This is amazing!
I can see perfectly well in this dark cave as if there were daylight.
But how? I don't remember having this ability before. It's not a perk from the goddess Neso's blessing. Could it be from Mana Arts?
No use thinking about it now. I can ask the goddess once I get out of this mess; she probably has an answer. But it sure is convenient to have another skill that's exactly what I need right now.
I followed the path and finally emerged into another cavern.
I kept my guard up and checked the area for any monsters. So far, nothing.
This cavern is twice as wide as the one with the spider, but surprisingly there's nothing here.
I continued to explore the area and noticed something in the corner.
It's something bright. It couldn't be the eyes of a spider since I no longer have any source of light that would reflect on it.
It could be a way out!
I sprinted to where the light was coming from and then found something unexpected.
There was light, but it wasn't daylight. There was fire, but not from a torch or bonfire. It was a pair of dogs larger than a horse, with flames coming out from different parts of their bodies.
Hellhounds.
I've read and seen about them in manga and movies, but I never thought I would encounter not just one, but two.
They already noticed me the moment I started running towards them.
I hurriedly looked for a spot to hide and found myself behind a pile of rocks.
But as dogs are, they were able to track me with minimum effort.
The dogs snarled at me while I took a defensive stance.
It's too late to run away now. They can run faster for sure, so the only option left was to fight. But can I handle two, though?
My confidence is still low after that crushing defeat with the spider.
Focus. Although there might be two of them, they were far smaller than the other monster I encountered.
It turned into a staring contest. I looked at both of their eyes which were like smoldering flames. Once they moved a muscle, I must make a move.
As soon as I noticed their muscles contract, I firmly clutched my knife and began to sprint towards them.
To my surprise, instead of attacking me, they lay flat on the ground, wagged their fiery tails, and whined. Their ears flattened as if they were afraid of me.
"Ehh…"
This was a bizarre turn of events. If you look at what they look like right now, minus the flames, they're just like regular house dogs in front of their owners.
I went near them and slowly reached out; there were no signs of hostility.
My palm finally touched one of the hound's heads, and it didn't flinch.
I was afraid that it was going to burn my hand, but for some reason, the flame wasn't hot at all.
"I see, I see. So both of you are good… Boys?"
I looked at the other one and noticed its belly was swelling; it was a female Hellhound.
So you two are a couple?
The male hound replied with a bark, as though he understood the question.
"I guess congratulations to both of you; you'll be parents soon!"
The hounds panted and barked as if they were thanking me.
They're not a threat, so I'll just leave them be. Who knows, maybe we'll cross paths again; hopefully, they'll remember me next time.
I proceeded to survey the cavern. I didn't notice for some time that the two had been following me until I glanced back.
"Why are you following me? I'm not your master."
The hounds whined as if saddened by what I uttered.
"Haah… Suit yourself."
Their faces brightened as they heard me accept them. Now they're walking side by side with me.
I found another passageway just a few meters away from where I came from.
"Looks like there's no other route, so let's take this one."
We walked for a good several minutes until we reached a familiar area.
"This is the first cavern!"
So the path we took was the whole left passageway. I didn't notice we missed the hole where I hid from the spider.
Speaking of the spider, I took a good look and didn't find it anywhere. It probably went back to its lair on the right passageway.
I went to the only exit I'm aware of that's currently blocked by stalactites.
If I accumulate enough mana, I should be able to break these and finally make my way out of this cave.
I then started to focus all the mana on my right hand, and as I was about to hit it, the dogs started snarling.
I stopped what I was doing and turned around.
It's the giant spider.
Before I could do anything, the hounds went on the offensive and blasted the spider with flames coming out of their mouths.
The spider took a step back, but it was unscathed. It was able to dodge the hounds' attack but barely.
Wait. Did the spider just dodge?
It seemed like it was cautious of the hellhounds' attack. Could it be that the hellhounds are capable of hurting this monster?
Maybe if I joined in the attack, we would be able to put that thing down.
"Alright, guys, keep that monster occupied. I'll find a way to strike it."
I darted to the side and aimed for its blind spot, targeting its legs.
As I thought, the spider was tough. Normal attacks couldn't leave a dent, so I imbued mana into my knife and continued the barrage of strikes.
I painstakingly cut the spider's hind legs one by one using the same strategy.
The hounds maintained a fair distance while spewing flames and dodging the spider's attacks, keeping it in its place.
Although it was an intelligent creature, there was nothing it could do about our relentless assaults.
Finally, we incapacitated the spider. Losing all its legs, it could no longer retaliate. It tried to attack with a web shot, but all it did was drip from its mouth as if it were drooling. That thing was exhausted.
I let out a sigh of relief.
The two hounds sat down from their fatigue.
You both have done great.
I came closer to it and prepared to deal the final blow on its head. As I was about to do the deed, the spider let out an ear-splitting screech.
It was so loud that the whole cave started to rumble. Slowly, parts of the cavern's ceiling started to break.
"This is dangerous; we need to get out fast!"
I waved at the hounds to signal that we were getting out of here. They caught up as fast as they could and followed me.
I ran to the blocked exit and destroyed the rocks; the path was clear.
We bolted like bats out of hell while the cave behind us started to collapse.
I could see the light!
We leaped as soon as we were near the exit and narrowly missed getting crushed by the cave-in.
We're finally outside.
The daylight was blinding, but it was a welcome feeling.
I caught my breath and rested while lying on the ground with the hounds.
I laughed, maniacally.
I huffed and let out a sigh.
"I can't believe I got out alive."
The hounds stood up and went to me as if checking if I was fine.
"Hey, I'm okay, guys."
"I appreciate what you did back there. I would've been a goner if not for both of you."
I think I'll bring them home and give them a token of gratitude.