Chapter 117
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Night of the Moon's Cry (8)
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"Huh?"
I was sure Ash had been glowing silver, and I'd followed after it.
Confused, I stared at Ash.
Ash, standing calmly next to Shuren under the torchlight, wasn't emitting any light from its body.
"Lib, you okay?"
Shuren, holding the torch, shone the light toward me with a worried expression.
"Y-yeah. I guess I'm just a bit tired."
That was the only explanation I could come up with.
Still unable to make sense of what had just happened, I trudged back behind Shuren.
Makina started walking again, and the Silver Guard Knight checked on me one more time before following behind her.
'The flow of mana here feels off.'
Ash said this as it walked ahead of me.
It wasn't glowing now. It had definitely been shining earlier. Was I so exhausted that I was seeing things?
And as Ash said, the mana in this place felt different from usual.
"Yeah, it feels stifling and heavy."
"Stifling and heavy?"
I'd been speaking to Ash, but Shuren repeated it back. I nodded as I focused on following closely behind him.
"Yeah, the mana's heavy. Maybe because we're inside a cave. It feels old and thick."
'It's similar to that dawn.'
"Ah."
Come to think of it!
Ash's words struck me like a bolt of realization.
That dawn, when the Moon's Cry phenomenon occurred, Ash had said its body felt heavy. Exactly this sensation.
Woooooong.
"Ugh!"
A pounding wind and vibration roared through my head, making me cry out as I clutched my ears.
Staggering backward from the weight of my heavy bag, Max grabbed me, and Shuren turned around in surprise.
Ash's body swelled with silver light, turning everything before my eyes blindingly white.
When I lifted my head to say I was fine, I spotted dozens—no, hundreds—of small red lights glaring down at us.
They were clinging upside down to the high cave ceiling, talons dug in. Even at a glance, there were hundreds of them.
Black-glistening bodies, tiny leather wings, and sharp three-clawed feet on the beasts.
"Bats..."
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the horrific creatures filling the ceiling.
The ringing in my ears from the vibrations still droned on.
"What?"
Shuren peered at me with a shocked face.
Wedin, the Silver Guard Knight, and Makina had all rushed to my side.
They were so focused on me that they hadn't noticed what was happening right above their heads.
The hundreds of red eyes plastered to the ceiling all turned toward us at once.
"Get down!"
With that shout, I yanked the staff from my belt and thrust it overhead.
Papapapak!
Dozens of bats slammed into the hastily deployed defensive spell, crystallizing and shattering apart.
Blue crystals sparkled as they scattered fiercely in all directions.
"What the hell is this?!"
Makina yelped in shock, and Wedin shrank back with a scream.
"Karaks. Impossible."
Shuren and the Silver Guard Knight drew their swords simultaneously. Ash swelled its body greatly.
I maintained the defensive spell overhead while gripping Max's arm and slowly standing up.
The ringing was still intense.
These bats were moving in sync with the droning vibrations.
"What's a Karak? I've never seen a beast like this?!"
Shuren raised his sword, staring at the bats in confusion.
The bats kept smashing into the invisible barrier, crystallizing and crumbling, yet more continued hurling themselves at the defensive spell.
Screeches, bursting sounds, and the mind-shaking wind howled without end.
"It's an extremely rare species. They only appear in Ecronium mines, but this many... it'll be tough to handle. Liberic, can you hold out?"
"Yes. But the ringing is bad... ugh."
Woooong!
Before I could finish, another air-vibrating wind roared through.
I reflexively plugged one ear. The distraction made the defensive spell waver slightly.
The Silver Guard Knight's blue-glowing sword sliced through a bat entering the barrier.
The Silver Guard Knight glanced at Makina.
"Makina, take point. Wedin, stick close. Max, carry Liberic. Liberic, keep the spell up."
No one objected to the plan or acknowledged it. There wasn't even time for that.
Makina and Wedin bolted deeper into the cave, and Max scooped me up.
"Whoa!"
My vision shook wildly for a moment, nearly breaking the spell, but Ash, Shuren, and the Silver Guard Knight held off the bats' assault briefly.
A bat's long talon grazed Shuren's shoulder, and in that gap, three or four slipped through— that's when I extended the defensive spell again.
It pushed the bats back, creating just enough space.
The Silver Guard Knight urged Shuren to go first.
"Run."
Max, still holding me, uttered a curt word.
"Y-yeah?!"
Max broke into a tremendous sprint.
Each pounding step made the defensive spell shake up and down.
Before I knew it, we'd left the wide space and entered a narrow, long tunnel.
Max raced ahead heedless of the dust and debris raining from the walls and ceiling.
Eeeeek.
I screamed internally, desperately clinging to Max's shoulder.
He gripped my side, back, and the massive bag with one arm.
Every jolt choked the breath out of me.
The staff thrashed wildly from the insane speed and shaking, but I barely held my focus.
Fortunately, the mana here was so abundant it was suffocating.
The moment Ash and the Silver Guard Knight overtook Max, I conjured hundreds of sharp crystal thorns.
Paaaaat!
The defensive spell instantly morphed into an offensive one.
Hundreds of blue crystals erupted simultaneously from the cave floor, walls, and ceiling, skewering the bats pursuing us ferociously.
The lead bats crystallized on impact, while those behind were impaled by the viciously rising thorns and fell.
Once the blue thorns completely sealed the path, the bats could no longer chase us.
Max gradually slowed to a stop.
I slowly released the mana while still holding out my staff.
A few bats with pierced wings rolled helplessly on the cave floor, unable to fly.
Deep inside, crystals were still spreading, and the bats' screams continued echoing.
"You can put me down now."
The moment Max set me down, I staggered and dropped to my knees on the ground.
Whether from the lingering mana vibrations or Max's intense shaking, my stomach churned.
"The bats won't make it this far..."
I said this while pulling my hood down over my face with trembling hands.
Blocking my vision narrowed my sight, and covering my ears muffled the sounds, gradually easing the horrible dizzy sensation.
We were still inside the cave, but it was a safe, spacious area surrounded by solid rock.
"You took all those out? Impressive."
Makina's voice. Her hand gently patted my hooded head as she passed.
With the ringing fading and my mood improving, I pulled off the hood.
Wedin was treating the wound on Shuren's shoulder, while the Silver Guard Knight and Makina examined the dead bats scattered around.
Ash slumped wearily beside me.
"Ash, you feeling okay?"
'A bit better.'
I told it I'd recover soon and stroked its back.
"So, what was that thing you called them?"
Shuren asked the Silver Guard Knight with a frown. Wedin was wrapping a bandage around his arm.
"Karaks. Rare beasts found only in Ecronium mines. But this place is..."
The Silver Guard Knight's expression darkened as he prodded a bat corpse with his toe.
"Not a mine, right?"
Makina cut in. The Silver Guard Knight nodded gravely.
"And I've never seen this many in any records. They don't even match the descriptions— these have two extra talons per foot, six total, and they're twice the size."
Makina's brow furrowed deeply as she listened.
"This world's really gone mad."
The Silver Guard Knight agreed silently.
"Liberic. Can we leave these crystals like this?"
Max asked, looking up at the sealed tunnel.
The blue thorn crystals I'd created completely blocked the path we'd taken.
It looked like a massive monster with razor-sharp crystal teeth had snapped its jaws shut.
Faint screams still emanated from within.
"They'll disappear naturally after some time. I could dispel them now, but... the cave might collapse suddenly."
I answered awkwardly.
In the heat of casting, I hadn't considered how the crystals adhered to the walls and ceiling, altering the structure.
If they vanished abruptly, the whole thing could cave in...
After a brief silence, Makina burst out laughing.
"Wow, you're no joke!"
"S-sorry..."
I had nothing else to say and apologized helplessly.
Blocking an entire Quint Mountain path with magic...
"What are you sorry for? It was a dangerous route anyway. Don't sweat it! You saved our lives— I should be thanking you."
Makina laughed heartily and clapped my shoulder. I felt a bit relieved.
After a short rest to tend to injured Shuren, we decided to move again.
The cave's opposite exit wasn't far. We'd rushed here so quickly, after all.
"Bro, how's the wound?"
I took the torch from Shuren.
When the bat's sharp talon had grazed his shoulder, I'd felt a chill, but he'd twisted away fast, so luckily it wasn't deep.
"Wedin says it'll be gone by tonight."
Shuren shrugged nonchalantly, then winced briefly.
His face showed sudden pain, but he wouldn't groan in front of me.
"Good to hear."
I chuckled. Always acting tough.
"By the way, what was that earlier...? You okay? Was that the Moon's Cry?"
"Hm. Similar feeling."
I pondered the earlier event.
Body growing heavy, crushed by unpleasant mana. Dizzying shakes with the droning wind.
It definitely matched the Moon's Cry from that dawn.
But it was weird. We were deep in a cave, no view of the moon.
"Even if the Moon's Cry happened outside, would it affect a place this deep...?"
"Beats me."
I muttered to myself, and Shuren shrugged habitually— then winced again from the pain.
I giggled.
"I don't know yet either. Investigating that ruin might give some clues."
Then, the cave exit came into view in the distance.
From the dim tunnel, it blazed like a blinding light.
"Ah, finally."
Wedin let out a voice full of relief.
Everyone quickened their pace. We all wanted out of here as fast as possible.