Martin stepped through the small waterfall and into the hidden cave mouth behind it, following the party ahead as cold mist rolled over his armor.
The cave behind the waterfall did not feel fully dry. Water crawled down the walls in thin silver veins, and every footstep sent shallow ripples through the mist gathered across the floor. Somewhere deeper inside, the clicking of ant legs echoed in uneven bursts, too distant to see and too close to ignore.
Around Martin, alongside his teammates, moved healers, mages, and rangers from the other guild parties. They were backline players, fragile compared to the tanks at the edge, but they were also essential to the expedition.
Party Twenty stayed near the middle of the lane, surrounded by players who could punish enemies from safety but would fold quickly if anything reached them. Their party had the lowest average level, so Kuro A had placed them where glory was scarce and mistakes were expensive.
