Chapter 608 - The Traveler
"Ngh—ah—!?"
The tremor was so violent it was as if a giant had thrust its fist up from beneath the earth.
It wasn't just shaking. My body was launched into the air as if on a spring, and I couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise as I tumbled to the ground.
The fall resistance of [Trickster of Zenith] was easily bypassed, and a new debuff icon I'd never seen before, a type of immobility, lit up on my status bar.
Fear—this is bad, I can't move a muscle.
An unforeseen interference from an unknown source. I could only surmise two things: that that probably wasn't from the [Feidran Tyrantinus].
And,
"————"
After that tremor, which seemed to have shaken not just the chamber but the entire surface world—well, unless it was an incredibly dense mole, there was no way it wouldn't wake up.
"This is really bad... Hey, come on...!"
My avatar was still ensnared by the powerful debuff, the icon not even blinking, showing no signs of disappearing. Move, move, move, I willed myself as my eyes darted towards the giant that was now stirring with a bizarre, grating sound of countless metal parts rubbing together.
The enemy's HP bar became visible, signaling its activation.
Its health bars were—two thick ones, and five thin ones. In other words,
"A twenty-five layer stack...!?"
This was truly an outlier, a boss enemy that should be fought in an Over-Raid. It was a genuine monster, a tier or two above the half-raid boss [Epel, Great Ice Spirit Guardian].
I had a hunch, but having the reality shoved in my face was quite a shock. Although it might be inferior to the 'true specials'—the Colored Monsters—which also required an Over-Raid to conquer, it was a similar kind of transcendent being that existed in a realm beyond simple 'strength'.
Compared to this, no one would say that the formerly unkillable [Black Stain That Slays All] was an easier opponent. The difficulty genres are fundamentally different between that type, which seeks ultimate 'individual strength,' and this type, which seeks ultimate 'group strength'.
For example, even if there was an ultra-high-spec raid group that could defeat this thing, if you threw my & Ashe's version of the 'Shadow' at them, the probability of them being wiped out wouldn't be low.
Conversely, even though I defeated the 'Shadow'—
"This is a little... Yeah, as expected."
I didn't have a shred of confidence that I could face this thing alone and win.
However... the giant mole, having partially uncoiled itself, raised its long body high.
Its countless tentacles writhed like they were rustling, looking like a radar searching for prey.
The debuff icon began to blink.
One by one, its countless eyes opened,
Control over my body slowly started to return,
And just a moment before I steeled my resolve to charge in as a decoy, as promised.
Although we were at a similar distance, it wasn't me, who had removed my [Hidden Rat's Cloak] and stood openly in the chamber the moment I confirmed its awakening.
The monstrous head turned towards the three who were still frozen, sitting on the ground—and I saw a familiar pre-motion.
The instant the metallic tentacles began to glow red hot.
The instant I thought I met the terrified, aquamarine eyes.
"[Trance]."
My form inverted, clad in crimson, and unleashing the 'Outer Force' I had been building up while immobilized, I ran.
◇◆◇◆◇
"—————!!!"
"Wah!?"
"Whoa!?"
The voices Sora and Lux raised were not due to the giant dragon's roar, but because of the cause of it. The arrow that flew.
Literally, faster than a blink of an eye.
A small body soared through the air with the speed of lightning and struck the side of the [Feidran Tyrantinus]'s head. With a sound that seemed like a joke, it punched the massive head away just as it was about to fire a heat ray.
For a brief moment, time seemed to stretch as they were caught off guard.
Their captivated gazes followed the figure of their 'partner' floating in the air from the recoil—
"...Retreat! Lux-san!"
Without a glance in their direction, a smile touched Sora's lips as she saw the back with a thumbs-up. Receiving that trust, she kicked the freezing situation into motion.
Regardless of their roles, this was business as usual with her.
"Okay, leave it to me!"
"Ah, eh..."
Responding to the command, Lux moved instantly, lightly scooping up Nia, who for some reason had been the first to scream and collapse... and without hesitation, she ran.
Something seemed off, but checking on Nia's faint voice would have to wait. For now, the top priority was to leave this place and ensure their safety. It wasn't just about fulfilling the request of her partner, for whom she cared enough to make her a little jealous.
Sora knew well the fear of going to a battlefield without the power to fight.
"I'm going ahead! Leave clearing the path to me!"
"Alright, alright, roger that!"
Leaving behind the 'scales' as a parting gift, she ran without looking back, leaving her trust as well.
Now that she could stand beside her partner and wield a sword, she took pride in being a protector too.
◇◆◇◆◇
—As expected, their telepathic connection was almost admirable.
Perhaps the two of them, linked by a trust that was almost enviable, no longer worried about each other during minor mishaps like this.
The girl leading the way showed no hesitation, and the sword she swung at the moles blocking their path showed no doubt.
Perhaps due to a change from the boss's activation, the encounter rate had increased since their way in, and she was mowing down the giant bodies with tremendous force.
...Seriously, though. Why is this not a ranker?
The girl's strangeness, which she had sensed from the day they first met, only grew as they became closer and understood each other better. Her interest was endless, her curiosity limitless.
She could sense that there was something... but she couldn't see what that 'something' was at all.
Truly strange, distorted, mysterious, bizarre—a lump of the unknown, just Lux's type.
"...I'm, I'm sorry... Lu-chan, it was probably me, something I did."
Then, in her arms. Her friend, who had been carried quietly while trembling, seemed to have regained her composure and began to speak in a broken voice.
Well, thinking back to what happened right before the irregularity, she could guess that 'something had happened,' and she could predict the words that would naturally come out of her mouth...
"Alright, alright, Nya-chan, don't worry about it! The unexpected and accidents are part of any unknown adventure, which means there's only one truth: 'It's nobody's fault'!"
If her hands were free, she would have ruffled her hair, but for now, she was busy carrying her precious princess, so that would have to wait.
A smile crossed her face as Nia's eyes went wide, caught between the jumble of 'no problem' she rattled off with energy and enthusiasm, and the confusion she was still wrestling with.
"Well, no need to worry, Nya-chan."
And then, shining above the running Traveler's head was a single crown.
Compared to the countless 'treasures' she had obtained, it lacked brilliance... in fact, it was a rather shabby crown of a dull color.
However,
modeled after the ring, the first treasure she had ever obtained on her first adventure in this virtual world,
"The adventure isn't over until we're all safely home, as far as I'm concerned."
It lodged a golden light in her eyes and became a guide showing the path forward.
The special title 'Traveler's' enhancement effect, [Treasure Hunter]—its power was the visualization of a route that would unfailingly lead to any object or thing Lux recognized as a treasure.
That included, for example,
"Aha! Okay, okay, just as I'd expect from you, Har-kun!"
a treasure like an adventure story with a true ending, where everyone makes it back alive and well.
"Sora-chan! A little consultation!"
"Huh...!? Uh, um, wait—just a moment, please!"
She called out to the back of the girl who was kicking away one mole after another. The girl, attended by countless sand swords, looked bewildered but not panicked.
With a terrifying display of force, a giant wheel woven from blades, she ran over three [Feidran Armoire] that had approached from ahead—
"...Yes, go ahead!"
Killing a wry smile that was half admiration and half exasperation at the girl who turned to listen as if nothing had happened... after a few more minutes of a full-speed, forceful run, incomparable to their journey in, they burst out of the cave entrance crack that had finally come into view.
"Alright, we're out! Well then, I'm off to help Har-kun!"
"That's a consultation!?"
Getting carried away, she announced it like a done deal, and the reaction was, of course, to be expected. Whoops, she mentally chided herself, but there was no time for a leisurely explanation.
With each passing moment, the single 'path' visible in her sight was beginning to narrow—so Lux just smiled vaguely and tapped the crown on her head with her fingertip.
The girl she had adventured with twice before knew of its power.
If that was the case, and Lux was asserting something based on that...
"—Please go! I'll leave Haru to you!"
"Ahaha! I really love you, Sora-chan!"
A swift and decisive judgment, unbefitting of an innocent young girl. As she passed her friend to her partner, who had nodded instantly without a shred of doubt, Lux pulled out a single notebook from her pocket.
The Fifth Tier [Reminisciel Traveler]. Its hidden ability was the duplication of another's Anima.
"'Memory of the journey, bond of the soul-vessel, transfer and reflect upon the world'—[Little-Little Guidener]."
The command word was approved. The glowing notebook dissolved into particles and re-formed into the shape of a palm-sized patchwork doll. The 'Anima', having completely changed its form and nature, obeyed its master's will, leaped from her hand, and landed on the girl's shoulder.
"Huh? Um, what is this—"
"That little one will guide you on a path with no enemies, so you should be able to get outside safely! So, with that, I'm off!"
"Wait, what... Lux-san!?"
Even if she was acting almost entirely on her own, as a party member, she had to respect the leader's wishes—and with this, Nia's safety was now guaranteed.
With the guidance of an Anima that would show them a completely safe path 'on the way back,' plus an invincible bodyguard, there wasn't the slightest thing to worry about.
With that out of the way, the place to go was this way.
"Where are you going!? You said you were going to help Haru—"
"It's okaaay!"
Instead of returning to the crack they had just come out of, a voice of bewilderment, once again perfectly natural, was directed at her back as she ran off in a completely different direction.
However, this was fine.
Grabbing the crown on her head and shrinking it into a ring in her hand, Lux slipped it onto the index finger of her right hand... and without hesitation, she began to follow the shining golden path.