"Whoa... looks like this pool runs deep. Might even connect to an underground river beneath the mountain."
Jiang Bai reached down and tested the water—ice-cold to the touch.
"Shame I'm busy right now... otherwise I'd love to find out where this thing leads."
He made a mental note of the location, planning to return when time allowed.
Continuing on, he came across a cave entirely covered in frost.
Though a cave, the ground inside was coated in thick crystalline ice. Bioluminescent plants grew sparsely along the walls, casting just enough light to keep the cavern from descending into total darkness.
Jiang Bai advanced slowly, torch in hand, the frozen floor beneath him slick and treacherous. At first, the cave remained dim, lit only by his torch and the faint glow of the plants.
But the farther in he went, the more the space opened up—and gradually, light appeared.
He soon found himself standing before a massive cavern, so vast it felt like the entire mountain had been hollowed out to form it.
Light spilled down from the ceiling above, refracted by the thick frost coating the walls and floor, scattering into glimmering beams that lit the cave like a crystal palace.
Jiang Bai looked up. Even the dome of the cavern was encrusted in ice. Clusters of jagged icicles hung down in deadly spears. Every so often, one broke free and crashed to the ground, punching a crater into the frozen earth below.
He glanced nervously overhead—there was one dangling directly above him, swaying like it had him in its sights.
Quickly, he pulled out a large umbrella and raised it over his head, just in case Mother Nature decided to launch a sneak attack.
"Yeesh... that was close." He winced as an icicle thunked onto the umbrella, sending shards of ice scattering. He gave the canopy a shake, brushing off the frost.
Danger came in all forms out in the wild. Take this cavern—it looked safe, but the moment you let your guard down, the next icicle could very well be your last.
He moved forward cautiously, and the full scale of the cavern unfolded before him.
He stood on a narrow pathway, just wide enough for one person. The entire walkway was slick with frozen layers of ice. Peering over the edge, he saw nothing but a thick fog swirling below.
One slip, and you'd go sliding straight off. No time to open your glider. Probably wouldn't die... but a couple broken bones would be the best-case scenario.
He tossed a rock down into the misty depths. A crisp crack echoed back—and then, unexpectedly, the muffled cry of a hilichurl in pain.
Jiang Bai jerked upright, shoulders tensing. Welp. That wasn't supposed to happen.
There are hilichurls in this cave? And I just beaned one with a rock?
He glanced around. There was only one clear way out—toward the source of the light above. It was too bright to see what lay beyond, but heading toward the light usually wasn't the wrong idea.
The problem was, the only way to reach that upper passage... was by heading down through the fog to get there.
A bit roundabout, but in short—if he wanted to reach the exit, he'd first have to go down... and maybe apologize to the hilichurl he'd accidentally pelted with a rock.
Let's hope it's the forgiving type.
He carefully made his way down, passing through the layer of mist. As the fog thinned, his visibility improved. Eventually, he spotted a small-framed hilichurl sitting on the ground with a sizable lump forming on its head. The rock he'd thrown lay nearby.
It was rubbing the bump and making pitiful little ee-yaa sounds, clearly distressed.
Jiang Bai felt a tiny twinge of guilt. He crept closer, planning to surprise it—in a friendly way.
The hilichurl, seemingly venting its frustration, suddenly grabbed the offending stone and chucked it against the wall. It bounced off—and landed squarely at Jiang Bai's feet.
The hilichurl looked up and froze. For a second, it just stared at the human who had suddenly appeared.
Jiang Bai instinctively braced for an attack. But instead, the hilichurl tilted its head and let out a curious little noise.
"Olah~"
"…What?"
Jiang Bai didn't understand hilichurlian, but the creature didn't seem hostile. The geo energy gathering around his hands dissipated slightly.
Until now, his understanding of hilichurls had been simple: they were monsters. Aggressive, primitive, and dangerous.
But this one… it wasn't attacking. In fact, it seemed almost friendly.
"AlaUno~"
It said something else, again incomprehensible, but the tone sounded… positive? Maybe?
"Ala"
Jiang Bai echoed it uncertainly, completely at a loss.
The little hilichurl began dancing in circles around him with exaggerated gestures, then abruptly turned and started walking away. After a few steps, it realized he wasn't following, and came back again.
It didn't get too close or try to grab him—just gestured emphatically with its hands, clearly beckoning him to follow.
"Ya~ Todo~"
Jiang Bai frowned. What's it trying to do?
Lead me into a trap? Maybe bring me back to its camp so the others can gang up on me?
He couldn't really blame himself for the suspicious thoughts—after all, hilichurls weren't known for diplomacy.
No way it actually knows who I am, right?
Still, curiosity won out. Hilichurls didn't pose much of a threat to him anyway.
He followed it through several winding turns and into a large cavern—an inhabited one.
The place was spacious, and dozens of hilichurls lived here.
In the center stood a crude wooden structure, with a cleared area in front. It was marked with pigments, surrounded by ornately shaped wooden posts like some sort of small ceremonial altar.
Torches were lit around the walls, and large swathes of colorful paint had been smeared into chaotic murals across the rock faces—none of which Jiang Bai could make any sense of.
He counted quickly. Two hilichurl shamans. Three larger warriors. Plus a handful of slimes in bubbling pools. In total—twenty-one creatures. A solid mid-sized monster outpost.
As soon as they noticed a human had entered, the hilichurls stopped what they were doing and grew tense.
But because the small one was leading the way, they didn't immediately attack. Weapons were raised, but no one charged.
"Olah~"
"Dala Ya?"
"Lka Zido!"
"Unu Movo!"
A flurry of words bounced between them—none of which Jiang Bai understood—but their tone softened, if only a little. Still wary, but not overtly hostile.
The small hilichurl who had brought him here dashed into the wooden hut and returned holding two slightly shriveled Sunsettias. It handed one to Jiang Bai.
"Gurg guru~"
Jiang Bai blinked down at the fruit in his hand.
---
[Hilichurlian Translation Glossary]
Ala – Emphatic interjection
Olah~ – Greeting
Dala – Praise
Ya – Human
Lka – Enemy
Zido – Kill
Unu – Revered hilichurl deity
Movo – Bring
Gurg – Hungry