An hour had passed since the start of my journey into the cave. I still couldn't make heads or tails as to the path ahead, the only illumination coming from the faint, ethereal glow of crystals sporadically scattered across the cavern, and in the absence of this subtle radiance, the sparks ignited by my sword striking against the walls that briefly illuminated my surroundings. Silence surrounded me, periodically interrupted by the distant sound of dripping water. Regardless, I forged ahead, welcoming the darkness that enveloped me, heavily preferring it to the lively colors of Everleaf and the dullness of Eldergrove.

The entirety of the time, I could only think about what Yukina could have been facing these last few days. There was no idea what the castlemen could have been doing to her. My blood boiled at the very thought of her being treated horribly. I knew Yukina could handle herself. She was strong. Her conjuring and spatial magic were no joke either; she nearly bested me every time we practiced together. Paired with her intellect, she was formidable. However, it was that instinctiveness of hers that worried me greatly. For the benefit of others, she'd gladly put herself in harm's way without even thinking. First with Sylas and the river, then with Seraphina and the commander. She threw herself in harm's way for those siblings, which only ended with the current matter of us being separated. I could only hope that she was keeping a low profile; wherever she was, though, I had a bad feeling that she wasn't.

Returning to the Kingdom without her was not an option. The thought of returning alone hadn't even crossed my mind once. The Kingdom wouldn't be able to handle the loss of the sweetheart of the capital, especially at a time like this, where tensions were high between the Kingdom, the Association, and its citizens. As of late, the Kingdom's grasp on the nation has been slipping, and the failures of both generals, Taron and Torin, on the alliances have only worsened it. Sooner or later, if it hasn't been underway already, a power struggle will emerge between the Association and the Kingdom, and perhaps even within the Kingdom's party itself. When that happens, the already blurred line between us and the Kingdom will only get more distorted. The only person holding everyone's spirits together was Yukina, whether she knew it or not.

If I were being honest, the only faction that stood to gain something if Yukina disappeared would be the Association. It would be the final push for Zathron to take matters into his own hands. He had been preparing all of the Association's Warriors for what he calls the "inevitable," straying from our usual training and learning tactics that seemed fit for war, which spurred a question into all the Warrior's minds, including mine: "With who?". Regardless of whether it was a war amongst ourselves or other nations, few were ecstatic about it, with the exception of our leader. And though he wouldn't say it, we all knew what Zathron truly cared about.

World Domination.

He was war-driven and hungry, and many, including citizens and officials in the Kingdom, loved that about him. However, in the event that the Association and the Kingdom began to clash, I knew where my loyalty lay, and it wasn't with either of them.

HISS

The echoing sound reverberated through the cavern, jolting me out of my thoughts. In an instant, I halted, my senses alert to the transformation in my surroundings. The cave layout had shifted, and before I knew it, I found myself surrounded by an icy labyrinth.

"What's this?"

The frigid air bit into my skin as I surveyed the crystalline maze around me. The walls, once rocky and rugged, now sparkled with a frosty sheen, and the frozen ground beneath me seemed to pulse with an otherworldly chill. My hand instinctively flew to my hip, tightening on the hilt of my sword.

I should've known better. Just like the forest and river that nearly engulfed Sylas, the cave was alive as well, and now it was trying to swallow me. The one-eyed elf probably knew this cave was a dungeon and decided to hide it from me in hopes of it avenging him. I made a mental note that if I were to see him again, he'd be granted a more fitting name.

Remaining still, I waited until the sound of delicate legs rattling on the ice reached my ears. A human-sized figure, its form composed of shimmering ice, emerged from the frost-covered walls. A frozen cave spider, with crystalline mandibles and cold eyes, regarded me with an unsettling stillness.

Without warning, it bore its fangs and lunged toward me, its violent hiss echoing off the frozen walls. I evaded its initial strike, the icy limbs slicing through the air. Sliding backward, I drew my blade and buried it in the frozen land beneath me, stopping my skid.

Stolen story; please report.

Casting『Buff』 or『Tempo』wasn't an option as I was nearly out of magical energy, and enchantments in nature were taxing. 『Manipulation』didn't seem viable either, as the only elements present were air and ice, the air being too frigid for control and ice appearing to be this creature's strong suit. I was going to have to manage with skill alone.

I sprang forward, and the cavern echoed with the clash of metal against the frozen exoskeleton as it parried the attack. The cold emanating from the creature crept into my skin as I continued the assault, trying to break its guard. The creature moved with an unnatural grace, its movements fluid and precise, almost as if it was dancing on the ice beneath us. Countering with conjured freezing gusts of wind with each swipe of its legs, it attempted to catch me off balance. This thing was smart and knew how to fight, causing me to wonder just how many elves and creatures alike fell victim to it.

My breath formed icy clouds in the air as I skidded around its attacks, searching for an opening. With a quick maneuver, I managed to strike at one of its legs, causing several fractures to appear in the crystalline ligament. It recoiled momentarily, and that was all I needed. I pressed my advantage, taking the brunt of a chilling breath that I felt waft through my ribs.

I spun and slid on the ice, the momentum carrying my blade around in a wide arc. With a sharp crack, it sliced through the spider's front legs. It toppled and landed on its side, its mandibles gnashing wildly. I leaped to the side as the beast scrambled to regain its footing, and I brought my sword down with both hands, stabbing through the creature's abdomen and piercing the ground beneath. The spider twitched, and with a dying hiss, the light within its crystalline eyes faded, right before its body exploded into a million shards of ice.

The cavern fell silent, save for the sound of my heavy panting clouding the frigid air. I took a moment to collect myself. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically.

But I needed to keep going.

I jerked my sword out of the ground and readied myself again.

HISS

Once again on cue, the cavern responded to the unseen command and morphed its surroundings, the icy environment dissolving into a vast, windy expanse that seemingly stretched onwards. Emerging from a whirlwind, a new threat materialized—another huge spider, its form translucent as if woven from the very air.

In the blink of an eye, without a pause for breath, it flicked one of its legs, and I found myself lifted off my feet, drawn toward the creature as if caught in an invisible vacuum and I began to be sucked toward it. I countered the pull with 『Manipulation』, propelling myself deftly around the spider's outstretched legs, narrowly avoiding being skewered. Landing on my feet, I extended my sword and twisted my hips, only for my blade to phase right through its body.

"Not good."

With a gust of wind, I was violently sent backward into a pillar, feeling the cold marble crack against my spine and the wind being knocked out of my lungs. As much as I wanted to just lay there, my body had other ideas, instinctually dashing out of the way of another vicious blast of wind.

Rolling behind a pillar, I gathered myself.

"This place is just full of surprises."

Sensing the air shift, I ducked, narrowly avoiding being decapitated along with the structure by a sharpened slice of air. Springing back out into the open, I cast 『Manipulation』and threw my own fissure of air toward the creature, only for my attack to be rendered ineffective again. The spider phased through it with ease and maneuvered out of the way of the falling debris.

"Wait...I see."

As another blast of wind shot toward me, I dug my heels into the ground and guarded my face, feeling the whips of wind slash my cheeks. Slicing through the tempest, I leaped forward, taking a gamble on my realization. Dodging the burst of air as I closed the distance, I summoned the last bits of magic that I could scrape from my reserves and brought forth a gigantic wall of cutting air, sending it forward with all my strength. As expected, the creature began to phase through the blast, but only this time, I zeroed the gap between us and gripped his translucent mandible, it now becoming solid. Bringing my arm back as far as I could, I thrust my sword into its head as deep as my arms would reach, finding its mark right between its surprised sets of eyes, watching them dim and eventually lose their light.

I pulled my blade out of its forehead, letting the corpus crumple to the ground before it disintegrated into the wind.

"I was lucky it wasn't able to phase through two types of attacks at the same time." I panted, trying to catch my breath.

HISS

Instantaneously, the layout changed once more and reverted to its normal state before the arachnids began their assault. My knees buckling, I would've collapsed out of exhaustion if I hadn't turned my sword into a crutch. Tired wasn't the word. Every part of my body ached, with each movement feeling like a battle. My mana circuits weren't exempt from this either. I could practically sense them sputtering and burning out from the strain, pushed to their limits by everything I'd been through.

Still, I needed to push through and keep moving forward.

Gritting my teeth, I carried myself, continuing down the path ahead. I was barely trudging along when the sound of delicate limbs returned to my ear. Groaning, I surveyed the area, trying to discern the source.

DRIP

It wasn't until a drop of what I thought was water fell onto my head that I shot my eyes upward. And when I did, a monster pair of colossal, menacing eyes shot right back at me.