Chapter 134

The morning scouting had resumed, and numerous Violet Squad members moved back and forth along the mountainside, searching the surroundings. They were on the lookout for any signs of people, examining every footprint and piece of clothing.

“Where are you, Alex!”

Currently, the deployed numbers were two hundred and ten. A full two platoons were widely spread out, scanning the area. In the sky, five hang gliders were on reconnaissance.

As if that wasn’t enough, I even had Daphne and the autonomous, blue-haired intelligent Magic Staff assisting me.

“Did you find anything?”

“Well… nothing’s being caught.”

“Nothing at all, this kind of tracking method is only useful for short distances.”

Daphne wielded her electronic staff, scanning left and right, while Lucian attempted to trace the magical power. There were no results.

“The outside of the tent is a bit chilly…!”

“Here, if you stay close it’ll be better.”

“Th-thank you!”

As Levi shivered, Irene handed over a hot pack. Had it been lacking since she warmly hugged him yesterday?

“Ugh, ugh… my whole body aches… is it because I slept in the cold?”

Granite couldn’t stabilize himself and moved stiffly. The image of a hulking figure with an axe was reminiscent of a tin woodman.

“Hey, but why are you girls looking so fine? You seemed full of energy since morning. Did you put a heater in the tent or something?”

“Well, it’s a secret!”

When he asked, I chuckled and avoided answering.

The current teammates moved cautiously around the center of the Violet Squad. Sadly, the mountains were so rugged that we had to resort to walking at some point.

Meanwhile, the Violets from the 1st Company, 3rd Platoon, 2nd Squad discovered an unusual trace. A black device was buried in the snow.

As they dug through the snow, a tire appeared.

“A wheel?”

“This looks like an ATV. Didn’t they say they rented an ATV and rode off?”

At that moment, Kalia, who had been near the 2nd Squad, approached. The materials we examined before venturing into the dungeon came to mind.

“They said they rented three four-wheeled bikes to move, right?”

“Wow, they really came a long way!”

What on earth made them think there was a relic known as the Holy Grail in these mountains? Moreover, something that grants power. As far as we knew, the relic didn’t exist.

“They mentioned something that increases power, right? Could it be that rumors about the Ether Amplifier got twisted?”

“Aha! That could be it!”

A relic that increases power, perhaps one of the hunters accidentally discovered an Ether Amplifier in another dungeon and used it. Naturally, there must have been some effect.

That rumor could have morphed into something entirely wrong as it passed from person to person.

I refocused after my wandering thoughts and searched the area. We found several remains of a destroyed vehicle. The four-wheeled bike looked identical to the one in the photos from the materials. With the license plate found, there was no denying it.

“Guys! I found a trace here!”

“Relay to Command Center and all personnel in the 1st Flight Squadron! We’ll narrow down the search area!”

Based on the traces, we gradually began to narrow down the area of search. Things that had eluded us all day began to be discovered one by one.

“Here, there’s a footprint!”

“Several of them.”

At first, it was a chaotic array of human footprints.

“Violet! This isn’t blood, is it?”

Kalia found scattered bloodstains in the place littered with ice shards.

“Monster footprints too. Judging by the prints and shape… it’s Atacon.”

Irene bent down to retrace the scene piece by piece.

“There’s also evidence of combat. Want to see?”

“An arrow…?”

With that, we sequentially searched for evidence one step at a time. The distances between each stepping stone varied, from dozens of meters to hundreds or even kilometers. We filled that gap with numbers.

“I think we found it! Looks like it’s in this direction!”

“I’m not sure about the numbers, but I can feel the unique magical power of the Awakened One. This way!”

After walking for a while in this dungeon devoid of day and night, we arrived at a cave. It was hidden beneath ice and rocks, easily missed even by aerial reconnaissance.

But hold on a second. This place feels familiar?

“Ah! Here, it’s that place! The Ether Emitter!”

They say it’s just the right day for a lucky encounter; could they possibly be hiding here? We felt uncertain.

“Levi, shoot anything strange that comes out!”

“Ugh, okay!”

After positioning the team members at the entrance, the Canary unit of the Violet Squad steeled themselves and advanced. Inside the cave, strange crystals intermittently glimmered, preventing it from being entirely dark.

“See, this is the place we were looking for!”

“The Ether Emitter! Two birds with one stone!”

At some point, the Canary unit discovered five students our age lying around with exhausted faces.

“Ugh, who are you guys?!”

“We’re the Rescue Team!”

A green-haired boy shook as he pointed his sword at us. Behind him, four students stumbled to their feet.

“Relay to Command Center, we have found the rescue subjects!”

After the other team members entered the cave, we fed the exhausted students. They voraciously consumed the warm liquid food.

“We’re alive… we’re alive!”

“Thank you so much!”

Amid this, I had a brief conversation with one of the client’s sons.

“So, your father sent you guys, huh?”

“Exactly!”

Listening to Alex’s words, it seemed he had persuaded his friends to join him here.

Fortunately, his friends didn’t appear to be seriously injured. According to Daphne, they only had minor injuries and malnutrition.

“So it’s time to go home now. The adventure’s over!”

Hearing my words, he seemed relieved yet hesitant about something.

“Wait… can I stay here a little longer? I have something I need to find…!”

“The Holy Grail, right?”

I pulled out the note and showed it to him. He exclaimed in a rush.

“Yes! The Holy Grail! It must be inside there! The monsters were swarming, so we couldn’t go in…”

“Inside there? You mean deeper into the cave?”

He nodded. Daphne, who was checking on Alex’s group, spoke in a firm tone.

“No way. Look at your friends. You need to go home right now. You wouldn’t want to see them get hurt more, would you?”

Upon hearing Daphne’s warning, the boy looked down awkwardly and fell silent. What could possibly be making him obsessed with the Holy Grail?

“You said inside, right? That must be where the Ether Amplifier is!”

With the Violet unit guarding the cave entrance, I led the team toward the location mentioned by the students. There were stairs there.

As we went down the stairs, we entered a wide plaza-like space. The plaza was warm and filled with monsters. The shape of this place resembled the ruins of Chloris Forest.

“There’s a ton of them.”

“But they’re all low-level monsters. Let’s go!”

– Bang bang!

– Clang clang!

After several rounds of shooting and slashing, we annihilated all the monsters, and I stood with my teammates before the Ether Amplifier.

“So, if we activate this, we can gain powerful strength?”

“Trust me!”

Distrusting our nervous teammates, I activated the Ether Amplifier. Magical power erupted and began to flow into the bodies of my teammates, slowly absorbing into them.

“This power is…!”

“It’s only the second time, but it’s definitely amazing.”

“Let’s save the power test for later. The priority is to return!”

Talk about luck; not only did we manage the rescue, but we also got a team upgrade.

As we exited, the last Violet, number 621, discovered something unusual nestled in the ruins. It was an ornate, golden metal cup. The golden plating was peeling, making it look dirty.

621 opened the status window and felt disappointed.

[Golden Cup with a Pure Heart ☆]

“This… can’t be the Holy Grail, right?”

After reading the description on the status window, it had no mystical effects. While there was a unique function, compared to other relics, it was quite ordinary.

I led the students and teammates back out of the cave.

We walked down the mountain slope, descending back to where we had parked the vehicle when a warning came from the sky.

“Emergency! Emergency! Numerous monsters approaching!”

As the alert echoed, Atacon hordes revealed themselves from between the piles of rocks and ice. Their four eyeballs fixed on us.

“Growl!”

“What the hell! Why are they here now?!”

As I screamed, Lucian shouted as if a realization hit him.

“Damn it, that amplifier or whatever must have attracted them! The magical power when we activated it probably spilled out of the cave!”

I felt my irritation rise. Those monster bastards were getting in our way again!

“Relay from the Command Center. Use aerial guided bombs!”

Fortunately, there was distance between us and the horde of monsters. Without hesitation, I launched the bombs.

“Woohoo!”

Soon, five Violet bombs took to the skies. With a booming roar, the monsters were obliterated into bits. The startled Atacon fled.

“Hooray!”

Our joy was short-lived as an earth-shaking noise erupted. Snow began to pour down from the mountaintop.

“Avalanche! What’s happening?!”

“Because you blew up so many bombs, of course!”

Oh no, the Violet air bomb attack triggered an avalanche. Teammates started to flee in a hurry.

“We’re out of time! Gather around me!”

Daphne urgently called for all of us. The avalanche swept everyone away. Standing directly against such a massive natural disaster made the power of the Awakened Ones feel like child’s play.

“Everyone huddle together!”

Violets that had been separated from the team clung tightly to the closest ones and lay down flat.

“Yikes! We’re being swept away!”

“Hurry and hold on!”

Once we confirmed everyone was secured, the Violets braced themselves.

How long did we endure? The mountain fell silent. One by one, the Violets dug out from the snow, greeting the fresh air.

“We survived! Hooray!”

“Yay!”

We clawed our way through the snow and stumbled back. The avalanche hadn’t reached the parking area.

“It’s time to leave!”

Finally reaching where the vehicle was parked, we loaded the client’s children into the armored vehicle and prepared to get into our own.

Before leaving, I pulled out the Holy Grail and showed it to the client’s son.

“Is this the Holy Grail you mentioned?”

“Y-yeah! It must be this one!”

Alex’s eyes widened at the sight of the Holy Grail.

“Hey, you guys are the Rescue Team, right? Can you please give me that Holy Grail? Please! I’m begging you!”

I asked him, “Why? We were the ones who found it first. You know the dungeon’s rules, right? The one who hunts first claims it.”

“Uh, that’s…”

He hesitated. The answer came from behind. One of his friends had blurted it out.

“That guy’s gonna use it to get stronger and confess to a girl! To our student council president!”

“Hey! Yuri! Why’d you say that?!”

Upon hearing his friend’s revelation, Alex yelled. I asked, bewildered.

“Student council president? Are you talking about Adela?”

“How do you know that… Yeah! I’m gonna use the power of this Holy Grail to get stronger. And then I’ll confess! Adela’s family belongs to a long-standing tradition of knights and warriors! So…”

With hesitation, Alex shouted something.

“I’m gonna become a strong man. With the power of this Holy Grail, I’ll be the strongest hunter! That way… I can win Adela’s heart, right?”

I felt deflated. Unit 621 handed him the cup.

“Sure, great idea. Here, take it.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah! Good luck!”

He hugged the golden cup as if it were something precious and got into the vehicle.

“Hey Violet, isn’t that a valuable thing? Can we just give it away?”

Kalia asked, and I shook my head.

“No, it’s probably not worth anything at all.”

His father was a businessman primarily dealing in relics. Even without a status window, he’d probably know what it is.

And even if the relic was the genuine Holy Grail, winning Adela’s heart would be tough.

“I mean, to win Adela’s heart, a Scholarship Officer level of guy is required. He really doesn’t get it.”

“What a foolish child.”

Imagining when and how his dreams might shatter, we returned to the entrance of the gate.