The sight before my eyes was astonishing. A subterranean city, or rather, the ruins of a subterranean city that once was the shelter of a civilization facing destruction.
Perhaps at some point, this subterranean city was filled with people trying to survive the apocalypse, but now, what remained of this city was ruins and starving specters.
"We think that most of the remaining students transported to this world fell into this city, including Starlight and Hyacinth's sister, Lily," Aulus explained. "Perhaps your sister is also inside." He said while looking at me.
'What do you think, demon?'
[He should be right.] The demon replied in my mind. [Remember what I told you before, about the reason behind the formation of the spatial fault? Well, this place seems like the source of the fluctuation. There is a very high chance that your sister fell here. But…]
'This place is dangerous, huh.' I mumbled knowingly.
[Yes. The source of the fluctuation should be a very powerful specter. If it finds you, we'll be in serious trouble.]
I closed my eyes.
"The reason why you are telling us this is because you want our help, right?" I asked Aulus.
He smiled wryly and nodded.
"This subterranean city is filled with specters. Honestly, we could not estimate how dangerous it is, but when Itrudura and the secretary were escaping, they came into contact with over a dozen specters."
I looked at Jazmine and she nodded.
"We fell near the exit of the ruins, but even so, we were attacked several times before we could escape."
"One of my companions is somewhere in this city," Aulus's voice was determined. "We plan to enter the subterranean city to find her. And we hope you help us."
Professor Sol frowned.
"Are you sure? We know nothing about what is inside the ruins. I don't think entering rashly is a good idea."
"I know. But every second our companions stay in this place is a second longer they'll be in danger. Without our help, their chances of survival are very low." Aulus's face was grave. "I don't plan to let Starlight here to die."
"I agree with him," Hyacinth interjected at that moment. "We eblors don't abandon our people. My sister and two of my companions are here, and I'm not going to let them die in this place."
Professor Sol fell silent.
She put on a struggling expression before sighing.
"… I'm sorry, but I can't go." She finally said. "As a professor, I have a duty to protect my students, but the students in the ruin are not my only students. The students outside are also my students, and three of them are injured. I must stay to protect them."
Aulus was dissapointed but he understood.
"I see. It's a shame. What about you? K'erta said that your abilities would be of great help." Aulus asked me.
I did not hesitate.
"I'm going."
Ley could be inside. I can't rest assured knowing that she may be in danger.
At that moment, Hela gripped my hand.
She did not speak, but her gaze was enough to convey her intentions.
'I'm going with you.'
"I'm going too." Jazmine offered herself to help too, although her face was slightly pale. "Professor Sol alone is enough to protect the students staying, so I may as well help you to rescue more students."
I frowned.
"Are you sure? You don't have to force yourself."
Jazmine seemed a little scared, but she forced out a smile.
"I can't look like a coward when my juniors are being so brave."
I hesitated briefly, but in the end, I did not reject her help.
We didn't know what we could meet inside the ruins, so we needed as much help as we could get.
Just like that, the group that would be entering the ruins was decided.
Four celers, K'erta, Aulus 25, Itrudura, and Duin.
Two eblors, Hyacinth and Arche.
Three humans, Jazmine, Hela, and me.
In total, nine people.
"When are we departing?" Jazmine asked.
"We need to make some preparations first." Aulus 25 said. "K'erta will release some scouting beetles to see if she can find any sign of our companions. And some of us need to rest. We plan to depart three hours later. What do you think?"
I nodded.
Just like Aulus said, Hela, K'era, and I needed to rest. Although I was in a hurry to find Ley, I knew that I needed to be in my best condition before entering the ruins.
Moreover, I also needed to make some preparations.
After returning outside, I sat cross-legged below a tree and summoned one of my contracted partners.
With a thought, the tattoo on the top of my left hand materialized into a beautiful cat with reddish fur.
"Meow~" Scarlet purred after materializing and rubbed her body against my legs.
"What do you think? Do you think you can advance now?" I asked her.
Scarlet meowed in affirmation before jumping into my lap. She then lay down and closed her eyes.
An instant later, the mana in the surroundings started to stir.
A vortex of mana formed around us, rushing into Scarlet.
Scarlet's body started to heat up. She absorbed the mana in the surroundings crazily while condensing it inside of her.
At the same time, I closed my eyes and used my connection with her to offer her my mana.
Scarlet had been on the verge of advancing to tier four for a while now, and just a while ago, she communicated to me that she wanted to make a breakthrough.
Apparently, the abundant mana of this world gave her the last push she needed.
I held her body gently as her body became hotter and hotter, and the mana inside her became more abundant.
Eventually, it reached a tipping point.
Scarlet opened her eyes and let out a growl.
*Meow!*
Immediately, her mana surged up.
Flames appeared around her, burning the nearby grass as her aura became stronger at a very fast rate.
A few seconds later, her mana finally stabilized.
Scarlet's crimson pupils glowed brightly.
She had advanced to tier four.