Seeker 211

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Chapter 211. Suspension Bridge And Lava Flow

Glop-glop, the sound of something boiling could be heard. 

We passed through the room with treasure chests and statues, and what attacked us on the other side was an even stronger wave of heat than before. 

But we couldn't stop here. 

We steeled ourselves and continued onward. 

Eventually, we reached the third chamber.

"Daichi-kun, should we go back?"

"Kazane-san, unfortunately, there's no turning back now."

"Yeah, I figured as much."

"Seriously, if we fall, I don't think we'll survive."

While looking down at the lava flow from the cliff, we found ourselves in a state of semi-resignation. 

From our current position, which was about thirty meters above the lava flow, it wasn't as scorching as you'd expect. 

It was hot, more like a scorching summer day, sauna-like, but not to the level where you'd instantly die upon contact or your clothes would catch fire. 

This made me think that maybe it wasn't real lava but some dungeon mechanism.

Either way, falling into that would likely be our end.

By the way, the suspension bridge appeared to have wooden platforms and hemp ropes as handrails. 

They seemed like they should have burned up a long time ago, but they were still intact, and there were no signs of imminent collapse.

The distance of the suspension bridge from our side to the other side was approximately fifty meters. 

On the far side, a tunnel seemed to continue as the path.

"I don't think it's as simple as just crossing the bridge; it's likely something's going to happen."

Yuzuki got worried.

Whether the bridge would collapse or not, I also felt that simply crossing it wouldn't be enough.

So far, we hadn't seen any monsters in this chamber, and there were no other apparent threats apart from the lava flow. 

However, as Yuzuki had pointed out, it just didn't seem like it would be that easy. 

We had come to trust the dungeons in this world negatively.

"Kazane-san, can you sense any monster presence?"

"Uh, it's hard to say. It's there, and it's not there."

Well, what does that mean?"

"Yeah, it's unclear. I think we should get prepared for the possibility that something might come out."

With Kazane-san's [Presence Detection], when there's no presence, there's no presence. 

This vague feeling alone made it pretty suspicious. 

Given the incredibly shady situation and Kazane-san's sense, it was undoubtedly an area we needed to be extremely cautious in.

"But, I mean, we can't just stand here. I can't find any warning signs either."

Yusefia-san looked around.

We couldn't find any information similar to the stone tablet from the previous chamber or the like.

"If I had to say, maybe one option could be for each of us to ride on a griffon and fly across."

I patted the head of the griffon sitting next to me.

The griffin gave a reassuring cry as if to say, "Leave it to me.".

"But that might be a little scary, too. We don't know what will happen, and it's not guaranteed that we won't need to cross the bridge. If something happens along the way, we might end up going headfirst into that lava with the griffon."

This was Yuzuki and Kazane-san's opinion.

The griffin let out a sad, "Kwaa..." in response.

We considered various options. 

Should one person go, or should we all go together? 

Should we rush through or proceed cautiously? 

How about using safety ropes, or would they be more of a hindrance in unforeseen events?

After much discussion, we concluded that endlessly discussing the possibilities wouldn't lead to a solution. 

Therefore, we decided to cross the suspension bridge as a group. 

We would adapt to the situation if something happened.

The width of the suspension bridge was about the span of my arms, so we walked in a single-file column to avoid any danger. 

Kazane-san led the way, followed by me, the griffon, Yuzuki, and Yusefia-san bringing up the rear.

The bridge creaked and swayed slightly when we stepped on it. 

It wasn't too unsettling for us seekers with good balance, but there was still a hint of unease. 

We cautiously started crossing the bridge, and as a few seconds passed, eventually several tens of seconds, we reached the halfway point.

Would we be able to cross to the other side without any issues?

Just as I was beginning to think that, something unusual happened.

"Be careful, something's coming!"

Kazane-san shouted a warning and drew 2 daggers from her waist. 

At the same time, we saw multiple will-o'-the-wisps appear in the airspace around the suspension bridge and at the far end of the bridge, which was our destination.

The will o' wisp quickly transformed into monsters. 

In the airspace around the bridge, 4 Blazing Great Eagles emerged, while at the far end of the bridge, 2 Giant Lizards, over 3 meters in length, enveloped in flames, appeared.

As the 2 Giant Lizards opened their mouths wide, small, dazzling fireballs were created, rapidly growing.

The 4 Blazing Great Eagles flapped their wings vigorously and leaped toward us.