NOVEL WEB Chapter 901: Treasure Search
Along the stone walls on either side, numerous black holes of varying sizes gaped like the hollow eyes of some ancient beast, each one exhaling a cold, damp breeze that sent chills crawling across Max's skin.
"Are these… the Black Dog dens?" Max muttered, his brows knitting tightly.
The warning of Blob echoed in his mind: Black Dogs are social creatures. "Where there is one, there are many. Lead one out, and a pack will surely follow. And where there is a pack, there is always a king."
That thought alone was enough to make Max tense. According to the ancient map he had acquired from the elders, the Black Dog King that resided in this abyss was said to have reached the peak of the Legend Rank.
That was a creature so powerful that even with his current strength, defeating it head-on would be reckless.
Still, Max didn't come here for a confrontation; he had come for treasures, specifically rare medicinal herbs rumored to grow in this abyss. He quietly called out the little rat, which materialized on his shoulder, its bright eyes blinking as it sniffed the air.
"Find anything valuable," Max instructed softly, his voice barely more than a whisper.
The little rat's nose twitched rapidly as it sniffed left, then right, then upward toward the dark cavern holes. It sniffed for a long time, its whiskers trembling, but to Max's surprise, it didn't choose a direction.
Instead, it simply froze in place, its head swiveling back and forth, as if confused. Finally, it sat back on its haunches, wrinkled its small, adorable nose, and stared at him with big, uncertain eyes, tilting its head as if to say it didn't know what to do.
"No results?" Max asked with a raised brow.
The little rat hesitated for a moment, then nodded, only to shake its head immediately after, leaving Max even more puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?" he muttered, scratching his chin. He thought for a moment but finally sighed, deciding it wasn't worth overthinking.
"Forget it. The Black Dog Abyss isn't endless. If there's a magical herb here, I'll find it myself."
The little rat let out a soft squeak as if agreeing, then yawned widely, almost human-like, its tiny mouth opening comically before it curled up lazily on Max's shoulder.
Clearly, it was still in no mood for much work. Max smirked helplessly at the little creature's antics and tapped its head gently. "Go rest. I'll handle this."
With a thought, he sent the little rat back into the Dimension of Spirit, freeing his shoulder and mind as he prepared to explore the abyss alone. The cold wind continued to flow from the dark cavern holes, carrying with it an ominous stillness that seemed to whisper of unseen eyes watching from the shadows.
Max took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his sword, and began moving deeper into the abyss, every step silent and deliberate.
Max paused for a moment, glancing left and right, analyzing the layout of the abyss with calm precision. The Black Dog Abyss ran in an east-west direction, stretching longer the deeper one went, but even so, it was unlikely to exceed a hundred miles in total length.
Its width was modest in comparison, barely reaching a few thousand feet at its broadest point. With such a size, Max estimated it wouldn't take long to fully explore and find what he came for.
Resolute in his plan, he chose to head left first, his steps light and measured. If nothing turns up on this side, he thought, 'I'll double back and check the right.'
The atmosphere in the abyss was distinctly cold, but it wasn't the chilling Yin energy often found in places steeped in deathly mana. Instead, this was a raw, natural cold, the kind that seeped into one's bones without warning.
As Max traveled deeper, he noticed the signs of this unnatural chill more clearly—rocks at the bottom bore traces of frost, their surfaces slick and pale, giving the ground a faint glimmer under the dim light.
The cold had also stifled vegetation; no lush trees or green shrubs grew here. Instead, only hardy flowers and spiritual herbs adapted to cold, such as those infused with ice or earth attributes, seemed to survive and even thrive.
Max frowned as he walked past a set of withered vines clinging to a rock face. Withered Vines? he thought, puzzled. These unique plants could only grow in areas rich in withered and decaying life energy, yet this abyss was dominated by raw cold rather than deathly mana. 'Could there be a pocket of withered vitality mana hidden somewhere deeper inside?'
Determined to find out, Max fully unleashed his Three-Dimensional Body technique, extending his senses across the region. Every shift of wind, every fluctuation of mana, and every life signature in the surroundings was mapped in his mind as he searched meticulously for any unusual energy signatures.
A full incense stick's worth of time passed before he sighed inwardly. There was no trace of the rare herbs he sought. What he did find, however, were two five-grade miraculous drugs, their cold spiritual aura faint but refined.
Normally, these would be considered valuable, but to someone of Max's current strength, they were of little use. He ignored the lower-tier three- and four-grade herbs entirely, moving on without sparing them a glance.
Eventually, his effort paid off slightly when he discovered a six-grade elixir nestled under a jagged rock ledge. The herb's crystalline petals radiated a rich energy, proof of its high quality. Yet, it came with its own challenge—a guardian beast lurked nearby, a massive, fat-bodied rat with fur like coarse iron wire and eyes glowing faintly red. The beast, possessing the power of the third level of the Legend Rank, bared its teeth the moment Max drew near.
Max dispatched it efficiently, his sword flashing only once before the beast slumped lifeless to the ground. The elixir was collected, and the eerie silence of the Black Dog Abyss returned as though nothing had happened.