Toward a New Region
—Shoooong.
Inside a small patrol plane heading to the Piros Autonomous Region. Since it wasn't flying at a very high altitude, an endless horizon stretched out beyond the window. Vast plains and blue foliage, streams visible here and there, clusters of houses nestled beside them. The view from 2,000 meters was the epitome of peace.
Of course, only outside.
The atmosphere inside the plane was far from as serene as the scenery.
“Ughhh...”
Alice, buried deep in her seat with a pale face, let out a groan. Her big eyes and sparkling pupils, slender jawline, long and soft hair, faintly trembling shoulders, and pitiful expression. That rabbit-like frightened look unwittingly set many men's hearts ablaze.
Motion sickness?
Of course, it had no effect on the man beside her. Seongjin glanced at Alice before turning his gaze to the thick book on his lap. He'd borrowed it from the academy library for this expedition.
The title was Novapolis's Best Tourist Spots! All About the Piros Autonomous Region. On the cover, next to the phrase “Holy crap!” was an excited woman jumping and a boy with a bizarre expression.
“......”
He didn't know who designed it, but if it was one of his employees, he'd fire them on the spot. With that thought, Seongjin flipped the page.
The book was densely packed with maps of the Piros Autonomous Region and detailed information. Surprisingly, unlike the cover, the content seemed perfectly normal.
From what he'd heard before coming, the volcanic zone in the Piros Autonomous Region had been more than half reduced to scorched earth ten years ago for some reason. Then rifts began appearing there, demon beasts started emerging, and their numbers had rapidly increased over the past few months.
Seongjin shifted his gaze to the volcano illustration in the upper right.
Small text detailed the volcano's information.
The type of volcano... rhyolitic magma? Rhyolitic means the highest viscosity and explosiveness.
A month ago, on the train to the academy for the first time, he'd absorbed knowledge about lava. Who knew he'd actually use it someday?
Seongjin let out a hollow chuckle and turned the page. The next section was filled with detailed info on the Kargas Volcano zone.
High-concentration gases erupt from various points on the surface...
🦎 Salamander - Lizard-type monster inhabiting near lava. Highly heat-resistant.
🐕 Ash Hound - Wolf-type monster up to 2m at the shoulder. Skilled in pack hunting.
🦁 Riolevargr - Massive carnivorous monster up to 6m at the shoulder. Apex predator of Kargas Volcano zone. Spews flames from its body.
Nothing special about the monsters.
Seongjin flipped another page. His goal was clear: obtain the high-rank demon beast core Iris requested and increase his Demonic Body progress in the process. And the Demonic Body only grew stronger by slaying demon beasts. Regular monsters were just annoying obstacles, nothing more.
He had no particular interest. As he methodically read through the book, Seongjin's eyes caught a note in the corner.
Kargas Volcano is also called the 'Heart of Fire' in ancient spirit myths. The dominant theory is that periodic massive eruptions result from resonance in the massive mana source at its core. Scholars see potential in artificially controlling the eruption cycle...
Spirit myths, huh.
Seongjin glanced at Alice's wrist. The green and blue patterns etched there—they were the trigger for spirit summoning, right? Did they have a connection to Kargas Volcano? If so, her role in this expedition might turn out more important than expected.
“Cadet Alice Hayes.”
“Y-yes? What is it?”
Alice lifted her head with terrified eyes. Anyone would think he was about to eat her. He'd meant to explain about the Piros Autonomous Region, but her expression sparked a bit of mischief.
“Nah, about the volcanic zone. Once we arrive, the temperature's gonna be totally different. The air's full of ash, lava bubbling up endlessly around us, sporadic explosions...”
“Whaaat?! Ex-explosions?!”
“Yeah. One wrong move, and boom—erupts right under your feet and sends you flying.”
“Kyaaah!! P-put me down! Let me off, please!”
Alice flinched in convulsions. Seongjin couldn't help but laugh.
“Heh, kidding. It's just a small part; most of it's cities and jungles.”
“R-really...?”
She stared at him with a super pouty face, and only after he nodded did she sigh in relief. Her reaction tempted him to tease more, but she looked like she might actually cry, so he held back.
Then, the pilot's voice came over the cabin speakers.
At the pilot's words, Seongjin closed the book and peered out the window. Far in the distance loomed a massive mountain. It appeared hazy blue due to atmospheric scattering, but its immense presence was unmistakable. Like a towering pile of massive scrap metal—dark and brooding, exuding overwhelming pressure.
A bit bigger than the mountain where the academy is? Pretty tall.
The book's claim of 3,000m elevation seemed no exaggeration. As the passengers on the plane momentarily immersed themselves in the majestic sight—
—Kwang!
A sudden impact rocked the aircraft, tilting it sharply to the right.
“Kyaaak!”
Alice's body, strapped in with her seatbelt, lurched wildly, and the guidebook on Seongjin's lap flew to the floor.
—Beep! Beep! Beep!
A shrill alarm blared from the cockpit. Simultaneously, the panicked pilot's shout echoed through the speakers.
Seongjin whipped his head to the right window. There, something enormous clung to the wing.
[Kieeeek!!]
“Kyaaak!! What is that thing?!”
It was a massive eagle. Easily half the plane's size. Four wings sprouted from its shoulders. He'd never seen one before, but a four-winged eagle was no ordinary creature. Seongjin's brow furrowed.
Fighting inside a plane was disadvantageous in every way. Extending tentacles to attack would be blocked by the fuselage, and punching through the wall risked explosive decompression disintegrating the plane.
“P-professor! What do we do about that?!”
Alice grabbed Seongjin's sleeve, eyes brimming with tears. The monster was already lunging at the cockpit glass with its sharp beak.
As Seongjin was about to decide—
—Shiiiiiik.
A strangely clear, chilling wind stirred behind Alice. The air in the narrow cabin seemed to converge to a single point in an instant.
[Contractor, leave it to me!]
Alperion passed straight through the plane's ceiling and surged outward. A maneuver possible only for an incorporeal spirit. Landing on the wing, Alperion opened its beak toward the monster dwarfing it.
[Begone!!!]
A roar that vibrated the air.
[Piyoooo!!]
Startled by the sudden bellow, the eagle flapping on the wing detached and fell away.
[Haha! Fleeing with tail between its legs! Back in my day, I commanded countless monsters—]
“Kyaaaaak!! We're falling—!!!”
—Crackle, boom!
Smoke rose from the damaged section where the monster had perched, and the plane began wobbling precariously side to side. Then—
—Bang!
The engine exploded. The plane shuddered violently in all directions. Objects flew everywhere inside the cabin.
“Professor!! Uwaaaah!!! We're gonna crash!”
Alice screamed, clinging to Seongjin's arm—an instinct more than reason. She looked up at his face and froze in shock. Far from panic, a savage grin split his lips.
“Field training right on arrival? Great curriculum.”
Somehow, tentacles from his back had retrieved their luggage and two bags. Seongjin slung one bag over his shoulder.
“Alright, Cadet Alice. Suit up with this parachute. We're jumping out the bottom.”
“Whaaat?!”
Seongjin kicked the plane door open with his foot. A ferocious gale rushed in. The plane was already disintegrating midair anyway.
“W-wait! What about the pilot?!”
“He's a superhuman too. He'll handle it. Right?!”
Thumbs up from beyond the cockpit. Seongjin grinned and approached the detached door.
—Whooooosh!!!
The 2,000-meter sky yawned beyond the door. Alice freaked out at the sight.
“W-wait just a sec professor of course real combat is good but shouldn't there be thorough prep and prior warning first this is too sudden I'm so flustered—”
“What're you mumbling? Get over here.”
Seongjin snatched Alice's waist with a tentacle mid-rap and hurled himself out the plane.
—Fwoosh!
“Kyaaaaa——ah——!!!”
“Hahaha! Fresh air, huh?!”
Alice's eardrum-shattering scream scattered into the void alongside their free-falling bodies.
The deep sea. The profound ocean depths. A realm of pure darkness. No sunlight penetrates, no life exists. An eternal abyss where not a single gleam is permitted. Tens of thousands of tons of pressure crush and annihilate all will to live. A forsaken land even gods avert their gaze from, ruled by silence deeper than death.
That is the deep sea.
For a human to enter the deep sea is tantamount to throwing away their life.
And in that absolute darkness, an artificial sanctuary existed where none should.
There, a certain man sat.
“......”
His white hair tinged with blue glow and violet eyes evoked a mystical aura.
—Clink.
The red liquid in the glass he held sloshed once. Seated in a chair, he gazed through the transparent bulkhead at the ocean depths. Deep blue, profoundly dark. That color reflected perfectly in his eyes.
The man blinked. Eyes seeming melancholic yet joyful, sorrowful.
He took a sip from the glass. Then, slicing through the chill air, he spoke lowly to the black-clad figure kneeling beside him.
“I called you for a new mission.”
“I shall obey.”
At the black-clad one's low voice, the man smiled faintly.
“The seeds we sowed long ago are finally bearing fruit, yet ruffians are meddling.”
“Seeds, you say...?”
“I mean 'that' in Kargas Volcano.”
“...Understood.”
The man lifted his head again, draining the glass. The liquid sloshed down his throat, pulsing.
—Clack.
Setting down the glass, he turned to the black-clad one.
“Your mission is to deal with those ruffians. The method and cleanup are at your discretion.”
“I shall repay your trust.”
“Of course, I know it's no easy task.”
With a light gesture, an object wrapped in luxurious velvet on the table defied gravity and floated up. As if possessing its own will, it traced a strange path to hover before the black-clad one.
“If the plan falters, use 'this'.”
“...This is.”
The black-clad one accepted it in surprise, then bowed deeply, forehead nearly touching the floor.
“I will complete the mission without fail.”
A voice filled with resolve. The man smiled faintly, turning back to the deep sea view. Soon, the shadow melted into the darkness.
Silence returned to the fortress. The man's low laughter echoed softly.