Countless tunnels ran through the heart of the primeval forest, each one eventually connecting to an abandoned underground mine.
At that moment, a faint light was slowly moving along one of the mine’s main passages.
“Not bad, little sis. That passive skill was worth buying—you’re not scared of those creepy sounds anymore.”
A lit candle heart floated beside You. Nai, who stood a little over a meter tall, walked slowly at his side.
“That’s right. I’m still pretty scared inside, but now I’m able to face it.”
Nai said, one hand pressed over her rapidly beating heart.
“You’re making progress! You’re making progress! As a reward, have a chick…en leg… Wait, do you get hungry?”
You was taken aback by his own words. He’d been here for at least a day or two by now, but he didn’t feel hungry at all.
“Maybe it’s because of our species.”
Nai raised a slender hand and pointed at the pair of black furry ears.
“Could be. But thank goodness we don’t get hungry. We’d probably starve to death here otherwise.”
You narrowed his eyes and thought it over. There didn’t seem to be anything edible on this floating island… just all kinds of strange creatures and plants.
“Huh? Big bro, it sounds like it’s getting closer. We should be careful.”
The metallic clanging was drawing closer, and a faint glow had appeared farther down the path. The two foxes slowed their steps until they got close enough to see.
Clatter, clatter, clang! In the glow ahead, the siblings saw a stretch of track crowded with minecarts.
There were so many minecarts that they’d collided with one another, making the metallic crashing sounds the two had been hearing all along.
Hundreds of meters below the tracks lay a pool of underground magma, radiating terrifying heat and light.
“What the heck? Are they expecting us to get on?”
Looking at the tracks that led to countless mine tunnels, You felt a headache coming on. One wrong move, and they could fall into the magma—or successfully ride a minecart away from here, only to end up somewhere full of monsters. This was way too dangerous!
“Big bro, this is where Scan comes in handy!”
Nai twitched her ears as she spoke and activated Scan. A stream of information poured into her mind.
It took several minutes of analysis before Nai finally spoke.
“The fifth track from the left has an intact minecart and rails, but I can’t tell where the tunnel leads. The others all have a chance of an accident.”
After hearing Nai’s words, You paused and thought it over for a little longer.
(If we turn back now, the only way out is through the tree hollow. That big-leaf monster outside would definitely be trouble...)
So, in the end, he chose to trust the power of Scan and head down the path on the left.
Once they’d made up their minds, the two foxes climbed into a minecart. It was old, but all its functions were still in working order.
“Ready? Hold on tight!”
“You bet!”
You nudged the minecart’s power mechanism with his little paw. The cart rumbled and shuddered, then started moving.
Rrrumble~
The heat rising from the boiling magma underground had raised the temperature throughout the mine considerably.
Now aboard the minecart, You could clearly feel it shaking violently as it picked up speed. One wrong move, and they’d go flying off!
Both foxes held their breath and crouched in one corner of the cart...
Thudda-da~
Their worries had been for nothing. The minecart soon shot past the magma field and entered the tunnel—but as soon as it did, the track began sloping downward.
As the cart raced down the slope, it reached a terrifying speed, hurtling along at the equivalent of “1,000” kilometers per hour.
Suddenly, the minecart struck something hard. The whole cart flew into the air, then plunged into the pitch-black abyss below.
“E-Eh?!”
“Aah! Aaaah!”
The two foxes could only huddle in the minecart, claws gripping tight as they screamed in terror.
