NOVPUB
Chapter 100: Pocket Ecosystem?
Zayn kicked a goblin off his sword like it was a piece of particularly stubborn meat stuck to a skewer.
The thing made a wet thwap as it hit the cavern wall and slumped down like a discarded puppet.
"Alright," he said, brushing his sweaty bangs out of his eyes, "I think that’s the last of ’em."
Bran stood over a twitching dire wolf, wiping blood from his axe with the sleeve of a goblin’s ragged tunic. "You said that three goblins ago."
"Okay but this time I mean it."
Tobias peered around the corner, scanning the next chamber with his soul meter, apparently the thing could also be used to check the soul energies of beings in the area.
"No active readings nearby. I think we’re good. For now."
"Man, these guys were a breeze compared to those worms," Bran said, sitting down on a rock and massaging his calves.
"Don’t complain," Kara chimed in as she rummaged in her pouch. "At least dire wolves don’t swallow you whole."
She pulled out a strip of fried meat and offered it to Zayn, who took it with a grateful nod.
After a quick break, they continued through the increasingly cramped cavern tunnels.
The rock walls here looked different — darker, damper, almost like they were pulsing faintly with water. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Every few meters, they had to shove aside vines that had no business growing underground.
Eventually, they came to a dead-end.
"Well, that’s annoying," Bran said, knocking his knuckles against the stone. "It’s not even a dramatic boss door. Just a wall."
Tobias tilted his soul meter toward the wall. The needle jumped.
"...There’s definitely something behind this," he said, frowning.
Elisse squinted. "Maybe an illusion?"
Kara strode up and put her hand against the surface. "It’s real. Solid rock, but — wait — " She tapped a section. A hollow echo answered back.
Zayn grinned. "Ladies, gentlemen, and Tobias... I believe we’ve found our mystery door."
"I’m not even mad," Tobias said. "That was kinda smooth."
With a satisfying shunk,
Bran raised his axe and started carving into the stone like it was stale bread.
Zayn followed suit with his weapons, while Tobias traced symbols into the air to reinforce the ceiling in case they destabilized anything.
Kara focused on making the spot where Tobias and Zayn cut through softer though she couldn’t do the whole thing because she was assisting Tobias with the ceiling as well.
It was messy work.
Chips of stone flew into their boots and eyes, Bran swore a lot, and at one point Elisse had to pull Zayn out of the hole by his legs because he overcommitted to a heroic swing and wedged himself in the wall like a cork.
But eventually, after what felt like a half-hour of rocky sweat and cursing, they broke through.
Light.
Fresh, cool, natural light.
They stepped through the makeshift tunnel, blinking.
Gone was the damp, shadowy cavern behind them. Before them lay a hidden paradise.
The rocky ground gave way to soft, springy grass that shimmered in shades of deep green and pale blue.
A lush lake stretched out across the clearing, its surface like a mirror, so clear it reflected the ceiling — a starless sky painted with faint glowing patterns.
Water trickled down from vines that hung lazily over smooth cliff faces, feeding the lake with gentle ripples.
Zayn stepped forward slowly, letting his boots sink into the grass.
"Are we still in the dungeon?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. "Or did we walk into someone’s personal garden?"
Bran touched one of the vines. "This is insane. It’s like someone planted an entire ecosystem back here."
Tobias adjusted his glasses, eyes wide. "It’s real. No illusions. The soul energy is thick in the air. It’s... peaceful, though. Not hostile."
Elisse knelt down by the edge of the lake and dipped her hand in. "The water’s warm. Not hot. Just... like bathwater that knows when you’ve had a rough day."
Zayn knelt beside her, running a hand through the grass. "This doesn’t feel like any dungeon I’ve ever been in."
"That’s because you’ve only been in two," Tobias said and Zayn rolled his eyes.
The hero reached into his inventory and retrieved a notebook, now carefully sketching diagrams in his notebook.
"I think this is a pocket ecosystem. Magical in nature. Maybe even artificial. Whoever made it... they were either crazy powerful or really into landscaping."
Kara let out a rare chuckle. "I vote both."
There was a strange tranquility to the place.
No monsters, no traps, no puzzles — just the low hum of life. Zayn felt his pulse slow.
The knot in his stomach that had been there since the worm ambush finally loosened.
They sat for a while — Bran lay on his back in the grass, arms behind his head. Tobias took water samples with meticulous care.
Elisse brewed tea with a travel kettle that she absolutely should not have had in her bag but absolutely did.
Kara watched the area like a hawk, because someone had to.
Zayn just... existed.
It was rare, these days, to find moments like this.
"Hey," Elisse said softly as she handed him a tin cup of herbal tea. "You okay?"
He looked at her. She had that look again — the soft one, the one she reserved for when she thought he was thinking too hard.
"Yeah," he said after a moment. "Just... this place. It’s weird. In a good way."
Elisse smiled and nudged his shoulder. "You mean like you."
"Wow. That was smooth. You been practicing?"
"A lady never reveals her secrets."
They shared a brief, quiet laugh.
Then Kara’s voice cut through the calm like a blade.
"I think the place is safe for resting," Kara said, tapping the butt of her staff on the soft ground.
Her voice was calm, but it carried that "I’ve already analyzed every tactical risk in a ten-meter radius" kind of confidence.
"I can control the rocks here. Reinforce the cave mouth if anything shows up. And the water’s clean — no corruption or residue. I tested it twice."
"You tested it by sticking your foot in," Tobias muttered.
"Twice," Kara said firmly.
"Well, that’s good enough for me," Bran announced, already pulling off his shirt. "Been sweating in this armor for hours — I’m practically marinating in my own bravery."
He tossed his shirt onto a patch of grass and bolted for the water with the loudest, most exaggerated "HOHOHO!" imaginable, leaping in with an undignified splash that made the lake ripple like someone had dropped a house into it.
Zayn watched from the edge of the lake, arms crossed and amused. "Save some space for me, Poseidon."
Bran popped back up, grinning and flicking water from his hair. "There’s room for two in these waters, my fellow champion!"
