Chapter 31: 30 – Hidden Quest Requirements

The village of Ramman was a fragrant little settlement kissed by warm rays of the sun. A small village on the rolling countryside, fields of golden wheat and emerald grass. And then, in the distance, mountains looming into the sky, clouded in mist.

A picturesque view, the setting of an RPG captured in reality and a peaceful scene-

"Bleeeurgh!"

-Broken up by the sound of Maria's vomiting.

Seeing that she was hunched over and letting loose an unsettling amount of projectile liquids, I made my way towards her and lightly massaged her back. At the same time, I quietly used my restoration ability... or the lower tier of what it had become, and helped her out.

Almost immediately, she was better and straightened. She looked at me in surprise, but didn't say anything.

I offered her a handkerchief and said, "Don't forget that it can cost more to recover from overindulgence than it does to indulge on your favorite things, Maria."

Flone walked over to me, an amused smile on her face. "I didn't think that a person could have such... interesting reactions to alcohol."

Maria wiped her mouth off and said, "How the fuck are you still fine? You drank more than all of us combined?"

Flone shrugged and let out a playful smile.

Chohong laughed and walked over, carrying a bottle of vodka. "Our little Maria is going through a lot, isn't she~?"

Maria instantly snatched the bottle out of her hands, taking a large swig. After wiping her mouth off, she smiled and said, "Ah... Now I feel alive."

"Huh." I paused and then pulled out my notebook to write that down.

Maria noticed me and said, "What are you doing, you fu- I mean, Oppa?"

"Making a note to try chasing down a hangover with alcohol. Can't get a hangover if you're always in drinking mode, right?"

Maria blinked and then smiled. "Hah! I knew that there was something about you I liked, Oppa!"

Mikhail and Veronika walked over.

Seeing Maria's condition, Mikhail shook his head and said, "Looks like we might have to rest for the day."

I nodded and said, "We aren't too pressed for time, so that's fine. Besides, it'll be better to be in our best shape just in case." I turned towards the village and said, "Shall we go then?"

The six of us walked through the village gates. Mud huts with thatched roofs were scattered here and there, the humble homes of the villagers.

As we approached the gates, an old woman burst out from one of those huts up ahead. With wide and crazed eyes, she stared at us and then pointed her fingers at the sky. "I saw it! I'm telling you, I saw it! A white ship, dropping an anchor from the sky!"

"A white ship...?" I muttered and then looked at the old woman. She didn't have any colors, but those words...

A faint memory. It had been too long and I couldn't quite remember what was supposed to happen, but-

"Mother!" A man ran out of the house after the old woman and pulled her back. Looking at us, he shook his head and then shifted his attention back to the old woman. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing this?"

"But I saw it!" The old woman strained against him and pointed at us. "A ship! A white, floating ship!"

The man sighed and brought his mother back in the house. Afterwards, he walked back out to face us and sighed. "My apologies about that. My mother has a small problem with her mind and-"

I waved my hand. "Don't worry about it. We aren't bothered by something like that. Right guys?" I glanced back at the others.

Flone nodded. "Yep! I would never get angry at an old lady like that!"

Chohong coughed and muttered, "Says the one over a-"

Flone glared at her.

I sighed and then looked back at the man. "Anyway... Are you the one who issued the subjugation request?"

"Hm?" The man shook his head and said, "Oh, no. I'm in charge of this village's security, but the village head is the one who issued the request. Ah." He walked forward and held out his hand. "My name is Brice."

I shook his hand and said, "Seol." I craned my head back and said, "Those guys are my companions. I know they seem a bit unreliable, but we'll get the job done right."

"Hey!" Maria pouted and said, "I'll have you know that I'm a fantastic priestess!"

Chohong laughed. "Sure you are. One worth every silver, aren't you?"

"Damn straight!"

Flone smiled, hiding her mouth with her hand.

Meanwhile, our temporary party members Mikhail and Veronika shared a look, as if unsure of what they got themselves into.

I resisted the urge to sigh.

Brice laughed and said, "It's good to see that you're all in high spirits at the least." He glanced at the others for a bit, smiling, before turning back to me. "Is there anything I can help you with then, Mister Seol?"

I nodded. "For now... could you guide us to a place to stay? An inn or something?"

"Of course. Follow me."

xxx

An open area in the center of the village with a log table and wooden chairs. After leading us there and checking if there was anything else he could do, Brice left us.

The moment he did, Maria grabbed a chair and slumped over the table. "Haaah."

Chohong sighed and sat down across from her. "There's a limit to pushing yourself, you-"

"Oh shut up. I've got a headache, and I don't want to deal with your bullshit."

Chohong shook her head and then made herself comfortable. Afterwards, she looked towards Mikhail and Veronika. "The hell are you two still doing standing up? Take a load off."

Mikhail glanced at me and said, "Er..."

I waved my hand. "Go ahead you two."

"Thanks, leader." Mikhail sighed and took a seat, shortly followed by Veronika.

After that, I pulled out a chair for myself and sat down. Taking a look around at the group, I noticed that Flone didn't sit yet and turned back towards her.

And then a white blur appeared on my lap and silver hair filled my vision.

I blinked and then let out a sigh. "Flone."

She leaned back against my chest and then looked up at me with her clear blue eyes. "Yes, Jihu?"

"I'm not a chair."

"I know."

"..." Seeing that she was being that shameless about it, I decided to just ignore her.

Chohong looked like she wanted to say something, but she just sighed and shook her head instead.

Mikhail took a second look at Flone, a mixed expression on his face, but then he looked at me and said, "So what's the plan, leader? I got the gist of it from earlier, but are we still just going to exterminate the mutants in the night fog area tonight?"

I nodded and said, "That's the plan for now." I shifted my gaze around the village and said, "Ive got my hunches on how to fix the problem for good... but I want to do a bit of more research before then to confirm it."

Mikhail frowned and said, "Research? Couldn't you have just asked that Brice guy?"

I shook my head. "Not that I don't trust him, but..." I stared at the faint golden thread drifting in the air and said, "There's something I have to see with my own eyes."

At that time, I heard a low growl from nearby.

I blinked and then looked towards the source.

Chohong blushed and said, "W-What?! I haven't eaten anything since this morning, alright?"

Maria glanced over and rolled her eyes. "The crazy bitch is acting coy... the world must be ending."

"What the fuck did you just say?!"

"Bitch, you deaf?"

I sighed and tried to stave off the budding headache.

Maybe I should have just gone alone with Flone after all...

xxx

Mikhail stared at his bowl of soup and then looked up at me, his eyes wide. "Leader... are you a master chef back on Earth?"

I washed my hands with a bit of conjured water and then shook my head. "No. Why do you ask?"

Flone giggled and said, "It's because your cooking is that tasty, Jihu!"

Chohong took a long sip from her soup and then shook her head. "Dammit. Why the fuck does this guy have to be so...?"

Maria stared at her bowl of soup and then back up at me. Her expression was neutral, but I didn't need to use my insight to know that she was counting coins in her head. Probably to try and convince me to change occupations as well.

Mikhail took another spoonful from his soup and then sighed. "Well, whatever happens on this mission, I can at least say that I've had a good time."

"Well, you guys enjoy then."

"Hm?" Chohong looked over at me and then at my empty seat. "You not eating?"

"I've gotta do some legwork, remember? And don't worry." I reached into my shirt and made a show of rummaging around before pulling out a sandwich. "I got me covered."

Chohong blinked and then rolled her eyes before shooing me off. "Whatever. Just get out of here already, Mister Show off."

I waved and said, "Be back later. Take your time... and don't eat everything, Flone."

The Saintess froze, caught in the middle of pouring herself another big bowl of soup. She laughed and slowly pulled her bowl back.

I shook my head and walked off.

xxx

"Weird..." I muttered to myself as I walked around the village.

It was strange. There wasn't any danger. At least, I couldn't see any red, yellow, or orange colors warning me off. But I did see a lot of golden threads all around the place.

They weren't connected to anything, and unlike the ones around Teresa and Yuhui, they also didn't connect to me. But they were floating around, almost as if waiting to latch on.

"Golden threads..." If I remembered right, that should be the color that represented the golden commandment. Meaning, if I did right by this village, it would do right by me.

But...

"Was this place that important?"

I could vaguely recall that there was someone helpful here, but-

"E-Excuse me!"

A tiny female voice, followed by a tug on my left sleeve.

Glancing back, I saw a cute young girl, no more than five years old standing there. Pointing at my sandwich, she said, "C-Can I have some?"

"Hm?" I raised my sandwich and said, "This?"

She nodded her head. "I-If it's okay...?"

Before I could respond, a young boy ran over.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He quickly grabbed the young girl's hand and pulled her back, hiding her behind him. Looking at me, he flinched and then quickly rounded on the girl. "He's an Earthling! What did I tell you about hanging around them?"

"B-But-!" The young girl's eyes started to water and she stared at my sandwich.

"No buts!"

It was a familiar scene. Except, not one from my memory. Seeing that interaction, a flash of another scene appeared in my mind.

A younger Jinhee dashing off into the distance. 'Me' quickly pulling her back and scolding her.

Feeling a bit nostalgic, I let out a low chuckle.

The boy... no, the older brother flinched and tried his best to hide his younger sister.

I let out an easygoing smile and knelt down. "It's fine." I looked at the boy and said, "Your sister was hungry, right? And from the look of you... I guess you haven't had a good meal in a while either."

The boy shook his head. "No. It's fine-"

Before he could finish, I pulled out a blanket from my shirt and set it down on the ground. After that, I pulled out a basket of food and sat down. "Here." I pulled out some more wrapped sandwiches and set them down across from me. "Since Fate had us cross our paths, why not share a meal?"

The young girl's eyes widened and she looked at her brother.

The boy hesitated. "W-We..."

"Ah." I suddenly realized the reason why he was acting like that.

Right... most Earthlings only cared about benefits. Seeing me acting like this would only make him wary. So...

"Actually, never mind." I stood up and brushed myself off. "I don't want to make you two uncomfortable..."

"N-No!" The boy shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Mister. It's just..." He hesitated again.

I waved my hand. "I get it. Earthlings have a bad reputation, so it's fine to be cautious. In fact, it's good." I looked back at the young girl and said, "Listen to your big brother, okay? This time was fine, but other people might try to take someone as cute as you far away from here. You wouldn't want to make your big brother cry, right?"

The young girl lowered her head. "No..."

I patted her head. "As long as you know. Be careful, alright?" I turned around and started walking off.

"W-Wait!" The young boy called out. "Mister! Your things!"

I waved my hand. "Keep them." I turned back and smiled. "Think of it as a gift from one big brother to another."

His eyes widened and then he gave me a deep bow. "Thank you!"

The young girl noticed and bowed her head as well. "T-Thank you, Mister!"

I smiled again and then walked off. As I did, I noticed that the faint golden thread had solidified, starting to swirl around me. As for the reason why...

A faint inkling of mana. Someone observing me from a distance.

'Right. That guy was a mage, wasn't he?'

The one in charge of this village, the one behind the source of this entire mission...

Staring at the lone house among the village that was made with a proper wooden framework instead of the makeshift mud huts, I nodded to myself and headed towards it.

Time to have a chat with the village head.

xxx

After making my way to the house, I was sure of it. The golden threads were emerging from the place here. While still faded and uncertain, they were definitely from there.

Walking up the steps to the door, I gave it another cursory look.

The house, like I noted before, was properly formed. There was a wooden frame, and even steps leading up to a tiny porch. It was clear that the person living here, if not having some degree of power, was a person at least respected by the village.

But judging from the faint sensation of mana examining me, I knew that it was both.

Either way, I couldn't let that on. Instead, I raised my hand and knocked on the door.

There was a soft cough and some shuffling footsteps. But before long, the door opened, revealing an old man with a thick head of white hair. He stared at me with wrinkled eyes and politely said, "Who might you be, young man?"

I bowed my head and said, "Sorry to intrude. My name is Seol, the one who accepted the subjugation request. Would you happen to be the village head?"

The old man groaned and said, "I beg your pardon. I've been having health issues lately and couldn't properly receive you."

I waved my hand. "It's fine. I just wanted to confirm something with you, if that's alright? It won't be long."

The old man sighed. "If it's about the rewards-"

I shook my head. "No. The reward is fine. And it's not about the contents of the request, but something related to it instead."

The old man paused and then tilted his head. His wizened eyes opened a fraction and then he looked at me. "Huh... What an odd development. So you want to ask me something? And not about the reward?"

"Yes. If you don't mind, of course."

"How strange... This is the second time since that man Like'em Titties."

I blinked, barely managing to keep a straight face. Just to make sure I wasn't hearing things, I said, "Could you repeat that name again?"

"Hm?" The old man nodded. "Yes. Mister Like'em Titties. Another Earthling came to see me wanting to talk to me about the request as well. I thought he and I were about the same age, and because his name was so unique I ended up remembering him."

...Definitely Ian.

I resisted the urge to sigh. Instead I nodded and said, "What a coincidence. I have an acquaintance that goes by that name."

"Do you now?"

I nodded. "An older man with a white mustache. Formal robes, a suave hat and a cheerful grin... that sort of guy, right?"

"Well I'll be! Come in, come in." The old man stepped to the side and ushered me in the house. "We're a poor village so I can't treat you well, but as a client, I can certainly talk to you about the request."

I followed him in and took a brief look around. Like the rest of the village, the place was fairly barren. However, there were plenty of books laying around.

They seemed ordinary. Just dusty old tomes with unmarked covers. And to most people, they would be just that.

But I could sense it. A faint trace of mana, lingering on the books. Radiation that had been seeped into every fiber and were only recently starting to fade away with age.

Odd. Even so, I didn't let my gaze linger and turned back to the old man.

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He pulled out a chair for me and then sat down across from me, groaning as he did.

I frowned and said, "Is there anything I can do to help you with that?"

The old man chuckled. "You really are quite different from normal Earthlings, aren't you?"

My frown deepened and I muttered, "Seems more like those Earthlings are the ones differing from the norm. But in any case."

It wouldn't do any good to get bogged down by what I couldn't change yet or what bothered me.

I focused back on the old man and said, "I heard from our mutual acquaintance that you were the one who made the previous requests, right?"

"That's right."

"...And the original request went to Carpe Diem, right? In that case, it would have been for a party with an average level of four... except that we took it instead."

The village head quietly closed his eyes. After a long sigh, he looked at me and said, "In the end, you're suspecting me of something, aren't you?"

I shook my head and said, "Not at all."

After all, I already 'knew.'

I stared at the man... Specifically at his golden aura and said, "You're not a bad person. Whatever you're doing, it's to protect this village in the end. I can respect that much, at least."

"Respect, is it?" The village head grinned. "What a strange thing this is. You could have simply glossed over it. For an Earthling to hold this much interest... What was the term again? The Quest NPC?" He mumbled and said, "Yes. That was it. There was this one Earthling that called me that in the past." Lowering his hand he said, "Well, I certainly feel better than that time, that's for sure."

"A Quest NPC? Someone had the nerve to-" I bit my tongue, not wanting to go off in front of a stranger.

Despite that, he seemed to have caught my slip and relaxed a bit. "I see what you're curious about now... I will say that you seem to be a good person as well." He hummed and said, "Well, since you don't suspect me of wrongdoings... I suppose I can satisfy your curiosity."

He was quiet and then slowly began his story. About how there wasn't a need to issue requests at first. About how as time passed and new mutants appeared, their strengths gradually increased and the village security suffered a casualty.

Through it all, I was silent and let him recite it.

After explaining that, he looked at me and said, "I'm well aware of what kind of beings you are. I hear that you become stronger through the grace of the gods. What an enviable thing that is... However, that doesn't mean we're powerless civilians waiting around like fools for aid to come."

The village chief's aged eyes gleamed as if white flames burned within.

"Right now, I am the head of a small, insignificant village. But once upon a time, I was a loyal soldier of the Empire. I even fought against the abominable Parasite horde. The experience and insights I gained wouldn't suddenly fly away because I've grown old."

I nodded. "I see."

A tense silence. But after a few seconds, the village head looked at me and said, "Is there anything else you're curious about?"

He was clearly annoyed. An implicit dismissal rather than an actual request.

But I ignored it, only carefully staring at him. "You said that you were a part of the Empire's army... Then have you heard of the secret research the Empire conducted after the Parasite's invasion and during the subsequent war?"

The village head's eyes went round. "And where have you heard about that?"

"A historical record. 'A report on the experiments the Empire conducted during the war had been recovered. The research was about mass-producing special types of soldiers to combat against the Parasites. Although there were a couple of minor successes, in the end, it was deemed a failure and the total shutdown of all research centers had been swiftly ordered. There had been strong resistance to this decision, but the research was eventually shut down.'"

Something that Ian left behind in the notes before he left off. Some key bits of information to help resolve the mystery.

The village head let out a rueful smile and said, "I see that the history book's version is rather short and concise."

"I'm assuming you know more?"

"Well... only by a little bit." The village head stroked his beard and said, "The top brass of the Empire felt threatened by the parasitic ability of the Parasite horde and began the research, that part is correct. But, from what I can remember, they just announced the failure of the project one day and started shutting down the research facilities around the countryside."

"There must have been fierce resistance then, if it was shut down without reason like that."

"Oh, I wouldn't know about that." The old man shrugged. "I was only a foot soldier at the time."

A lie. But I let it be. Instead of addressing it, I gave a polite smile and stood up. "Thank you for answering my questions, Village Head, and giving up your valuable time."

The old man smiled and said, "It's fine. Not every day an old man gets to talk like this."

I nodded and started to leave. As I did though, the old man called out.

"Ah. One last thing."

I turned around to look at him.

"I don't know why you brought up that story, but well... That part of history has nothing to do with Ramman Village. If you want to learn more about that topic, you'd do better to seek out any survivors from the Duchy of Delphinion."

"Is that so?"

He nodded and said, "A certain mage from Delphinion couldn't accept the decision to abandon the research, and... And he couldn't give up on it. He stole the data and important equipment and hid somewhere. If he wasn't killed in the ensuing years, then I'm sure he's still alive somewhere."

I bowed my head towards the Village Head and walked off.

As I did...

"Good story, pal. But you can't fool these eyes."

...I muttered under my breath.

xxx

"Oh, you're back already?" Chohong was the first to greet me when I returned to the group.

Flone laughed and said, "Don't let her fool you, Jihu." She glanced at Chohong and said, "This one was worried sick about what was taking you."

"N-No I wasn't!" Chohong growled and then glared at Flone.

Maria shook her head and looked at me. "Just what the hell did you do to tame that crazy lady?"

Chohong scoffed and said, "You're one to talk. Weren't you the one who said you would never team up with a party without a high ranker?"

"Oppa's an exception!"

I sighed and looked towards Mikhail and Veronika. "Sorry for the trouble."

Mikhail smiled. "No worries. It's worth it to see Chohong act like a proper lady for once."

Chohong narrowed her eyes. "Looks like someone wants a beating."

Veronika laughed. "Watch yourself, Mikhail. It'd be a shame for that pretty face to get beaten up."

"Wait, pretty face?"

"..." I shook my head and started walking off. "Let's get going."

xxx

The Night Fog Zone. An area about an hour and a half away from Ramman village on foot, referred to as such as an unknown fog would cover the place when evening drew near.

That was where our mission was to take place. And when we arrived...

"Talk about a change in scenery." I muttered to myself as I took a look around.

Ramman village was a picturesque area that could have been taken straight out of a JRPG. This area though...

Dry, stripped ground. Hilly regions that were just mounds of dirt, barely covered by shrubbery. Not only that, but said hills were varied in heights and with various inclines, steep enough that it'd be easy to fall off and lose your balance.

An ominous area, and probably also a nightmare to fight in.

Well, for most. But for now...

"Veronika." I turned to the only real Archer in our party and said, "Do you see anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." She sighed and said, "That's the troublesome thing about these mutants. There isn't a single trace left behind."

Mikhail nodded and said, "Sounds about right. There's a famous story about a High Ranker Archer trying to track these mutants and giving up after failing to find any traces. Wouldn't expect it to be any different for us."

"Hm..." I took a look around the surroundings. "Odd."

I didn't see anything either.

Flone stuck close to me and said, "Don't worry, Jihu. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Tch." Chohong spat on the ground and said, "Cut it out already, you lovebirds. Get a room."

Maria laughed and said, "Someone's upset. Jealous, Chohong?"

"A-As if!" Chohong huffed and said, "I just-"

A faint whistle and a spot of gray. At the same time, Veronika's body became dyed in crimson.

"Veronika! Down!"

Did she realize it too? The moment I started saying her name, the archer immediately ducked.

Perfect.

At the same time, I swept out with my sword.

Lightning lashed out and ash fell to the ground. But at the same time, other gray blobs began to plop out from the hills.

Veronika's eyes widened. "That's... Assimilation! They assimilated into the hills and waited to ambush us!"

"Calm down." I stepped back and took a look around.

Ten, twenty... around thirty of them. Humanoid and gray shambling figures that looked more like zombies than anything else.

Mikhail drew his sword and looked at me. "I presume you have a plan, leader?"

Flone armed herself and said, "Should I take care of it, Jihu?"

"Mm... One sec."

Flone and I were colorless, but Chohong and Maria were dyed yellow while Mikhail and Veronika were crimson.

Something here was off, and it'd be bad to get my team hurt on my first mission, so...

I kicked off the ground and charged towards the closest mutant.

It turned towards me and wriggled, sending gray tendrils towards me.

In response, I swung my sword.

Emerald light splashed, my blade cutting through the dusk, and then the mutant fell to the ground in pieces.

But only for a second.

Immediately after, it snapped back and tried to attack me again.

This time, I swung my sword with lightning around it.

The mutant vanished, staying dead this time.

With that, I headed back to my group. "We'll need to use mana attacks. These guys are too tough."

Mikhail stared at me and shook his head. "Are you really a level 2, leader?"

I waved my hand. "Don't worry about it. For now... fight."

Chohong held up her mace, glowing a pure white. "Don't have to tell me twice!" With that, she dashed at a nearby mutant and smashed it into dust.

Mikhail sighed and then focused. Holding up his blade, blue light started to shine and he charged into the fray as well, cutting apart a horde of mutants.

Maria looked at me and said, "Um... Oppa?"

I glanced at her and then turned towards Flone. "Take care of Maria and Veronika for me, alright? And you two, just kick back and support when you can."

Veronika gave me a relieved smile, though she seemed a bit guilty.

Maria's smile though was genuine.

As for Flone...

"Aw." She lowered her sword and shield and said, "But I want to have some fun too!"

I laughed and said, "There will be plenty of time for that later. For now..." I turned towards the horde of mutants and said, "It's time for some pest control."

I kicked off the ground again and focused.

Chohong and Mikhail were fine now. After my advice, both of them had turned a light shade of yellow, almost completely out of danger. It was still dangerous, but no more than a normal fight.

That meant that I could stop worrying about them.

Mutants sprang up in front of me, blocking my path. No, trying to attack me.

I swung my sword in response. Lightning, ice, metal shrapnel... those elements flew through the air and ripped the mutants apart.

And like that, it was over, barely minutes after we started.

Mikhail lowered his sword and blinked. "Huh. That was easier than I thought it'd be."

Chohong lowered her mace and nodded. "Might have been tough if we didn't realize it, but it seems like Oppa figured it out."

I shuddered and then glared at Chohong.

She gave me a cheeky smile back.

I sighed and sheathed my sword. "Whatever. Since all of that's taken care of- Hm?"

A flash of yellow light in the distance, swiftly retreating.

"That's..."

Mikhail frowned. "Did you find something?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I ran off after it.

"H-Hey!" Mikhail called out...

"Shut up and just follow already!"

...And Chohong quickly shut him up.

But I didn't pay attention to that.

It was moving fast and fading fast. The yellow light was quickly disappearing before my eyes. But I couldn't allow that to happen.

If I lost track of it now, then I was sure that the chance would be gone forever.

So.

Following the trajectory, judging on the location... And then-

'There.'

A hill that looked similar to the others, but different. At the same time, one with faint traces of mana.

I came to a stop and drew my sword.

Flone arrived first and laughed. "You know, Jihu. Not everyone can follow you like this."

I glanced back and then saw that the others were still a fair distance aways. Seeing that, I let out a sheepish smile and said, "Can't be helped. Anyway..." I turned back to the hill and said, "Time to crack this puzzle box wide open."

I walked over to the hill and placed my hand over it.

It was different, but the principle should be the same. A mana pulse, interlacing with the loose dirt and stopping where it didn't come loose.

'There.'

An ultrasound... or something close anyway. With it, I saw a hidden entrance beneath the pile of dirt.

With that confirmed, I pulled my hand back, wrenching away both my mana and the dirt.

For a brief second, the air turned dusty. But before everything was covered, I converted the particles into ambient mana.

The result?

A secret rusty iron door leading underground.

"What the heck...?" Mikhail's voice called out from behind me.

I turned back to see him and the others walking over.

Mikhail approached me and looked at the door. "Is this... the secret to the mystery?"

I stepped forward, my sword still drawn. "It is. But be careful... We don't know what's inside."

Maria groaned. "I don't care. Can we just hurry up? I'm tired."

Veronika nodded. "If we're exploring, we should hurry. Night time will be dangerous."

"Then let's go." I nodded back at Veronika and said, "You be header. I'll cover the rear. Maria in the middle and everyone else on the sides."

With the formation settled, we opened the door and advanced.

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