The sound of Qin Yeseung's footsteps echoed softly through the darkness of the cave. His tall figure, draped in tattered clothes but still holding a steady and poised stance, moved cautiously forward. His sharp, slanted eyes, glinting with mischief, swept around as if reading the secrets hidden within the icy walls.
He paused as he heard a faint scraping sound from above. A pale silver light reflected in his eyes. "This cave certainly doesn't seem to welcome me," he muttered, his tone tinged with amusement, the corners of his lips curling into a half-smile, almost as if daring the cave to challenge him.
Before he could make another move, the ice beneath his feet trembled. Thin cracks began to spread, resembling a spider's web. A sharp cracking sound followed, and the ice floor suddenly caved in, revealing a deep pit filled with sharp, jagged ice thorns.
With lightning speed, the tall figure leaped to the right, narrowly avoiding the collapsing ice. As he regained his footing, ice pillars shot out from the walls beside him, sharp like spears, piercing the air toward him. Qin Yeseung deftly dodged, first to the left, then to the right, his movements fluid. The ice spears brushed past his face, missing by mere inches.
"Well then, looks like I'll have to be more cautious," Qin Yeseung said to himself, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. His tall frame continued to move with agility, evading the barrage of ice spears flying toward him.
After surviving the first wave, he took a brief, shallow breath before looking up at the icy ceiling above. Large shards of ice began to fall rapidly.
Qin Yeseung smirked. "I must admit, this cave isn't as ordinary as it seems." He leapt to dodge the falling ice flakes, which were coming down like an icy storm. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the cave. He rolled to a safe corner, just as the ice shower passed.
When everything quieted down, Qin Yeseung stood up. His sharp, slanted eyes fixed on the path ahead, now revealing a large, glowing circular pattern resembling plum blossom petals on the once smooth ice floor. A high-pitched screech echoed, as though some powerful force was awakening.
"What is this…?" he murmured softly, crouching to analyze the situation. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Suddenly, a magic circle released a surge of icy energy toward him. The wave spun like a storm, ready to consume him. Qin Yeseung leaped to evade, but the hem of his cloak was caught and ripped apart.
"Quite strong, but you still don't know that I'm skilled in this kind of thing as well," he said with a chuckle, pulling a glowing blue gem from the pouch at his waist.
The gem in his hand radiated a bright light as it connected with the energy from the magic circle.
A faint explosion sounded, and the energy wave halted for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Qin Yeseung darted out of the magic circle.
"That was close..." he muttered as he brushed the snow off his clothes. His sharp eyes scanned the path ahead, leading deep into the darkness.
However, just as he was about to move forward, a strange, unsettling sensation made him hesitate. He turned and scanned the surroundings, as if searching for something invisible.
"You'll have to do more than this if you think you can stop me," he said softly, his voice laced with a taunting smile before stepping forward into the darkness once again.