Living caves, Rino learned, were caves with ores and minerals. They were constantly growing for some reason, and every living cave had a complete ecosystem, home to monsters. Each living cave had a powerful monster that ruled over this society of monsters called a guardian.
That would explain a lot, and Rino finally understood where he went wrong back in the jungle. That womanticore was the guardian of the cave. One did not simply walk right into the guardian's lair and expect to escape unharmed. Miners did not visit living caves because it was simply too dangerous. Normally, villagers would leave the living caves alone and protect the peace of their village. They would send sacrifices for the monsters at the cave's entrance as an offering for peace. More dangerous monsters do not leave the caves. They were more or less bound to the cave and their treasures.
