The moment Letti passed through the gate and properly stepped inside the dungeon, the ticklish feeling she usually gets after she enters a dungeon instantly vanished at the sight that beholds her.
A tall alcove of gilded limestone filled the walls with unfamiliar scrawls of some kind of foreign scripts in glowing green hue. It was a strange thing to exist in a dungeon that is filled with monsters. A structural form of communication and a need for literacy is foreign for monsters, especially when they are stuck in a dimensional pocket.
'Strangely, I feel like there's something familiar about those symbols. Like...if I think enough...I could read them.'
It seems everyone also thought the same as they were murmuring loudly to each other, observing their surrounding cautiously. After the last group of people enters the dungeon, the ground made a brief low rumble then became silent once again.
The reality that they were stuck in a monster-infested dimension for four hours finally sank in, and the atmosphere turned bleak.
The guild master cleared his throat, gathering all attention to him. "We have four hours until the gate opens once again. And so, let's keep our heads on our shoulders and finish this quickly, everyone." The guild master exclaimed gallantly, effectively lifting up his guild members' fighting spirit.
"That's right. We have one of the strongest mages in Linarest, the Great Hellion of Linarest, Elder Mage Mila, with us. The Nymphis will be pulverized under his mana in one swoop. You can do this, Malik. You promised to stop being a wimp!" Malik murmured to himself, almost like he was desperately reassuring himself to no avail, looking at how he was trembling too much like an aspen tree.
"Are you alright, newbie?" Pamela exclaimed frantically, catching the frail warrior's body before it collapses.
"I think I'm going to be sick." He grunted soullessly.
"Snap out of it, you wimp," Chongky called out in annoyance, yet he still cast a revitalizing spell to Malik's body against his better judgment.
Kard was feeling divided from the group's positive morale, feeling something off from the cave's atmosphere. Regarding the cave itself, it was the same as he remembered it, but why is he feeling like they were walking straight to a trap? This prickling sensation of someone bidding its time watching them was causing goosebumps all over his body.
'They don't know who they are facing. That monster is abominable.' He thought subdued. They were also like them before. Ignorant and overly confident.
'This isn't right!'
He fearfully glanced at his team, feeling the familiar terror crawling its way to his guts. This emotion was similar at that time, as a frightening pressure of having their precious lives relying on his hands and watching them perish because of him.
"Hey, are you okay?" He was about to keel over because of the trauma when a voice brought him back to reality.
He looked down, startled at the boy's clear and unwavering honey-colored eyes, which were staring at him intently. Letti's hand was clasped steadily on his arm, which enables him to steady himself quickly.
'What was his name again?... Ah, yes, that girlish name and androgynous face, Letti.'
The boy who looks to be younger than him was acting too calmly in an enemy's territory. Was it ignorance? Skills? Or reliance on the Elder Mage?
"Keep your feet going. Your members are also afraid, but they have faith in you." Letti patted him on the back before walking ahead. Kard looked behind him to see Pamela and Chongky looking at him worriedly. That's right; they were following him. The moment he broke his composure will also affect the people behind him.
"Party leader..." Pamela trailed off. They still called him party leader even when he already disband them.
"It's nothing. I was just adjusting my senses." He smiled reassuringly, causing them to relax visibly.
He gazes back to Letti appreciatively. He could see why now... That person has a mentality stronger than anyone he had ever met.
Letti followed the steady march of the party while her mind wonders on Kard's brief anxiety attack. He wasn't wrong to act vulnerably in the place that holds immense trauma for him, but his mannerism had sparked an interest in the enemies' strangeness as of now.
She wasn't able to pick it up immediately, but now she's certain.
In a special case, adventurers, who already went to the same dungeon, would build a certain level of sensitivity to their environment. Call it a defense mechanism or a fight or flight instinct, but Kard, who already went to the same dungeon twice, had picked up on the enemy's intent immediately.
She only heard stories about such circumstances, but witnessing it firsthand makes it all true. That's quite a reliable skill to obtain.
[My liege, your assumption is correct. Lulu can sense countless high ranking Nymphis druids around your party. The strange thing is they are hiding for some reason.]
[Well then, should we force them out of their shadows and into the light?]
The Elder Mage observes the dark crevices of the cave amusedly, tapping his staff patiently. He was certain countless Nymphis druids were currently hiding in those shadows. If he were to point his staff to their face right now, the situation would turn ugly.
Yet despite himself, he could hardly worry about their impending danger. 'What could it be waiting for?' He thought in anticipation. He could hardly resist bouncing on his toes, just waiting for something interesting to happen. Something tells him he's about to witness something out of this world.
They continued inside the cave with no incident. Furthermore, there isn't any path to take beside the one in front. Most of the mages already cast an illumination spell to guide everyone since the glowing walls were dimming the deeper they went.
Suddenly the guild master held up his arm—a silent gesture for everyone to halt upon encountering the cave split in three directions.
It was the longest anyone had been able to reach the dungeon, plus there are still zero casualties.
The guild master hummed thoughtfully before making his decision. "We don't have the time to explore each cave as one group. Who knows when those monsters will attack us."
The essence of time inside dimensions is warped. A few hours in the dimension already spent a day in reality. Unfortunately, the gate seems to abide by the real world's time zone, so guilds were always pressed on time to clear off dungeons.
"We will split into three groups," he explained then turned to the idling Elder Mage regretfully, "we would trouble The Elder Mage to lead the second group if that is okay?"
"It's alright. I also agree with the guild master's words." He gave an amicable smile, causing every person nearby to swoon at his charisma, including the guild master.
'What a con-man.' The invisible knight, Luca, thought while cringing beside a wall. All he did up until now was watching the Elder Mage bask in his limelight, and honestly, he had enough.
'Can they just charge right through?' He thought, put off. If it were the Archduke, he would have barreled through the dungeon.
"Then, for the third group, I would like to appoint...A-class warrior Kard since he is familiar with the enemy's abilities." The guild master called out the name loudly, catching every person's attention. The guild master sincerely didn't want one of his strong adventurers to leave. And so, by doing this, he hoped with his slight intervention, Kard could overcome his trauma victoriously.
The said person paled. His eyes widen, shooting questioning looks at his superior's hidden motive. "I don't think — " He suddenly paused, then his expression became firm and resolute.
"I understand."
The guild master smiled, satisfied with the look on his eyes. "Okay, now that we have unit leaders. Let's divide the group."
In the end, the porters were also divided into each unit. Letti was assigned as the porter of the Elder Mage while Malik was the porter for the guild master's party. Pamela was also transferred to the long-ranged offensive mages with Chongky as their porter.
"Don't be too nervous, newbie. The guild master is kind." Pamela consoled the quivering Malik in pity.
"You don't have to do much as a porter." Chongky piped up.
"But, it's the guild master." Malik drawled absentmindedly.
"Ah, snap out of it! What a scaredy-cat!" Chongky snapped exasperatedly.
Letti watched their interaction silently before unleashing a tiny bit of her mana. The shadow below her become a pool of pitch-black before a two shady mist separated and slithered to possess Malik and Kard's shadow. Invisible to the naked eye, their shadows now resembles a knight in armor and not a silhouette of a man.
Letti had called out a knight under the banner of Palleus as her eyes and ears in case they encounter the Nymphis druids.
Letti watched her surrounding cautiously in case somebody saw her little magic. It's not the right time to alarm the mages because of her mana.
'They didn't saw my shadows, right?'
She could tell her little tricks were unprecedented in the history of magic, seeing as she hasn't met another person who could manipulate their summons to an extent like hers. Mages could summon a creature — two, if you are a circle mage, using the summoning spell.
Pamela then turned to the idle Letti and gave her a thumbs up. "Ah, also, Little Letti, I'm sure you'll do great. I know outsiders are a league of their own." She beamed.
'What league?' She tilted her head in confusion but nodded her head nonetheless.
In the corner of the entire party, an assassin turned imperial knight, who thought nothing could surprise him anymore, was left staring at Letti dumbstruck.
'The hell did I just saw?' He thought wearily.
Letti removed herself from her previous acquaintances to stay close to where the Elder Mage was while also maintaining distance from the group. She was aiming to become one with the air as it will be more challenging to do as she pleases now that they are a small group.
'She's a porter?' Luca thought while observing the person's bulging backpack. Despite his tiny disinclination (social anxiety), he still stood near the unaware outsider. 'She couldn't see me, so that wasn't aura.' He ponders.
『Aura is what swordmasters used to amplify their physical strength. A knight's aura is also necessary to execute a long list of well-kept techniques i.e., concealment and conjuring. Similar to a mages' mana but not entirely since aura is fostered only through training, not hereditary. 』
'Then was that mana? But the old fogey didn't sense anything...' He closed his eyes thoughtfully. He couldn't sense mana but seeing that scary moving shadow means that it was probably high-level magic.
'Wait, is that possible?' His eyes then open abruptly in realization, 'she's stronger than an Elder Mage?!'
'There's no way she's an Archmage.' He shook his head in denial.
『Archmage - a title reserved for 8th circle mages, who possessed extraordinary mana proficiency and talent in a field of magic. Archmages are believed to be one in a million, rarest among any jewel, and valuable than any gold. Every mage worked their whole life just to receive such recognition from a kingdom or empire. 』
'Did Ruvia entitled an Archmage?' He tried to recall but was drawing blanks. He would expect Linarest to declare a state of national emergency if that happens.
Thus he's previous curiosity progress to interest as he silently tagged along with the porter, half-listening to some mage briefing her on the porter's job until they were venturing inside the second cave.
The cave was deathly still with only their steps scuffling on the ground as the only sound present. They were progressing deeper in the cave with only minor encounters with Nymphis druids along the way. So far, the mages were able to hold off the monsters. On top of that, the most exciting part is when the Elder Mage blasts them off with a spell.
Letti was following along obediently when a mage with voluminous pink hair suddenly appeared in front of her wearing a scathing glare. "Hold this. My arms are getting tired. You're our porter, right? So do your job."
Letti blinked but accepted the green travelers' bag. The mage, who she now remembered was Eunice, turn her nose up before sashaying back beside to her group of mages.
"Hey, why didn't you go to your old party leader's group, Eunice?" A female B-class mage asked.
"Why should I? That groups a lost case." Eunice retorted haughtily. She could care less if they died. "I almost got killed last time. It's better to stick close to the Elder Mage." She gushed.
'This is a good chance to get chosen as a disciple by a strong wizard.' She thought resolutely, gazing at the handsome profile of the Elder Mage. So far, she had been performing exemplarily that the Elder Mage just let her handle everything. She was brimming with optimism, convinced it's a good sign.
'Well, he's handsome and all. But the guild master of Linarest, Kalen Degrasia, is exactly my type of rough guy. I heard they are good friends. My life as an Elder Mage's disciple and Linarest's guild master's lover...' Eunice sighed blissfully at how her life will pan out in Linarest. In her delusions, she forgot she was talking to someone.
The mage looked uncomfortable with her answer but nodded her head meekly. "Well, you're right."
Letti couldn't understand why Eunice didn't just shrink her bag since the bag has an extendable charm attached. 'Is she the type of person who bullies on weaker people?'
It wasn't her first time meeting someone who was hostile to her right off the bat, so she didn't mind her attitude. She wasn't also winded in the slight, so she was acting graciously not to retaliate on that stuck up brat.
[My liege, what should we do with that impertinent creature? Her measly magic is no match against Lulu.]
[Stop tempting me, Palleus. I'm a good person.]
A colossal earthquake suddenly rocks the place, causing everyone to topple and fumble while most veteran adventurers quickly recover for signs of danger.
'There's only one way a dungeon could create this loud tremors.' Letti thought grimly.
"Looks like somebody already found the [BOSS] Dungeon." The Elder Mage mused, unbothered in the slightest. "...and they're fighting it. Oho, I wonder which group is it?"
A high pitched scream suddenly tore in the cave, attracting everyone's attention. The owner of the cry was pale and trembling while pointing at something behind them, eyes almost popping out of its socket.
"What the fuck is that?"
A dark-tinted warlock with fiery blue markings stood unmoving with hands expertly holding the green bag and porter's bag like a well-mannered butler. The fact that a warlock appeared in a Nymphis territory wasn't the only strange thing. It was docile like a domesticated dog and looked to be uninterested in the adventurers.
"Hey, that's my bag!" Eunice shrieked furiously, stomping toward the monster.
The warlock moved its head to see the incoming nuisance and released a tremendous killing intent. The warlock's stoic face seems to glower, recognizing the person.
She was about to unleash an offensive spell when the Elder Mage swiftly nullified her attack, holding her back. "Please don't make any unnecessary actions, Miss Louve. The warlock seems to be a high ranking one, as you can see from its molting marking. It isn't attacking anyone, so let's tackle this issue peacefully."
Eunice brightens and eagerly nodded utterly starstruck. She was under the impression that the Elder Mage was worried about her as his prospective disciple. "If that's what the esteemed Elder Mage decided."
He softly sighed in relief when Eunice instantly backed down.
'This girl was almost a goner. And she didn't even realize it.' He thought wearily, recalling how the warlock seems to have a personal grudge against the girl and wouldn't hesitate to blast her into smithereens if she went through and provoke it.
"Okay, first things first, did anyone summon this?" The Elder Mage asked, walking to get a closer look at the warlock He was extremely interested in its contractor. Summoning a creature is hard enough, but having a warlock (a high-level at that), who is known for their pride in mana and scorns mages, as a summoned reflects that mage's talent.
When nobody raised their hand and were equally confused, Luca suddenly appeared beside the Elder Mage with a languid attitude.
"It's the porter," Luca spoke up bluntly.
Everybody took a step back in surprise at the arrival of the intimidating guy, but Luca didn't spare them a glance and laid his gaze solely at the still warlock.
"So the porter summoned this? I see, but how are you certain, Luca?" The Elder Mage put his gaze away from the warlock and to his companion tentatively. He was mildly curious about Luca's sudden confidence to show himself.
Luca didn't know how to explain what he just saw or want to explain why he was watching the porter in the first place, so he just shrugged, "I just do."
The Elder Mage raised his eyebrow, intrigued. "Hooo...?"
Eunice wore an aggrieved expression glaring heatedly at the warlock. If only she could blast it off! She thought that they were straying away from the main problem right now. Moreover, she didn't like the way the Elder Mage was curious about one measly summoned. She'll only be impressed if they could summon an army of summoned.
'Who does that porter think he is getting in my way?' she fumed. He was nothing but a mere outsider while she belongs among the top brass in this guild.
She was supposed to be the heroine of the show.
"Umm...Elder Mage, shouldn't we focus on the [BOSS] Dungeon first? They might need reinforcements." She butted in sublimely, fluttering her long lashes around with eyes glistening in concern. Others also murmured their agreement, wearing down their vigilance on the warlock.
The Elder Mage glanced at her with a noncommittal smile. "Oh, right! I almost forgot." The Elder Mage replied offhandedly. His eyes shadowed with a strange glint. This girl seems to think way ahead of herself. He's a 'Do-It-My-Way' kind of person and only does things that he likes. Of course, he'll let other people do it instead if they offered. There's nothing more into it.
And the fact nobody seems to take the initiative of searching for their porter is a negative trait that seems prevalent in this guild. Undermining the weak and praising the strong ... such a narrow outlook is damaging.
"Everyone, I think it's best if we went back to where we came from and follow their track from there. Let's make haste." He declared, leading the group once again. Luca sighed before swiftly disappearing, startling everyone except the Elder Mage.
The Elder Mage, Mila glanced at the taciturn warlock with a discreet sly grin. He didn't worry much since something tells him whoever was the owner of this warlock is at where they're heading right now.