Cavern, II

"Hah…" I let the air out of my lungs as I sluggishly opened my eyes.

I could feel my back ache all over, it was too uncomfortable to sleep on concrete.

I zipped down the tent's so-called door and got out of it. Everyone still seemed to be in their sleep.

I yawned again.

"Ah?" I noticed something new in the vicinity.

"A bucket of water?" I went towards it and dipped my finger in it. It was cold.

"Oh, I remember. Has it been thirty hours already? Well, it is only ten liters in here so I shouldn't waste it," I talked to myself as I began filling up the empty bottles I had.

I also splashed my face with a bit of it so I could gain better focus.

I sat down cross-legged now and began meditating.

The time is eleven pm right now, huh… Wait, what happened to the water on the first floor? I never saw it. Well, that doesn't matter right now.

Our sleep schedule is messed up since light from the sun doesn't reach.

I breathed in slowly… and let it out.

Mana is entering my body in small quantities at the same time. This place is rich with magical motes, which shouldn't exist here. I have many questions and yet no answers.

The particles are traveling up to my brain and down to my chest, heart, arms, hands, legs, feet, and back up. Further refining my insides for mana usage.

I've gone through this process thousands of times already and yet managed to only break through the Medium-Stage. It is still useful, though, since it helps to manipulate it easier.

I began thinking back to the first floor… I was in the flow back then, I don't even know how I made the amethyst cloak… The pink and purplish mana is a bad omen in Nexus, and yet I can somehow use it…

I still don't know how I did it though… Teehee.

***

Like that, I was thinking and breathing slowly for the next hour. No one woke up, no one spoke anything. I didn't even hear or feel any movement.

"Uh, guys?" I called out… No reply.

I approach Sean's tent and look into it. He was there, still sleeping.

I take a peek inside Luke's tent, he's also sleeping.

"Shit," I muttered as I saw that none of the Japanese and Korean members were there.

"Sean, wake up, it's an emergency!" I called out to him, swiftly taking a hold of my dark coat and katana as I ran towards the stone alleys.

I ran and ran. I couldn't hear anything besides the pitter-pattering of my steps.

I skidded to a stop, a massive crater was straight ahead, and inside it, were Mai Sakaguchi, Haruka Maki, Ren Uemura, and Qo Soo-Bin fighting for their lives.

"Hiya!" Mai Sakaguchi swung down her blade, severing a bat-spider's torso, continuing her assault on the next one without stopping

"Heh," I scoffed, so they aren't that shitty at this, huh? Well obviously, the government wouldn't choose beginners to get on with this important mission.

The next instant, the blast of a firearm was heard.

"Hmm, so Ren was smart enough to get a pistol…" I continued with my assessment.

"Haruka Maki… Because she is short, it seems she has more issues with fighting monsters. Her reach is limited, but she seems to cover for that with speed."

"Hora!" Qo Soo-Bin let out a howl as she massacred more than two bat-spiders at the same time. She was a spear user, with its long hilt, she had more control over the blade. Turning it, slashing, and also using it at times to parry attacks away from her.

Her dark hair swayed as she back-flipped, evading an attack and coming back-to-back with Mai.

"Now we're in a pinch." Scoffed Soo-Bin whith a smirk.

"We sure are," Mai returned the gesture, and soon after a scream got her attention.

"Fuck, I don't have any more bullets left, my katana is back at the base…" Ren spat his concerns.

"Hmm, how are they going to come out of this, I wonder?" An exasperated smile was etched on my face, thinking about what I'll witness.

Haruka Maki was also cornered now, and so were the other three.

"Take the other two and run!" Qo Soo-bin said with a resolute tone as she began moving.

"Soo-Bin, no!" Mai screamed, trying to stop her from jumping in the hoard of beasts, basically becoming the sacrificial lamb.

With tears in her eyes, Mai took hold of the two other Japanese members and made a run for it, again, she fled with her tail between her legs… Or so I thought.

"Hmph!" She threw both Haruka and Ren and got back to Soo-Bin, grabbing a hold of her neckband and pulling her back.

"What? Mai!" Soo-Bin roared towards Mai's rash action as she jumped into the danger.

The places were now reversed, Mai was engaging while Soo-Bin was left behind, just looking at her.

***

No!

Qo Soo-bin thought, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Her mind truly was filled with no-s to the brim. She just shouldn't let her fight alone.

This has happened before. Her dearest friend jumped in front of the truck to save her.

Sitting in the cool concrete, she witnessed her body getting demolished by its speed, blood sputtering from her brains.

She had been looking at her exactly the same. She couldn't allow this to happen once more. This can't happen again.

Suddenly, "Ah?" Something pecked at her mind, words she never thought of.

She knew it had to be said, or she will regret it for her whole life.

Pointing her blade towards the mob of monsters, she recited.

"Spirits of Fire, bless this ungraceful soul that is seeking for a blaze, inferno of help, will, and combustion of life. Rising Burn!"

Her incantation was done, quietness was all over the crater, and not even a second later, every single bat-spider was overcome by hellfire, closing them into their demise.