Chapter 564: Gathering (4)

Sinking to the bottom of the lake was sinking, and from now on, we had to find a way to get back up.

First off, this holy barrier created by Lulusia was merely a temporary, makeshift measure. It was a barrier desperately made solely for survival in the situation we were just in.

It only temporarily blocked dangerous things coming from the outside, like poisonous fumes, gas, or monsters, and even that wasn’t permanent.

Naturally, maintaining this kind of barrier consumed a significant amount of holy power.

Therefore, escaping from the bottom of this lake as quickly as possible became the top priority.

Fortunately, the holy barrier itself wasn’t a fixed object tied to coordinates, so we weren’t unable to move in this state. By pushing the barrier’s outer surface with our hands and moving our feet, it was possible enough to move along with the barrier.

It would be great if we could get out of the lake bottom and onto land like a hamster running on its wheel, but unfortunately, escaping that way was proving a bit difficult.

The dense toxic liquid and the sinking floor made it difficult for the barrier containing the four of us to move forward.

“For now, we won’t be able to get to the surface this way. While we’re struggling, Lulusia’s holy power will run out first. Oxygen consumption will be high too….”

“Besides, we have no idea where we are in the lake. It’s pitch black, so we don’t know where to go either.”

“…If we happen to run into a cliff or a big rock by mistake, it’ll just waste more time.”

“Ahaha…. So what should we do~?”

“…For now, it’s dark, so let’s turn on a light.”

In such a dim environment, ideas just don’t come to mind.

Using the ‘Aura of Light,’ which I gained the ability to use upon raising my Blessing to level 5, I illuminated the surroundings centered on myself.

Only then could I finally see the faces of the three people who clearly bore the marks of having rolled around together inside the sphere.

Their hair was messed up here and there, and their clothes were a bit loose; they looked quite disheveled.

“Seeing your faces, I’m relieved that everyone seems okay.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Perhaps the sudden illumination from the Aura of Light startled them, as the three people began to stare at me with wide eyes.

Turning back to the three, I resumed our meeting on how we could escape from the bottom of the lake.

“Since it seems impossible to walk towards the outside of the lake by everyone walking together in one direction, does anyone have any other methods to suggest….”

“Sungchul-ssi, behind….”

“…Behind, what is that?”

“Huh? Behind?”

As soon as I heard Sihee and Cha Yuri’s words and unconsciously shifted my gaze backward, what caught my eye was a large, enormous yellow object.

The round object, like a giant ball, seemed to glow as if alive in the darkness.

…It was only immediately after that I realized it was the monster’s eyes reflecting my Aura of Light.

-Krrreeeeak.

“R, Run…!”

“…Wind Bomb!”

The moment the giant monster at the bottom of the lake, which had been staring at us, opened its mouth to swallow us, Cha Yuri’s wind magic struck it.

Fortunately, whether the barrier could pass magic or not, her wind magic succeeded in striking the creature once from outside the barrier.

Of course, due to the shockwave’s aftermath, we too had to roll across the lake floor along with the barrier.

“Kyaaaaaak?!”

“Ev, everyone be careful~!”

As if our effort to regain our footing was in vain, the women and I got tangled up again and rolled onto the floor.

Sihee, who recovered first, asked Cha Yuri in a slightly sharp tone.

“Wh-why did you suddenly cast magic?!”

“…So, should we just get eaten together then?”

“Th-that’s not it, but because of the shockwave from your magic, we’ve ended up flowing to some unknown place again!”

“…I don’t know. Surviving is the priority for now.”

“Right. Being thrown around like this is much better than being swallowed whole, barrier and all.”

I felt sorry for not siding with Sihee, but as Cha Yuri said, surviving without being eaten was the priority.

Speaking of which, it’s fortunate that magic can pass through this holy barrier.

At least, if Cha Yuri and I have our magic, we could somehow deal with it even if a large monster like that appeared….

‘…No, wait.’

It’s not about dealing with monsters underwater, I can just use this magic as a booster to escape, right?

With the power of the wind magic used by Cha Yuri, an A-class mage, she could probably lift the four of us to the surface.

Once we get to the surface, dealing with any monster wouldn’t be impossible.

Even if we had to keep running, the surface would be much easier than being underwater.

The problem is how to push us towards the surface in this directionless darkness.

-Krrreeeeak!

“Aaaah, again! It’s coming again! Use that thing quickly!”

“Wind Bomb!”

“Kyaaaaaak!”

“Waaaaah!”

Along with Cha Yuri’s wind magic, the four men and women rolled across the lake floor once again.

Simply spamming magic recklessly wouldn’t lead to an escape.

Every time Cha Yuri used magic, the spherical barrier inevitably rolled, changing direction haphazardly.

Regaining a sense of direction without visual information wouldn’t be easy even for Cha Yuri.

If things went wrong, we might just keep rolling around the lake floor until our magic or holy power ran out.

No matter how we rolled and tangled, if we could just designate the direction properly and propel ourselves continuously, we could utilize this power well to ascend to the surface….

“……Ah!”

Right, come to think of it, there was one means that could best determine direction in a situation like this.

An idea struck me, so I quickly opened my awakened ability’s system window and accessed the 『Find Nearby Hunters』 menu.

From there, I used the 『Real-time Location Tracking』 function for the closest hunter, excluding the three people with me.

‘…Got it!’

As expected, a red arrow appeared, pointing from my location towards the top of the lake.

If we just fired the wind magic in the opposite direction of this arrow, we should be able to reach the surface somehow.

Amidst the chaotic situation, I pulled Cha Yuri, who was lying face down on the floor, into a hug from behind.

-Squish.

“Ugh?!”

“Sihee-ssi! Lulusia! Hurry and stick close to my body!”

“Yes, yes!”

“What is it~?”

-Squish, squish.

“Hey?! Wh-what are you doing in a situation like this…!”

“Just do as I say, Cha Yuri-ssi, and use your wind magic! There’s no time for explanations!”

Even in this situation, that monster from earlier was approaching us, drawn by the light.

By chance, my hand ended up touching the easiest part of Cha Yuri’s body to grab, but there was no time to adjust our position in this situation.

In any case, we had to escape to the surface quickly before getting eaten whole by that thing.

“Since we’re in a hurry, I’ll just use your body as a reference, Cha Yuri-ssi! First, down!”

“Wh-what are you suddenly talking about?!”

“I told you to use that Wind Bomb or whatever magic on the floor! We’re going to use it for propulsion to go up!”

“U-Understood, Wind Bomb!”

With the Wind Bomb fired towards the lake floor, the sphere carrying the four of us shot up underwater.

Although we spun a few times during the process, messing up our sense of direction, it didn’t really matter.

The red arrow pointing towards the surface was always indicating the same direction anyway.

“This time, upper left! Wind Bomb on the upper left!”

“U-Understood, Wind Bomb!”

“This time, straight ahead! Fire it straight ahead!”

“Aah?! St-stop squeezing me every time you say something! …U-Understood, Wind Bomb!”

With Cha Yuri’s loud incantation, the golden sphere containing the four of us pierced through the toxic liquid, gradually approaching the lake’s surface.

It was time to escape from the lake bottom.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Meanwhile, on the surface.

While Sung Taekyung and the other hunters were struggling at the bottom of the lake, those on the surface, centered around Do Yehee, were focused on finding their traces.

“Do Yehee-ssi, how is it now? Taekyung and Yuri-ssi are still alive, right?”

“…I told you I don’t know who those people are. The only ones I can clearly distinguish are my younger sister and the Saintess. …Still, feeling the vital energy of two other people means they are indeed alive.”

“…Your younger sister? Could it be that your sister, Yehee-ssi, is Do Sihee….”

“Be quiet. I’ll let you know if there’s any movement, so just stay silent. You’re disturbing my concentration.”

“S-sorry.”

Hunters gathered closely around the lakeside, searching for the traces of the missing hunters.

And watching those hunters, the Guild Union staff warned them in anxious voices.

“It’s dangerous to stay near here! There’s still a possibility of secondary contamination, so you all need to evacuate promptly….”

“I told you to be quiet. I can’t concentrate.”

“Can’t you see how serious the situation is for us too?”

“Of c-of course, we know that the hunters’ loved ones are missing! That’s why Hunter Seo Ok-hee and Hunter Kang Eunyoung of Eun & Ok Co., Ltd. are on their way to the guild to resolve this situation….”

“And so? What difference will it make if the CEO and Mom arrive? We still can’t rescue the people at the bottom of the lake, can we?”

“Th-that’s….”

“I-I’m sorry, staff members…. The missing people are truly precious to me and Kang Hye-eun…. But we all gathered hoping to do something, just in case….”

Do Yehee, still near the poisonous lake, channeling magic into the ground to search for her sister and the others’ survival, and Kang Hye-eun, stamping her feet in frustration at her own powerlessness while reacting sharply towards the strict guild staff.

And Han Min-ah, mediating between Kang Hye-eun and the guild staff, while also wanting to stay until the very end to ascertain the safety of Sung Taekyung and Cha Yuri.

“…….”

And Cheon Jihee, maintaining a quiet silence, ready to escape with just her party leader if necessary.

A highly tense atmosphere permeated the scene where three A-class hunters and one A+ class hunter had gathered.

What momentarily silenced that atmosphere was Do Yehee’s startled cry.

“……Huh?”

“Wh-what is it? What was that anxious voice just now?!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I found them again…?”

“Wh-what on earth is it! Why do you keep making anxious exclamations like that?!”

“…I don’t know what happened, but they’re suddenly moving rapidly together from the lake bottom. I was just a little flustered while finding them again.”

“…Moving rapidly? How?”

“How should I know? And stop asking me every little thing, you’re disturbing my concentration….”

Kang Hye-eun, reacting sensitively to every nuance of Do Yehee, the only one who could track Sung Taekyung’s location, and Do Yehee, trying to brush her off dismissively.

What drew the attention of both of them again was Han Min-ah, who was quietly listening with her ear to the ground, concentrating to detect something.

‘……Bomb!’

“W-wait a moment! Both of you, please be quiet for a second!”

“……?”

“……?”

“I think I just heard something like voices from inside the lake….”

“Huh? R-really?”

“…What are you talking about?”

The attention of the two, who seemed about to start arguing any second, turned towards Han Min-ah, who was quietly murmuring something significant.

To discern the identity of the faint voices, the grey cat pressed its ears firmly to the ground, concentrating on the sounds.

‘…Wind Bomb!’

“……Th-that’s Yuri Unnie’s voice!!”

Faint but clear, it was the voice of Cha Yuri, the mage of the sky-blue shield.

Unlike Do Yehee’s claim of finding them at the lake bottom, the voice reaching Han Min-ah’s ears seemed to be coming from quite nearby.

If Do Yehee’s statement about the four moving together was true, it led to the speculation that perhaps Sung Taekyung was with them too.

It didn’t take long to prove that speculation correct.

-Swishaaaaaa!!!!

From within the lake, a golden sphere soared into the sky with a sound like parting water.

Because inside it, we could see four hunters tangled up and clustered together.