As we made our way into the heart of the mountain, Hiroshi and the others approached us. Hiroshi extended his hand towards me with a look of concern etched on his face. "Are you alright, Ryuu?" he asked.
I nodded, brushing off his concern with a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "But I must admit, it was a challenging climb."
One of my companions turned to Mila, who had been leading our expedition. "Mila," they said, their voice tinged with frustration. "Why didn't you warn us about the monster before we started climbing this mountain?"
Mila's expression was apologetic as she replied. "I didn't know the creature was real," she said. "I thought it was just a myth - a story used to keep people away from the water. At least that's what I thought."
Lezlie, who had been surveying our surroundings, spoke up. "I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me," she said, her voice filled with awe. "But this doesn't look like the inside of a normal mountain."
