Chapter 169

The 8th Platoon Leader, who had confirmed the member's face, immediately examined the path behind where he had walked from. However, there was no presence of anyone else felt from there.

When conducting a search operation in such a dangerous place, they usually moved in groups, so if other group members were approaching from the opposite side, the range of movement detected in the air would be wide. However, the movement felt from this member in the darkness was very static and quiet.

In fact, there was almost no sign of presence, so unless one could manipulate the wind or read the flow like herself, it would be difficult to even notice. In other words, he was either alone or moving very carefully. That was the point that the 8th Platoon Leader found strange.

However, it didn't seem likely that a mere member, not a commander, would wander alone in an unknown cave where something might pop out, so the 8th Platoon Leader asked him for confirmation.

"Where are the other members?"

"I'm alone."

At the clear answer that came back, the platoon leader was momentarily at a loss for words and blinked.

"...Alone? The order must have been given to always move in groups of three."

When she pointed it out, the member's eyes slightly went up and then back down.

"The two comrades who were in the same group as me had severe heat-related symptoms and had to go out first. But they said there was no one to replenish from the standby group... So I've been moving alone for now."

The platoon members behind murmured in puzzlement. It was because usually, when a member of a group was left alone, they would either be attached to another group or even excluded, but they would never let them move alone.

The platoon leader, who had the same thought, checked the badge and embroidery on his combat uniform and asked,

"Your affiliation?"

"Ah, loyalty. I'm Felix Montero, belonging to the 11th Platoon, 6th Company, 3rd Battalion of the Council's Central Branch."

He belatedly saluted and stated his rank and name as if he had just remembered. Then, his empty waist without a sword was revealed under his arm.

'...He wandered around alone without even carrying a sword?'

As if sensing the thought contained in the suspicious gaze, the member looked down at his own waist while maintaining the salute posture. Then, he showed that awkward smile from a moment ago.

"In the rush, I... I'm sorry."

The platoon leader, who had been looking at him with disapproval, suddenly noticed one more strange point.

When they had met the members of the 1st group in front of the crack, this member was definitely wearing protective gear to block the heat. But now, he was only wearing a combat uniform. Moreover, surprisingly, he wasn't sweating a single drop. Just like that powerful fire mage who was moving with the commander.

For a moment, she thought he might also be a fire mage, but there was no sense of fire energy from the member at all. In the first place, judging by the fact that mana was hardly felt and his agile movements earlier, he seemed to be someone whose body was trained mainly in physical techniques.

This time, her gaze fell on the blade of his hand as he saluted. Then, the member, who was aware of it, slyly moved the blade of his hand. Originally, the back of his hand was slightly more visible, but after adjusting the angle, his arm and the blade of his hand became perfectly straight.

In response, the 8th Platoon Leader responded with a light salute, allowing him to lower his arm. Then, after checking the path the member had walked out from once more, she opened her mouth.

"If you lose consciousness and get isolated in a place like this, there's no way to find your location. It's dangerous alone, so it would be better to move with us for now."

"...Pardon?"

A perplexed look was reflected in the half-beat late question. Noticing it, the 8th Platoon Leader asked,

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"That... I'm truly grateful for your words, but I belong to another battalion. Is it okay for me to join you? Just in case, I'll go back to the standby group and request a new group formation."

"I will separately inform the 11th Platoon Leader later, so you don't need to worry about that. Stand at the very back and follow me."

She said, pointing to the back of the platoon members. The member remained silent for a few seconds with a reluctant look.

However, since they didn't have much leeway in terms of time, the 8th Platoon Leader turned her body to hasten her steps, whether an answer came back or not. Then, pausing for a moment, she looked at the member again and continued,

"Ah, and our group prioritizes locating the commander over the mother body. Therefore, we plan to move at a fast pace, so I hope you follow well without falling behind."

"Pardon? Are you talking about the commander?"

In an instant, the member's eyes changed. The tone of his question was also a bit different.

At first, she thought he was having a hard time because he had to go find a superior he wanted to avoid, but looking closely, that wasn't the case.

The eyes that had looked like dried fish earlier were nowhere to be seen, and the member's face lit up as if he had heard something pleasant. The gazes of the 8th Platoon Leader and the platoon members became subtle at his suddenly changed appearance. As the gazes filled with puzzlement converged, the member seemed to grasp the atmosphere and quickly managed his expression, adding,

"Ah, that... Now that I think about it, it seems much safer to go together. I was constantly worried about encountering a monster when I was alone... Thank you for suggesting it first. I will do my best to keep up without falling behind!"

The member bowed with a voice filled with determination, his waist bent at a right angle.

The way he greeted, with his clenched fist tightly attached to the side of his leg and bending his waist rather than his neck, was a habit often seen in members who had been in the Imperial Army and then transferred to the Council. The salute posture with the back of his hand slightly more visible than the blade was the same.

In fact, since seeing the commander pay attention to this person, the 8th Platoon Leader had been keeping an eye on him all along.

It wasn't that she was suspicious of something, but he definitely didn't seem ordinary, so the reason she suggested moving together wasn't without the intention of observing him closely.

However, contrary to that intention, the newly joined member stood close to her as if his place was right next to the 8th Platoon Leader. The face that made eye contact and smiled brightly was completely different from a moment ago when he was reluctant to follow the order.

The 8th Platoon Leader looked at him with perplexed eyes and stepped back.

'What? Why all of a sudden...'

As his attitude changed in an instant, it felt somewhat uncomfortable.

However, thinking that he wouldn't dare do anything strange while going to find the commander, the 8th Platoon Leader, who had kept an appropriate distance, nodded once without raising any particular questions.

"Let's continue moving."

Eventually, she moved her steps back in the direction she had been going, accompanied by the members.

The sound of multiple footsteps echoed through the cave, and it was just when they took their fifth step.

Kukung-

Suddenly, a heavy impact sound was heard from somewhere. Although the sound was small compared to the weight, the source itself seemed to be quite far away, but it was enough to draw the vigilance of the entire platoon, including the 8th Platoon Leader.

They immediately stopped walking and looked up at the cave ceiling with heightened vigilance. Rock fragments crumbled to the floor, increasing the uneasiness. Following that, a subtle wind blew from both sides of the path, as if it were the aftermath of the impact, penetrating the entire cave.

A platoon member who had been looking around with a tense face stammered and opened his mouth.

"Wh-what was that sound just now? Could it be the mother body-."

"It's the commander."

The 8th Platoon Leader, who had cut him off at once, turned her head sharply in the direction they had come from with wide eyes. It was because there was a chill that had not yet been swallowed up in the terrible heat that had blown from there.

"This way, hurry!"

She immediately indicated the direction and took the lead without hesitation. The platoon members, who had been flustered, also quickly followed her orders.

However, their vigorous sprint had to stop soon. It was because a huge roar, enough to make their hearts sink, was heard right behind their backs.

Kwaaang-!

The members, who were startled, all turned around as if they were about to fall. The first thing that greeted them was the dusty dirt mixed with the fierce wind pressure.

"Everyone, barrier-!"

The 8th Platoon Leader, who reflexively closed her eyes and shouted, hurriedly covered her face with her forearm at the stuffiness pouring into her mouth. Then, taking advantage of the platoon members spreading barriers and enveloping her surroundings, she advanced two steps forward.

The swirling wind gathered at her fingertips as if drawn by a magnet. Adding mana to it and transforming it into an even more powerful energy, she fired a whirlwind forward, blowing away all the chaotically fluttering dust.

Afterwards, she managed to open her eyes with difficulty, but a dark shadow flickered through the hair sticking to her face. The 8th Platoon Leader, who had been slowly looking up, unknowingly made a blank expression.

As her blurry vision gradually became clearer, a miserable and sharp outline was revealed.

It was an unbelievably huge hole that had appeared on the left wall of the cave. The destructive traces, as if a monster had broken through the wall and come out, spread in all directions, creating cracks even on the ceiling and floor.

"What... is that?"

The platoon leader, who had been moving her lips, immediately stepped back and drew her sword. The platoon members, who had been hesitating, also gathered around her and drew their swords one by one.

However, the existence that had created the hole was nowhere to be found, and just as everyone was on edge,

A presence was felt from beyond the shattered wall.

The one who abruptly poked his face out, stepping on the debris scattered on the floor, was the member who had joined them a moment ago.

"This way is faster!"

He gestured as if telling them to follow him, and after leaving only those words, he disappeared again into the darkness beyond the wall.

The 1st Battalion members, whose brains had momentarily stopped, looked at his back with wide eyes. Then, they looked into each other's eyes with a dumbfounded face.

After a moment, the 8th Platoon Leader was the first to jump into the hole, fearing that she would lose the member who had gone ahead. Then, the rest of the members followed one by one.

***

Kwang! Kung!

Leonardo, holding a flame sword, panted and looked around. It was difficult to distinguish where the sound of destruction was coming from as it echoed from all directions, bouncing off the walls.

At that moment, the chill left by Hugo brushed past his skin as if telling him the direction. He reflexively turned his head, swallowed his breath down to his chin, and ran in that direction. The subsequent cry and the fallen rock fragments served as signposts.

A few minutes ago, when Leonardo was holding his head in pain from the rushing agony, a dull impact sound suddenly pierced his ears along with the cry of an Ilaptor.

Leonardo, who immediately opened his eyes wide, came to his senses and rushed into the cave, but Hugo and the creature he was chasing were already out of sight.

He had tracked the two by relying solely on his senses, wandering through the cave in a hurry, but he still hadn't found them even after quite some time had passed. However, from the constant roars echoing in this vicinity, he could at least deduce that the existence in the darkness that Agrizendro was pursuing was an Ilaptor.

Ilaptors were as intelligent as Dermocas, so it was quite puzzling that the fellow, who had not appeared at all, revealed itself in such a suspicious manner. The possibility of a trap couldn't be ruled out, but it was the first monster discovered since entering Peak 118. Therefore, regardless of its intention, they absolutely couldn't let it go.

However, contrary to his will, Leonardo was barely following the traces left by Hugo and was far behind. This was related to his behavior of occasionally misstepping while walking.

"Hungry."

Since entering the crack, Leonardo felt that he was half out of his mind quite often, even to himself. There were two main reasons: one was because of the member whose eyes he had met earlier.

He had no idea how that guy was pretending to be a member of the Council, or even before that, why he was still here. The only thing certain was that the member was definitely the one he had been looking for these past few days, and he had become a complete fool who couldn't distinguish between right and wrong.

And the other one was this damn auditory hallucination.

"Hungry."

This auditory hallucination, which he had occasionally heard since first perceiving it in front of the crack, had been echoing incessantly from all directions since hearing the cry of the Ilaptor.

Because of that, he lost his sense of direction, and his head kept hurting as if being pierced by an awl, completely shattering his concentration and judgment. It would have been less fucking terrible even if something had eaten his brain.

But the bigger problem was that this sound was heard only by his ears.

"Hungry."

Earlier, he had secretly observed the reactions of others, just in case. However, they only mentioned the sound of the wind from time to time, and no one said anything special.

Later, when he casually asked Agrizendro if he heard any unidentified sounds while they were alone, he took it quite seriously and offered advice that it would be better to rest.

In the end, he became convinced that he was the only one who could hear this sound, and since then, he had stopped mentioning the auditory hallucination.

"Hungry."

This sound, which became clearer and louder as they went deeper inside, whispered in his ear and then spread into the air, echoing in his head.

If he had to determine the gender, it was closer to a female voice than a male voice, but strictly speaking, it was eerie as if the two were mixed.

It was too distinct to be the cry of a beast, and there was an unpleasant hoarseness to be a human voice.

Then, the only existence that could mutter about being hungry in such a resentful manner inside Peak 118 was, in his opinion, only one.

"Leonardo."

Tadak-

Leonardo, who had been wandering through the winding cave, abruptly stopped at the voice calling his name. Enduring the headache that felt like his eyeballs would pop out, he leaned against the wall and lifted his head, and there stood Hugo, whom he had been desperately searching for, at the end of the narrow path.

He seemed to be breathing heavily, with his chest and shoulders rising and falling rapidly. Moreover, although his expression was difficult to discern, obscured by the darkness, there was a sense of inexplicable urgency in the voice that had called him.

Because of that, Leonardo, who had tightly closed his eyes once and opened them again, hastened his steps and headed towards Hugo.

However, something strange caught his eye behind him.

'A pillar?'

The artificial structure he had seen when he first opened his eyes after being caught in the collapse. If the pillar of that temple-like building were to be removed and placed, it would look just like that.

Moreover, behind it, a faint light was lingering as if a halo was shining, and he thought it might be due to the light balls floating around, but it wasn't.

As he approached, Hugo's face, which became clearer and clearer, looked a little surprised, unlike his usual self. Seeing him gesturing while looking this way, Leonardo ran to his side at once, picking up more speed.

After a moment, as soon as he completely emerged from the cave, his vision suddenly brightened, and he couldn't see well for a moment. As he frowned at the glare, a large hand naturally wrapped around his shoulder and led him forward.

"Look over there."

The other hand stretched out towards the distance, pointing at something.

Following his voice and fingertips, Leonardo slowly raised his head.

Eventually, his eyelashes trembled, and his eyes gradually widened.