The Depths of the Crystal Canyon
Clang!
Crunch!
Screeech!
Roan slid down, scraping away all the crystals clinging to the wall with a series of delightfully chaotic sounds.
Landing on the ground in the blink of an eye, he surveyed the scenery inside.
It was a spectacular sight.
Crystals of every imaginable color—hazy blue-white, deep violet, soft pink—shimmered like a dense fog.
A faint light flowing from deep within the cavern refracted through the crystals, illuminating the interior.
The constantly shifting colors were dizzying to behold.
A thin layer of gas began to pool around his ankles.
It felt as though even the slightest sudden movement would stir up the toxic fumes and choke him.
In fact, even now, his breathing felt slightly constricted.
"...It's dried up."
Roan lightly brushed his hand against the wall where the barnacle-like crystals had been scraped away.
The dark red, dried bloodstains left behind bore silent, vivid testimony to what had transpired here.
Broken crystal shards scattered around his feet.
They were sharp enough to easily pierce right through the leather of his boots.
"They're actually harder once they break. Charbun! Are you alright?"
"Ah! Y-yes! I am perfectly fine, sir!"
Charbun, who had been right above him, scrambled down.
He claimed to be fine, but his appearance suggested otherwise.
Crystal shards that had managed to pierce through Belgard's protective barrier were embedded all over his body.
"You've got a ton of them stuck in you. Doesn't it hurt?"
"I-it does hurt a little, actually... But this is well within my ability to endure, so..."
With a series of soft clicks, the shards embedded in Charbun's flesh popped out on their own.
Immediately after, the countless wounds on his body began to knit themselves back together.
It was a truly absurd regenerative ability.
It was on an entirely different level from Roan's regeneration, which relied on the ring he had obtained from Deyar.
"I-I am actually more worried about the other two... Will they be alright, sir?"
"They'll be fine. I cleared most of the hazards on my way down."
Roan looked up.
He saw the other two descending via ropes.
Following the safe path Roan had cleared, they landed safely on the ground.
Once their feet touched the floor, they stared blankly at the cavern interior.
"...It's spectacular."
"The smell is awful, though."
"Haven't you gotten used to it by now?"
"Well, I suppose..."
The two shared their visual and olfactory impressions.
"Alright, no one's hurt, right? It looks like Belgard's barrier held up fine."
After confirming that everyone was unharmed, Roan turned his gaze.
Click, clack.
Monsters were approaching, snapping their claws in the air threateningly.
There were three of them in total.
They didn't seem particularly intimidating.
"Let's take it slow. The environment here seems to be a bigger problem than the monsters."
Heeding Roan's words, they began to navigate the labyrinth, prioritizing safety above all else.
"𐑄ⵍⴷ!"
⟨ Frost Bloom ⟩
Crack, crackle...
Shatter!
Ice flowers blooming from Jane's fingertips scattered through the air.
The rushing petals exploded all around the crystal crab.
The sharp, freezing frost wedged itself between the crab's carapace plates, instantly snuffing out its life.
Even though ice was not Jane's usual affinity, the spell's destructive power was remarkable.
"That doesn't seem like basic magic. Both the power and the way it functions... it feels incredibly complex," Belgard remarked.
"You're right. It's a high-tier spell."
Jane was casting such spells with effortless ease.
Naturally, this was thanks to the Wisdom of Ulterul she held in her hand.
"Since fire magic is a no-go here. Though once I cast it, the spell vanishes from my mind immediately."
Still, holding a mana stone in one hand and the gem in the other did look rather cumbersome.
Skrrrrt...
Creak...!
"Ah! Everyone! Get back! This monster is about to explode!"
"Both of you! Get behind us, quickly!"
At Charbun's warning, Belgard immediately cried out.
The two in front quickly retreated to Belgard's side.
At that moment, Belgard reached her hands toward the ceiling.
As if blowing a soap bubble, a translucent barrier instantly expanded from her hands, enveloping the party.
Screeech! Shraaaap!
The sound of something hard scraping and gnawing at the barrier echoed sporadically, making their ears ring.
However, the people inside remained completely unharmed.
"Wow... That is amazing..." Charbun muttered, awed by the barrier's durability.
"Phew... I can't keep it up for long, though."
Belgard swayed slightly, her holy power clearly depleted by a significant margin.
"It's more than enough. Charbun and I will take the lead from here anyway."
Roan supported Belgard, giving her a reassuring nod.
"But don't collapse just yet. If you fall down here, it won't end well."
Sharp, colorful crystal shards sprouted from the ground like weeds.
It seemed they couldn't even dream of resting until this raid was over.
"...I can do this," Jane muttered to herself.
She didn't know how vast or deep this place was.
But she had to push through.
Everyone here was risking their lives to help upgrade her equipment.
With Jane's resolve hardened, the party ventured deeper into the cavern.
"Again...!"
Ice magic surged forward.
This time, it was a different spell.
Instead of a blooming flower, it was a barrage of ice spears designed to end the fight quickly.
"Phew... At least the magic is highly effective. Storing the spells in runestones beforehand was a great idea."
"...Yeah."
In truth, it wasn't a great idea at all.
While it allowed for rapid casting, the mana consumption was astronomical.
She had chosen this method out of necessity to maximize efficiency, but at this rate, her mana pool would be completely drained in no time.
But I refuse to rely on Roan again.
Jane grit her teeth, pretending to be perfectly fine out of sheer pride.
Fortunately, everyone was so focused on navigating the labyrinth that no one noticed her strain.
"It seems crustaceans are the only monsters here. We've only encountered these things since we entered..."
"They're still a nuisance. We have to keep an eye on Belgard's holy power, too."
"Ah, I'm still alright."
Still.
That meant there was a limit.
"...We should pick up the pace before my holy power runs out. No matter how strong Lord Roan is, he won't be able to block a crystal crab's explosion with just a sword..."
Actually, he could.
He had dedicated his entire second life to defense; it would be pathetic if he couldn't block something like this.
But this was a moment where a white lie was necessary.
"The crystal crabs are one thing, but the floor and walls are also a problem. Let's move quickly."
Rather than shouting, "Yes, I can!" Roan simply urged them forward.
His battle with the Emperor had taught him that keeping pace with his comrades was just as important as his own strength.
The monsters offered little resistance beyond desperate struggles.
As they swept through them and pressed onward, a peculiar terrain greeted them.
"A fork in the road."
And it wasn't just any fork—the path split into five different directions.
"Since it's a cavern system, there are bound to be plenty of dead ends."
"...Roan, do you remember anything?"
"Nothing. I've never been to a labyrinth like this in the first place."
Roan shook his head.
With no way of knowing which path was the correct one, they were left wondering if they would have to check them one by one.
Just then, Charbun stepped forward.
"Huh? Charbun! It's dangerous!"
Crunch, scrape.
Letting the sharp shards pierce his body, he lay flat on the ground and focused his senses.
Cough, wheeze.
Though he coughed a few times from the fumes, he held his position to detect something, then stood back up.
"...I-I believe it is that way, sirs."
He pointed to the path on the far right.
"The gas and the odor are the strongest there. W-what do you think?"
He hesitated slightly, as if seeking their approval.
But there was no need for debate. This was exactly why Roan had brought him along as a scout.
Without a word, all four of them turned and headed down the rightmost path.
...
"Oh? I think you're right. The atmosphere has changed a bit."
"Indeed. The crystals seem to have gotten harder. At this level, they shouldn't shatter just from us walking on them..."
Belgard cautiously touched a crystal.
Unlike the crystals near the entrance that shattered at the slightest touch, these remained perfectly intact.
"More importantly... hasn't it gotten brighter the deeper we go?"
"You're right. Is there something emitting light further inside?"
At Charbun's observation, they all came to the same conclusion.
"It's either the oldest specimen or a powerful boss monster."
Either way was fine, as both would lead them to their goal.
Guided by Charbun's tracking abilities, Roan's party steadily made their way forward.
Click, clack, tap...
The deeper they ventured, the more dangerous the monsters became.
Skeletons with crystals embedded all over their bodies, including their eye sockets.
Beast-type monsters that utilized the hard crystals as armor.
Even insectoid monsters that moved stealthily, blending into the glowing environment.
A wide variety of monsters blocked their path, but none could stop them.
"Haa... Haa..."
Of course, that didn't mean it was easy.
Oxygen grew scarcer the deeper they went.
Fatigue accumulated from a raid that was taking much longer than expected.
Though they were on the right track, the sheer scale of the canyon made it impossible to tell when this journey would end.
"Is this... really the right way?"
"I don't know... The scenery looks exactly the same no matter how far we walk, so it's hard to tell..."
The repetitive use of mana and holy power had dulled their minds, and anxiety began to creep into the two women.
Charbun felt the same.
He had suggested this path, and the lack of an end in sight made him worry.
And yet, Roan did not lose heart.
"It's the right way. Charbun was the one who found it."
Faith and trust, pride and guilt, and the burning desire to be useful.
These tangled emotions forced their heavy feet to keep moving forward.
Several more hours passed.
The fatigue from constant tension reached its peak, and their mana and holy power were running dangerously low.
Even when they rested, they had to do so standing up, leaving them no chance to truly recover.
But as was always the case, the end of a journey had a way of presenting itself in the most critical moments.
"...S-something is different ahead," Charbun said.
Following his gaze, they looked forward.
A cavernous, massive plaza opened up before them.
The number of crystals that had plagued them so far was noticeably sparse here, which only heightened their unease.
"Look, in the center... Isn't that the tree?"
At Belgard's words, Roan looked toward the center.
There stood the silhouette of a tree—something that had no business existing in the deepest depths of a canyon.
It stood alone, radiating a brilliant light in a place devoid of any natural illumination.
It was unmistakably their target.
But naturally, such a vast area would never leave a treasure completely unguarded.
Thump... Thump...
The ground beneath their feet vibrated.
The light shimmering like fog began to warp and refract.
Creak, crackle.
The earth around the rootless tree rose up, coalescing into a massive shape.
It was a crystal crab, but of a terrifyingly colossal scale—clearly the mother of all the ones they had fought.
On its back, it carried a crystal tree that pierced toward the cavern ceiling.
The crystals hanging from each branch flashed brilliantly, painting the canyon in dazzling colors.
As if to expose the beautiful sight as a deadly illusion, rancid gas spewed from the gaps in its carapace.
Boom!
Clatter, clack...
As it slammed its massive claws onto the ground in a threatening display, a rain of crystal shards poured down.
The final obstacle in their quest to obtain the Branch of Elpup.