After the first exchange, Yin Lin removed her breathing apparatus and oxygen cylinder.
“This one’s empty.”
It was Huan Hong’s turn to breathe through the oxygen cylinder.
Jin Luan was still laying out her thread. The thin thread connected the path from the entrance to here. If they didn’t know how to get back through the dungeon, they could follow the thread back.
These measures might not always be necessary, but Jin Luan’s cautious approach gave the team a sense of security.
They passed through the dining hall and continued onward.
Without the breathing apparatus, Yin Lin smelled the raw air of this dungeon. It was nauseating—not a single moment of comfort.
The air might not be toxic, but it was definitely disgusting.
They kept walking. After passing the cafeteria, another giant door blocked their path. They had to break through again.
Once more, Jin Luan took the lead in opening the way. This time, she lowered the height of the breach, creating a hole near the bottom.
Something seemed off about her. Instead of opening the hole at ground level, she made it more than twenty centimeters above the floor.
What difference did this small detail make?
It meant Yin Lin would have to kneel to crawl through.
“I’ll help you. Lift your leg.”
Jin Luan was helping again from behind. Her hand touched Yin Lin’s calf, then her thigh, moving higher as she tried to lift her through.
Yin Lin kicked her in the forehead, leaving a shoe print.
After crawling through, it was Huan Hong’s turn.
The hole was still too small, and with the oxygen cylinder, she got stuck briefly. It would take some time.
Jin Luan tried to help push. She gave a perfunctory shove with her scabbard, pushing her through.
Finally, Jin Luan herself took some time to get through.
She was still carrying her thread spool and continued laying the line.
They passed through another corridor, then encountered more stone doors—some even larger.
Facing a giant door five meters high, the Magical Girls looked tiny before it.
This door couldn’t be pushed open by low-level or intermediate demons. Even a Senior Demonic Entity would need to be a physical-type to barely manage it.
Jin Luan began breaking through again. This time it would likely take longer.
Since she was using the Spear of Creation, which emitted some light, she couldn’t use her Night Vision Device.
Bored, Yin Lin waited for her, observing her surroundings.
Crouching with the Spear of Creation, she examined the walls and floor, noticing many details.
There were claw marks on the walls—left by Demonic Creatures.
The floor also showed distinct traces. Deep marks that didn’t look like ordinary walking—more like heavy stomping.
Like walking on wet sand, where most footprints are only two centimeters deep, but suddenly some are five or six centimeters—very noticeable.
With a little thought, two possibilities came to mind.
Either someone had stomped hard, or the soil there was different.
Yin Lin didn’t think that deeply. She was just bored and curious.
Why were there such deep marks here?
“Wait here. I’m going back for a moment.”
Yin Lin suddenly remembered something and ran off, disappearing into the darkness.
“Don’t wander off. It’s too dangerous here.”
Jin Luan’s劝说 went unheeded. Yin Lin was already gone.
Huan Hong also tried to劝, but couldn’t stop her.
She couldn’t help but feel afraid. Remembering that Intermediate Evil Demons appeared here, her usual confidence vanished.
Coupled with the narrow terrain, which wasn’t suitable for flight and escape, Huan Hong lost her former bravado.
In the past, weak as she was, she dared to challenge various Nose Demons and even Cadre-class Demonic Creatures. There was a reason.
She could fly away anytime, withdraw from battle at will.
Dark Souls players probably understand. When you encounter a Boss in the wild, poke it a few times, realize you can’t win, and just run away.
Because of that freedom to disengage at any moment, Dark Souls players will poke anything.
See a dog? Poke it a few times.
See a Crucible Knight? Poke it a few times.
See a Tree Sentinel? Poke it to see what it’s about.
Unless you enter a fog gate, that carefree freedom disappears.
Huan Hong had the same mentality.
Since she could disengage at any time outside, she dared to poke anything, just to see what the enemy was like.
But now, underground, she couldn’t be arrogant.
At the end of the day, this was the trouble of mediocrity—a phenomenon caused by insufficient attack and defense abilities.
Look at Yin Lin.
She even dared to wander off alone.
Having watched countless horror movies, she knew that wandering off alone was a taboo, yet she still did it.
That was confidence in her strength.
She returned to the dining hall, then continued walking until she reached the corridor where they first entered—the place where the Intermediate Evil Demon had suddenly appeared.
She recalled the position where she’d sensed the demon’s appearance.
Youth had good memory. She still remembered things from a few minutes ago.
Though the area was damaged, she still found the spot.
Crouching down, she saw deep footprints on the ground too.
A few centimeters deep. No such marks elsewhere.
And these footprints only appeared near that spot, not anywhere else.
“Wow! I get it. The truth is only one!”
Yin Lin had an epiphany.
It wasn’t that she’d become smart; the clues had been handed to her on a silver platter.
Plus, there was now a practical example.
Even Yin Lin, with her average intelligence, could figure it out.
Just then, another aura appeared within her Perception range.
No, not just one!
A few seconds later, more and more auras filled her Perception.
Three. Five. Ten. Twenty!
Even a Demonic Creature materialized right in front of Yin Lin.
It appeared half a meter above the ground, then landed.
That was the secret of those footprints.
The traces came from Demonic Creatures appearing suddenly and landing heavily.
Logically, even several tons of weight shouldn’t leave such marks.
After all, the ground was stone—not easy to leave visible impressions.
But what if this happened dozens, hundreds, even thousands of times?
Yin Lin fired the Spear of Creation beside her.
The low-level demon right in front of her dodged, avoiding the hit.
Yin Lin didn’t linger. She continued Charging, quickly fleeing toward the dining hall, trying to get back to Jin Luan.
A large number of Demonic Creatures appeared in the dungeon.
All low-level and intermediate level—no Senior Demonic Entity auras.
This many wasn’t something Jin Luan and Huan Hong could handle.
Only Yin Lin could deal with them.
One fully charged Magic Power Cannon would suffice.
However, her comrades were still here, making it inconvenient to fire.
Yin Lin planned to rescue them first.
But unfortunately, the fatal weakness of Magical Girls fighting underground revealed itself.
Even a low-level demon could make Yin Lin’s life miserable.
With limited flight ability, she couldn’t disengage quickly.
The same old problem.
Yin Lin had no Super Armor, and with her light, soft body and lack of melee capabilities, she got caught in the demon’s combo again.
A low-level demon easily caught up on the ground.
Echo Strike followed by Fierce Dragon Tail threw her into the wall.
Then Strong Hand Skull Split, Intentional Fist, grab, and Awestruck.
In short, she ate every one of the low-level demon’s skills and every crowd control ability—not a single one missed.
Until ten seconds later, the Spear of Creation was fully charged.
Firing at point-blank range.
The battle ended.
“Had enough yet?”