"Before we dive down—Here."

Mira gave us an item that looked exactly, in terms of size and shape, like a sugar cube. However, instead of white, it was greyish terms of in color.

"This is an Excavator. We use this to essentially collect ores and such. You just need to toss them to the ore and it'll automatically dematerialize the ore into your Karda. You can try it if you want, although I'll pretty much be doing that work while you all fight the Armgolems."

Mira instructed, particularly to me, as she was squeezing the Excavator. The others probably knew what it was after all.

I nodded and squeezed it as well. Even though it looked like a sugar cube, the consistency was similar to a sponge. Nevertheless, from afar, it could still be possibly mistaken for a sugar cube indeed.

I dematerialized the Excavator. That being said, what's with the items here, in general? All of them are too convenient. First the Karda and now this? Manual labor must be a cakewalk if these bad boys existed.

"Okay everyone, brace yourselves."

Upon everyone's approval, Mira thumped her staff. A wind embraced the lower half of my body and there we floated in the air.

There was a staircase built at the side of the large hole but I guess with Mira's magic we'll just straightly plunge ourselves.

"Yahoo!"

Aeri's voice of excitement bounced off the walls as she threw her hands in the sky.

We descended at a rather constant speed. Mira made sure that there was no increase in gravity and maintained it smoothly.

Just as we go deeper, the sunlight eventually dropped having the Mana Shield from my gauntlet as the only source of luminosity. Still, it wasn't enough to provide vision.

Once we've set our foot on the ground, it was a total blackout. Considering my viewpoint, the height from the bottom to the top is quite extensive. It was a good thing that Mira was here to give us a lift.

While I was gazing above, a ball of light soared through the air and attached itself to the underground mine's ceiling. It came from Mira's palm, discharging another one and lighting the path onwards.

"That'll last for about an hour or so."

Amazing! Mira's a living jack of all trades.

As the ball of lights settled, the tunnel brightened. The width was around eight meters which is kind of wide for a tunnel, however, the ceiling was low—that if I used a more than a normal Quick Leap, I can reach it effortlessly.

Now, also emerging from the brightened area were rock creatures. They had a large left arm, twice the proportion of their right, and a single red stone affixed on their head. Besides those and its somewhat tall stature, there's nothing worthy to note about.

"Aim for the joints. At first, they might look durable but don't let that delude you. They are actually brittle and prone to self-harm."

Freya unsheathed her thin sword with great panache. That thin sword with delicate configuration appeared to be a rapier.

She stepped in and softly whipped it across the Armgolem.

I did say softly but before my very astonished eyes, the Armgolem got sliced in half.

From the get-go to bringing her rapier back to its case, neither produced a sound.

The Elegant Blade. What a fitting name just for her.

Ironically though, she said 'aim for the joints' but she, herself, had gone for the main body.

Now that I think about it, it made me wonder how I even mouthed Freya off last night. If that turned into a brawl, I would've been beaten in mere seconds. Now I understood why those stout guys at the inn won't intervene. Likewise, I should perhaps thank Freya for not being hot-tempered with me.

"As promised, I'll be supervising your every movement and teach you what I know of."

Freya continued. We came to that agreement while traveling on the carriage.

The reason for this quest is solely for us, to train us, and to develop our own skillset. Freya participating would defeat the purpose of coming here and we wouldn't want Freya to take most, if not, all of them. Plus, that would make the quest be completed in an instant.

… … …

[Visual Perception] – [Red] – [Green] – [Green]

The Armgolem power smashed downward with its massive arm. I dodged it by stepping to the right and slanting a bit.

Following that, an Armor-Piercing Strike on the Armgolem's neck, shards of rock were launched. From a single yet critical hit, its head got severed and fell to the ground.

The Armgolem certainly packed a punch but it was slow. Also, what Freya said was true, the Armgolem's arm cracked by its own force, leaving residues behind. Not only that but the overall constitution of the Armgolem was fragile, rather than the hard characteristic of a rock, it was more of a brittle one. Due to that, it was much easier to fight them than the Furspikes. 

Well, I had Mira's buff magic applied on me so I couldn't really evaluate the damage that I have dealt.

"Hey, Ranju! How many did you have so far?"

"6!"

"Tch! I've only got 4. That's unfair."

Aeri muttered to herself. Her kill count was probably lower than Ranju.

Swords have an upper hand against bows here which is why Aeri was using her knife instead. There's clearly a difference in their aptitude.

"The elbow is the chief constituent of your sword's flexibility. Adjust your form and angle it to bring out your leverage."

"Yes!"

Freya was lecturing Ranju and Aeri—and obliquely, me, as well.

"That's great. Keep it up, Ranju."

"Yes!"

"Aeri, utilize your dexterity with the blade as your advantage, use the flat side of your blade to detract the Armgolem's line of attack."

As per Freya's command, Aeri gained on the Armgolem's swing and successfully intercepted it. The Armgolem's power apparently made it easier to do that.

"Wow! I never thought it could be done like that."

Realizing that, Aeri having an ecstatic expression stabbed the Armgolem in the head.

On the other hand, Mira was collecting the inanimate Armgolems and the iron ores. Be that as it may, she was still surveilling us now and then.

We advanced further into the tunnel. There are diverging routes along our walk, but not that it would turn into a maze, so getting off-track wasn't a major issue.

Compared to the aboveground monsters, the Armgolems here are more abundant. It must be because the mana here is denser and the area is more compact. Needless to say, mana is the cause of mutation among these monsters and as an extension, even to the ores.

However, that wasn't a bad thing or whatnot. In fact, it is a positive note to take, being that the materials manufactured from them will likely have a higher quality.

Although I claimed that they were abundant, comparatively speaking, their spawn rates were still low. Even so, we're still progressing at a much faster pace.

[Visual Perception] – [Green] – [Green] – [Green]

A Quick Leap into an Armor-Piercing Strike aimed to the Armgolem's neck.

That was my third kill.

With Visual Perception backing me up, fighting the Armgolems was a piece of cake.

"Neatly dodging then countering them with fatal precision, I'm amazed at how well you can deftly execute that."

Praised by Freya, I let out a smile. An A Rank complimenting me is such a rare occurrence, I'll gladly receive that. However, the credit to it still lies to where it should be.

"Well, it's because of my Special Ability that I can do those kinds of motions. From the dodging to the hitting, I'm just tagging along with my impulsions. Without it, I wouldn't be able to do those."

"I see, but allow me to rectify you on that, Reiji. Your Special Ability—innately obtained or learned—is an essential part of yourself and it will always be. So for you to make use of that is also an achievement for you and that's something you should take pride in. Don't cast a shadow upon yourself."

Believe it or not, I wasn't being negative when I said that... but I suppose I may have sounded like that. Though, I do admit that I wasn't confident in my own competence.

Therefore, to ameliorate the situation, I nodded mildly.

"I guess you're right. From now on, I'll try to be more considerate of myself. Thank you for making me realize that, Freya."

Freya, who had her arms crossed, quivered and her lips curved. It's as if she was about to explode from her restraint.

"That's the spirit, my honorable companion! Together, with all of us, we shall conquer these underground mines."

"No, we don't have all day."

I abruptly replied, but I was ignored as she continued.

"As I'm not sage in fisticuffs and you're mostly, already flawless with your combat tricks. Henceforth, I will be here to support all of you."

Freya placed her fist on my chest with an expression denoting how galvanized she was.

"Not just you, but everyone here. Do you agree with me, Aeri, Ranju, Mira?"

"""WOAHHHHH!"""

So they were listening too... Frankly, I wasn't inspired one bit, on the contrary, I was literally cringing on the inside... Sorry.

... ... ...

Back to fighting, on one of the Armgolems, I did a limit test to gauge my own strength.

Reiterating Visual Perception's feature, as long as I had what I want in my mind, the lines manifested in my vision will adapt to it.

When I fought the Armgolem, I deliberately didn't go for the vital part rather I'd gone for the sturdiest part which is the main body.

And the result to that, using Armor-Piercing Strike—it took me four times to defeat the Armgolem.

Incidentally, by the time I finished that, I felt the fatigue running on my arms once again.

There was the stinging sensation but on the bright side, it's endurable and had lesser repercussion than the previous one, I think.

That being the case, I instead searched for iron ore. Plus, there weren't any Armgolems left in this specific area.

I already saw Mira do it but I really wanted to try the Excavator for myself.

I immediately found a chunk of iron ore jutting out from the ground, at the side.

I materialized the Excavator and scrutinized it in elevation. Yep, it's really detrimental if someone would've accidentally ingested this.

By this time, I heard something, but I wasn't able to fully determine it so I disregarded it.

Just like Mira's instruction, I tossed it casually towards the iron ore. As soon as the Excavator made contact with the iron ore, it disintegrated and got seeped inside the iron ore.

The iron ore glowed and from that, a single blue line was automatically created, connecting it to my pouch belt.

It takes a bit of time but I can wait.

Simultaneously, I heard vague tapping sounds. It made me curious, I wasn't sure if it was to my left or my right.

It grew louder and louder and as I turned around my head from where we walked on.

... A scenery filled with blazing red.

Erected in front of Mira's staff, a massive barrier expanding from one end to another. It was shielding us from a wall of fire.

Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl! Growl!

At the other side of the barrier, vicious growls and barks can be perceived.

Emerging from the wall of fire as it dispersed were dog-like creatures, having almost the same body structure as the Mudboars.

Seeing them, my expression completely turned aghast. Even gulping my own saliva, I couldn't do it. As if I'm still processing what's in front of me.

It's their numbers... Their numbers exceeded that of a hundred, covering the entire path. And there's more to them, the line of dog-like creatures doesn't have an end to it.

"Everyone, behind me now!"

Mira matter-of-factly exclaimed. Just as her first barrier broke, another one was created.

We rushed towards Mira.

"Hellhounds..."

Freya squinted her eyes, searching at a distance.

Judging from her tone, those monsters called Hellhounds aren't supposed to be in this kind of place.

Is this also one of the effects of the Abyss?

I mentally asked.

The path to the entrance had been cut off.

Aeri and Ranju weren't saying anything whatsoever. Maybe just like me, they were also unable to comprehend what's happening.

"Mira, I'll be leaving them in your custody. I'll look for the perpetrator. Forgive me for leaving you all here but the only way to break this ambush is to eliminate the mastermind. Everyone, just hold on for a bit."

"Understood. However, before you go, may I ask you if you can materialize your Courier? Can any of you use your Courier?"

Hearing that, Freya frowned like she just realized that cannot then simply shook her head. The other two as well. As for me, I didn't know what a Courier was so I didn't reply.

"Be careful, Freya. We'll handle the impending Hellhounds. I won't let anyone get hurt."

Mira assured and with a sidelong glance, Freya nodded. She then slowly walked past the barrier.

Freya swept her rapier as she drew it from her hips. All of a sudden, the rows of Hellhounds were cut in half, whimpering in dominoes, entrails dropping in the dirt.

It doesn't matter if the Hellhounds had extensive range, they all suffered death.

It was followed by a stance. In the direction of the approaching Hellhounds, Freya lowered her body as if she was going to run.

"!"

Instantly, Freya disappeared from where she stood. A ripple of wind in a straight line and a pool of bloody cries came out of it.

How fast was she? My eyes couldn't catch up to her.

The initial hundreds of Hellhounds were down to a single digit. Although there were still coming towards us, they weren't in a threatening amount anymore.

The remaining Hellhounds that weren't stuck down by Freya charged in.

Aeri fired an arrow upward and from it sprouted multitudes of arrows.

The Hellhounds got impaled by it, but still, it wasn't adequate to immobilize them.

Aeri gritted her teeth.

"They're tough."

Ranju stepped on the frontline and coaxed his sword, directed at the Hellhounds.

Mira cast light-green spindle-like magic by her side. Her massive barrier depleted to a smaller dimension and then waned out.

She shoots the Hellhounds. The spindle-like magic exploded as it pinned on the Hellhounds, killing them right away.

"Everything's going to be alright."

Mira reassured.

However, I had a feeling, a premonition welling within me, something unpleasant if I would interpret it. I discarded it, I had to. It's not the time to think of such irrationality.

And in lieu, I readied my stance alongside Ranju.

I have to concentrate. I don't want to be gnawed by those Hellhound bastards.

Taking note of them, the Hellhounds seemed to have a fire-type ability—they were firing it off of their mouths. I have to constantly remind myself to keep my distance whenever they opened it.

At first, we didn't need to do anything. Mira with her spindle-like magic was managing the Hellhounds. But as time passed by, the Hellhounds were steadily increasing in numbers.

I assumed that Freya couldn't take them out like she used to because she was focused on locating the mastermind.

Due to the width of the tunnel, the Hellhounds were spreading unevenly. It was narrower than the entrance path but still, Mira was being inconvenienced by that.

I have to help her out. Incidentally, a single Hellhound went through the perimeter. Aeri and Ranju are busy clashing the Hellhounds afront.

"I'll take care of that Hellhound."

Obviously, we're on defensive mode so we had to persist until Freya returned.

My body flashed in different colors: blue, yellow, green, and red. Mira's buff magic. I felt sturdier and zappier than ever before.

[Visual Perception] – [Green] – [Red] – [Green]

BAM! An Armor-Piercing Strike on the maw.

The Hellhound was tenacious, it only flinched a little and growled at me.

[Visual Perception] – [Green] – [Green] – [Green]

The middle line was inverted. I jumped back to dodge its bite. Then, I Quick Leaped into Armor-Piercing Strike on the maw again.

It seemed to be ineffective but by hitting it in one spot, the accumulation of impact will surface sooner or later.

[Visual Perception] – [Green] – [Green] – [Green]

And for the third time on the maw, the Hellhound unexpectedly flopped down.

Consecutively, another Hellhound showed up. Two of them, to be exact.

Fighting the two will prove to be a challenge, but as long as I'm responsive to my field of vision.

[Visual Perception] – [Green] – [Red] – [Green]

I lowered myself and gave the first Hellhound an uppercut.

[Visual Perception] – [Red] – [Green] – [Green]

I swayed to the right and clobbered the second Hellhound in the eye.

After I got a hit of each, I jumped back to gain some gap and to establish my next course of action.

... I was unaware. No, it was pure naivety and recklessness.

Because it was at that moment, as I jumped back, at the corner of my shifting eyes, razor-sharp teeth were about to tear my face off. 

[Visual Perception] - [Red] - [Red] - [Green]

I frantically blocked it with my gauntlet. The Mana Shield grated with the Hellhound's fangs. Though how fortunate that was, unfortunately, because of the force I tripped on my own foot and lost my equilibrium.

This is bad...

My heart palpitated and my eyes were glued to the three Hellhounds as they went around me. The first Hellhound that I thought was unconscious was actually just pretending it to be.

[Visual Perception]

Suddenly, the three Hellhounds all exploded and I was dragged away by the wind.

Before I knew it, I was beside Mira. And right away, I got to observe the entire area and assessed the magnitude of our circumstances.

Unlike just a minute ago, the Hellhounds right now were crazily swarming towards us, dozens in numbers.

"Stall the left side and middle for a moment, Ranju. I'll lure the right side to you and have them get vanquish by Mira."

Ranju nodded to Aeri's request. He ran in rotation to have the Hellhounds tail him.

Simultaneously, Aeri used her Quick Leap to build up enough altitude and shot out the proceeding Hellhound. The Hellhounds turned their heads and ran towards Aeri.

As the Hellhounds collided at one point, Aeri shouted.

"Mira, now!"

"Understood!"

A big whirling sphere was sent to the Hellhounds, sucking them inside like water in a sink.

Mira was continuously multi-casting her magic—barriers, spindle-like wind magic, and other variety of wind spells—to mitigate the nearing Hellhounds.

I noticed that my hands were trembling. Not just my hands but my lips and legs too.

How did it escalate to this degree? I wasn't paying attention. I was too occupied from fighting off the Hellhounds.

Did Freya abandon us? If so, then all of this was just for naught. We placed our trust in her just to be betrayed. Shit...

"Everything will be alright, Reiji."

Mira said with a soft voice.

"Freya will find the mastermind. We just have to endure for a bit."

Her line of sight was fixed on the front. Although not as severe as mine, Mira was trembling as well—her eyelids were filled with anxiety.

Even though that was the case, she still endeavoring the influx of Hellhounds. Aeri and Ranju too.

But what can I do? I'm just an F Rank. I'm incapable of fending them off. Besides, I'll only be a hindrance to them. It's better if I just stayed here behind Mira.

...

This is really stupid—I'm really stupid. Unlike me, she still had her trust in Freya. I panicked and the first thought that came into my mind was about betrayal.

How did I even reach that outcome? I don't know myself.

However, I realized that moping around won't do any good. I don't want to die. Those words reflected deeply in my heart. Not only me though. Of course, the same goes for them. That's why they were doing their best despite the uncertain imminence.

I bit my trembling arm as a form of resolution. I need to calm myself. At the very least, I had to sort our situation out and find a solution.

Think, Reiji, think of an avenue to face them on.

First of all, the current situation.

I panicked, therefore, my judgment was hazy and made the situation a lot worse than what it was.

Although the torrent of Hellhounds continued to invade, wave per wave, Mira, Aeri, and Ranju can still keep it under control... For now.

The increment of Hellhounds was definitely conspicuous. There's the probability that it's only a matter of time before they overwhelmed us.

That would be our main problem.

Then, our main enemy—the Hellhounds. If I would Rank them, they seemed to be roughly about E Rank to low D Rank.

Stat-wise, they possessed significant intelligence, or rather than intelligence, they are capable of bluffing. With regards to the strength, my clumsiness aside, that shouldn't be taken lightly too. Excluding those two, I would say the other components are similar or subpar to mine. 

Would I have to engage them, I can only go up to a maximum of two. That's pretty measly to be of assistance.

Wait... No, why was I so inclined to face them?

Unquestionably, my contributions would be insignificant. Even now, the time intervals of Hellhounds appearing are decreasing by each round whereas the numbers per pack are increasing.

That's right! Ranju and Aeri were doing that earlier. I could lure them into a bunch and have Mira kill them in one fell swoop. My Special Ability—Visual Perception—can lend me guidance.

Then again, luring isn't a bad option at all... But would it really solve the problem?

Exhaustion will be the problem with that. Regardless, it actually is an imminent problem already. In due course, Mira's mana—which is our lifeline—should be depleted, then it's the finale for us.

To add on, if we spearheaded our way toward the entrance, there's the probability of escaping yet there's a reason why Freya had us settled here, and Mira agreeing to it. It's unknown where the mastermind is and it could induce an unforeseeable consequence.

Damn! This is so troublesome.

There's also the fact that the Armgolems at the back will respawn. Generally, they aren't that high of a threat but it does supplement to it.

The waiting game won't get us anywhere here.

In the end, does our persistence equate to nothingness?

Problems, problems, problems... Mana exhaustion, innumerable Hellhounds..., and the broad area.

Then, on the spur of the moment.

"I got it!"

... ... ...

"Mira! Can you create a similar barrier to last time? Also, a powerful offensive spell that can annihilate the stacked Hellhounds after that?"

"Yes, I could—Wah! What happened to your arm, Reiji?"

Mira only glanced yet she still saw the mark on my arm.

"Not that it matters now. I've got a plan. How long can you keep that barrier up?"

"Around 15 seconds, tops."

I suppose that's enough for the explanation.

"After I call for Aeri and Ranju, please cast the staunchest barrier you can."

"Yes, understood."

With Mira's confirmation, I gathered all the air that I could into my lungs.

"RANJU! AERI! FALL BACK!"

The two glanced. With no hesitation, they receded the frontline and rushed to our side.

Right then, Mira raised her staff, and a massive barrier surrounded us.

"So why are we congregating?"

Aeri's voice was weary.

She had grazes and bloodstains all over her body from evading all of those Hellhounds. Can't say the same for Ranju.

"I have a plan. However, it's risky but still, I want to take this into consideration."

And so, I told them the objective and discussed the essential aspects of the plan.

"Heh~, what a crazy plan you got there. I dig it."

Hearing my fastest explanation ever, Aeri smirked dryly.

All of us were determined to do it. It's now or never, that kind of sentiment.

"Sorry Mira, we'll have to heavily rely on you with this."

Mira shook her head and gave a confident smile.

"In order for us to be triumphant, there's no other choice but that."

"Mira, you don't have to pay attention to me. Prioritize them. And you two, be sure to come back in one piece, okay?"

Ranju uttered explicitly.

Oy! That's a death flag.

Sigh. But I'm thankful that all of you have faith in my plan.

After the fire breaths from the Hellhounds dispersed, numerous spindle-like wind magic and large masses of wind spheres rained upon them.

"Okay! Reiji, whoever gets the longest chain between us wins."

Aeri started with a sprint.

"Whatever you say."

Thus, our suicide squad kicked off.