<414 - The Crucial Clue>
Mandela Castera’s laughter prevented the approach of monsters lingering in the lava zone.
“Mastering mana control can encapsulate tremendous effects even in mundane actions, just like my voice! Ahahaha!”
“If only that guy didn’t boast so much, he’d be a truly respectable senior.”
Dorothy pouted.
Just looking at Irene’s sulky face beside her confirmed they were thinking the same thing.
Senior Mandela is strong.
Without a second thought, she excluded the dangerous factors they dreaded the most.
They effortlessly broke through the lava zone without even using their protective talismans yet.
“Are we going to reach the end of the path like this?”
“Confidence is great, but to be blunt, that’s impossible!”
“Why’s that?”
“Beyond the lava zone lies the Depth of Mana Disaster. It’s the center of chaos with a history of countless unsanctioned individuals colliding and collapsing!”
“And in such a place, Oknodie…”
“So we have to hurry, right? Before a reckless junior stumbles into a place beyond my reach!”
Dorothy’s gaze, following behind the senior, paused for a moment.
For a brief second, she thought she saw Jiang wobbling. Despite wearing a mask tightly on his face, he seemed to walk just fine.
Am I imagining things?
Dorothy tilted her head but turned back to the front again, unaware that Jiang’s face under the mask was still distorted from unhealed injuries.
“Senior, is there any way to inform the others on the other side? If we’ve gotten much closer to Oknodie, they’re wasting their efforts over there.”
“The rest of the second-years have joined them, excluding me. While it’s commendable that they worry about their classmates, right now, you should be more worried about yourselves!”
The relaxed tension returned, taut once more.
Depth of Mana Disaster.
The 8th-tier Depths of Chaos, surpassing the 5th-tier lava zone, appeared before them.
*
If Dorothy, Rockbell, Jiang, and Mandela Castera were on the route heading towards Irene, everyone else was gathered on the route leading towards Jezel.
“Our objective is not to ambush seniors who are digging for food with hungry stomachs across the mana disasters and snatch points from them, nor to obtain lost items located at the core of powerful mana disasters. The goal is, without a doubt, to rescue Oknodie.”
Thanks to securing clear intel and strategies from the seniors, even in the simultaneous barrage of ten mana disasters in the Continuous Disaster Zone, they advanced without hesitation.
“There are Oknodie’s footprints here.”
“It’s faint but there’s a lingering scent. This way is definitely right.”
The problem lay in the fact that the direction Jiang and the mob pointed, detecting Oknodie’s traces, contradicted the safe path hinted by the intel they received.
“That’s the site of a disaster phenomenon, where even seniors who sold information were clearly warned not to tread.”
“If our fearless little princess would obviously stomp in there without hesitation.”
“What now? Do we turn back to the safe path, or boldly rush into a clearly dangerous place?”
Jezel made her decision.
“We’ll tackle the safe path. But then, we need second-year seniors to stick with Jiang and the mob.”
The late-arriving search team that joined with Mandela Castera encountered the safe zone thanks to Jezel, who had been actively gathering information near the entrance.
The second-years nodded, believing that with Jezel’s level of intel, the first-years would be sufficiently safe on their own.
Boom!
Like a cannon, a wall was pushed, knocking a person against the opposite wall in the Shove trap section.
Oknodie had hilariously twisted that trap mechanism and used it like a cannon to carve out his own creative shortcut.
Combined Shield
Shock Absorption
Collision Resistance Grant
Physical Resistance Level 2 Enhancement
A massive sphere reinforced by the second-years collided with the ground, creating a thunderous noise.
Crash, bang.
As cracks formed and the shield burst apart, the second-years stumbled out with pale faces.
“What’s taking you so long? Oknodie is that way!”
“Ugh, I-I need to find the footprints…”
Although Jiang, who didn’t contribute to the shield creation, hurried his steps right after landing, and the mob clad in heavy armor followed closely.
The tough march didn’t seem first-year-like at all, leaving the second-years with a grimace.
“Did I falsely believe that bringing them along would be a good idea?”
“I’m gonna dieee…”
After effortlessly leaping over three disasters, they reached the next disaster in the continuous disaster zone, a cannon segment that thrusts you back to the start point with a water cannon.
How well the negative premonitions hit as Jiang and the mob arrived at a place where a water column shot high into the air.
“If your show is over, put up the shield quickly.”
“Is this what junior means by being a master?”
At the complaint of one second-year, all the second-years sighed and nodded in agreement.
*
“Those squirrels are just flying everywhere! What are they, always taking to the skies on a whim?”
Son Ohchun clicked his tongue at the sight of Jiang and the mob launching into the air three times, creating their own inventive shortcuts with the second-years.
“Isn’t this the way a little lady would progress? To me, it’s quite relieving. Don’t you feel reassured that we’re on the right path?”
“Not sure if that’s the way to call it a path.”
Isabel couldn’t even imagine going that way, even as a jest.
It seemed completely absurd unless it was a tempering event raining kitchenware down from the sky.
Especially with Jezel, who carried far more luggage than her, it wouldn’t be a stretch for her to think it might happen even more so.
The image of gold coins pouring like rain flashed in Isabel’s mind, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Izabel, what’s so funny?”
“I was imagining Jezel showering with gold coins while plummeting through the air.”
“Hahaha, that’s a masterpiece! I must definitely try it next time.”
“Don’t say horrific things! I will NEVER ride with you.”
Unlike everyone else who had eased up, a first-year could not smile.
Jigoku followed behind with a grim face, disguised as sunshine, showing no signs of his usual cheerfulness.
“What’s wrong with that guy?”
“Jigoku probably needs some time. Let him be.”
“Hey, Senior. Got any hunches at all?”
“Ugh. Don’t make me spell it out. It would only make him feel worse to hear it.”
Just as Jezel said, Jigoku was burning inside.
Oknodie. I thought you followed me to weekend lectures, but you were just using me, weren’t you?
Creating a commotion with the Kraken while sneaking into the Student Dormitory Zone during lectures.
With Oknodie’s unhesitant string of actions, it felt like he had attended lectures solely for this purpose from the start.
And that made him all the angrier.
What was I to you?
When he invited Oknodie to attend lectures, she would mumble and squint while weighing something.
While they learned the knowledge necessary for naval combat and corrected their clumsy stances, he laughed and ate biscuits as solid as bricks on the way home.
And yet, after spending such moments together, you do this without saying a word and just disappear.
Jigoku’s fist clenched tighter than ever. The firmness of this fist stemmed from anger at his own weakness for not being relied upon as a strong adult.
This time will be different.
I will absolutely find Oknodie and grab her with this hand to ask.
What was I to you, and what was the Jigoku Pirate Group to you?
“Ugh, is it monsters appearing in places that aren’t shortcuts! Everyone step back! That’s a giant rock monster that can’t be defeated with weapons…”
Boom!
Even as upper-class students struggled to retreat, Jigoku charged forward and blasted the rock monster to pieces with his enchanted bullets of Piercing, Crushing, and Explosion.
As the nervous students swallowed hard, a serious Jigoku turned and said coldly.
“Don’t stop. No matter what comes out, keep going.”
That feeling.
He wanted to blow up everything blocking his path.
“Has Jigoku always been this strong?”
“Not sure.”
In response to Isabel’s question, Jezel answered honestly.
“No one knows the true strength of Jigoku.”
“What? I’ve clashed several times with that ignorant guy. How can you not know? Wasn’t he like an equal?”
“Son Ohchun is different. Jigoku has never fought with all his strength even once throughout last semester. He always seemed relaxed and uninterested.”
When Jigoku formed the Jigoku Pirate Group, it seemed he might turn things around, but he merely opted to gather underperforming students to play pirate games.
Seeing Jigoku, visibly enraged and serious while fighting, was a first for them.
“Damn it. Is that guy too? Are you going to step over me too?”
With clenched teeth, Son Ohchun was about to reach for his comforting hand when Jezel stopped him.
Seeing him quietly shake his head made Isabel realize.
In this time, where everyone begins to grow or reveal their hidden might.
The frustration of those left behind can only be pacified through their own growth.
What must Oknodie, the one who sparked this growth, be doing right now?
Whatever it is, I want to smack her bottom at least ten times with a stick.
Experiencing helplessness and driven to grow is not just limited to Son Ohchun; it applied to Jezel as well.
“I can’t see them anymore.”
Jiang and the mob, who flew through the air, had completely vanished beyond their detection range after a few loud booms.
From the Oknodie search team, Jezel’s main party, trailing behind, the setting sun increased their pursuit difficulties.
“The safe zone has appeared! What should we do?”
“If I circulate my Mana Flow Technique, I can push away drowsiness enough. We’ll keep pressing on.”
Sleep was a luxury.
If those lagging behind took care of their health while pacing themselves, the chance to catch up with those ahead would never come.
“Are you really okay with this? This isn’t your usual approach.”
“What’s my way anyway?”
“Thorough information gathering based on weakness analysis and strategies. Right now, all I see in you is impatience.”
“If an ally from the Esornia Expedition Team is in danger ahead, can you really speak so leisurely?”
“I can. If the main party wears themselves out and collapses, then the chance for the scattered to be rescued will vanish too.”
“…”
When it came to Oknodie, the first-years all pulled together and fervently jumped in.
With Isabel’s insights reigniting her calmness, Jezel regained her composure.
“Thank you! Thanks to you, I almost made a misstep uncharacteristically.”
“Don’t waver! You’re our foundation. Your gathered intel and connections for Oknodie are now coming in handy.”
With the warmth of their relationships she had temporarily forgotten, a smile crept up on Jezel’s lips.
“I wonder if she’s eating well. Our clumsy little lady.”
A genuine concern slipped out without thinking.
At her words, Isabel’s hair bristled in alarm.
“That’s it!”
“What?”
“Food! Identify the location of ingredients that only exist in this Student Dormitory Zone.”
“!!”
“You know it. Oknodie would always consider ‘efficiency’ and gather unfamiliar ingredients anytime, anywhere.”
It’s not about Oknodie.
We’re going to find the ingredients worthy of Oknodie!
The beginning of the thread.
A clue to unravel the incident.
Realizing the crucial hint that could accelerate the search.
