Swish—slipping through the breach and landing gracefully, the two scanned their surroundings. It looked just like any ordinary underground cavern: complex, shadowy, with stalagmites, pillars, and stalactites, all present and accounted for. Judging by their position, they were inside the enormous belly of the Mountain Giant. Given its sheer size, it was hard to say just how big this cavern could be.
“Yooo-hooo!” Jill cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered like a cowboy. The echoes bounced around in layers. The twins paused, shrugged at each other: “It’s even bigger than I thought—this belly really can hold anything.” “Alright, let’s go. I already see the mana flow, just up ahead.”
It wasn’t pitch dark here. Though thick layers of rock blocked out the sunlight, every so often, veins pulsed with a dim red glow through cracks and patterns in the stone. These veins stretched onward, growing denser, thicker, and more intricate as they advanced—like the Mountain Giant’s blood vessels. And as blood vessels lead to the heart, the twins followed the path, smashing through any rock walls that blocked their way, never wasting a second.
“The rocks here are getting tougher. Good thing I brought the Mystic God Weapon Core, otherwise this would be a real pain.” Jill patted the core in her hands. “Come on, show me what you’ve got! Do well and I’ll give you something tasty later!”
Buzz buzz—encouraged by its master, the Mystic God Weapon Core seemed quite pleased.
With a crunch, they sliced through the final rock wall and stepped through, instantly spotting something different.
“Looks like we’ve reached the core area.”
“Seems like something serious just showed up.”
It was a massive cavern, and aside from the red-glowing veins, another substance was present: a strange crystal, like giant blocks of ice, clustered here and there, radiating a cold, sparkling white light. Jill tapped and knocked on one—ding ding, crisp and clear, but incredibly hard.
And inside these crystals was a super high concentration and density of mana—way stronger than those red veins. Jill leaned in and studied it for a while, then mused, “This might be the Mountain Giant’s essence. After all, the Mountain Giant isn’t a hell creature, so volcanic mana doesn’t quite fit it. The real Mountain Giant should be powered by these unique energy crystals.”