Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan…
The bell signaling an emergency in the Dungeon City rang out.
Following a summon from the Dungeon Guild, I prepared to head toward the Last Dungeon.
I quickly gathered my exploration gear and strapped my Heaven Sword and Black Katana to my waist.
(I wonder what Sumire and Sara are doing?) (Eugene)
Normally, we would decide on a meeting spot or gather in the Legendary Hero Department classroom, but…
(Eugene, use thought transmission.) (Eri)
The voice of Eri reached my mind.
Her tone was unusually serious.
(I can't use thought transmission though.) (Eugene)
(You should be able to use it with Sumire, since you're contract-bound. Try it. First, detect her with mana perception, then extend a mana link as if casting it far away.) (Eri)
(Got it. I'll give it a try.) (Eugene)
I followed Eri's instructions, and activated my mana perception.
Sumire's mana was immense and easy to locate since she is an Ifrit.
I attempted to connect my mana to hers.
(Mana linking is usually done through direct touch, so sending it long-distance is tricky…) (Eugene)
(Infuse your voice with mana and call out to her. It's easier to connect with a contract-bound partner.) (Eri)
(Understood… Sumire, can you hear me? …Sumire?) (Eugene)
I kept calling out, but there was no response.
For a moment, I hesitated, wondering if it would be faster to just go look for her instead.
—Eugy-kun!? Huh? What is this?
Sumire's voice came through.
It seemed to have worked.
(Sumire, where are you right now?) (Eugene)
—Wawa, so it wasn't my imagination. That was really Eugy-kun's voice. Um, I'm with Sara-chan and Airi-chan, discussing where we should go.
(Understood. Then let's meet at the academy's 3rd Training Ground before heading to the Zenith Tower. Let Sara and Airi know too.) (Eugene)
—Okay! Got it!
Sumire replied energetically before the telepathic link cut off.
(Well? Convenient, isn't it, Eugene?) (Eri)
(Yeah, that really helped, Eri. Thanks.) (Eugene)
(You're welcome. But listen, the Zenith Tower is acting really strange right now. Be careful.) (Eri)
(Strange?) (Eugene)
(My Clairvoyance…isn't working. I also haven't heard from Rita… And on top of that, I just have a really bad feeling.) (Eri)
(…Got it. I'll be extra cautious.) (Eugene)
(Don't die, Eugene.) (Eri)
Eri ended the telepathic link with those ominous words.
She wasn't the type to use vague expressions like "bad feeling."
Her Clairvoyance is highly accurate, unlike mine.
And yet, she said she couldn't see the future.
A sense of unease settled in my chest as I rushed toward the meeting point with Sumire and the others.
◇
Zuzuzu…
The ground trembled slightly.
"Kyah!"
"Whoa!"
"Watch your step, don't fall!"
The academy's training ground was already crowded with people.
I didn't search with my eyes; I used mana perception.
Even among the magic academy's students, many of whom had considerable mana, Sumire's stood out as exceptionally large, located ahead to the right.
(This is pretty useful.) (Eugene)
I used Sky Walk to maneuver through the crowd and reached Sumire.
"Sumire!" (Eugene)
"Wah! Eugy-kun suddenly appeared!?" (Sumire)
"Eugy! I'm glad we found you." (Airi)
Sumire was with my childhood friend.
"Airi, you were here too. What about Sara?" (Eugene)
Sumire said they were together.
"Sara-chan went to meet with the student council members. They need to evacuate the students who can't fight." (Sumire)
"I see. Got it." (Eugene)
Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan…
The emergency bell continued to toll ominously across the entire Dungeon city.
Civilians were required to evacuate outside the city whenever this bell rang.
This is my first time hearing it as far as I know.
"Airi, you're in the student council, aren't you? Shouldn't you go to Sara's side?" (Eugene)
I asked, and…
"I told her that, but she said it would be dangerous to leave Sumire alone, so she ordered me to stay with her until we met up with you." (Airi)
"Geez! I've trained and gotten stronger too. I can at least go find Eugy-kun by myself." (Sumire)
Sumire puffed her cheeks slightly in protest at Airi's words.
"No, the entire Dungeon city feels off. It's best not to act alone. Sumire, Airi, stick together. First, let's follow the Dungeon Guild's announcement and head to the Zenith Tower to gather information." (Eugene)
"Eh… but I need to regroup with the student council—" (Airi)
"Airi, stay with us." (Eugene)
"F-Fine." (Airi)
I cut off Airi's protest firmly.
Sumire looked like she wanted to say something but kept quiet.
I took the lead, with Sumire and Airi following behind.
*Zuzuzu…*
The ground shook again.
These small tremors have been occurring at regular intervals for the past few minutes.
(Something's off…) (Eugene)
Earthquakes were rare in the Dungeon city.
The lack of panic was likely because explorers were accustomed to facing various natural disasters in the Zenith Tower: violent winds, blizzards, torrential rains, tornadoes, and even earthquakes.
Some monsters even caused earthquakes, so small tremors alone weren't alarming to seasoned explorers.
"Hey, Eugy-kun, what do you think this earthquake is about?" (Sumire)
Sumire, being relatively new to exploring, looked uneasy.
"It's definitely not just a normal earthquake. Either a monster that causes tremors has escaped from the Zenith Tower… or something even bigger is happening." (Eugene)
"Eugy, are earthquakes unusual here?" (Airi)
Airi, who hasn't been in the Dungeon City long, didn't seem to grasp the situation.
The imperial capital had frequent earthquakes after all.
Mainly because of the Great Demonic Beast.
"Ah, I've experienced them inside the Dungeon, but outside, this is my first time." (Eugene)
"..."
Airi's expression turned even more serious at my words.
We arrived near the entrance of the Zenith Tower as we talked.
A large number of explorers had already gathered.
There were probably over three hundred of them.
And there was one area that was clearly abnormal.
The place where I had previously fought the Divine Beast, Byakko, alongside my classmates from the Legendary Hero Department.
The Zenith Tower's zero floor, where the Trial of the Gods appear randomly and without warning.
Floating there were dozens of golden magic circles.
The spell formation was Summoning Magic.
I don't know what is being summoned, but given the circumstances, the likelihood of it being a Divine Beast is high.
"Um… Is this a Trial of the Gods…?" (Sumire)
Sumire muttered.
"But doesn't something feel off?" (Airi)
As Airi pointed out, all twelve of the Dungeon City's Guardian Knights were gathered, their expressions grim as they discussed something.
At the center of it all was Principal Uther.
It is unusual for him to be wearing a magic sword at his waist and even carrying a staff.
Other well-known high-ranking explorers were also present.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the Dungeon Guild were explaining something.
Both groups seemed deeply engaged, making it impossible to interrupt.
(There's no helping it. We'll have to wait for the next instructions from the Dungeon Guild.) (Eugene)
Still, I wanted to gather as much information as possible.
*…Zuzuzu… Zuzuzu…*
The ground trembled again.
It felt stronger than before.
Which meant that the epicenter of this anomaly was indeed here.
An irregularity occurring within the zero floor trial.
The first thing that came to mind was the Dungeon Master, Anemoi Babel.
"Did the Dungeon Master mess up again?" (Eugene)
"Seems likely." (Sumire)
"She did unseal the Hydra last time, after all." (Airi)
Sumire and Airi nodded at my guess.
Anemoi-san…
Even a newcomer like Airi is suspicious of you at this point.
Of course, there was a reason I brought up her name.
The person most likely to know the details of this incident would be the Dungeon Master.
And in the Zenith Tower, mentioning the Dungeon Master's name often made her appear.
But unfortunately, not this time.
"Oh? Eugene-kun. You're here too, I see."
A red-haired elven mage appeared instead.
It was my senior, Rebecca J. Walker.
"Rebecca-senpai, did you just arrive?" (Eugene)
"Hmm, I came back after making sure the juniors were evacuated. But yeah… this is turning into a real hassle." (Rebecca)
Rebecca-senpai wore a grim expression with her arms crossed.
Her gaze, naturally, was fixed on the numerous floating magic circles.
No, their numbers have been increasing since earlier.
There were now over a hundred.
"I wonder what's being summoned. And it's taking quite a while." (Eugene)
"Hm? No, Eugene-kun, that's not just summoning magic." (Rebecca)
Rebecca-senpai denied my assumption.
"Huh?"
Sumire, Airi, and I all reacted in surprise.
(Did I misread the spell formula…?) (Eugene)
I carefully reexamined the golden magic circles' spell structure.
The formations were written in three components using magic language.
First Script: [Gate Creation]'s Mana Words
Second Script: [Path Creation]'s Mana Words
Third Script: [Invocation]'s Mana Words
"It's definitely summoning magic, though?" (Eugene)
"Look closer. Not all of them are summoning spells, are they?" (Rebecca)
Following Rebecca-senpai's advice, I checked some of the other magic circles.
First Script: [Gate Creation]'s Mana Words
Second Script: [Path Creation]'s Mana Words
Third Script: [Gate Unlocking]'s Mana Words
Unlike summoning magic, which required [Invocation], this one had [Gate Unlocking] instead.
"Huh? Then this is…?" (Eugene)
"It's been simplified a lot, but some of these are spatial teleportation magic circles. In other words, something is trying to come here." (Rebecca)
"A Divine Beast…willingly coming here?" (Eugene)
"Yeah…it doesn't seem possible, does it?" (Rebecca)
Even Rebecca-senpai looked bewildered.
And for good reason.
That just didn't seem plausible at all.
*…Zun!!*
A powerful tremor shook the ground.
"Kyah!"
"You okay, Sumire?" (Airi)
Airi caught Sumire before she could fall.
And then, I saw it.
The moment the earthquake struck, more magic circles appeared.
"You saw that, right, Eugene-kun?" (Rebecca)
Rebecca-senpai's expression was grim.
"Yeah, more magic circles. But I don't know what that means…" (Eugene)
I had no idea as someone who couldn't use teleportation magic.
"I see… You guys don't use Teleport, so you don't know, huh… Normally, teleportation magic doesn't disrupt the environment before or after the transfer. To prevent failure, the surroundings at the departure and arrival points should be as similar as possible. But right now, what's happening in front of us is…" (Rebecca)
"Something so massive that just attempting to come here is causing earthquakes…?" (Eugene)
Rebecca-senpai nodded at my words.
"…Eugy-kun." (Sumire)
Sumire grabbed my arm.
I met Airi's eyes.
Sumire had great potential but was inexperienced in battle.
Airi was highly skilled but, as the next Empress, shouldn't be on the front lines.
I asked them to come with me because I didn't want them acting alone, but…this place might be too dangerous.
"Airi, take Sumire and evacuate outside the Dungeon City—" (Eugene)
Before I could finish my suggestion…
"No way." (Sumire)
"I'm not leaving now." (Airi)
The two refused to evacuate.
I wanted to convince them, but…
"Our chat ends here, I think… It's coming." (Rebecca)
We turned our attention back to the magic circles at Rebecca-senpai's words.
A particularly massive magic circle was forming in the air.
It was large enough to fit a full-grown dragon.
From within it…
An enormous red monster's arm emerged.