Descent into the Depths
The high plateau nestled in the upper reaches of the Kaine Mountain Range.
This was the base camp for the Adel Kingdom's current mountain survey team—a sprawling cluster of tents teeming with soldiers and personnel.
And right there among them stood the dedicated tent for the mountain search squad.
Stepping inside, I spotted my teammates lounging in casual gear, waiting.
"Hey, Lane~ Rest time's over?"
"Yes, I've had a good rest."
They were familiar faces by now, since I'd joined Team 1 a while back.
Everyone was relaxed ahead of departure, but these were battle-hardened veterans, rolling with the punches.
Having fought side by side already, I knew just how capable they were.
And sharing life-and-death struggles had forged solid bonds among us all.
Especially with one in particular…
"Body holding up okay?"
"Yeah, got some good rest."
Lock, the former squad leader of the 2nd Platoon, and I had grown the closest.
We'd been together since the surveys began, close enough now that we dropped formalities.
Sure, there was a good twenty-year age gap between us, but Lock was cool about that.
"I'll give you a quick briefing on this op—memorize it before we head out."
Anyway.
Now that we were in the mountain search squad tent, it was time for the operation rundown first.
"You know we're teaming up with the Royal Knights for this one, right?"
"Got it."
"The knights are bringing a hefty number of troops."
The military had been deployed for the mountain surveys for quite some time now.
The deeper the investigations went, the more demon worshippers and lurking mutated monsters we uncovered—far beyond acceptable limits.
With the search squad and knights stretched thin on manpower, elite capital soldiers had been stationed here on the plateau.
Even the tent we were in had been pitched by those very troops.
"And now the magic support unit's arrived too, so as for us…"
The op details Lock filled me in on afterward were straight out of the textbook—textbook perfect.
To sum it up: scout ahead first, then split the strike force into vanguard and main body, hit the target points hard and wipe them out.
A classic overwhelming-force suppression and extermination.
Naturally, our search squad handled reconnaissance.
We were small and mobile, and no one knew these mountains better.
Once the full briefing wrapped, we prepped our gear—then a commotion erupted outside the tent.
"Time to move out."
"Yes, sir."
We had to beat the main force to the target point, so we exited the tent right away.
The plateau was packed with soldiers.
Lightly armed for mountain ops, but disciplined as elite troops, their formation was razor-sharp.
"Everyone! Today, we launch the operation!"
And at the forefront stood knights in gleaming silver plate armor.
Not just the 3rd Royal Knights I'd seen before, but others as well.
Having witnessed knightly combat a few times, teaming up for this op felt reassuring.
"Orders are in. Let's roll."
With that, the search squad leader's command sent us off from the plateau first.
"Lane, you said you rested well."
"Yes, Captain."
En route from the plateau to the strike point.
Aslan, leader of the mountain search squad and an Aura user herself, addressed me.
"You talk casual with Lock, but all formal with me?"
"Lock's a squadmate now, isn't he?"
"You were casual even when he was squad leader."
"...Our age gap's not that big."
"The gap between me and Lock is smaller than yours with him."
Aslan was a mid-forties veteran, a towering woman just a touch shorter than me despite her gender.
Word was she'd been prowling the Kaine Mountains for over twenty years.
She could navigate them blind, map or no.
"You know the knight commander himself is coming this time, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Didn't get a good look earlier? Keep an eye out later—he's a bona fide Aura Master."
"Ah, yes…"
Aura Master.
The stage beyond Aura user—transcendent warriors who'd grasped personal enlightenment in Aura beyond the basics. That's all I knew.
"Chances to see an Aura Master don't come often. There are only a handful on the entire continent."
"...Understood."
Of course.
One of that elite few was Rowell.
That monstrous old man.
Could I ever reach Aura Master?
Even fully mastered Expert Aura users often spent decades training without breaking through, or so I'd heard.
I had confidence in my talent, but enlightenment? Who knew.
Anyway.
After that, we traversed the mountains with the squad.
"This the spot?"
We soon reached the target point we'd scouted.
"It's huge."
"Yeah, prime real estate for demon worshipper scum to swarm."
The site was the gaping maw of a massive cave complex deep in the Kaine Mountains' heart.
A bit downslope from the highlands, quite a trek from the Adel capital.
Cross the next ridge, and you'd hit the Lunaria Plains, I figured.
That's why they'd set up the base camp on the plateau—too far from prior points.
"No signs of anything nearby."
Aslan stood at the enormous cave mouth, peering in. It sloped straight underground.
No telling how deep it plunged.
"If they're here, they're inside."
"Yes, looks like a demon worshipper hideout."
"Heard a dragon used to roost here once. Perfect for those sleazy bastards to scheme."
Aslan pulled out that signature lantern of hers and shone it downward.
Incredibly bright light poured in, but it only illuminated endless cave walls stretching into the void.
"Haa, daunting just thinking about going in. Kael, what's the main force saying?"
With a heavy sigh, Aslan pointed to a squad member behind her.
Kael.
A magic academy grad handling basic spells and magic circle decryption for detection.
"Ah, yes—checking now."
Kael held a large crystal orb.
Apparently, it linked him to the magic support unit with the main force.
"Uh, um… They'll send backup, but we should head in first and confirm the target's solid."
"Egh, figures we'd have to tank it upfront."
Aslan scowled like she hated the order, but she started unpacking gear anyway.
"Alright, prep to descend."
"For real?"
"You wanna stay put? Rig the retreat line and drop."
She tossed a rope to the ground.
"Tie it off at the entrance."
"Captain, isn't it kinda short for a cave this size?"
"We won't go deeper than this."
The cave angled steadily downward, so rope descent it was.
Wouldn't want the ground to give way mid-drop.
"Kael, detection ready?"
"Yes."
With the rope secured.
Kael stepped up and activated his detection spell.
A blue magic circle glowed from his hand, sending azure lines snaking into the cave—basic detection, one I'd seen before.
Like last time, the circle's precision and glow were lackluster.
Even basic spells varied wildly by mage aptitude, it seemed.
Though comparing to Lorentz was unfair, maybe?
What could I do? These were the only two casters I'd seen cast detection in front of me.
"Just minor lifeforms pinging for me."
"Same as always."
We ran the spell more for form's sake.
Everyone knew detection magic was useless against demon worshippers by now.
Even Lorentz hadn't spotted them before, and the support mages trailing us wouldn't fare better.
That's why they sent bodies in.
Small mercy: their estimated forces were nearly depleted.
Guerrilla ops this long on thin manpower relied on hoarded mutated monsters.
Lately, they'd been hiding behind monster waves, ambushing post-battle.
High command figured their strength gutted, hence this extermination push.
Anyway.
Once preps wrapped, reinforcements from the main force arrived.
"Appreciate the assist."
"Yep, knights have arrived."
Just three troops.
But each an elite Aura user from the Royal Knights.
They sent the real deal.
With these, we could hold our necks even if shit hit the fan inside.
"Everyone, tie in so we don't get lost. Descending."
Only after the knights roped up did we properly line up at the entrance.
"Moving out."
And so, we stepped into the massive maw for the true recon.
"Slippery footing—watch it, all."
Single file, spaced out, into the cave. Aslan, squad leader and Aura user, took point.
Lock guarded the rear.
I held the middle, covering both flanks.
The support knights split one each to front, middle, rear.
"In your hands."
"Got it."
A stoic knight stuck by my side too.
That silver plate armor clanking—didn't it chafe?
Aura users probably managed.
We traversed the wide, drafty cave entrance.
"Still going down!"
Like Aslan called from ahead, it was all downhill slope.
If combat popped, mind the incline.
Slippery from moisture in spots—nasty terrain for a fight.
Saw why it screamed demon worshipper main base.
Undermanned foes loved rigging dirty playgrounds.
Staying vigilant for hidden enemies as we descended.
"Fall back!"
Aslan's booming voice echoed from the front.
"Fall back! Fall back!"
Team ahead of her echoed it.
I halted my descent, backing up immediately.
Then soon.
"Hurry! Run!"
Aslan shoved teammates back, emerging first.
"Why the retreat?"
Once the front cleared, I asked. She jabbed a thumb rearward.
"Fuckin' three-headed mutated ogre up ahead."
"Ah."
Home sweet home.
No wonder the lead knight with Aslan was drenched in cold sweat, bolting.
Then.
GRRROOOOAAAARRR—!!!!!
The earth-shaking roar hit, and we bolted for the entrance without looking back.