Chapter 133

They haven’t just been lost but are actually missing?

Albertt shouted in shock, and Baruch sighed as he explained everything.

They had already finished searching Zone 2, and in total, seven people had gone missing, including Count Dermore.

Was it because of this unexpected revelation?

Albertt asked in surprise.

“Then, where on earth is the captain…?”

“The most likely location is over there.”

Baruch pointed to the border shrouded in fog.

The Source of Magic, Zone 3.

Because it was surrounded by thick fog, it was an area that couldn’t be seen inside. Albertt muttered with a rigid expression.

“…It’ll be tough with just us.”

“That’s why I sought help, as I mentioned earlier. Once reinforcements arrive, we plan to resume the search.”

However, Albertt’s stern expression remained unchanged.

Of course. It was obvious that the help from a mere academy wouldn’t be much.

At most, it would only be the Special Operations Division.

Albertt mumbled with a skeptical look.

“But can even the Special Operations Division find the captain in Zone 3?”

“What?”

“Don’t you see? No matter how much combat experience they have, they are still just intermediate mages.”

They weren’t much different from him.

Moreover, if black rain fell in Zone 3, and darkness still existed, resuming the search with just the Special Operations Division would be impossible.

As Albertt was pondering this, Baruch shook his head.

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

Then he answered with a firm tone.

“The one I sought help from isn’t the Special Operations Division.”

“Huh? Then who?”

“As you said, to solve a magical phenomenon of this scale, the Special Operations Division alone isn’t enough. So I requested assistance from a high mage.”

“…!”

At that, Albertt’s eyes widened.

Because there was only one person referred to as the high mage in Arsen Academy.

“Wait, you don’t mean…!”

“Diplyn Cernio.”

At that moment, the identity of the high mage was revealed.

“We need that witch’s help.”

The moment Baruch mentioned Diplyn, his expression twisted. Despite needing help, it was clear he wasn’t thrilled about it.

9.

Meanwhile, at a similar time.

Outside, a battle was raging.

Inside the Abyss, things were similarly dire.

Crack! Boom!

The swamp’s relentless assault continued.

Though he couldn’t visually confirm the attacks, Ulan countered every one of them. Thanks to his complete adaptation to the Abyss’s environment.

Meanwhile, he continuously recalled memories and information about the opponent.

‘The Swamp Ruler.’

One of the lords who ruled over the Abyss.

At the same time, it was renowned for being the largest creature among all the lords.

Even during the initial opening of the Gate of the Abyss, it was so massive that one would think a small fortress was shifting, and later, it felt as if a mountain was moving.

‘But fighting it isn’t an issue.’

Confidence gleamed in his crimson eyes.

And rightly so. The Swamp Ruler was a lord he had defeated in a past life.

In other words, he knew all its weaknesses.

Besides, this time he had Noah’s magic that converted the properties of his weapon. Thus, Ulan was confident he could take it down.

‘However…’

All of this was contingent upon the condition that he was outside of the Abyss. Inside the Abyss, no matter how much he recalled the memories of his past life, he could not guarantee a victory.

‘The reasons are threefold.’

First, limited visibility was a huge issue.

Of course, he could sense some trace of the creature through detection, but having obstructed vision was a significant problem.

Using detection consumed a lot of spirit and concentration.

‘And then there’s Laurea to worry about.’

The second reason why he could not fight in the Abyss.

That was Laurea’s condition.

Having exhausted her divine power and lost her sacred items, her body was now like that of an ordinary person.

“Ha, ha!”

As time passed, her breathing became increasingly ragged. Moreover, her complexion was ghostly pale, and her body trembled as if in chills.

If she continued to stay in the Abyss in this condition, her life would be in jeopardy. So, for Laurea’s sake, they had to escape the Abyss.

‘Finally…’

The third reason was that he sensed the magic effect Noah had bestowed upon the axe was wearing off.

He had just attacked the Swamp Ruler with it when he felt an unusual resistance. He felt a strange trembling as well.

‘So I have to get out.’

That was Ulan’s conclusion.

But there was a problem.

The rift connecting the outside and the Abyss had closed since he entered.

To exit, he had to reopen the rift, but there was no way to do that inside the Abyss.

‘In my past life, Dilia had opened it for me.’

However, there was no guarantee it would happen again.

Back then, being able to open the rift was only possible after capturing and torturing the Abyss Worshippers to acquire forbidden magic.

In other words, this means the Dilia of the current timeline didn’t know how to open the rift or any magic concerning it.

This was an utterly grim situation akin to hitting a wall.

As Ulan’s face hardened.

“…!”

His eyes widened.

Suddenly, he felt an unusual power from the Swamp Ruler. Instinctively sensing this, Ulan grabbed Laurea and immediately activated his domain.

At the very moment he retreated from the battlefield.

Bang!

A massive wave of swamp crashed down where they had just been. The shockwave was immense enough to shake the surrounding area.

【You little rat!】

【Damn, you run pretty well.】

Was this the result of failing his decisive blow?

The Swamp Ruler roared in anger.

Even after that, its furious assault didn’t cease.

However, there was one change: until now, it had only targeted Ulan, but now it also aimed for Laurea.

‘This has just become annoying.’

Ulan frowned.

It wasn’t an easy opponent he could fight while protecting Laurea.

As he sought a way to counterattack, an unusual sound echoed from afar.

Ta-da-da-da!

Something was frantically patting its feet.

Could it be an Abyssal Monster?

At that moment, the sound quickly approached him.

In front of him stood the Swamp Ruler, and behind him was the Abyssal Monster.

In a perilous situation, Ulan held his axe tightly with a stiff face. However, what he feared did not occur.

The moment the owner of the sound entered his domain.

He soon realized it wasn’t an enemy.

Bright!

A light illuminating the darkness of the Abyss.

This could only be possible from an entity that shone like a spirit or a divine creature. Along with it, a fierce roar shook the Abyss.

[Graaaar!]

In the blink of an eye, the being barged into the battlefield.

It instantly sank its teeth into the Swamp Ruler and landed right in front of Ulan and Laurea.

And at the moment he saw it properly.

“You….”

Ulan’s eyes widened slightly.

What blocked his path was a wolf with a shiny, pure white fur.

It was the White Wolf.

Just then, the swamp shifted once.

【Ludrik’s hound?】

As if stirred by the appearance of the White Wolf.

Meanwhile, Ulan was equally shocked.

“How did you get here…?”

But there was no answer.

The White Wolf simply raised its paw and pointed to a direction opposite of where they were. Seeing this behavior, Ulan suddenly had a thought.

“Could it be that the rift has opened again?”

[Grrr, grrr!]

Correct. The White Wolf nodded.

Then, it showed its broad back to Ulan. There was no need to ask what that meant.

Ulan hugged Laurea and climbed onto the White Wolf’s back. Just then, it kicked off the ground and took off like it was done with its duties in the Abyss.

【I won’t let you escape!】

Only after grasping the situation late did the Swamp Ruler roar behind them.

Accompanied by it, a considerable amount of swamp surged like a gigantic wave, hot on their heels.

【You pests! Ludrik’s hound!】

【You can’t run from me!】

【Absolutely not!】

A threatening shout echoed through the Abyss.

On the other hand, the White Wolf showed no signs of intimidation, swiftly pounding the ground. However, the Swamp Ruler chased after it with the intention of devouring everything!

In a tight chase, just then, a rift emitting light appeared far away. A rift leading to the outside. However, something was wriggling around the area.

‘That is…’

Mud clump monsters, Swamp Minions.

They were piled up near the rift.

It was unclear if they aimed to get out or if they intended to block the way of the rift leading outside.

‘No, probably the latter.’

Ulan was sure of this.

As in his past life, the Swamp Ruler was obsessively attached to Laurea. He wished to make her his own apostle.

This behavior was entirely different from other lords who targeted those favored by mana.

Just after finishing his thoughts.

Ulan wrapped his legs around the White Wolf’s body to secure his position and extended the axe outward.

Then he whispered softly.

“Break through!”

[Grrrrr!]

The White Wolf responded with bright eyes.

It galloped fiercely toward the rift without slowing down. The distance to the rift quickly shortened.

Five hundred steps, three hundred steps, one hundred steps.

Then, on the thirty-ninth step.

Ulan’s axe split the air.

Bang!

With a deafening sound as if a balloon had burst, the obstruction that had been blocking the rift was blown away.

“Hah.”

Once Ulan took a brief breath to recuperate.

The approximately one hundred Swamp Minions vanished into mud without leaving a trace.

At the same time, the light beyond the rift enveloped Ulan, the White Wolf, and Laurea. With this as a signal, the world surrounding the three once again became vividly illuminated.

10.

At the same time a battle was raging in the Abyss.

Noah and her group outside also engaged in a fierce confrontation against the Swamp Minions.

Having dealt with them before, they had grasped how to fight them to some extent. However, the real issue lay elsewhere. The enemy numbers just wouldn’t dwindle.

“Ugh, it feels never-ending.”

“Can’t we just wipe them all out with magic?!”

With a furrowed brow, Ivella mumbled.

Following that, Ian squealed, “But isn’t that going to destroy the magic circle?! “

Dilia shook her head.

“That can’t happen.”

“Why not?!”

“The magic circle must not get involved, or we’re doomed.”

The magic circle maintaining the rift to the Abyss was located quite close to the battlefield.

If they unleashed area spells like a Meteor Shower in this situation, the chances were high that the magic circle would get damaged.

As soon as Dilia finished her explanation.

Both Ivella and Ian sealed their lips. They realized that if the magic circle was broken, it would become even more difficult to rescue Ulan and Laurea.

“Well, we have no choice.”

“Dealing with them one by one seems the best plan.”

However, their venting was short-lived.

The two steadied their resolve once more. Just then, a reliable voice called out to them.

“Waiting much? I’m here to help now.”

It was Noah.

Having exhausted all her magic to open the rift, she was now absorbing mana from a spare top-grade magic stone.

Additionally, she was also trying to alleviate her psychological pressure from facing the Abyss.

Regardless, after Noah joined the group.

The four of them synchronized their efforts to defeat the Swamp Minions one after another.

How long had passed?

Just as they started to feel their bodies growing heavy from fatigue, they noticed the enemy numbers were significantly reduced.

“Alright. There’s not much left now.”

“If we keep this up just a bit longer… “

Hope glimmered in Ivella and Ian’s eyes.

However, their glimpse of hope didn’t last long.

Just as they reached the rift, a sudden sound similar to before echoed.

Crash, crash, crash!

Something was pouring down.

And this time, it was even louder than before.

“N-No way…!”

“Are they pouring in again?!”

On hearing this, Ivella, Ian, and even Dilia frowned.

But there was nothing else that could be done.

All they could do was to retreat to prepare for whatever was about to emerge. Yet what appeared from the Abyss wasn’t the Swamp Minions.

[Grrr!

As soon as the rift to the Abyss opened and the White Wolf dashed in with Ulan and Laurea on its back.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

“U-Ulan!”

“Saintess!”

Their previously worried faces lit up at once.

With tears brimming in their eyes, Ivella and Dilia welcomed Ulan, and Ian showed a relieved expression.

Except for this touching reunion, it was short-lived.

Once outside, the White Wolf dropped Ulan and Laurea before fixating on the rift to the Abyss. Ulan too did not take his eyes off the rift.

While everyone was confused by this scene.

“…Wait a minute.”

Dilia’s keen ears perked up.

Her face quickly turned rigid.

Then she murmured as she glanced toward the rift Ulan had been gazing at.

“Why… does it still sound like something’s pouring out?”

By now, Ulan and the White Wolf had already emerged outside.

Yet the sound of something pouring out from beyond the Abyss still echoed, and in fact, it was even louder than before.

Like a raging torrent.

And at that moment.

A vast amount of swamp cascaded down.

Boom!

In an instant, it would turn the entirety of Zone 3 into a mire. Reacting to this sudden upheaval, Dilia swiftly activated her magic.

“Everyone, gather behind me!”

In the blink of an eye, a barrier of starlight shot up.

Following shortly, Ian cast the Holy Shield wrapping around them on all sides. Thanks to their quick response, perhaps? The group being swept away by the wave of swamp was averted.

Meanwhile, during that time.

Upon the surface of the swamp that overflowed from the rift, bright red eyes and countless mouths sprouted.

【So the ants have come to play.】

【Then I shall swallow you all!】

【Not a single one will escape!】

Echoing roars shook the surroundings.

As soon as they spotted the overwhelming presence.

Noah’s complexion turned pale.

“…!?”

It was only reasonable.

Because what appeared before her was the ruler of the Abyss known to be as troublesome to deal with as the Frost Dragon: the ‘Swamp Ruler.’