Seven people walked cautiously through the cave, travelling deeper and deeper beneath the surface of the world. However, Micro was pleased by the amount of light shed on the rocky walls around him by the strange and powerful men and women he now accompanied.

  “How do you turn your headlights on?” Micro asked the woman called Tae, who now walked alongside him.

  “Head lights?”

  “Although it’s not ideal to shine light in every direction,” Micro added. “That could be confusing for other drivers.”

  “Oh, light is a simple product of aura,” she replied with a nervous smile. “It takes practice to control, but almost any experienced cultivator with a jade core can do this much. I wouldn’t say it’s useful as a light source, but I’m not an expert…”

  “Cultivating…” Micro nodded. “I need to learn about that.”

  “You seem to know a fair amount already, Micro,” Kel mentioned over his shoulder as he led the group.

  “I can make fire out of rain,” Micro replied. “But it’s still hard for me to repair my fuel ta—my core.”

  With his hands no longer bound, he rubbed the part of his chest where his unstable core made him feel uneasy.

  “Even for a summoned hero of the magicians, your talent for meditation was clear, but fire from rain…?” Kel laughed wearily. “That’s not a normal skill, regardless of a cultivator’s core level.”

  “Sounds more like the methods of a dangerous beast,” another man added. “Very dangerous…”

  Kel shook his head at the man, who quickly bowed at quietly backed away from the pair.

  “Forgive me, Micro. I’ll restrain my curiosity for the time being,” he continued. “What do you know of dungeons?”

  “I heard they’re dangerous, but that’s all,” Micro replied.

  “I see.” Kel said, smiling. “Tae, I enjoy the way your grandfather explained it to us. Would you mind?”

  “How nostalgic,” the other woman noted. “We were children then.”

  “Of course, young master.” She bowed, and faced Micro as she walked. “Long before our time, cultivators were limited in their knowledge of the realm beyond our world. Many reached the limits of what humanity could achieve, but none ever dreamed of reaching further into the unknown. However, a wandering immortal of unfathomable power happened to descend upon our humble world, and he met the first cultivators.”

  Micro did his best to follow the tale, while the others in the group seemed to be enjoying the story. Kel smiled and nodded as Tae continued.

  “They were terrified of his power, but he took pity on them. He created dungeons where they would better their understanding of cultivation, so that we might one day come to rival the immortal rather than fear him. ‘Become my equals and meet me in eternity’ was his final message, and so we continue to walk the path he laid out for us, to one day enter the realm of the wandering gods.” Tae’s face had become cheerful as she recalled the story. “Or so the story goes…”

  The others also relaxed while listening to her soothing voice. Kel’s smile was particularly wide as she concluded.

  “That’s why we seek out dungeons where we can strengthen our sects,” Tae explained. “Some dungeons are transient, disappearing one day and reappearing somewhere else the next day.”

  “The dungeon we seek today has been known to my sect for many generations, but has only recently appeared in this region.” Kel interjected. “It is tradition that the heir challenges it to claim its highest prize.”

  “What if you can’t find it?” Micro asked.

  “I wouldn’t like to imagine such a case,” Kel replied. “We have always found it eventually.”

  “The Jade Turtle Art card of the fire element is part of the origin of our sect’s name,” Tae added. “The Mountain Art card is in a dungeon which has never moved. It is the core of our sect itself, though only the sect leader has completed its trial.”

  “Kel is getting closer though!” another added.

  “These arts, and the paths toward their mastery, make our sect what it is.” Tae ceased her explanation when she noticed an absent look on Micro’s face. Though he was still looking directly at her eyes, it was obvious that he was struggling to follow the explanation. “Basically, we’re here to get the Turtle Art card from the dungeon. Then, we’ll return to our home.”

  “Ah, I see,” Micro affirmed.“But wha—”

  CRASH

  Their conversation was abruptly ended by the deafening impact of a boulder against the cave wall.

  Bits of stone and dust showered Micro while the others jumped in front of Kel to shield him from the unexpected threat. Micro fumbled to wipe the dust from his watery eyes, coughing until he felt like he was about to pass out. When the dust finally began to settle, he saw Kel and his attendants lined up in front of him, facing a large, hairy beast emerging from behind a pile of rubble.

  “That’s not a small cave bear, Tae,” one of the men said, laughing heartily as he continued to walk. “Are your eyes injured, or were they looking a little to closely at the young ma—”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “We may be closer to the dungeon than we thought, given the size of it,” she replied curtly.

  It looked similar to bears Micro had seen crossing the road on the mountain roads near home, but it was taller than a garage, had a green tinge to its fur, and stood on two legs. More surprising was that it grasped a large boulder in one of its giant hands, and it was winding back to throw it as if it were no heavier than a snowball.

  “Thank you for your vigilance, comrades,” Kel stated casually while walking past the others. “Allow me to take this opportunity to warm up properly before we arrive.

  The five attendants didn’t question his decision despite the displeasure on their faces, but Tae was quick to step forward and speak.

  “Its natural attribute is earth, young master,” she quickly explained. “Its power and strength are exceptional, but its senses are dull, so a sword may be—”

  “Thank you, Tae,” Kel said with a slight frown.

  “Yes, young master.” She stepped back with a bow. “We are at your service.”

  Tae stepped back and watched Kel approach the beast.

  “Sword…?” Micro squinted his eyes and reexamined Kel, taking note of the long object at his waist. “So those were swords… that’s dangerous!”

  The cave bear sniffed the air aggressively, making a hideous, wheezing sound, and when it caught the scent of Kel, it snarled. Before it had even finished its hoarse cry, it had sent the boulder hurtling toward Kel. Micro wondered for a brief moment how Kel would stop it. From what he’d heard of swords during conversations between the old man and various passengers, they were made of metal, but such a thin piece of steel wouldn’t present a challenge to the large piece of rock flying toward Kel.

  Micro watched intently, wanting to see for himself why Kel seemed so confident. Before he could even guess at how Kel would use the metal blade, however, the boulder had crashed against a much larger object instead, made of wood and metal. The boulder cracked in half as it made contact with the shield, though Kel grunted as the impact forced him to take a step back.

  “Oh, a shield is a good idea,” Micro said in amusement. “Not even my bumper could have handled that.”

  The cave bear didn’t hesitate to pick up another boulder and fling it at Kel, but this time Kel didn’t simply wait for the rock to impact his shield. He wound back, drew a short breath, and then thrust the bottom of the shield into the rock like a spear, shattering the dense clump of earth and sending sparks flying in every direction. The shield was not undamaged, but it remained intact despite the explosive attack.

  Dust filled the air, blinding the cave bear for a moment. Micro watched in awe as the cave bear swung its head around wildly, searching for Kel’s scent. The monster seemed confident that its foe was defeated, and it soon jumped forward with its arms out and its fangs exposed.

  CRUNCH

  The next sound Micro heard from the safety of the cave wall was familiar. He’d only ever collided with insects and the occasional pebble in his years of life on the road, but he’d witnessed the results of animals coming between large trucks and their destinations several times in the past. Recalling the sound made him cringe, and he pitied both the trucks and the animals, but this time the sound only amazed him.

  He strained his eyes and saw Kel, his breathing rough and his legs weak, standing over the crumpled and twitching body of the cave bear. Without pause, he then drew his sword and pierced the chest of the creature, ending its miserable growls.

  “That doesn’t make sense…” Micro thought aloud in dismay. “You’d think the bigger vehicle would be more likely to survive a head on collision…”

  Ignoring Micro’s question, the five members of Kel’s party quickly ran to him. One of the men placed his hands on Kel, and his hands began to glow.

  “Thank you, everyone.” Kel took a moment to catch his breath. “But save your healing skills for an actual injury, Den. I only need to rest.”

  The man called Den obeyed, and withdrew his hands. Kel walked past them to Micro, who was staring intently at the man’s shield.

  “What is it made of?” Micro asked excitedly, reaching out to grab it.

  Den extended his own arm to block Micro, but Kel waved him away and allowed Micro to touch the shield freely. Kel handed the shield to Micro, who examined it thoroughly, searching for the secret to its power. However, all he could confirm was that the iron was of poor quality, and the wood was starting to rot in some areas. The leather on the back wasn’t even comparable to the safety and comfort of a seatbelt. He looked over at the cave bear, and doubted a monster capable of throwing large boulders was simply frail enough to be defeated by such a poorly constructed item.

  “What do you think of my shield?” Kel asked curiously, his face showing a hint of pride. “It’s a fine shield, is it not?”

  “This is terrible,” Micro replied without hesitation. “How is it not broken after all that?”

  “You insult the craftsmanship of our—” Den blurted out, his face red with anger, but Kel waved him away once again.

  “You’ve seen finer craftsmanship?” Kel looked suspicious of Micro’s comment, but his faith in Tae’s determination of Micro’s honesty remained. “Where?”

  “It’s more the case that I’ve never seen something as poorly made…” Micro realized half way through his remark that a human may find him rude. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t understand.”

  The people standing behind Kel all looked shocked and insulted at the words Micro had uttered, but Kel’s eyes were shining with curiosity.

  “Fascinating!” Kel exclaimed to his comrades’ surprise. “So you come from a world with unparalleled craftsmanship, but you have never seen a cultivator use a skill in battle?”

  Micro wondered if his world’s craftsmanship could truly be called unparalleled, but he was certainly proud of his own capabilities as an efficient and reliable vehicle.

  “I think that’s true,” He humbly replied. “What do you mean by that word?”

  “Skill?” Kel asked, to which Micro nodded. “It shouldn’t be hard to explain, since you have a knack for sensing the immaterial.”

  Kel then raised his shield and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, the shield was enveloped in a green glow. Micro wondered if someone had poured oil on it, but it looked more similar to exhaust fumes. The strange grow then dissipated, leaving the shield in its original form, as shabby as it had looked just moments before.

  “You can make your shield green,” Micro commented. “Is that helpful?”

  “Indeed, it is.” Kel concluded his moment of meditation, and the image of the card disappeared. “I have mastered the Jade Fire Spirit Shield Skill, a common skill in our sect.”

  “Oh, jade,” Micro said with a blank look. “Like the cards.”

  “Though it is possible to use the skill without a physical shield, it is easier for a novice such as myself to visualize the technique with this precious object in my hands,” Kel explained, looking at his shield warmly. “It has always been with me—”

  “Ah! I remember now,” Micro said, pointing at the shield in Kel’s possession. “I recognize that shield, or at least the shape of it. There was a Core Card like that.”

  “You… are familiar with this card?” Kel asked in surprised. “The jade level Spirit Shield card is very rare and difficult to obtain. Where could you have come across it in the past?”

  “See?” Micro reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “I have the yellow one!”

  The cave became silent again for quite some time.