Chapter 174: It’s Your Choice [200PS Bonus Chapter]

Karrakas moved his finger to the third mark on the map.

"This spatial gate leads to the crystal caves," he said.

He paused, a mischievous smile on his face as he gazed at them.

"Stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us," Akira snapped, impatient.

"Alright," Karrakas grinned. "The third gate drops you into an underground cave network. The caves themselves are made of hard crystal. And yes, that includes the walls, floors, and ceilings, all of it."

"The beasts that live there are largely made of the same material. They have crystal bodies, or in the case of some, crystal shells. They hit hard, but with enough strength or the right skill, one can easily shatter them."

"How strong do they get?" Lukas asked.

"That’s what makes this location appealing to newbies. The most powerful beast ever recorded in the cave network was C-rank," Karrakas said.

"This fact has been consistent across years of documentation. Which means that as long as you work together and keep your heads, the worst case scenario is usually a retreat rather than a wipeout."

"If you’re in this location, then you most probably will not be walking into something that can kill you before you have a chance to run."

Akira tilted her head. "That sounds almost too good."

"It has its appeal," Karrakas agreed. "The dungeon entrances have all been marked and tested. You won’t be stepping into unknown territory. And the spatial gate itself opens into the safest city among the three gates. Even if it’s underground."

He leaned back slightly. "Higher ranked Adepts use it as a vacation destination, mostly. There are some naturally formed lakes down there, and the crystal formations around them are apparently something worth seeing."

"It has a reputation for being one of the more comfortable entry points on the Second Floor."

"But," Lukas said. It was more like a question.

Karrakas nodded. "But. There are downsides."

He held up a finger. "First. Unlike the archipelago and the desert, the crystal caves offer no room to expand beyond the cave network itself. There is no open land, no ocean to eventually cross, and no horizon to push towards. There’s only one way in, and one way out. The cave network is all there is."

"Some new Adepts would consider that a comfort," Melody said.

"Many do," Karrakas said, nodding in agreement. "And they’re not wrong. When you’re just starting out, having clear boundaries can feel safer than open ground."

He raised a second finger. "The second downside is the map problem. There is no fixed map of the crystal caves, and there never will be."

"Why not?" Melody asked, curious.

"The cave routes usually shift due to beasts fighting or tunnels collapsing. If you’re deep in the network when a route caves in behind you, you are cut off."

He looked around the table. "While Adepts live longer than Awakeners, they still need food. Being trapped in a cave with no way forward and no way back means one is more likely to die of hunger."

"If one is not strong enough to clear the cave in, then their strength would slowly sap away with each passing day, ending with a death that won’t come quickly."

Silence filled the air, everyone glancing at each other.

Melody broke it. "Any other downsides?"

"There’s one more," Karrakas said. "Lighting."

"The crystal caves have no natural light source, which means that in order to see anything beyond arm’s reach, you need to bring your own light."

He paused. "And whatever light you bring, the beasts can see it too. If it’s a torch or some kind of glowing [Item], it tells everything in the surrounding tunnels exactly where you are. You cannot move quietly and visibly at the same time. One always costs you the other."

He closed the map document and set his hands flat on the table.

"Those are your three options. The archipelago, the desert, and the crystal caves."

He looked at Lukas, then at Melody and Akira. "Take whatever time you need. I’m not here to push you towards any one of them. Each has a reasonable case and each has real risk."

He settled back in his chair. "The decision is yours."

Lukas, Akira, and Melody turned slightly towards each other.

Melody spoke first, keeping her voice low. "The choice is obvious, isn’t it?"

She glanced between them. "The crystal caves are out. With the way we fight, one of us is going to cause a cave-in eventually. Probably more than one. And then we’re stuck digging through solid crystals just to move forward."

"As much as the dungeon offers easy pickings, I’m not prepared to have to go through such a chore everytime."

"Agreed," Akira said. She drummed her fingers once on the table. "The archipelago would be the next choice, but the beast problem kills it for me."

"Having to enter a dungeon every single time we want to earn experience isn’t practical. We’d spend half our time just preparing for dungeons instead of hunting."

Lukas nodded. "And if we factor in the class change quest, then we don’t really have a choice at all."

He looked at both of them. "I need to walk in a straight line for twenty-four hours. That means I need a lot of open ground. The desert is the only location that gives us that."

Melody sat back. "The desert it is."

Akira smiled. "The desert it is."

Lukas looked up at Karrakas. "We’ve decided. We’re going to the desert."

Karrakas grinned, leaning forward slightly. "Good choice. The desert is the perfect place for Climbers with ambition. You three strike me as people who won’t be satisfied with simply stalling at Adept."

He retrieved the map into his spatial ring. "When would you like to leave?"

"Today," Akira said, without hesitation.

Karrakas’s grin remained, but he shook his head slowly. "Today won’t be possible. The spatial gate requires preparation on your end before you step through it."

He reached into his jacket and produced a folded piece of paper, setting it on the table and sliding it towards Lukas. "Luckily, I already drew up a list of everything you’d need."