Chapter 33: Not The Safest After All

[User4322: Someone else jumped again lol I saw it right now

User84999: don’t lol that you piece of shit

User23233: another one… what is this like the 26rd person now?

User43433: 26rd???

User7523: the laurent guards aren’t doing shit just sitting on their asses while people are dying what a garbage city I should have known Laurent was just some shit mage that got lucky

User94233: then leave what were you even doing in his city ahahaha

User7523: I’ll kill you 94233 if you ever talk to me like that again

User1732: forget that can we all agree to stop undercutting each other for anything fire essence related

User8312: never going to happen were all greedy here including you]

Tensions are starting to run high.

Every day it seems like someone shot past the barricade and hopped over down into the pit.

The guards can try to stop them like some kind of goalie for suicidal people, but I think only enacting a full-time barrier will stop their surprising tenacity to die.

The odd part it seems it is only affecting adventurers and normal citizens are unaffected.

Because they’re usually of decent strength only a full-time barrier over the entire area could buy enough time for the guards to catch them. Only someone at the level of Laurent could make such a thing.

Too bad they have all left to chase after Laurent…

I’m starting to worry also.

The question on my mind and I’m sure many other adventures were

“Am I missing that spot because I too am going to jump soon?”

[My checks are all clear Lucid. I believe it is all the flame fox essence orbs you absorbed that are driving your need to go there.]

My face soured being reminded.

I spent almost all the money I’ve been earning on super cheap flame fox essence orbs with the fire element within. It seemed like it was too good to pass up so I sucked them all up.

I had thought they would have been wiped out by now, however, apparently, their numbers keep increasing and are beginning to encroach down the mountain range towards the rest of the dungeon floor.

These odd adventurer deaths are a tiny subset of the majority of life here which is why they aren’t looking too hard for a permanent fix.

The dungeon floor cave city seems to be moving along as it always had since when I first got here. It is probably more lively considering more refugees enter every day.

Time has just been ticking on. Everyone seems to have now normalised living here.

Nothing is happening.

My schedule is the same as always. Honestly, it is getting quite boring. I can only kill razor-backed snakes so many times before I can sense them moving through my feet, guess their location, shoot an arrow to kill them when they peak their head from the water in one fell swoop.

I think I understand why the mud snakes where nothing for Runter. While I can’t take on more than three right now. One or two is easy. Three is a little dicey as I don’t have any defensive combat skills and four is me running for my life and by that I mean to Eugene.

Hmmm.

Maybe I can hope to just spend a relatively peaceful time here gathering strength, money, and magical knowledge until whoever conquers the dungeon does it so I can leave.

Yeah…

I scratched my chin at the thought.

That doesn’t sound so bad.

At this rate I’ll have a nice little saving from my job, strength comparable to Jordan and Elizabeth, if they didn’t train at all since when I last saw them, and wrap up the 7th grade level of magic to complete my combined spell.

This sounds great actually.

I nodded to my self. This really isn’t bad at all. I might have a chance at the akashic orb now if I continue at my pace, who knows~

[That is a good attitude Lucid. You have progressed so far from when we first met.]

I shook my head in satisfaction following Eurval’s guidance back into the aquatic dungeon on the eastern side to begin the grind once more.

—BEEEEP

—BEEEEP

My head rattled as a siren’s ringing filled the air around me. My teeth chattered from the sheer volume.

A monotonous voice exploded out after the beep.

“THIS IS AN EMERGENCY ALERT

A SEVERE MANA INFLUX HAS BEEN RECORDED.

EXTREME MANA POLARITY IN THE SOUTHERN END HAS BREECHED DESIGNATED THRESHOLDS.

ALL CITIZENS ARE ADVISED TO SEEK SHELTER IN AN ESTATE TREASURE MEETING THE GRADE OF HEROIC PROFESSIONAL OR ABOVE.

PUBLIC SHELTERS ARE THE FOLLOWING:

THE SCALE CATHERDRAL ESTATE LOCATED IN THE NORTHWESTWARD, LAURENT SOCIAL SERVICES BUILDING IN THE WESTERN WARD, THE LAURENT PUBLIC CLINIC LOCATED WITHIN THE CENTER PLAZA.

ALL ACTIVE ADVENTURERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE PUBLIC CLINIC.“

What the fuck.

Instantly the green arrows that were guiding me to a dungeon switched directions telling me to turn back in a flashing bright red.

The moment the message finished masses of people began to pour out into the streets heading in the same direction Eurval was now guiding me towards.

The message continued to repeat.

I watched the people move as if performing a fire drill.

“Come on Martha take mommy’s hand.”

“Leave that! We have enough in our spatial rings! Go go go!”

[Move Lucid.]

Huh, oh yeah.

With the flow of people, I followed the arrows. While the crowds looked calm I could practically smell the unease in everyone’s steps.

It was the unease of their fates were no longer being in their control once more. I knew because I too felt it in the pit of my stomach, the same feeling I got when the dungeon entrance appeared.

I wonder how that one user in the message boards feels right now. To think Laurent would have thought this far ahead.

Can’t imagine how much a heroic grade estate treasure the size of the cathedral cost Laurent and three at that.

I could not process the severity of the alert. It is the first time I had ever heard it.

I’m sure everyone here as inhabitants of this world has experienced this many times, much like how I would take it seriously if it was a flash flood or an earthquake warning.

Making my way through the plaza I saw how barren the place was now with many of the pop-up shop treasures being taken with their owners. It looked like a giant patch of flatted dirt with clear outlines of where stores used to be.

Save for the “main” roads as they are filled, steadily moving towards the only building in the area the public clinic estate treasure.

Is that a barrier magic.

I could make out a shine of a translucent dome encompassing the entire clinic.

I’ve never seen it before when I visited the shops…

[The formation must have been enabled at the warning Lucid.]

Ahh.

The clinic came into view. I had never been inside, but it looked much like the cathedral with high walls boxing the whole space in except for a few entrances and exit points.

“Huge…”

Instead of parks and lakes within the walls, the clinic housed a massive hospital complex.

I made my way through the giant front gates as everyone continued to pour in. Because everyone was moving in one direction it had only taken a little under five minutes to get here.

“All adventurers please head to the open field, everyone else keep moving forward and enter the building there is plenty of space so do not push!”

There was a small patch of open land by the patient drop-off zone.

A Laurent guardsman floated above the people flowing through the front gate.

I wanted to sneak by and go with the flow into the building, but Eurval had already warned me that defecting here would result in prison or even death on the spot.

Many choose to be speculants for this exact reason. I am obligated to help in times of need in return I am allowed to hunt or gather in areas within a nation's control — Which includes the Tole Forest. This is also why it is customary to refer to others I find in those areas as adventurers.

There was no oath luckily.

[Many feel that adding an oath to becoming an official adventurer would turn away too many people to become speculants instead. Also, it would be impossible to efficiently process the volume of people that join or leave the adventurer guild everyday Lucid.]

I see that must be why the punishment is so severe as to stop people from avoiding the non-oathed obligations.

I left the river of people for the field where I could see many fellow adventurers already here. It was a giant hash of people of various strength I could tell just from their weapons and armors they wielded.

I slowed my steps as I searched the crowd for my only friend. The people evacuating must have taken away all the local servers as my messages to Eugene all failed.

There!

My face lit up.

“Eugene!” I called out to my pillar of hope.

He was standing towards the back like many of the people of our caliber where. He turned around hearing my call.

“Lucid I was wondering when you would arrive. I was heading to the eastern passageway to meet you for your hunt when I heard the emergency alert.”

Other than Eugene here I could see the other special cadets here at the back also. Runter standing alone and the top four together.

As strong and talented as they might be compared to me, we are nothing compared to the veterans alive for much longer than us.

Maybe in the future, but not today!

I waved my hand and sent a smile to Abigail as she had been sneaking glances to Eugene and me.

Just as I was about to speak to Eugene a loud voice broke out at the front of the crowd of adventurers.

“Adventurers! A guild master has given the approval to execute the second clause. All those below the age of 15 or below the Apostle rank you have been excluded please enter the shelter.”

Many that were standing at the back were I was walked off making me feel a bit exposed.

“We will now send a request to each of your MAGI’s for their accurate evaluation of your current strength!”

"Current evaluation?" Someone in the front spoke out.

“You’re asking for too much!”

“This has to be a breach of the contract! Our strength is our everything! You can’t just ask for this so simply!”

There were no grumblings in the rear where I was. The complaints all came from the middle and especially from the front of the crowd.

“This is allowed under the same clause! I am under oath when I say this data will be destroyed once we have an understanding of our collective strength.”

I could sense the response didn't seem to quell the anger.

“And who is doing this review?” A man in a pure black armor floating at similar height with the guard spoke out.

Like many powerful parties, his party floating around him wore similar looking sets of equipment.

“This review will be performed by guild master Pointa himself!”

“However, please understand it cannot be truly anonymous!”

Hearing the name most of the grumblings died down. I didn't know who Pointa was, but I assumed he was well respected from this.

The man in black armor nodded his head accepting the words.

“Thank you for your understanding. We will begin now!”

[Do you want me to comply Lucid? I have received the request.]

I always feel warm when I see Eurval would lie for me.

It’s okay, give them what you have but leave anything about my internal bodies breaking out.

[I understand Lucid.]

Silence filled the area as everyone began to submit their combat data.

I understood the implications for this request. I am headed off to battle possibly at whatever danger that will be appearing.

Hopefully, I would only be needed to support the defensive formations with mana or repairs…

—Huuuuuuu

Well, at least I now know maximizing all of my time towards increasing my strength was the correct decision on my part.

My experience here had calmed down so much I had been thinking about switching to focusing on making money midway through the slog Eurval had me in.

I was going to buy a massive amount of pure fire essence, whether gathered or taken from essence and mana orbs, to sell once I got out.

I’m sure even with the massive influx of supply a single dungeon wouldn’t affect the global price to a point where I don’t make a pretty penny.

I was lulled by the peace. I really did begin to think I could wait this dungeon out in a relative calmness…

“I have received word from Pointa! Combat strength has been assessed! You will now receive a message containing your position if there is a need for you in combat!”

While he spoke to the crowd of about two to three thousand here. I could easily sense he was more inclined to look at the rows of people flying or standing in the front.

The crowd was a complete mix some shining a holy white with hazy halos above their heads while others emanated shadowy flames from their passive magics or enchanted equipment.

“Sleep replacement pills will be provided daily to everyone! You are expected o be always on call until word the danger has passed!”

I thought back to the guardsman’s earlier words.

So combat isn’t confirmed!

Of course, other than the warning nothing has appeared! This could all just be a false alarm.

—PSHUUUUUUUUUU

Like an exploding steam pipe the skies became filled with shooting molten magma no longer did they drip off the sides but now shot out from the cracks they leaked out of.

The perpetual dusk that had always covered the town turned into a bright sunny day.

Everyone looked up to the magma sliding off the barrier to the sides of the estate.

I could hear the moisture in the air above the barrier sizzle from the extreme heat. The rumblings continued as the hot magma filled the entire cave floor.

That warning system saved a lot of people…I had to praise Laurent it had given the inhabitants of this dungeon floor at least 20 minutes to get somewhere safe.

Silence filled the crowd. Everyone, including me, seemed to be on edge.

—Gruuuuu

The magma that had slid to the sides of the barrier above and coated the entire dungeon floor didn’t cool. Instead, it began to blister and bubble into giant sacs.

I could see them beating like a heart. There must be thousands as their collective groans thundered out.

“Combatants ready! Pointa will now be taking direct command of your positions! Follow the orders your MAGI receives and task it to record your contributions!”

Thousands of Laurent guardsmen flew from out of the building joining behind the man that had been talking to us.

“74th Brigade! Let's move!” The Laurent guardsman turned around and yelled out.

At his word, they all shot out of the barrier beginning their assault on the sacs.

I’m sure they didn’t know what was inside, but none of us wanted to find out.

The crowd of adventurers began to rouse casting numerous magics and activating various effects preparing for battle.

Fear and adrenaline began to fill me like it did the air putting me in the same mindset that I’ve only felt twice. Once fighting the rock tortoise and the other with the undead.

As I put on my helmet I looked at Eugene.

He looked at me too.

We both nodded our heads at each other.

Without saying a word we understood we would be watching each other’s backs.