The Runesmith

Chapter 722: Subterranean Hunt.

“The Deputy was scarier than usual last time… We’d better be careful.”

Selphie said this while clutching her oversized hat as her teammates huddled together near the hotel courtyard.

“He looked like he wanted to lock us in the training chamber again for a few more days… I know we took first place, but it feels like we failed…”

Elian spoke while looking around nervously, as if he were afraid the Deputy would poke his head out at any moment, give them another lecture about tactical restraint, and then force them to run multiple drills as he had in the past. Some of them, Elian included, still had nightmares about that training period and had no desire to return to it.

“I don’t think you need to worry that much.”

Lucienne walked over to her teammates, her face beaming with a subtle glow that contrasted greatly with their gloomy mood. Having just spoken to Robert for the first time in ages, she felt as though she were floating on air. She patted Selphie on the shoulder with playful enthusiasm and helped her fix her hat.

“Deputy Professor Wayland was probably just worried about us and the fact that we’ll have to face more schools in the next rounds… which we probably will. So, we should probably worry more about that than anything else…”

She explained while the other two listened. Oxian and Leron weren’t with them, as always. One was still at the dining table, eating as much protein as he could, while the other had sneaked away at some point, and they had no idea where he was. However, he was never too far away, and whenever the time for the competition came, he had always been punctual.

“Lucienne is probably right… We should stop worrying about the Deputy and focus on the competition instead.”

Selphie adjusted her oversized hat once more and nodded in agreement with Lucienne.

“Still, tomorrow is going to be a mess. Every school that made it into the next bracket will be looking for ways to counter our gear or take it away.”

Elian nodded in agreement.

“Now that they know how heavily we rely on it, that would be the smartest move for them. They’ll aim to disarm us early or disrupt the enchantments in our weapons.”

Elian concluded, leaning back against the courtyard wall. The other two girls nodded, but it wasn’t as though they were without options.

“So, it’s just like the Professor said. It’s still within the parameters!”

Selphie said this while trying to imitate the Deputy Professor’s voice, causing the other two young mages to chuckle.

“Yes, I don’t think we should worry about our support items being disrupted by magic. They can always be taken away, though, and they still don’t know the secrets behind them.”

All of them knew that what they were using was state-of-the-art enchanted equipment. It wasn’t something that could be disrupted by a simple spell, at least not by anything another Tier One class holder could do. Anti-magic alchemical powder was also forbidden, as this was supposed to be a demonstration of magical power and ingenuity.

Their opponents also didn’t know that they were using runic batteries. They could potentially target the short window when the batteries were being replaced, but for now, that wasn’t a known weakness anyone could exploit.

However, it was possible that once they made it through the semifinals, this secret could be exposed. If that happened, they could only blame themselves. They had already made themselves a target.

“Ack.”

“W-what is it, Selphie?”

As they were talking, the girl with the big hat let out a strange, surprised sound. She pointed in a direction, and they saw a bunch of students from other schools staring in their direction.

“There’s more over there. Try acting natural!”

“H-how does one act natural in a situation like this?”

Elian asked as he also spotted several people looking at their group from above. A lot of them were not even doing it properly, as their hiding places were painfully obvious. Lucienne, with her clairvoyance skills and spells, could tell that there were even more.

“Well, at least those two aren’t there. But I think I’ve seen someone with the Starbloom emblem staring this way…”

Lucienne commented as she activated her skill to see if there were more people watching them. However, the moment she did, she felt something strange. Her buddy shuddered, and a strange premonition washed over her mind. It was as if some kind of predator was watching her. She immediately turned toward the source of the feeling.

“...”

“What is it, Lucienne?”

Selphie’s head suddenly popped into her view as Lucienne gazed toward a large statue in the distance.

“Ah!”

“Woah!”

The two girls jumped back and nearly fell over, but a strange force held them in place before gently lowering them back onto the ground. Soon, the people on the sides who had been trying to sneak peeks at them scattered as two figures began making their way toward them. One was a floating cat, while the other was an armored man wearing a robe.

“You should be more mindful of your surroundings.”

Roland’s voice resonated through his helmet, sounding different from his usual voice, which Lucienne rarely got to hear. The floating feline beside him, Professor Arion, was beaming with pride and immediately began praising them.

“You did such a splendid job out there! A truly magnificent showcase of magic and tactical finesse!”

Arion purred, his floating feline form somersaulting through the air before coming to rest beside Roland’s shoulder. He continued talking and praising them, but Lucienne still felt a little skittish from the strange sensation she had experienced moments earlier.

“Is something the matter?”

Roland looked at her and spoke normally, though he seemed to be using Arion as a distraction while the other two students focused on him.

“Ah, it’s nothing. It felt like someone was watching me back there. Deputy Professor, I think it was just my imagination.”

She said that, but her brother looked toward the large statue. His visor pulsed a few times before he eventually turned back to her.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything there, Lucienne. You might just be tired after the competition. Rest well, as you have today free. You will need all your strength for the matches ahead.”

Lucienne nodded slowly, though the subtle chill at the back of her neck had not entirely faded. She offered a quick, polite bow to the deputy professor and Arion before turning to follow Selphie and Elian back toward the hotel entrance.

Her brother Roland watched the group depart until they vanished from sight, his gaze returning to the spot Lucienne had mentioned. He moved over and looked around more thoroughly before shaking his head. He had not been able to discover anything, so he soon walked away.

The day went by rather normally for Lucienne and her team. They moved around the sanctuary, stopping by the food stands once more. Elian seemed to have developed an addiction to skewers, as he could not help himself from buying several more and constantly munching on them.

They also visited some of the stadiums where other competitions were taking place. At times, they simply took a break near a water fountain that had a broadcasting orb floating above it. There was not really any need to go directly to the competitions. Events like the golem battle continued, but only for the higher placements in the next brackets, which meant that her brother and his golem no longer needed to compete.

“Lucienne, let’s go! There’s a competition we need to see. This battle event is about to start!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”

A girl with wolven ears pointed toward an open arena where people had already begun to gather. It was her friend Atasuna, accompanied by Marlein, who had arrived recently. Together, they headed toward a battle tournament between mages, a direct one-versus-one competition between Tier Two upper seniors.

Elian and Selphie were there too, and even Oxian had taken an interest in the competition, though he could not participate because his level was too low. Many other students from their school were there as well, cheering from the stands, and soon the battle began.

It was a competition of quick casting, magical power, and strategic positioning. Spells clashed in midair, shattering into shimmering cascades of mana as the two senior mages exchanged fierce elemental attacks.

“Xandar! Xandar! Xandar!”

The crowd chanted as the student representing their school secured another victory. His opponent had unleashed a torrent of compressed wind blades, cutting through the stone ring and forcing him to continuously stack barrier spells. Yet they could not break through, and before long, his opponent had exhausted his mana reserves.

Seizing the opportunity, the student from their school, a handsome young man with chestnut hair, launched his counterattack.

Channeling his remaining mana into a quick sequence of incantations, he launched multiple rocky projectiles at his opponent. The sheer number was far beyond what he should have been able to conjure after such a lengthy battle, and the barrage quickly overwhelmed his opponent’s remaining barriers.

“Victory goes to Xandar’s Institute!”

The announcer’s voice boomed from above, spreading throughout the entire arena. The group Lucienne was with instantly began cheering. Everyone was smiling, and Lucienne knew she would probably never forget this feeling of unity and pride.

To make things even better, her brother Robert was nearby, leaning against a wall and keeping his distance, but he was there. They were able to spend time together without their mother constantly interrupting them, though she was not far away. Not long after this part of the competition ended, however, she was taken away to have some food with her own mother.

It had been quite an eventful day, not simply because her school had won so many competitions, but because she had so many people she cherished around her. Her mother was there, both of her brothers were there, and even her sister. Then there were her friends from school, the people she loved talking and spending time with. The only bad thing about the day was that it went by far too quickly.

As evening came, they were presented with the standings yet again. Even though this was only the second day, Starbloom Academy had been unable to close the gap between them and Xander. In fact, Xander had pulled slightly farther ahead, and it did not seem as though they would be stopping anytime soon.

Once the rankings were posted, it signaled the end of the day. The sanctuary had a strictly enforced curfew. The golemic statues outside were even known to move and react to anyone without specific permission to wander around, and students were not among those permitted to do so. Even her brother was unable to leave the hotel. Only a select few of the highest-ranking professors from each school had that privilege.

“Rest well, everyone!”

Lucienne called out to her teammates, and everyone nodded before turning in for the night. Darkness settled over the sanctuary, bringing with it a cool silence that washed away the rowdy celebrations of the day. Soon enough, they were all asleep. The next day arrived before long, and just as before, they were guided to the area containing the dimensional doors.

“It’s like the professors said. The whole mood is different…”

Selphie pointed out that everyone among the competitors was watching them, as though they were the group that needed to be defeated. Previously, they had gone largely unnoticed, but it was clear that things had changed. Now that they had entered the new treasure hunt event, they needed to be especially careful.

Just as before, they took their positions before the glowing spatial doorway and stepped through it together in a tight formation. The disorienting pull of spatial movement lasted only a second before the heavy atmosphere of the new venue settled over them.

They materialized before a moss-covered cave entrance. Beyond it, glowing crystals illuminated a series of subterranean tunnels. There was no way back.

“Now this is different.”

Lucienne commented as she used her skill to map out the area in her mind. She could sense the caverns stretching out before them, filled with magical constructs, flowing water, and narrow passageways branching off in multiple directions.

“From an open forest to a cave system. They really decided to make things harder this time. It won’t be that easy to maneuver or escape in there.”

Selphie adjusted her hat and peered into the dim subterranean passage, where water dripped softly against the stone. They were standing in a larger chamber with no other passages leading out. Luminescent moss clung to the ceiling overhead, casting a faint glow across the walls. The only way forward was down the path before them.

“In a tight space like this, we should probably avoid using any AoE spells, just like the professor told us. We should also avoid anything that might cause a cave-in.”

Lucienne used a term Roland had introduced while teaching them. In smaller tunnels, unleashing too much firepower could be deadly. Longer weapons were also a poor choice, as they could catch against the surrounding stone. 

Even Oxian’s earth magic, despite being his specialty, could become a double-edged sword. While he could probably cause a cave-in, doing so on top of themselves rather than their enemies would have deadly consequences. Oxian nodded, his gauntlets clanking as he brought his fists together with a low thump.

“I will hold the front line. Just leave it to me, as always.”

Their tank moved forward, with Leron following close behind.

“I’ll remain in the back and wait for an opportunity if one presents itself.”

The two young men who rarely talked finally spoke. It wasn’t the best environment for either of them. Oxian would need to hold himself back, while Leron didn’t have a dense forest to use as hiding places. However, this place was dark, so it could still be used for ambushes, albeit with much greater difficulty.

The group ventured deeper into the subterranean network. Illuminated by clusters of glowing purple crystals, the walls shimmered, casting light along the path. Small streams of underground water rushed past them, partially filling some of the caverns. After several minutes of cautious movement, Lucienne paused, her clairvoyance skill picking up something.

“I sense two distinct mana signatures up ahead. One is stationary and dense, likely a treasure orb guarded by a magical construct. The second is moving quickly toward it from the left passageway.”

“Another school already? We really have no luck with these things!”

Elian asked, his thumb gently resting against the housing of his wand.

“Are we going to intercept them, or wait?”

The group looked at each other and remembered what the deputy had taught them before. If they identified an opposing force that wasn’t aware of their presence, it was always best to take the cautious approach. Move slowly, stay hidden, and observe what was happening to avoid walking into a trap.

“Let’s do this.”

Oxian nodded without arguing. In the past, he would have loved nothing more than to charge in and start a fight, but he knew better now.

“Leron.”

Selphie called out to him, and he didn’t need to be asked twice. He slipped into the darkness of the nearby cavern walls. His footsteps became completely silent as he moved ahead to scout. Even though Lucienne was there to detect enemies and treasures, he could still fulfill the role of a scout and lie in wait.

All of them moved while maintaining a silencing spell around themselves, something the other group couldn’t easily do due to the constant mana consumption. This gave them the ability to sneak up on whatever was happening ahead and decide when to strike.

“It’s a group from another school. Not sure which one.”

They came to a stop behind a rock formation and waited. From there, they saw a location similar to the one from the previous treasure hunt event. A treasure orb was being guarded by several golems, which five mages were currently fighting. It gave them the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack, but before they could decide what to do, Lucienne sensed something.

“Another group coming!”

She detected a different group of students approaching, and soon they appeared from another cavern. It seemed they were lucky this time. If these two groups fought each other, they could swoop in afterward and claim all the loot once the victors had exhausted themselves in the struggle.

The second team burst into the cavern soon enough and saw the other group finishing off the constructs. It was the perfect time for them to strike, but instead, they did something unexpected. They simply started talking.

“What are they doing? Are they not going to attack each other?”

“I don’t know. I can’t hear them.”

It became clear that something wasn’t right. The group seemed to be forming some kind of ceasefire, and they might have been doing so to take out a greater foe, like them.