Thanks to Hestia's magic, the Guild had penetrated Doran's subconscious and pinpointed the location of the underground slave-trading ring. Doran was thrown into the royal dungeons prior to his execution. His noble rank could not save him this time; furthermore, all assets registered in his name had been confiscated by the kingdom.
Ivor summoned his team and spread the map out on the table:
"Guys, you did a great job. We extracted crucial information about the organization from Doran's mind. The leader's name is Zadil. We know he wears a black eye patch and has a snake tattoo on his arm. Their base is in the ruins to the south. The entrance must be protected by a secret passage. Marten, be careful. We don't know how many men the organization has. If you notice anything going wrong, leave the area immediately."
"Understood, Mr. Ivor."
The underground organization's main headquarters was a damp, lightless place located in the kingdom's most desolate ruins. The walls bore only torch marks and bloodstains. In the center of this darkness, the organization's leader, Zadil, sat at his desk, slowly sharpening the obsidian dagger he held in his hand.
When the door to the room knocked. A young guard entered, panting, and knelt before Zadil.
"M-my lord... we have bad news regarding Doran."
Zadil slowly set the dagger down. His voice was calm yet equally cold:
"Doran? What has happened to that fat nobleman?"
"Doran... he's been captured, sir. By a group of adventurers called the Moon Turn. He's currently under the guild's custody, but that's not the real problem."
Zadil stood up. The air in the room suddenly turned icy.
"What is the real problem?"
"Guild Master Ivor summoned Star Mage Hestia to interrogate Doran. If Hestia enters Doran's mind, she'll uncover all the underground organization's hideouts, supply routes, and even your identity..."
Before the guard could finish speaking, Zadil hurled the dagger in his hand at the wall behind the guard; the young guard began to break out in a cold sweat when he realized the dagger had narrowly grazed his face,
Zadil's eyes glowed in the darkness of the room. A thought of betrayal echoed in his mind, and a terrifying smile appeared on his face. Doran was merely a tool, but he had now become a burden.
When Kael and his group arrived at the ruins late at night, they took their positions cautiously.
The structure was a massive temple, abandoned years ago, its stones covered in moss. The entrance was blocked by fallen columns, and a cold, damp air seeped out from within.Marten leaned his shield against the ground and scanned the area.
Marten: "This must be the place the Guild mentioned. It looks quiet around the entrance to the ruins.
There seem to be only two people here. Sofia, can you check if there are any others around?"
When Sofia used her mana sense, she detected no one besides the two guards waiting at the entrance.
"I-I only sense two people."
When Kael used his mana field, he sensed more than two people.
"Marten, wait!"
"What's wrong, Rosvil? Is there a problem?"
"It seems like there are only two people waiting outside, but I sense a lot of people underground—mana from different races is flowing."
Sofia was stunned. How could the mana field detect people underground?Marten: "A-are you a mage?"
"Actually, I'm a mage-knight—don't let the sword at my waist fool you."
Marten had assumed Kael was just an ordinary adventurer carrying a sword at his waist, but Kael's magical power was different even from Sofia's, who had five rings. He thought to himself:
"A mage-knight? I've never seen one before—that's fascinating," he remarked.
"Are you sure, Rosvil?"
"I'm certain. In fact, one person's aura is vastly different from the others'... they must be the leaders. Their aura is ominous and sharp."
Marten: "Sofia, stay here. If we end up in a confined space, use your ice magic to freeze the exit and slow them down."Sofia took a deep breath and nodded. "O-okay, I can do that."Kael peered through his mask toward the entrance. The guards were on high alert; approaching directly was risky.
"I'll distract them. Noel, you sneak up behind them while I do that."
Kael extended his hand forward. A faint spark appeared in his palm.
"I'll use a small fire spell to create a small explosion on the rocks to the left of the entrance. The sound and light will draw their attention."
Kael hurled the fire in his hand toward the rocks beyond the two guards at the entrance. The rising smoke and bright light instantly drew the guards' attention in that direction.
"What was that?" shouted one of the guards, pointing his weapon toward the rocks.
"Who's there!"
The guards had turned their backs completely on Noel. Noel didn't miss the opportunity. He darted out of the shadows like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, he reached the backs of the guards' necks. Both collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.
Noel grabbed the guards and dropped them to the ground, then signaled to his team.
Inside the ruins, it was much colder than in the forest outside. The musty smell seeping from the walls had permeated every corner of the temple. The team began moving forward cautiously, staying close together.
Kael slowly brought his hand to the edge of his mask and took a deep breath. He let his mind go free as he focused on the intense flow of mana around him. For a brief moment, he felt waves of mana emanating from the depths beneath his feet.
"Wait!" Kael said.
"There's something here. I'm sensing a strong surge of mana coming from the lower floors. It's not on the floor we're on—there must be a hidden entrance right below us."
Marten paused and began inspecting the joints where the floor met the walls.
"This looks like solid stone, but if Kael is right, there must be some kind of mechanism hidden somewhere."
As Noel examined the markings on the walls, he ran his hand along the gaps between the stones.
"These... don't seem like ordinary stones; it's as if this place is completely sealed with magic."
Just then, as Noel touched a protrusion on the wall, the floor they were standing on began to shake violently, as if a heavy mechanism were activating.
"Trap!" Marten shouted, raising his shield.
"Noel! Rosvil! Fall back!"
No matter how hard Marten tried to warn them, it was already too late.In the middle of the corridor, blue and purple lights began to rise as if a massive seal were glowing beneath the floor. The light was so bright it blinded the team's eyes. Though the team members tried to hold onto each other, the rising energy wave lifted them into the air.
Kael tried to grab Marten's hand within the light, but the energy was so intense that his body was being tossed around. A second later, everything around him turned into a whirlpool.
When the light faded, Kael fell onto a hard surface. Opening his eyes and lifting his head, he looked around;
Marten and Noel were nowhere to be seen. Kael was alone on a different floor of the Ruins.
When Kael used his mana field, he felt nothing—it was very strange. It was as if he were the only one there. He cast a communication spell but received no response; the floor where Kael was located seemed to be blocking all communication spells.
The trap had worked. The team was now scattered and defenseless. Kael stood up, gripped his sword tighter, and began moving toward the darkness.
When Marten opened his eyes, he found himself in a completely different corridor of the ruins.
"Rosvil? Noel?"
Marten called out. His voice echoed in the void. No echo returned except his own.He leaned his shield against the ground and carefully surveyed his surroundings. His sole objective was to reunite the team.
"If this is a trap, they're trying to scatter us and hunt us down,"
Marten muttered. He secured his shield firmly to his left arm,
This part of the ruins resembled the organization's workrooms. Maps and some documents lay on a table. Marten approached the table and examined the papers. They were ordinary logistical records. However, his eye caught one of the black masks used by the organization's members, sitting on the edge of the table.
A faint footstep came from the darkness. Marten stopped instantly and raised his shield forward.
"Who's there!?"
No answer came from the darkness, but a shadow seemed to move at the end of the corridor.Marten tried to keep his cool. Hiding behind his shield, he moved slowly toward the corner of the corridor.
The moment he rounded the corner, two guards appeared before him. When the guards saw Marten, they were met with an unexpected reaction. Marten struck the first guard with a hard shoulder blow using his shield, then parried the second guard's sword with his shield and knocked him hard to the ground.
"If you think you're hunters," Marten said,
"you're wrong..."
Marten was focused with all his strength on surviving and reaching his team.