After the dust settled, everyone could see the result of the clash between the Red Horned Rat and Aurora.
Aurora stood there, unharmed, with her arms crossed over her chest. As for the Red Horned Rat, its head was drenched in blood, its horn broken, and a deep cut ran across its forehead.
The Penetrating Flames didn't have much power initially, but once the flames had entered the Rat's head, bypassing its defenses, they fried its brain from the inside out.
Aurora smiled in satisfaction at her creation but immediately frowned when she saw the blood from the Rat's head being absorbed into the ground. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and thought, 'Don't tell me it's that shit. Seriously, I now completely believe Master—they follow every single step of the novels Master forced me to read. What a drag.'
'Monster.' That was the only thought on everyone's mind as they watched her. Defeating someone two major stages above her was already monstrous, but to do it without sustaining any significant injuries was something else. She was beyond being a genius; she was in a league of her own.
Everyone from the Kela Kingdom now understood why the king placed such importance on her. If she could kill Earth Profound Stage beasts now, what would happen when she broke through to the Origin Profound Stage?
As they were thinking, the ground beneath them started trembling, as if an earthquake was coming. They hurried to stabilize themselves, and suddenly, a wall to their right shifted, revealing a hidden passage.
Shihab saw this and shouted, pointing toward the passage, "Everyone, enter that passage, hurry!"
Hearing Shihab, everyone turned toward the passage, and their eyes lit up with hope. They quickly stuffed the remaining pills they had into their mouths and began running toward the passage, ignoring everything else.
Of course, the smaller Red Horned Rats didn't stay still. They attacked with their claws and fangs, slashing open the guts of some unfortunate souls and biting into the necks of others.
Seeing this, those still alive pushed their speed to the limit, using whatever movement techniques they had to escape. Those who were almost at the passage could only despair when they heard squeaking behind them, hoping they could make it in time.
'If it's what I think it is, I can't let the deaths accumulate—it'll only get worse,' Aurora thought, punching a rat that tried to bite her, leaving a gaping hole in its chest.
*Friction Steps.*
Activating her movement technique, Aurora dashed toward the passage, skillfully maneuvering between the rats. Once she was ahead of the group, she stopped and turned to face the oncoming rats.
She took a deep breath to calm her mind, then tapped her foot and whispered, "Flame wall."
Instantly, a massive wall of flames appeared in front of her, nearly reaching the ceiling of the cave. The rats instinctively backed away from the flames, recalling the fate of the large Red Horned Rat.
Aurora spared the wall a glance before entering the passage, along with the few survivors. Only nine out of fifty had made it through, which was impressive, considering the number and strength of the rats.
Once inside, Aurora sat down and said, "If anyone has an earth element, close the opening of this passage. My flames won't last long."
A man with a strong build stood up and replied, "I have the earth element. I'll take care of it."
He approached the passage's entrance and created a wall of earth, infusing it with a large amount of Profound energy to make it sturdier and more durable.
The group wore solemn expressions as they sat in silence, focusing on replenishing their depleted Profound energy reserves. Aurora did the same, knowing she would face an opponent far more dangerous than the Red Horned Rat, and she needed to be at her best.
After some time, Aurora stood up, feeling her Profound energy fully restored. She said, "There's no point in staying here. You'll die anyway, so follow me if you want to continue this exploration."
Without waiting for a response, she walked deeper into the passage. The survivors quickly stood up and followed her; she was their only hope of survival, and staying behind would mean certain death.
After walking for a while, Aurora came upon a staircase that led downwards, its end hidden from view.
Like any rational person, she began descending. The stairs were long, and it took over two hours before they finally reached the bottom.
At the base of the stairs, they found a long corridor. Thankfully, it wasn't too long, and they quickly reached the end. However, the sight that awaited them left everyone dumbfounded.
They stood at the entrance to an enormous hall with a white marble floor. The hall was adorned with intricate golden carvings, and a high-vaulted ceiling overhead held crystal chandeliers, casting a soft, ethereal glow across the room.
As they were taking in the grandeur of the hall, the sound of clapping echoed, accompanied by a deep voice that made everyone tense.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
"Welcome, welcome…"
Just hearing this voice made Aurora groan internally. 'Ugh, not this third-rate antagonist's speech,' she thought.
At the far end of the hall, atop a raised dais of white marble, sat a pitch-black throne. Reclining casually on the throne was a middle-aged man with spiky white hair, clapping slowly as he gazed at them.
"I didn't expect to find such talent in this backward place. I really like those daggers of yours," he said, his eyes locking onto Aurora. "So, I'll be taking them for safekeeping. Treasures like that can get you killed."
Aurora stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "Honestly, I'm disappointed in you. I was expecting so much more, and you… you've really let me down."
Aurora's disappointment was genuine. She had been excited about this trip, but this fool hadn't even bothered to set proper runic traps, and he called himself a runemaster? What a letdown.