"Yang, how are you feeling now?"
On the other side, on the path leading to the other levels of the ice rings.
Yani was discussing their current state with Ronald, as well as the decision they made when leaving the sacrificial site.
"Airen’s gaze seemed off, but it doesn’t mean we had to just run away like that?"
"Don’t underestimate human greed. Remember how Grady died."
While groping forward in search of the path, Ronald also spoke to Yani:
"People with Airen’s personality, facing today’s events, are very likely to take desperate measures."
"Even if that so-called gemstone legend is just some uncertain thing from the mural, he’d probably want to give it a try now."
After hearing Ronald’s response, Yani bowed her head in silence for a few seconds.
Compared to the mercenaries she was not very familiar with, she obviously trusted Ronald more, otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen to leave with him. Follow current novᴇls on novel⦿fire.net
Therefore, Yani then posed another question:
"If that’s the case, why didn’t you just throw a grenade down there?"
"In that deep ice cavern, Airen would have had no chance to escape the explosion."
Ronald revealed a complex look:
"No, we’re too few in number now."
"Dealing with such a special event, I believe that fighting amongst ourselves and reducing our numbers is an extremely bad choice. Even if there’s a serious rift between us now, it’s still better to each go our own way rather than fight to the death."
Ronald didn’t want to deceive the last person who remained with him.
So he candidly shared his thoughts with Yani.
Of course, at the same time, Ronald was also weighing something in his mind—the true purpose of the original trial.
The previous conjectures were not quite suitable in the current situation.
The various encounters since entering the relic and the signs he had discovered all indicated that the goal of the original trial was probably not as simple as thoroughly investigating the relic but involved some sort of more covert condition.
What, then, was the truth hidden beneath the surface?
Ronald had some ideas.
After all, this was "Divine Comedy - Purgatory" a comprehensive trial.
Then, referring to the experiences from the several original trials he had gone through before,
The environment he was in now.
Had some connection with the most prominent attribute in purgatory—the seven deadly sins?
"That makes sense..."
Ronald continued forward in deep thought.
Hearing his answer, Yani just nodded slightly and then fell silent.
Finding the connection point in the ice corridor was not difficult, with glow sticks planted like guiding lights, they didn’t take long to enter a higher level of the ice rings.
Now, equipped with earphones to listen to the sounds of the surrounding environment.
Ronald and Yani once discussed and simply decided not to turn on the lights on their helmets, opting instead to slowly feel their way forward with the help of the glow sticks stuck on the walls.
Then there was the direction issue.
According to the message Grady left before he died, if they went around in the direction they had come from, they still had a chance to return to the ice surface—this was the most foolish choice.
Those blue-skinned creatures most likely were still guarding the ice layer above. If they really chose to return the same way and succeeded, the probability of getting caught by those creatures the moment they groped out of the tunnel would be close to ninety percent.
—That wouldn’t be called a narrow escape.
—That would be called courting death!
So under this consideration, Ronald and Yani preferred to continue moving in another direction.
There was no reliable and safe passage from the underground ice layer ruins for them to leave, so continuing to explore for possibilities was the only option.
Even if one took a huge step back and assumed this direction was also a dead end.
After they had skirted the entire expanse of the ice lake, the risk of returning the way they came would be much less than proceeding directly outwards now.
With this consideration in mind,
the two of them groped their way further and further in the icy ring tunnel,
and as they continued to advance, they reached areas that previous explorers had not.
The place was pitch black.
No glow sticks were planted in the walls to light the way.
Standing in the last of the light, Ronald and Airen exchanged glances.
They understood each other’s thoughts, then reactivated the lights on their helmets and cautiously continued forward.
In the dark depths of the icy cold,
the two figures, each with lights atop their heads, supported each other as they moved on.
Despite the extremely perilous environment and no guarantee that there weren’t any terrifying creatures lurking in the shadows, having each other as a support allowed them to maintain a composed state of mind.
For Ronald, this was particularly true.
He even felt a sense of familiarity from before his journey began, a reminiscence of his work experience, and the feeling of having a colleague who was both trustworthy and trusted him in return.
Suddenly, in the midst of their progress, Airen shouted.
The moment her voice sounded, she pounced on Ronald, using her full strength in one motion, sending them both rolling into a corner of the icy ring tunnel.
"Airen, what’s wrong?"
Ronald asked, lifting his head in confusion.
Then he saw—in their path forward, some pale blue, jellyfish-like transparent creatures were clinging tightly to the top of the ice tunnel. Because these beings lay quietly in wait without making any sound,
even with their headsets on, Ronald and Airen were unable to detect their presence.
If Airen hadn’t stopped him in time,
Ronald would have definitely walked right under these creatures.
"What are these things..."
Ronald couldn’t help but mutter.
Seeing them for the first time, he thought of the barnacles from "Half-Life"—the two creatures bore a striking resemblance, differing only in color.
Then came his basic assessment—
They made noise but showed no movement.
This most likely indicated the behavior of an animal lying in wait to hunt, so...
"I’ll shoot down one to test."
Ronald assessed the creatures’ appearance and surmised their potential habits. Airen, who had just rescued him, was by now quite irritated and had taken out her weapon. She aimed at one of the creatures on the ceiling and fired an arrow.
Airen now showed none of the previous reluctance to harm the creatures.
The arrow hit its mark precisely.
The targeted blue creature immediately slackened and then tumbled down from the top of the icy tunnel, trailing the arrow behind it.
The subsequent events unfolded just as Ronald had anticipated.
The other blue animals also lurking at the top instantly extended thin, long, tongue-like organs from their bodies’ centers, pulling back the injured being. They then tore off pieces and threw them into their mouths to wriggle and digest.
"It seems we can move forward now..."
Watching the scene unfold before them, Ronald and Airen began to boldly continue their journey.
With their substantial knowledge, they both understood that such sit-and-wait predators would need considerable time to feed after capturing prey.
And until they had digested this catch,
their aggressive actions would cease temporarily.