Chapter 286

Map Deciphering
We returned to our quarters to decipher the map.
But before that, we opened the golden treasure chest, which contained two Skill Crystals. The skills were "Flight" and "Underwater Mobility".

"Flight" allows the user to fly, while "Underwater Mobility" grants the ability to move freely underwater without drowning.
They weren’t exactly what I’d hoped for, but Melanie mentioned they were both rare.
Since the user rights belong to whoever obtains the crystals, I decided to use them myself.

"And now, we have this mysterious map."

"Indeed. At the very least, we know it’s not a map of the ancient castle."

"There’s no writing, so we can’t tell which floor it refers to. What now?"

Neither Melanie nor Plum could make sense of it.
Accurate maps only exist for the first-floor cave and the fifth-floor ancient castle.
Comparing the map to these didn’t yield any matches.

What kind of map is this?

"If it’s neither the cave nor the castle, then it must be the grasslands, forest, or ruins."

"That’s the conclusion. But the terrain in those areas changes every few days, making precise mapping impossible."

"Still, Melanie, this map precisely indicates a location, does it not?"

"It does… which is the confusing part."

We were stuck.
Melanie, Plum, and even the others couldn’t identify the terrain.
I stared at the map, thinking hard.
The initial mark on the map seemed oddly familiar.

"Ah!"

"Did you figure something out, Lily?"

"The first mark on the map—I think it matches the entrance to a ruined temple on the ruins floor."

"Hmm. Could this be a map of the fourth floor?"

"I’m not entirely sure, but it feels like it."

"Let’s check it out. We have no reason to linger in the castle any longer."

"Agreed. Let’s head out tomorrow morning."

With no objections, we decided to leave the ancient castle floor the next morning and return to the ruins.

Back on the ruins floor, we began searching for the ruined temple.
It didn’t take long to find it, but now the question was what to do next.
At a glance, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual.

"Alright, we’ve reached the temple. Now what?"

"Should we go inside?"

"I suppose we must. But will the door even move?"

"We’ll have to try… huh?"

As Melanie approached the door, it vanished.

It was obviously an invitation.
And while I didn’t like it, we had no choice but to go in.

Inside, a path led to a chapel.
There, we found handbells for each of us.
So, the message was clear: take the bells and proceed.

"This feels like we’re being lured into a trap."

"It does, but we have to go. Besides, we’re over-prepared for whatever comes."

Everyone looked apprehensive but took a handbell and exited the temple.
The next location, based on the map, seemed to be a belfry.

Following my suggestion, we headed to the belfry, which, to our surprise, had been restored.
There was an entrance, but it wouldn’t open.
When I rang the handbell as a test, the scenery before me suddenly changed.

"Lily! Where did you go?"

"Oh, I’m here. It looks like I’ve been transported inside the belfry."

"Got it. So, ringing the handbell gets us inside?"

"Probably."

"… Alright, I’m in. And Lily, remember that you are a protection priority!"

Plum scolded me.
Fair enough—I might’ve been careless this time.

After confirming the method, everyone entered the belfry by ringing their handbells.
Inside, we found lanterns, again one for each person.
Clearly, we were meant to take them and continue.

This time, Plum took the lead, lighting a lantern and ringing the bell.
She vanished but quickly returned.

"Where did it take you?"

"A cave. Only the lantern’s light works as a guide—no magic or night vision is effective."

"I see. Then we should all go together."

"Agreed. Once everyone is ready, we’ll move."

With Plum’s signal, everyone lit their lanterns, rang their handbells, and proceeded to the next location.

We arrived in a cave, just as Plum had described.
Only the lanterns provided any illumination.
After confirming everyone, including Talat, was present, we moved forward.

The path was smooth and easy to walk but narrow, only wide enough for two people side by side.
Eventually, we saw a light ahead.
Following it, we emerged at a sparkling underground lake.

The walls surrounding the lake glittered as well… wait, are those Skill Crystals!?
Could this be a Skill Crystal mine!?

What do you think about this chapter?