Mimi saw the surprised look in Gu Jin's eyes, and her face lit up with joy. "See? You're surprised! I told you I was strong!"
Gu Jin chuckled. "Alright, alright. You win."
Mimi giggled, then quickly sat down and began cultivating with the red soul crystals. A faint red light glowed around her as she focused deeply.
Gu Jin watched her for a moment, then leaned against the cave wall. She let her body relax, closed her eyes, and finally fell into a light sleep.
......................
The next day came, but there was no sun. Just a cold, silent sky with soft shadows.
Even so, compared to the pitch-black night before, it was easier to see. The fog had thinned a little, and the cave entrance glowed faintly with light.
Gu Jin opened her eyes slowly. She looked over and saw Mimi still sitting there, deeply focused on cultivating.
Half of the crystals were gone.
Gu Jin thought for a second. Should she wake Mimi up or let her continue?
Before she could decide, her stomach growled quietly.
She smiled a little and stepped into her private space.
Inside, everything was warm and quiet. She took a hot shower, changed her clothes, and freshened up. After that, she started cooking breakfast.
The smell of food filled the space. Gu Jin cooked rice, soup, and even some sweet buns. After eating, she prepared a plate for Mimi and packed some extra food for lunch and dinner later.
She also packed a small bag of emergency supplies—just in case something happened outside.
Even though only one hour had passed outside, she had done a lot inside, thanks to the faster time in her space.
Once everything was ready, Gu Jin stepped out of her space again and looked at Mimi.
She walked over quietly, planning to wake her up.
But just as she reached out, Mimi opened her eyes and smiled brightly. "You're awake! Can we leave now?"
Gu Jin nodded and looked at her carefully.
Mimi's aura had changed. It was stronger, calmer, and more solid.
Gu Jin could feel it clearly: Mimi had grown stronger overnight.
"You made good progress," Gu Jin said with a slight smile.
Mimi grinned wide. "Thanks! I feel way better now. Like I can take on anything!"
Gu Jin chuckled. "Let's hope you don't have to take on everything. Come on, let's go."
She handed Mimi the breakfast she had packed, and while Mimi ate happily, Gu Jin pulled out a blank notebook and a charcoal pencil from her space.
"What's that for?" Mimi asked between bites.
"I'm going to make a map," Gu Jin said calmly. "This place changes too much. We need to mark every spot we pass, just in case we need to go back."
Mimi nodded with wide eyes. "Wow, you really think ahead."
Gu Jin gave her a small smile. "It's better than getting lost."
Once breakfast was done, the two stepped out of the cave. The fog was thinner now, and even though the sky was still dark, they could see a bit better.
Gu Jin started walking slowly, eyes sharp and alert. Every few steps, she'd glance at the land, then sketch something in her notebook. Rocks, strange trees, or glowing flowers, she marked them all.
A burst of wind shot up, and out jumped a tall creature made of mist and bones. Its face was hidden behind a skull, and it had long arms with claws like branches.
Mimi shrieked, "That thing is ugly! What is it?"
Gu Jin didn't waste time.
"It's a soul wraith. Don't let it touch you!"
Soul Wraith was a soul-type beast. Very rare, and if Gu Jin didn't have the space, which was filled with various books, she might not have known about it at all.
She quickly stepped in front of Mimi and summoned her poison vines. The green vines shot out of the ground, whipping toward the wraith.
But this time, the vines passed right through it.
She was about to reach into her space for an artifact when...
"Let me handle it!" Mimi shouted.
Gu Jin blinked. "Mimi, wait!"
But Mimi had already jumped forward. Her small body glowed faintly, and a swirl of dark blue soul flames appeared in her hands.
With a serious face, she lifted both arms and threw the flames straight at the soul wraith.
The ghostly fire hit the creature in the chest, and this time, it worked.
The soul wraith let out a high-pitched screech as it burned, twisting in the air. Within seconds, the smoke broke apart, and the creature vanished completely.
Mimi landed on her feet and turned around with a proud grin. "See? Told you I could fight too!"
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed. "That was quick. Good job."
Mimi's eyes sparkled at the praise. "Thanks! It felt… natural."
Gu Jin smiled faintly and continued walking, carefully marking the spot where the soul wraith had appeared on her map.
As they moved forward, the trees began to change. The fog was lighter now, and strange glowing fruits hung from vines above them. Gu Jin paused when she saw a fruit that was bright blue. It shimmered like it had starlight inside.
"What's this?" she muttered, reaching out to pick it.
The moment her fingers touched the fruit, her space suddenly spoke in her mind, sounding unusually excited.
"Keep it! Keep that fruit!"
Gu Jin blinked. "You know what this is?"
"Yes! That's a Soulshade Fruit. It's very rare. It can help with cultivating necromancy! Especially your kind."
Gu Jin's eyes widened a bit. A fruit that could help with her necromancy element was something she hadn't expected to find so easily.
Without another word, she carefully wrapped the fruit and stored it in her space. "Got it. We'll save it for later."
They continued walking, but the ground started to feel odd, too flat and smooth. Before Gu Jin could say anything, the dirt under them clicked.
Then the floor dropped.
"Ahh!" Mimi yelped as the ground vanished below their feet.
They fell for just a second before landing on a slanted stone slide. They slid down fast, turning through a tunnel, and finally dropped into a hidden chamber underground.
"Ow… that hurt," Mimi groaned, rubbing her back.
Gu Jin sat up slowly and looked around. The walls were covered in strange runes, and there were sharp spikes sticking out from one side of the chamber. Across the room, she spotted a pressure plate and a locked stone door.
"A trap," she said calmly. "Looks like an old mechanism."
Mimi looked worried. "Can we get out?"
Gu Jin stood up and walked to the pressure plate. She didn't touch it yet. Instead, she crouched down and studied the runes carved into the stone.
"Some kind of puzzle," she murmured.
Gu Jin remembered seeing similar patterns in one of her space's books. She pulled out her notebook, flipped to a certain page, and began comparing symbols.
After a few minutes of thinking, she moved two stones on the ground and pressed one of the runes.
Then she pressed another rune, and the room rumbled. Slowly, the stone door creaked open.
Mimi clapped. "You solved it!"
Gu Jin smiled. "It wasn't that hard. Just needed the right pattern."
They quickly left the chamber before the door could close again. As they stepped back onto the forest path, Gu Jin marked the trap location on her map.
As they continued walking through the strange forest, the fog began to thin even more. The ground started to feel less uneven, and the trees grew farther apart.
Finally, they reached a wide clearing surrounded by tall, ancient-looking trees. In the middle of the clearing stood a stone altar. It looked old but strong, with strange carvings glowing faintly on its surface.
Mimi gasped and pointed. "Look! That must be it! The key! We finally found it!"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she took a few quick steps forward.
But Gu Jin didn't move. Her eyes were fixed on the altar, her expression calm but serious.
"No," she said softly.
Mimi blinked and turned around. "No? What do you mean? Isn't this what we've been looking for?"
Gu Jin slowly shook her head. "Something's not right."
Mimi frowned. "But we made it through everything. We beat those weird plants, soul beasts, and even solved that underground puzzle. Doesn't that mean we're ready?"
Gu Jin didn't answer right away. She looked back at the path they had taken. Then she glanced around the clearing again. Everything felt too… peaceful. Too easy.
"All the dangers we faced," she said at last, "they weren't that hard. As long as we stayed alert, used our heads, and worked together, we could avoid them."
Mimi tilted her head. "Yeah, so?"
Gu Jin looked at her seriously. "So why didn't the mages before us get this far? Why didn't they take the key if they reached here?"
Mimi opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She hadn't thought about that.