugo was just about to turn back when unnatural green lights emerged from within the pitch-black darkness. They looked almost neon and blinked with machine-like precision.

The green lights glowing in the cavern were separated from his current position by a light grey membrane that looked unnervingly similar to the barrier surrounding Giza Town.

"A similar type of barrier or are they connected?!" Hugo mumbled.

At that instant, the nine petaled lotus flower that was already habituated within his spiritual world started pulsating with a clockwork rhythm, resonating with the green lights in the descending passage.

Hugo calmed his mind and entered deeper meditation to observe the flower in his spiritual world. In the formless space, the flower was spinning rhythmically and pulsating at constant one-second intervals.

As Hugo fixed his gaze on the flower, he got the feeling that some entity was calling out to him from within the pitch blackness of the cavern.

[Nothing ventured, nothing gained… Although this may be a trap, I have to take my chances.] He mused as he exited his state of deeper meditation and chose to follow the descending path to who knows where.

It was a descending cavern of impenetrable darkness and gloom.

As Hugo stepped through the grey barrier, the small flame conjured in his left hand wavered and almost went out. The flame appeared to be on the verge of being devoured by the impending darkness.

But alas, it was still snuffed out leaving Hugo in complete darkness. Even the passage leading back to the ascending tunnel seemed to have disappeared.

Hugo attempted to weave another fire spell; however, his efforts were in vain. A mysterious force appeared to be suppressing all the external spells within the descending cavern. Even his mana was starting to stagnate leaving him in a state of powerlessness. The only upside was that the Cloak of Thanatos was still functioning.

Hugo quickened his steps towards the blinking green lights that appeared so near yet so far in the pitch blackness of the underground world.

After a few minutes of trekking, Hugo made his way to the entrance of a narrower cavern. The entrance was so tiny that it could only facilitate the body of a young child to pass through it. In the darkness, Hugo could have easily have missed it if it wasn't for the green lights blinking from within.

After taking a deep breath to calm his mind and checking whether the invisibility spell was still active, he rushed into the narrow entrance without fear or uncertainty. He had already resolved to explore the descending cavern and there was no use burdening his mind with unnecessary distress.

At first, it was too dark for him to see in the cavern. Then just as his eyes became more accustomed to the dim conditions, he made out some motion above. Turning his head upwards, Hugo caught a glimpse of hundreds of bats with their wings tucked in tight.

"Oh God on a wooden bicycle!" Hugo exclaimed.

[It's really a blessing to have the Cloak of Thanatos activated.] Hugo jubilated as he transitioned into a light jog. Since bats used sonar waves to perceive their surroundings, Hugo wasn't entirely sure whether his spell could completely fool the horde above.

In a few minutes, Hugo stood before a large door, the width and height of two men. Its surface was adorned with glowing mysterious runes and ciphers, the majority of which were already known to him.

A completely green summoning circle, almost similar to that on the fifth page of Infinitus was inscribed on its surface. The mysterious runes and ciphers around its circumference were the source of the green lights that had beckoned Hugo to the cavern.

At its center, an image of a majestic wolf was absent. Instead, a nine-petalled flower that resembled the one in Hugo's spiritual world was inscribed.

[This better be good.]

Hugo felt the lotus in his spiritual world start to tremble as he inched closer to the door. But all of a sudden, flaming torches sparked to life, lighting up the tunnel behind him whilst bathing the entire cavern in flickering green light.

"HISSSSSSS…"

Hugo shuddered on hearing multiple hissing sounds of creatures around him. At some point, his invisibility had been deactivated mysteriously leaving him exposed to all the beings in the underground cavern.

"What happened?" He turned back and came face to face with a nest of black snakes. Their serpentine gazes were fixed on him and their forked tongues occasionally flicked out of their fanged jaws seemingly in anticipation of the meal to come.

They had a similar appearance to tropical cobras from back on Earth as their upper portion of their long bodies were standing erect; an act which portrayed their readiness to attack.

Hugo felt his heart sink as the nest of snakes started slithering towards him. More rustling noises sounded from all directions indicating that the few visible snakes were not the only ones in the cavern. There was a whole quiver out there, and they were closing in.

[What can I do?] Hugo's heart palpitated. He slowly stepped back towards the huge door. In the meantime, the gears in his head turned rapidly as he tried to come up with a way out of this tricky situation.

Hugo either needed to open the door; an action that didn't look feasible with the approaching snakes just a few meters before him; or he would have to find a way to defeat the reptiles using his mystic powers.

After a series of swift deductions helped along by his fortified soul and the massive amounts of adrenaline currently surging through his system, Hugo arrived at a single conclusion.

He would only survive if he was saved by another or fought and defeated the hundreds of cobras in the dark cavern himself.

Although this was the first time Hugo was facing terrifying foes like the black cobras, he was surprisingly calm.

[I'll just try that. Hopefully, the spell will work.] He deliberated while visualizing the coiled snake in his base chakra…