He stepped into the large hole, carefully navigating through the rough, uneven edges.
As he descended deeper into the tunnel, he noticed that it sloped downward at a steep angle.
He estimated that he had already descended at least 50 meters downward since entering the tunnel, a long distance considering he was already underground.
The air inside was damp and musty, carrying a faint odor of soil. Paths twisted and turned, narrowing at some points and widening at others.
It was clear this was not a man-made structure, but rather something formed naturally or by the creatures that inhabited it.
The further he went, the more he noticed signs of the rats: gnawed bones, shredded scraps of cloth, and deep claw marks etched into the walls.
After walking for another 15 minutes he found a cavern from which dozens of tunnels branched out in all directions.