"I have to find a way to improve my strength..." Mark whispered to himself, his eyes fell on his chest, where, in a small bag he sewed with special materials, there were two fragments emitting warm energy. He reached out and touched it, and the warmth from his fingertips made him feel at ease, and also made him feel the burden on his shoulders. The mysterious man has powerful power, and there is also the strange rune world. It is not easy to defeat him and take back the third energy fragment.
He turned his head to look at the Ice Abyss Beast. This loyal partner has been silently guarding him and protecting him from wind, snow and danger. "We still have many challenges to face together." Mark gently stroked the thick fur of the Ice Abyss Beast, his eyes full of determination. "To protect you and to complete my mission."
The Ice Abyss Beast seemed to have sensed something, opened its green eyes, rubbed Mark's palm with its head, and let out a low whimper. Mark got up, walked to the entrance of the cave, and took a deep breath of the chilly air in the early morning. The scenery of the canyon came into view, with steep mountain walls, winding paths, and hazy snow peaks in the distance, forming a magnificent picture.
"We have to leave here first." Mark turned and said to the Ice Abyss Beast, with a hint of urgency in his tone. He recalled the strange incident that happened in the cave before, the mysterious symbol, and the cold voice, which made him feel scared.
The Ice Abyss Beast stood up and walked to Mark, and the man and the beast continued to move forward along the canyon path.
As Mark walked, he carefully observed the surrounding environment. There were some strange plants growing on the rock walls on both sides of the canyon, some of which emitted a faint fluorescence, and some were covered with thorns, making people dare not approach easily. He noticed that some plants had patterns on their leaves similar to the mysterious symbol in the cave, which made him stop and observe carefully. The Ice Abyss Beast also came over curiously, sniffed these plants with his nose, and let out a low roar, as if he was somewhat sensitive to the smell of these plants.
"These plants... seem to contain some kind of energy." Mark reached out and gently touched a leaf, and a slight pain came from his fingertips, just like touching static electricity. He carefully observed the veins on the leaf veins and found that these veins were not simple decorations, but some special rune arrangements.
"Could it be that these runes are related to that mysterious man?" Mark thought to himself, thinking of the rune power exerted by the mysterious man and the rune world that trapped him. He felt that he seemed to have grasped a clue, but he couldn't be sure. He picked a few leaves and carefully put them into his backpack, preparing to study them carefully later.
"Let's go." Mark said to the Ice Abyss Beast, just about to move forward.
"Woo"
The Ice Abyss Beast pulled Mark's trouser legs and pulled him to a hidden corner of the canyon rock wall. It was covered with thick blue-gray vines, which almost blended with the color of the rock wall. If you don't observe carefully, it's hard to find that there is another mystery behind it. The wind poured in from the top of the canyon, making a humming sound, blowing the vines to sway, like dancing ghosts.
Mark pushed aside the vines, revealing a slightly damp rock wall with a narrow hole on the rock wall that could only accommodate one person. The edge of the hole was jagged, as if it was forcibly chiseled by some sharp weapon. The inside of the hole was dark and bottomless, as if it led to another world.
"Did you find something?" Mark patted the head of the Ice Abyss Beast, with a hint of doubt in his tone. The Ice Abyss Beast growled at him, and then arched the hole with its head, motioning him to go in. Its green eyes flickered in the dim light, as if something deep in the cave attracted it.
The Ice Abyss Beast went in first, and Mark hesitated for a moment, then crawled in. The cave meandered downward, the light gradually dimmed, and the air was filled with a damp smell of soil. Mark urged the energy in his body to condense a fireball in his palm. The orange-red flames dispelled the surrounding darkness and illuminated the narrow passage. He found that the walls of the cave were engraved with the same runes as those in the cave and on the leaves of plants. These runes were dark red, as if they were carved with blood, and they were particularly eye-catching under the firelight. They were of different sizes and arranged in different ways, but they all exuded a mysterious and ancient atmosphere.
"Is this passage... related to the mysterious man I met before?" He thought of the strange rune power exerted by the mysterious man and the rune world that trapped him, and he couldn't help but feel a little alert. The Ice Abyss Beast followed behind him, making low whimpers from time to time, and seemed to have noticed the abnormality in the cave. Its green eyes stared at the darkness in front of it, and its nose kept twitching, as if it was sniffing something.
After going deeper for a distance, the passage suddenly opened up and a wide underground cave appeared. In the center of the cave grew a huge luminous plant, which emitted a soft silver-white light throughout its body, illuminating the entire cave. Its leaves were translucent, and liquid-like light flowed in its veins, like stars twinkling in the night sky. The roots of the plant coiled around an ancient stone platform, on which was placed a heavy book. The cover of the book was made of some unknown animal skin. There was no text or pattern on it, but it exuded an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. Countless crystal clear stalactites hung from the top of the cave, reflecting colorful light under the light of the plant, like a dreamlike fairyland.
"What a magical place..." Mark was shocked by the scene in front of him, and for a moment he forgot his previous worries. He approached the stone platform carefully, his eyes fell on the ancient book. The Ice Abyss Beast also followed. It circled around the stone platform, sniffed the book with its nose, then looked up at Mark and let out a low roar, as if asking him if he wanted to open the book.
Mark took a deep breath, stretched out his hands, and gently picked up the book. The weight of the book was far beyond his imagination, and it was cold to the touch, as if a piece of ice that had not melted for thousands of years. He carefully opened the first page and found that it recorded the secret of the power of runes. These words were not in any language he was familiar with, but he could strangely understand them. The words described the origin, types, and usage of runes, and even recorded some long-lost rune formations.
"It turns out... the power of runes is so strong..." Mark whispered to himself, his eyes full of amazement. He flipped through the book page by page, eagerly absorbing the knowledge on it. The Ice Abyss Beast lay beside him, quietly guarding him, sniffing the book from time to time, and seemed to be attracted by the content on it.