Same as yesterday, they waited for the next energy pillar to appear. After the vortex following it died down, they swam towards the sinkhole.
Grace followed the two until the edge of the sinkhole. Jack warned her not to follow them in or else she would get caught up in the vortex. She promised that she would leave once they went down. Jack and Jet descended the sinkhole. Grace looked down from the edge as the two went deeper into the dark abyss. Jack cast Illumination again to light up the surroundings. Grace saw the two go in deeper and deeper as the light from Jack's illumination spell was slowly swallowed by the darkness below. Her eyes stayed there for a while longer before she turned back and swam away.
Jack and Jet proceeded to descend. When they reached the ring indentation, Jack gave Jet a sign. This was where the interval of the energy pillar would shorten. They would have only one minute once they passed this line.
Jack had given him one bottle of Grace of Tranquility Potion. Jack asked him to drink it now. When the vortex hit yesterday, Jack had no trouble holding on to the bar handle while Jet almost lost his grip. This potion should increase his overall attributes and help him hold on without the need to use his beast form.
Jet drank the potion. He felt stronger at once. He gave an okay sign to Jack. The two then descended at high speed. Every second mattered now.
Jack already knew where to head so they arrived at the hole in the wall before the energy pillar emerged. The two of them secured their grips on the bar handles and waited. The energy pillar came. The vortex followed soon. The two felt themselves getting pulled by the strong sucking force of the vortex.
Jack paid attention to Jet. He seemed struggling but he managed to hold on. The potion helped.
After the vortex dissipated, the two proceeded down. Jack took the lead, he had memorized the next hole's position. After hiding from the second vortex, they continued down again. After the second hole, they passed a few spots that were exuding a dim green glow. These were the deposits that they had seen the first time they descended this tunnel. They were now in reach but Jack and Jet ignored them. These should contain the lowest grade of runic metals. Their target was the better grades down below.
'Do you feel the water getting harder to swim through? Or it's just my feeling?' Jet sent Jack a message.
'Should be just your feeling,' Jack replied.
They reached the third hole. The energy pillar shot out as they were securing their grips. They were again getting pulled by the vortex.
While Jack was resisting the pull, he received an urgent message from Jet. 'Jack boy, help me!'
Jack turned and saw the elder dwarf almost losing his grip. Jack hurriedly released one hand and grab Jet's body. Steadying and keeping him from getting sucked by the vortex.
'What's wrong? The potion should last twenty minutes,' Jack asked.
'The buff is still on. The problem is the vortex, it is stronger than up there!' Jet informed.
'It is?' Jack couldn't tell. Probably because the vortex was not strong enough to cause him discomfort. But he believed Jet wasn't joking. This meant that the vortex was getting stronger as they descended.
Should have expected this, Jack thought. If not, then anyone who had known this tunnel setup would be able to get the highest grade of runic metals down there as easily as the lowest grade up here. This meant that with Jet's attributes, he would soon reach his limit.
'In the next hole, use your form,' Jack advised.
'Okay,' Jet replied.
'What is your Beast Form level?' Jack asked again.
'Fifteen,' Jet answered.
'Do you have five free skill points available?'
Jet nodded. 'I have some stocked for use on level 50 skill.'
'Use five to max your beast form skill. You will need all ten minutes of its duration.'
Jet followed the instruction. He leveled up the skill while waiting for the vortex to end.
They descended again once the vortex stopped. As they swam downward, Jack again received Jet's urgent message, 'It's not just my feeling. It is truly getting more difficult to swim.'
Jack turned back and saw Jet was a few meters behind. Truthfully, he also felt his body getting heavier than usual. He couldn't move as easily as before. It was like the water under here was becoming more solid.
Jack stopped advancing and waited for Jet. When he was in range, Jack held him and they swam together. He slowed down but Jet became faster. This time, the energy pillar came shooting up before they grabbed the bar handles. They frantically swam and grabbed the handles just as the vortex was forming. Jet turned into a and held tightly.
This time, Jack also felt some difficulty holding on. He activated Life Burning Art.
They descended again. The runic metal deposits were giving a stronger glow here. They passed by them without stopping. Jet was in his form while Jack had his Life Burning Art on. These buffs allowed them to swim through the heavier water and arrived at the fifth hole just before the next vortex came.
Jack thought about the next descent while waiting for the vortex to end. Most likely they won't be able to reach the next hole with their current conditions. Jack made a decision. Once the vortex ended, he used his Supreme Dragon transformation.
Before Jet could ask anything, Jack grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the hole. With Jack's dragon form's flying ability even underwater, he shot down. The water indeed proved harder to pass through as they went deeper. Jack could feel the resistance as he pierced through the water.
He arrived at the sixth hole with some decent seconds to spare. The two grabbed the bar handles and waited for the vortex. This sixth hole was the last one he had scouted for the position. He didn't know in which direction the seventh hole down there was located. But with the speed of his dragon form's flight, he should still have time to look around before the vortex hit.
His dragon form lasted ten minutes. He spent three minutes on each descent. One minute to reach the next hold and two minutes to wait out the vortex. This meant he could do this two more times, totaling nine minutes. The remaining one minute would be used to take the runic metal and escape.
This planning put his target for the runic metal deposits under the eighth hole. He delivered this plan to Jet. Jet said he would follow whatever Jack decided. He was just a passenger at this point.
Jack rushed out with Jet in tow once the vortex ended. He flew down as fast as he could. The pressure resisting his descent had increased but his dragon form could still manage. Going down another time was still a feasible feat. As he reached the distance where the next hole should be and searched for it, something caught his attention. The abyss below was suddenly cleared. There was light from below there. Soft light in the shape of a white round disc with a black dot in the middle.
Though it was peculiar to see a light source suddenly appear down there, Jack was just about to dismiss it because he found the seventh hole he was looking for. When his eyes were about to turn away from the light disc below, the disc blinked. Jack froze for a second.
Jack didn't move, but he had willed himself over to the hole. He was currently drifting slowly towards the hole. The black dot at the center of the round white disc was following his movement.
And then, the round white disc disappeared. The abyss below returned.
While Jack was still trying to make sense of what he had seen, another light emerged from down there. A bright strong light this time. It was the energy pillar. The force from the pillar knocked him out of his trance. Luckily, they were already right beside the hole. They hurriedly leaned in and grabbed the bar handles.
'Did you see that?' Jack asked.
'Can we leave now?' Jet replied, his face was pale. Jack took it as he had also seen that thing, a giant freeking eye.
Jack looked at his radar. Nothing. The only dot was just the green one indicating Jet next to him.
'It is probably a being similar to Broidrireg or Goddess Serenity,' Peniel conjectured. Both of them also didn't show up on Jack's radar.
'With an eye that big, I will be surprised if it is anything lower than an eternal grade,' Jack said. 'What is a thing like that doing down there anyway?'
'Aside from being backed by a God or Goddess. There is one other thing that makes a divine faction unlikely to be attacked by others. It's that they had an eternal-grade guardian watching over their territory.'
