Chapter XLIV - Back On Track (part 1)

The location of the mission is very far, or at least I thought so.

Compared to the previous missions, this distance is nothing. But for someone who hasn't gone outside the kingdom for more than two weeks, this is beyond anything I have gone to in the past two weeks.

The others are enjoying the heavy wind that is coming from the back side of the road. I'm thankful that the wind actually enters through the back side of the cart. Because if it went from the front side, no wind would enter the cart, and I'd just be sweating endlessly.

The sunlight is incredibly intense. I was spending so much time in my room that I forgot how the stinging sunlight felt. Even though I used to be adventuring day and night, not doing it for two weeks completely washed away my adapting ability.

I'm the only one who's having problems adapting, though. Cony is humming something in her mind, while Barett is reading a book he picked from the library without me, though he should really stop reading while on a vehicle. Valey is deeply sleeping on my shoulder, which I found quite cute. 

Though, I can see her saliva slowly falling down to my clothes... She's cute, but holy eww.

The road will probably take another thirty minutes, so I might as well close my eyes. I put my head backwards, to the carriage's walls. But, I didn't fall asleep. I just closed my eyes.

After nearly thirty minutes, the carriage arrives at the closest village to the location. This village is the home to the mission issuer, so it makes sense if the mission location isn't quite far from here.

The four of us continued our move to the mission location by foot. We walked through a little bit of trees and hills, and we finally arrived at the designated location.

It's... a cave.

"Why is it always caves??"

Cony complained, and I have to agree. Most of the missions that we took as adventurers where we had to remove certain monsters or beasts usually happened in a cave. Either it was a simple cave or a dangerous dungeon. 

I guess Cony got a little bored of it, but I'm guessing most adventurers do at some point.

"Most bugs hated the sun. That's why ants dug under the ground. And in this case, mantises are just the same."

I explained to her about what I read in the book of monsters, the first book that I ever read since coming here. The others simply grinned knowing that a nerd is amongst them.

"Haha! Nice to have you back, Rize."

Barett laughed and entered the cave, followed by Valey. I only stared at their backs quite confused, but I didn't mind them for too long and just turned to Cony behind me.

"Come on, Cony. I can't use fire magic to light things up."

I summoned a torch out of my ring and threw it at Cony. She caught it easily and followed me inside.

The inside of the cave was quite big. It's like a lobby, but we couldn't see a single soul in here.

There were corpses of bugs on the ground, but they already looked decayed. Barett walked closer to check and confirmed it. It was the corpse of a mutant mantis.

"Did someone beat us here?"

Valey asked as she hovered the torch to see better in the cave. There are two big entrances to the deeper caves on the right and on the front.

"... No. From the looks of it, this doesn't look like the doings of a human."

Barett commented after studying the corpses, and I knelt on another corpse to see if it's true. It doesn't look like it was sliced or cut by any sharp weapon. It looked as if it was destroyed.

For sure, this was not the doing of a human. Another beast or monster has done this.

"Should we... check the deeper cave?"

Valey asked as she tried to light up the two entrances, and we all turned to her. Cony was already scared as hell when entering this dark cave. And now, we had to go deeper to find out more.

"Maybe. Let's see what's in there-"

"Wowowowo-wait!"

Cony cuts me off in the middle of my sentence, and she doesn't look too good.

"Can we j-just take a look at the corpse!? It doesn't look like it was killed by a human!!"

Cony pointed at the decaying corpse of mutant mantises that sizes nearly two meters high. Hearing that, everyone else facepalmed.

"So?"

I asked while walking to one of the dark paths, but then it suddenly hit me.

Now that I got my magic energy back, I have retrieved what I lost the day my magic soul broke, except for my main ability to cast magic techniques. Which means, I can activate magic tools and crystals. 

It also means that I have also retrieved my ability to sense magic energy, even from far - far away.

And just now, a wave of heavy magical pressure energy came from inside of the path I was about to take. The breezing wind shoved into our faces, alerting us that something powerful was in there.

Everyone quickly unsheathed their weapons, turning quite wary of what that breeze of wind was. However, I lifted my hand to calm them down.

Whatever is in there, it's very strong.

However, that pressure just now was a warning. A defensive release, aiming to scare us away.

Whatever is in there... it does not want us to come inside.

"Do you guys..."

"Yeah, we felt it."

Cony asked out of pure fear, and Valey quickly answered. That pressure blast was so obvious that all of us sensed it, which means there has to be a reason as to why it was released in the first place.

"It does not want us to go in there."

I said after pondering about it, and everyone else only turned confused.

"What do you mean?"

Barett asked, but I only pointed my finger to the dark cave hall in front of me.

"That just now was a warning. The monster inside is scaring us away, which means it actually doesn't want us to enter."

"That made sense... so, what should we do?"

"What else? Do exactly what it doesn't like."

I said while confidently taking out my orcish sword, and everyone else realized it was the right call.

Valey quickly prepared her bow and arrow. Barett puts down the torch and grabbed his shield and axe. Cony just let out a screech of horror and unsheathed her sword, while her other hand was holding a torch.

I took out the orcish sword on my right hand, while my left holding a torch. I focused towards the hall in front of me, attempting to find where exactly that monster is.

That monster... it is powerful. However, it is also afraid.

And with my magic senses... I can very easily smell out its emotions... to find its location---

"SHHHRIIIIEEEEKKKK!!!!!!!"

A powerful scream of a bug came out from the tunnel in front of me. The sound was so loud, it nearly made me fall on my knees. But somehow, there's no attack coming.

I can sense that there's nothing in that tunnel. Whatever bug is in there is so powerful, and yet I couldn't sense anything coming from the tunnel.

... Haha. That thing is dangerous as hell.

Imagine if we let it walk out of this place freely. The distance between this place and the village is by no means far, and that bug can easily reach the village with ease.

There's no other choice.

I gripped my sword stronger, and I turned to Barett. He noticed what my gaze was for, and he nodded. His shield hand picked up the torch, then he started walking in front of me. 

As the tanker, it is his role to be at the very front, to tank any incoming attack. However, I will be very ready in case an attack does come. That's why I will be right behind him.

Valey followed right behind me. Cony quickly ran and stood behind Valey since she was so afraid. With this formation, we slowly entered the dark and dangerous cave system.

The size of this tunnel isn't big. It only fits about two people to walk side by side, with a little bit more space. If the bug somehow attacked here, it could cause genuine havoc, and we might easily get hurt. However, Barett should at the very least be able to block its first attacks with his shield. I will do a follow up counter after that.

However, as we continued walking, nothing was happening. The path wasn't that long, and we arrived at the end of it in no time.

We arrived inside a large cave room. However, because this cave was never a dungeon, there are no light crystals to light the place up. Most dungeons have light crystals to help keep the paths and cave rooms lit up. But, this one is far too different.

It is just one... very dark cave room under ground. We can barely see a thing. 

The room was so big, the torches on our hands couldn't even light the front walls and the ceiling. Whatever that we felt earlier, it should be in here.

However... this feels a little too unfavorable for us. Bugs have the ability to see in the dark. We do not.

However... it was too late for us to fall back now, because we could hear its hissing sound.

It's not a snake. It's certainly a bug. And it's certainly large. The small light that the torch gave us had shown the silhouette of the monster right in front of us.

I... couldn't even sense it.

The monster is right in front of us, looking down from its glimmering red eyes that are slightly reflecting the lights from our torches.

"Ugh!!"

Cony throws the torch towards the monster bug as soon as she sees it. However, the throw was a little too short, and the torch landed right in front of the bug.

Now that the torch is on its feet, we can see it clearly.

It's a praying mantis, or at least that's what it is supposed to be. It is as tall as an adult human, but with a body type similar to a humanoid.

The skin is not green. It's dark red, with a little bit of black streaks pattern here and there. It only has two hands unlike other bugs, both looked sharp and shiny like a metal blade, with a little bit of rough but sharp edges. It stood on two legs, very still, and stared at us as if the torch did not fade it at all.

It is staring at us... coldly. Calmly.

Immediately, I regretted coming down here.

"Hhhhsssssssss....."

The loud hissing sound came from its mouth, as if talking to us. But since we couldn't understand it, we didn't do anything.

Then, in a blink of an eye, the mantis disappeared.

Everyone quickly turned aware, looking around at the darkness surrounding us.

"What!? Where did it go!?"

"Stay on guard!! This beast might be stronger than a normal mantis!!"

Barett asked as he readied his shield, but I simply commanded to keep their guards up.

TAP!!!

And just like another blink, the beast suddenly pops right in front of Barett. Barett very quickly lifted his shield to guard, and the red mantis swung its giant sword-like hand towards him.

Unfortunately for him... the swing was far too powerful.

BAAANNGGGG!!!!!!!!!

The attack struck his shield, but he couldn't completely eat off the impact. 

BAARRRRR!!!!!!!!!

Barett's entire body was knocked far, and his body hit the walls very hard. I quickly swung my blade to the mantis, but that thing was very quick to dodge me.

"Barett!!!"

Valey shouted after the mantis disappeared, but there was no reply coming from the tanker. I quickly took Barett's position and kept an eye on a much larger view, but I already knew that this whole situation was a mistake.

Barett isn't replying. 

The bastard monster can just hide in the darkness. We can't see it.

And that thing is also incredibly fast. Not only that we couldn't see it, we also could never see it coming.

Damn it! Did Barett gone unconscious!? Please, Barett. Say something!

Unfortunately, there was no more sound for the next few seconds. There was only our breathing. The sound of our trembling feet, dragging the floor due to the nervousness. Valey's bow strings are being held, aiming at the darkness in front of her. My insanely fast heart beat, worried and concerned about our current situation.

We can't... sense it. It's dark, and it has the ability to hide its presence quite well.

This bastard...

What the fuck is its rank!?