episode_0085

After Nari’s boisterous signal to commence the operation.

Leaf and Eve, the special forces unit, were running at full speed, hidden in the shadows.

Quietly, though.

If they were to be discovered by the Grey Wolves joining the main force, it would be a major headache.

Nari, needing to draw all attention, had eliminated the first monster with a more exaggerated movement than usual.

For her, who had become the target, they had to perfectly execute the rescue mission.

That’s why they were putting in considerable effort to suppress their presence more than usual.

But it seemed unnecessary.

Firstly, the Grey Wolves moved far too blindly.

Was their suspicious nature backfiring?

Whether Nari’s blatant provocation awakened the monsters’ hunting instinct or not, they ran straight ahead without looking back.

Even though it seemed they had been slightly detected by one or two smaller creatures, the monsters didn’t stop.

‘…There must be a leader giving orders.’

It was better to assume that than to assume there wasn’t and have the entire operation fail.

So, they tried to hide their presence even more.

Secondly, Leaf’s ability was more effective than expected.

At first, it was difficult to adapt, and their presence leaked out a couple of times, but after that, the Grey Wolves didn’t notice them at all.

The overall principle is similar to submerging in water.

Just like movements deep in a lake don’t affect the surface.

By pushing their bodies deep into the subspace formed by shadows, no presence was revealed externally.

Nari, who had instantly recognized Leaf’s concealment, was surprisingly perceptive.

When they first encountered the true nature of that ability and entered the shadows as a simple test, they couldn’t help but be surprised.

It was difficult to even get a grasp on it after just a couple of glances.

However, while Eve, who was moving with them, also found it difficult to sense the outside aura, Leaf, as the user of the ability, could observe the surroundings through the shadows.

As a result, passing through the middle layer wasn’t difficult.

It was like walking with your eyes closed, your hand on the shoulder of the person in front. Nothing more, nothing less.

*Swoosh-*

Eve emerged from the oppressive shadows and inhaled the fresh air.

“Whew…”

“Was it alright?”

“…I don’t want to do that again.”

Since all the monsters were clinging to the main force, they didn’t need to hide on the way back.

The two simply stretched and walked towards the exit.

.

.

.

They first saw a base camp similar to the first safe zone.

Human traces were certainly scarce, but there was a lot of equipment that could at least sustain life.

As they moved further inside, a human figure came into view.

“Are you alright—?”

*Thud- thud-*

Eve approached the dark shadow, not letting her guard down.

“Ugh—”

In this situation, the only people likely here were adventurers.

She first checked the pockets of the unconscious man.

*Clink-*

The first thing she found was, of course, an adventurer’s pass.

She pulled out the request form and checked the personal information.

“It’s these people.”

“…Taking them with us is impossible.”

A total of five.

It seemed that the remaining mercenaries, excluding the main party, were all dead.

Their condition was so pitiful it was hard to even say they were alive. Sending them out like this, their lives could end at any moment.

There were mountains of problems, but the first thing to deal with was dehydration and injuries.

There might be damage to the esophagus as well, so Eve first gathered the injured and began treatment.

*Swish-*

In addition to basic earth mana, she mixed water and fire attribute mana in a certain ratio to accelerate the regeneration of the damaged body.

[Regeneration].

A high-level magic a few stages higher than the intermediate healing magic [Recovery].

This wasn’t the time to conserve strength.

“I can help with—”

“—No.”

But Eve decided to handle this alone.

“Please stand guard outside. I can’t concentrate properly if there’s a chance the monsters will come swarming in.”

“…Understood.”

Leaf, again sporting a kind smile, slowly left the base camp.

But she seemed to have something up her sleeve.

Even though she said that, it was ultimately a division of labor to separate her from these injured people.

Eve found her very suspicious.

Of course, her abilities and identity were full of strange points.

But what felt most unnatural was her attitude.

The Leaf she had seen a few years ago wasn’t like this.

Having joined a party where three members had already settled in, there were certainly difficulties in becoming integrated.

Despite that, she actively reached out and made every effort to gain everyone’s favor.

She opened her heart, revealed her inner self, and revealed her weaknesses, despite potentially being expelled at any time.

Even though it was only hearsay, she could see how serious Leaf was about the Four Saints Guild.

But how was it now?

She’d adapted as a party member, but it wasn’t enough to say that she had fully gained human affection.

Leaf repeatedly hides her face.

She puts on a nonchalant expression, abandons any desire to contribute more, and always takes a step back.

The Eve she knew wasn’t someone who would give up like this.

And then there was what happened during the reconnaissance of the middle layer.

Since she was confident in her escape skills, she didn’t use Leaf’s shadow ability, she hid herself in the crevices of rocks and moved forward.

Naturally, she could see the bodies of the Grey Wolves, and she found some of them eating the bodies of their fallen brethren.

It wasn’t simply bite marks.

What she found on the bodies were not the fiercely bitten wounds of a monster.

But clear stab wounds made by human blades.

Until then, she thought those wounds were made by the adventurers who were still resisting.

But something was still off.

Why would they resort to swords instead of magic?

And reaching the innermost second safe zone and seeing the condition of the adventurers, she realized that these adventurers had not inflicted the wounds on the recently killed corpses.

The survivors were desperately weak. If they had been able to hunt the Grey Wolves properly, it would have already been enough time for the survivors to have eaten the corpses.

All the information pointed to one possibility.

‘Leaf is involved in this Dungeon Break.’

Even if the initial occurrence was as Nari said, there was scope for intervention.

She secretly eliminated small numbers of Grey Wolves, manipulating the situation to make them feel threatened and become more ferocious.

However, there isn’t any clear reason or strong evidence. It’s only suspicion.

So, all Eve can do now is keep Leaf as far as possible from the injured people. She needs to quickly recover their condition and send them out of the dungeon.

The rest… Nari will probably take care of it somehow.

Lately, she hadn’t relied on others much.

But after dreaming about that man again last night, did her heart soften slightly?

She wanted to rely on Nari.

Regardless of her identity, she could trust that strong power and warm heart. And even if she were betrayed, which is unlikely.

There was always that trump card.

“…….”

She really didn’t know why she’s acting this way lately.

Her thoughts are racing, and it’s difficult to focus on what’s in front of her.

*Flick flick-*

Eve quickly shook her head and focused all her attention on directing mana to the injured.

.

.

.

“Ugh—”

“Are you regaining consciousness?”

People who had lost consciousness began to wake up, gasping for breath.

She treated all the visible wounds as best as she could, but the internal injuries, fatigue, and the residual magic in their bodies didn’t seem to be gone yet.

*Pororong-*

First, Eve made small water droplets and put them in their mouths.

“How much do you remember?”

They seemed not to have completely recovered their senses, only tilting their heads and staring blankly.

The person with the strongest mana was the first to speak.

“…The urgent aid request went through, it seems.”

He seemed to be the party leader.

Eve gave him another sip of water.

“…Thank you. I’ve remembered everything.”

“Can you report everything to the guild, the present situation and the expedition results?”

“No problem.”

*Crumple-*

The man tried to clench his fists determinedly, but he still lacked strength in his fingers, only the sound of his leather gloves rustling was heard.

Perhaps they are the ones who made the biggest contribution to preventing this Dungeon Break.

To prevent further delay, Eve quickly untied the sack on her back.

“This is—”

“A Return Stone. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to bring any food, so go outside first and receive help from the rear guard.”

He nodded briefly and took out the Return Stones from the sack, giving one to each comrade.

Even after all five received one, the sack was still heavy.

Gruen Hill probably wanted everyone to return, but it wasn’t a reality so easily achieved.

Hoping that the same thing wouldn’t happen again, Eve laid the sack containing the Return Stones inside the base camp.

“…I’ll go first.”

“Rest well. I think… the strongest adventurer on the continent will handle the rest.”

*Puff-*

With a grateful smile and farewell, the survivors were sucked into the light of the Return Stones.

Eve quietly cleaned her hands and stood up.

To immediately join the next operation.