"Woah, my magical energy is sucked!"
"Shut up fireboy!" Luna scolded Tim.
The door is slowly shining and the light becomes brighter every times Yavia chant the word. The light shows us unknown language from unknown race and the magic circle begins to forming itself.
"…Gaiaveriolle Umbreillourre: Farvayverion Nacveris…" [The Dark Shadow of Gaia: Undiscovered Truth]
The door is shining brightly and the magic circle is complete. The light covered the entire area so brightly that the people around us thought it was an explosion.
*Clack*Clack* The door's mechanism begins to work and it slowly opened the door. After the door fully opened, we saw a dark corridor inside the door.
"What was that magic, Yavia-san?"
"Before that, let me tell you something, Kaichou-sama. First, this door had same mechanism and magic like in our base and hideout. Second, The Abyssal Reaper itself sealed the door with its ancient magic and items, like the relics there. Third, in this corridor there is no monster and boss. Fourth, I used magic from Druid Class skill that allows the user to be able to open any kind of door, but it needs ridiculous amount of mana. That's why I need help from other Mages with huge mana pool and last…"
"Last…?"
"I felt there are 200 people inside…"
"WHAT?!"
"I don't know…I just felt there were weak magical residues from inside and if I count the amount correctly, there are around 200 people. From their faint energy, I can say that they are dying right now."
"Are they—"
"Cut it off Zack-dono. We need to go there NOW."
Kenzia left us first to prepare her men. After that, we followed her action and returned to our parties. I asked Robert, Hel, Del, Tim, Ayumi, Rania, Luna, Yuna, Yavia, Erick, Arnold and Thomas to come with me.
"Oh, you sure love to bring many people to explore new dungeon Ishizaki-dono."
"It's just for anticipation Zack-dono." Zack brings Daendles, Riona, Avel and Mike with him. Naval brings Luck, Hope, Elria and Hudson with him while Kenzia only brings Suzuka, Okimura and Fariel with her.
"Yahoo! I'm ready for rescue mission—OW!" Rudolph smacked her head. When Viorelle blabbered something, he says that she needs to focus and not take this mission lightly while glaring at her with cold gaze.
"Alright let's go." We walk inside the hidden room.
We walk inside the room and the room itself is very dark that we can't see anything inside. Well, it doesn't affect Robert and Rania who is a Dark Elf and Arachne. They can see everything and walk safely. If I assume correctly, this place isn't an ancient hidden room, it was just built few daesh ago and the builders forgot to put some lights here.
This corridor is simple from front, but honestly when you walk inside and explore, this hideout is far complicated than Viorelle's basecamp that we had visited before. It has many hidden traps and corridors. We even met magical traps and wraiths inside, but since we can spot them faster than they can spot us, we can get rid of them easily. We rested in a room and I saw my watch. It seems we have spent two heverra inside.
Rania sighed, "We still haven't reached our destination? Seriously?"
"Yes…we still need to walk again maybe for one or two heverra?" After I said that, I heard Rania's sighing voice.
We keep walking and exploring the dungeon. Not long after that, we reached a big room and we decided to rest a bit there. However, when we wanted to sit, four daggers are flying to us.
"Watch out!" Hel blocked the daggers with his shield.
It seems Robert, Erick and Rania have predicted that ambush. They have blended themselves with darkness shortly after the attack. From far, I heard the sound of metal clashing with each other. Meanwhile, we secretly moved to left edge of the room. After that, I gave Suzuka a code that I will join the battle in front of us and she nodded in agreement.
I activated my [Presence Concealment] and entered the realm of darkness. I sense ten enemies ahead and three allies. Robert and the others are handling four of them, while the six are still lurking in the darkness. Seeing this chance, I threw sleep needles with high sleep effects on them, along with stun needles.
It's a bit cruel since you will be sleep paralyzed for some time but I don't have other choices. Only three of them hit the target. One of them evaded that and came to me with unbelievable speed.
I parried his dagger and jumped to his back. I struck his neck with a Martial Art Technique and he collapsed instantly. I picked all of them and tied them with Rania's web from my inventory. Well, I picked this sticky web when I cleaned the first carriage couple daesh ago. This web is stronger and more durable than metal wire but it is weak against fire and water. After I finished tying them, Robert came to me with other four people. It seems all of them had finished their job.
I asked Yuna to brighten the light and now we see ten people are tied up…wait, Rania tied them in strange and misleading position. Even the people I caught have already tied in bizarre position.
"Mfufufufu…" Rania was grinning lewdly.
"Haru-chan, if you want extract some information from them…let me do that job…ufufufu…"
"Yeah…yeah…you got it."
"Alright, now let's see who they are…" Naval takes off a mask from one of assailants. Then, he is surprised.
"This is…Celia-san?!" Hearing that, we quickly walked to Naval to see what happened, but what saw surprised all of us.
"She is starving and dehydrating!" Yavia ran to her and cut the web.
"Quickly, take off their masks!" I take off one of the assailants' mask and surprisingly, it's Pablo under it.
"Hey, Spidey untie this shit quickly! Their faces have turned blue!" Luna unties one of the assailants.
We untied all of them and gave them water. They drank very quickly until it choked them. They coughed a bit and I touched Celia's head. She has high fever that it makes her face turned red.
"So hot! Yavia-san, did they catch a cold?!"
"Yes. Other than that, their mana and stamina has greatly depleted…"
"…h…e…l…p…"
"Celia-san?! Can you hear me!? What happened?!"
"…Ishizaki…san…Guild…Master…is…inside…help…us…" Then, Celia collapsed.
Yavia stored her in [Chrono Inventory] and she told me that I don't need to worry. She said Celia's condition has worsened and we need to tend her quickly. Suddenly, Tim ran to me and he said that he has found 200 people far inside. He pulled my hand and we ran together to another room not too far from this room.
When we reached there, I saw Ayumi, Kenzia, Robert, and Erick tending the fainted people, which are none other than Guild Master's team. Ayumi approached me and asked me to bring these people outside since they need fresh air as soon as possible to prevent their lungs from collapsing. I nodded and ran outside.
I need to use strengthening magic to carry four people at once. I returned to the room before and asked the others to save the reserve team inside that room. They nodded and left. After that, I used [Teleport] to [Boss Room] and once I arrived there, Ridell ran to me and I asked him to call the entire [Assault Team]. He nodded and ran to another side of the [Boss Room].
I put the people I brought on the middle of boss room and while waiting for Ridell to come back, I gave them a [Breathe] Spell to awaken their lungs as well as a weak [Lightning] Elemental Spell called [Ion Current] to stimulate their heart.
As I busy tending these people, Ridell came with every member of [Assault Team]. Then, I gave them a quick briefing and explanation. At the same time when I'm giving them explanation, Julio and Hel came out while carrying four people with them.
"Alright, half of the Healers please waits here and tend these people. The rest follow me right now! Oh wait, leave the experts here. Knights, take the respiration device with you! You have done it? Good! Let's go!"
We walked with inside until we reached the room I visited before. We need more than a heverra to move the people inside to outside. Thanks to strengthening magic, we can do this without being tired. The Healers tend the collapsed people very quickly and now all of them have been tended from their critical condition.
"Huuh…finally….I can…sit…"
"Thanks for your hard work, Arnold-san."
"Oh, Ayumi…Good job to you too…" Arnold wipes the sweats from his neck with a towel.
The Healers are still monitoring and tending the injured while The Alchemists are creating drugs and potions for the injured. I asked Yavia and Zikiya for the details of their sickness but they refused to answer my questions.
"My apologies Ishizaki-sama, I don't have time to talk right now. Maybe, after we returned to our base."
"Please wait patiently until the revelations come to you, O Eldert Rithee (O, The Curious One)."
"Oh okay, okay! I��m sorry for disturbing your works!" I rubbed my neck. They gave me a smile and left.
"Oh, Ishizaki-dono! What are you doing there?! That's Healers area of work! Come here!" Kenzia called me.
"Oh right! Sorry!" I walked out from there.
Kenzia told me that the Reserve Team got extreme mana exhaustion, extreme dehydration, starvation, and trachea infection due to lack of air. However, before she finishes her explanation, other party leaders came to us and asked us to return to our own base because the night has come.
"Let's return to our base and discuss this tomorrow, Ishizaki-dono."
"Alright, but what must we do with them?"
"Hmm…we must split them since our base can't fit for 200 people at once."
Everyone nodded after hearing Naval's proposal. But suddenly Arnold shouted at me that he doesn't want Guild Master in his basecamp.
(…Yes, I know that Arnold. You didn't need to shout at me that loud in front of this many people)
Then, we took forty people with us and stored them inside my storage but before we can return, a very dazzling light appears from the center of [Boss Room].
"Is the Boss will—ugh…!" Thomas covered his eyes with his arm.
"Cih! We let our guard down!" I quickly unsheathed my longsword while closing my left eye.
The light fades slowly not long after that, a girl shows up in front us. The girl is none other than Rilea missing daughter. Shortly, Rilea appeared in front of her, and then they hugged each other very tightly. I can see her daughter is crying while hugging her mother. Oh, my…what a beautiful moment.
"Mama…! Mama…!"
"Isreiolle chilverin!" (My Beloved Child)
("Hey, is this dialogue will take a full heverra?") Arnold whispered to Robert.
("Hey, that's harsh Arnold. Let them enjoy this")
(Why you ruined this beautiful moment, Arnold) I shook my head and sighed.
Not long after that, Rilea approached me and she thanked me for what I did to her. Rilea said there would be "a huge catastrophe not long after this and we will meet it sooner than we expected."
I asked her for the details, but she just smiled to me as she disappears. After she disappeared, I heard a voice in my head that told I would meet new companions and a "big storm" that will kill all of us in the future. I feel restless after hearing that, but I can't think other than to not to let my guard down.
After Rilea disappeared, we quickly returned to our base with [Mass Teleportation] Spell then we tend the injured in our [Tentriutum] and let the Healers and Priests do their job. I returned to my room and sit on my bed while thinking about Rilea's words about the "big storm" that she said and those terrifying sceneries that appeared in my head.
I'm surprised when Robert shakes my body when I lost in my thought. When I looked at the time at my [Status Screen], the time shows it's already 11.13 P.M.E. Guess, I have lost in my thought more than two heverra without walking out from my room. That is why Robert came to me.
"Aniki, what's happened?! Did you get a mental debuff?!"
"Ahahaha…no…no, I'm fine. I'm just tired both mentally and physically…" I rubbed my head.
"Is that so…? Wanna go to onsen together?"
"Ah…yes." I stand up and I picked my bath utensils. Then, I walk with Robert to go there.
"Are the boys there?"
"Yes, they are. After we returned, they immediately took off their gears, ran there and jumped in. Hell, Toval and Arnold got a cramp on their back and legs."
"Bfffttt…as expected of them."
When I almost arrived there, I met Ayumi and the other girls headed to the same way. We walked together until we arrived at onsen. Well, boys and girls have separated onsen anyway. I realized the girls had built super protective defense mechanism to prevent the boys from peeking on them.
"Do not even try to peek us…Kaichou, Robert-kun…..nyufufufu…"
"You told the wrong person, say that to Toval or Ello, Luna-chan."
Luna and the other girls entered the onsen as well as Robert and I. We took off our clothes first then we washed our body before entering the onsen. After that, we dip on the onsen together.
"Ahh…this is life…" I felt my fatigue washed away from my body.
"Nothing can beat onsen after working hard all day…" Robert dips his body until the water reaches his mouth.
"But honestly, this man-made onsen can't beat the real onsen in Yamato Island. I miss that island very much."
"Blplblplbplp…" Robert shows me an expression like "I'm also want to go back there very much."
Not long after that, from the mist, I saw Khazim, Arnold and the other boys were laughing over Toval. It seems a magical beam that used as defense mechanism shot him with ridiculous power until it burnt his body. Robert and I also laughed over him when we looked at him.
Then, Rania's web suddenly came from outside the girls' onsen and dragged Toval inside. Of course, it made the girls screamed and quickly beat him into pulp. I didn't know what they did to him but I can clearly saw his face that full of bruises and scratches from the girls after he returned back to the boys' hot spring.
(Poor him…) I giggled secretly.
After I spent 15 minerval dipping inside the onsen, I feel hungry and I walk to the kitchen while thinking what kind of food that I want to cook. On the way to kitchen, I met Vania and other girls who just returned from hot spring. They stopped me and asked (begged) me to cook for them with puppy eyes (except Vania). Hearing and looking at that, I can't help but to agree with their request.
(Guess…I will make something tasty for this cold night)